Boston - Day 6

Hi,





Our last full day!! Sad? Sort of, but on the other hand the hotel room is small and without fresh air, so won't be sorry to leave that behind. This morning whilst the loud disturbing neighbours had gone, they had kindly left their alarm set for 5.55 so that rang for an hour!! Touching reminder of their presence!!

I was up early and eventually roused Jon so that we started our day at the Flat Black at around 8. 30 ish. Excellent flat white coffees again after a weekend without and we discussed our options for the day. We decided on the Boston Library followed by lunch at Figs on Charles road. Heartily recommended for excellent food particularly pizza's. We only allow ourselves one pizza a week so it has got to be good - therefore research is important. So the Boston Library has some interesting features firstly it is huge and was intended to be the largest library in the US. Not sure that it retains that title now. It has some fantastic features including some murals by John Singer Sargent and the hugest reference library I have ever seen. On the down side there were parts of it that we uncared for and tatty - but this didn't detract from the magnificence of the building. I particularly like the newer part where the walls were covered in embroidered wall hanging depicting the worlds changes and mans relationship to nature and the planet.



I left Jon reading whilst I went to chase a DVD order at Barnes at Nobel. No luck there though and we meet up again at Figs, where on ordering our Pizza's the waitress kindly told us we would probably manage one between the two of us as the are 16"/ Phew thank god she did, so we had two different toppings and got stuck in. It did not defeat us until afterwards when we were only good to flop on the bed for a couple of hours moaning at the walls. However, refreshed we walked back up to Trinity church and admired both the garden and the stained glass windows. A stroll down Newbury street followed desperately trying to find something to bring home for Georgina. No luck. Then suddenly, I was walked out and just had to stop. 6 days of energetically walking the streets of Boston had finally caught up with me and I flopped onto a bench in the Prudential Centre (there are worse places!!) and Jon left me there bravely eating some Ben and Jerry's whilst he spent $12 to go to the very top of the building. He found me still eating - I did confess I'd gone back for seconds - with my energy restored we caught the T back via the Whole Foods store where Jon stocked up for his supper.

Today I am booked into the Aveda store for a hair cut and manicure. Only way I know to end a holiday. You may be wondering about the knitting. Well, this has taken a bit of a back seat primarily due to the lack of i-pod and listening material to keep me amused whilst knitting and secondly I went wrong.

Bye for now.

Boston Day 5

Hi,

After yesterday we were both pleased to have a good nights sleep even though our neighbours again woke us at 6.15am. Bless them. We staggered up to Starbucks for our now routine breakfast and then after a discussion caught a train from North Station to Salem. What a fascinating place. I loved the residential areas - very very pretty and we now have a sense of what the famous "fall" looks like, the leaves fluttered down around us as we walked on bricked sidewalks surrounded by these huge shuttered houses. Stunning. However, we then stumbled across the 'mall' and it was so commercialised that we couldn't wait to leave. We'd checked the guide book for a recommendation for lunch and found Red's the sandwich store. Say sandwich to me and I conjure up ciabatta, rye, pumpernickel, soda, wholewheat and other varieties of bread and a huge selection of fillings, mozzarella, pesto, hams etc. I did not imagine, deep fried eggs (any which way) Hovis style bread, chunks of potato fried within an inch of its life and tomato ketchup. Hey ho. Jon had a lovely meal and I bought freshly made spicy tomato soup on the way back to the station. We concluded the day by finishing the remainder of the trolley bus tour we hadn't done yesterday and got off at the Christian Science Headquarters which is stunning.

Found, better late than never, the Whole Foods shop and finally managed to buy some fresh salad stuff and fruit. First apple for almost a week. Anyway we ended up in the public park having a competition to see who could take the best picture of the bronze duck sculpture given to the park by one of the presidents wives. It is only one of two sculpture based on a children's book. The other is in Gorky park in Moscow. We will see the photos when we get home.

Last full day tomorrow, sadly so I think we will go to the Boston Library and take it from there.

