roadtrippin': nor'easter 'bout to get me
Bedford, MA - Boston, MA - 80.5 km*
* this is the last day I have mileage for, as the sheet I kept track of my driving for the rest of the trip has decided to go on vacation. There aren't any pics for this entry either, due to the dreary weather.
By 5:30 AM, I was in full burp/nausea mode, then slumped back to bed for a few more hours. Like most down moments on the trip, there was an upside. Because I needed to rest, I missed the free breakfast buffet that came with the room...which opened an opportunity to take a second shot at grabbing a meal at Legal Sea Foods.
Once I felt ready to move, I drove in along Mass 2 to Alewife subway station. The last time I left the car there, somebody smashed into the back of the car, leaving no exterior damage but a twisted trunk latch...which proved beneficial in the long run, as the trunk no longer flew open with little prodding. This time, both official garages were full, but I was able to park at an impromptu lot at the restaurant/furniture store across the road.
The Boston subway is the gloomiest system I've been in. New York's may be more decrepit, but at least it's well-lit. Boston's makes you wonder if you forgot to take your sunglasses off, or was designed for vampires. Station-name lettering is non-descript. I hopped off by MIT and beat the lunch rush at Legal.
My stomach was gratified for being babied after the night before.
The clam chowder was the best I've ever had, extremely fresh. No resemblance to wallpaper paste. The bluefish in mustard sauce melted in my mouth. Next trip, I may be tempted to wait for an hour-and-a-half.
After lunch, I walked along Massachussets Ave towards Harvard Square, stopping by every book and music store along the way. Most of the damage was done at Harvard Book Store and their fantastic used/remainder basement. Two large bags weighed me down for the rest of the afternoon.
The rain grew heavier, so I nixed plans to walk around downtown Boston and headed for the Museum of Fine Arts. Spent an hour-and-a-half wandering around, picking up a coffee-table book on Bernard Krigstein from the bargain table in the bookstore (note: linked site does not include Krigstein's work for EC Comics - here's the New Yorker review).
Biggest mistake of the day was when I got off at what I thought was a stop in the centre of Somerville. I wandered along Mass Ave, rain intensifying, buses not stopping, neighbourhood I was looking for not in sight, obscenities muttered under my breath. I was chilly and bummed out from the Storm that Refused to End(TM). When I finally caught a bus, it took me straight to my car.
Since I didn't want a repeat of the night before, dinner was light, just a sub at D'Angelo's, just down the road from the hotel. They had lobster rolls on the menu, but the price was astronomical - excellent fresh-carved-tasting roast turkey wound up in my tummy. Hit nearby grocery stores afterwards, then collapsed in a heap before thinking too hard about the route back to Canada. - JB
* this is the last day I have mileage for, as the sheet I kept track of my driving for the rest of the trip has decided to go on vacation. There aren't any pics for this entry either, due to the dreary weather.
By 5:30 AM, I was in full burp/nausea mode, then slumped back to bed for a few more hours. Like most down moments on the trip, there was an upside. Because I needed to rest, I missed the free breakfast buffet that came with the room...which opened an opportunity to take a second shot at grabbing a meal at Legal Sea Foods.
Once I felt ready to move, I drove in along Mass 2 to Alewife subway station. The last time I left the car there, somebody smashed into the back of the car, leaving no exterior damage but a twisted trunk latch...which proved beneficial in the long run, as the trunk no longer flew open with little prodding. This time, both official garages were full, but I was able to park at an impromptu lot at the restaurant/furniture store across the road.
The Boston subway is the gloomiest system I've been in. New York's may be more decrepit, but at least it's well-lit. Boston's makes you wonder if you forgot to take your sunglasses off, or was designed for vampires. Station-name lettering is non-descript. I hopped off by MIT and beat the lunch rush at Legal.
My stomach was gratified for being babied after the night before.
The clam chowder was the best I've ever had, extremely fresh. No resemblance to wallpaper paste. The bluefish in mustard sauce melted in my mouth. Next trip, I may be tempted to wait for an hour-and-a-half.
After lunch, I walked along Massachussets Ave towards Harvard Square, stopping by every book and music store along the way. Most of the damage was done at Harvard Book Store and their fantastic used/remainder basement. Two large bags weighed me down for the rest of the afternoon.
The rain grew heavier, so I nixed plans to walk around downtown Boston and headed for the Museum of Fine Arts. Spent an hour-and-a-half wandering around, picking up a coffee-table book on Bernard Krigstein from the bargain table in the bookstore (note: linked site does not include Krigstein's work for EC Comics - here's the New Yorker review).
Biggest mistake of the day was when I got off at what I thought was a stop in the centre of Somerville. I wandered along Mass Ave, rain intensifying, buses not stopping, neighbourhood I was looking for not in sight, obscenities muttered under my breath. I was chilly and bummed out from the Storm that Refused to End(TM). When I finally caught a bus, it took me straight to my car.
Since I didn't want a repeat of the night before, dinner was light, just a sub at D'Angelo's, just down the road from the hotel. They had lobster rolls on the menu, but the price was astronomical - excellent fresh-carved-tasting roast turkey wound up in my tummy. Hit nearby grocery stores afterwards, then collapsed in a heap before thinking too hard about the route back to Canada. - JB
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