Jane

Boston Day 4

Firstly I apologise for incorrectly naming the museum the Isabella Stuart museum. The correct name is the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. I am such an ignorant. Apologies to anyone I offended. Anyway we went to the play - in the rain - down Commonwealth Avenue and had huge fun dashing from shop cover to shop cover trying to find somewhere to eat and stay dry until the theatre opened. We went to a place called T Anthony's. This restaurant is dedicated to students and Red Sox. Knowing nothing about such matters the photos on the wall were lost on us but the food was great. The theatre was tiny and had no bar just some cozy seats to sit on whilst waiting for the performance. The author of the play was there and chatting to some drama students who had come to support him. The play - Five Down and One Across - was about a middle aged woman whose elderly mother was living with her. The daughter Betty is in a same sex relationship that she has to deny to her mother. Her gay friends are there visiting too and her son from a former marriage calls round to tell her he's gay. It was a very good play and we enjoyed it.

Yesterday - Saturday the weather was glorious. Clear blue skies, sunny and warmish. Jon's cold had got really bad and couple with very loud neighbours we didn't sleep much. However I left Jon in the park and went down to the shops where I spent a happy few hours wandering around the Bond Street of Boston Newbury Street. I didn't really go into any shops but it was lovely soaking up the atmosphere. I met Jon in the Market area round the harbour and we decided on Wagamama's for lunch. We shared our table with a couple of ladies who were delightful. One is an administrator up at Harvard and the other, Laura, an attorney who is also a knitter. We shared many laughs and exchanged Ravelry names and will stay in contact on the forum. The other lady, whose name escapes had with her her lovely 4mth old daughter Katie. Never heard a peep from her. A real sweetie.

Our afternoon was spent watching street performers and then doing a trolley bus tour. Excellent - Big Al told us much more than we'd got from the books and we saw the Cheers Bar, Kennedy's address in Beacon Hill, the Scientology Church and fountain area in Back Bay and the whole tour was really really interesting.

Jon still felt rough when we went to bed but I'm hopeful for a better day today. Thanks for emailing me Jenny to let me know the finale squares on the Mystery Blanket 2010. They sound wonderful as does the edging.

More tomorrow.

Jane

Boston-Day 3

Hi,

Woke early again, but didn't fancy a walk so just sat at the computer laughing at emails from the lovely Georgina!! Yes you Georgie! Sadly then disaster struck and I forgot I had my beloved and well used i-pod touch in the back pocket of my jeans - went to the restroom and the rest, as they say is history. I cried, yes laughter and tears all before 7.00 am. However, recalling the memorial to the Holocaust survivors I got a firm grip of myself and Jon and I then had a lovely breakfast together at Starbucks whilst waiting for the now elusive rain to arrive. Latest information said 10.00am. Next back to Flat Black for a Flat White and Dry Cap to go. Still no rain so we caught a variety of T's to the Museum of Art somewhere in Boston weighed down with wet weather gear in temperatures of 75+!! We did weep a little at the entrance costs as would much rather spend our money on food but when there are Monet's to be seen and the odd Picasso then I suppose it's worth it. And it was. There was one particular artist called Kirsten Baker that I really loved. Will try to find some of her other work. Stunning.

The Monet's etc were also absolutely breathtaking and worth each painful step along the way. As it was now approaching lunchtime we headed for the Isabella Stuart Museum in the same area where the restaurant came with recommendations. Defiantly worth a visit - food was some of the best we've had. Excellent. The museum was left (according to her will) exactly as she left it on the day she died and goes around a central covered courtyard that houses some beautiful flowers and trees. The Museum is on 3 floors and the Art is both quirky and imposing with letters from Napoleon and George Washington as well as some impressive painting from artists including Titan and Rubens. Loads more, just can't bring them to mind. On leaving the museum we discovered it was raining. At last. 24 hours coming and finally here. We then caught the T to the Apple Store where I reluctantly confessed what had happen to the beloved i-pod and then promptly went into debt to buy the new and improved model - one that I can access my emails from in any area that has internet connection. Who knew!! Camera's pretty nifty too.



Anyway we are off to the theatre tonight as this seems to be our big culture day. Will let you know what the play is like tomorrow.



Knitting went reasonably well today. Slowed down a bit as spending more time doing than sitting. Hey ho.



Jane