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Blogs from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, North America
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May 18th 2013
Friday May 17th, 9:23pm East of Boston Today was the first day I felt like I was actually in the flow of things onboard. Last week I was almost in a fog most days, not really sure what was going on, today something clicked and I am back in the groove of ship life. The day did start early with US immigration which took longer that should have because apparently some of the cast were out a little late last night and a couple were running a little behind this morning so the whole class had to wait. After an hour and a half of waiting I finally got my I 95 stamped and was allowed to leave the ship. I found the gangway on deck 5 and met Chris and Ed and we tried to ... read more
May 12th 2013
Hi all! So, I woke up in a very bad mood on Saturday morning - not helped by the fact it was grey and raining! I was cheered up, however, when Barbara and Steve offered me a bagel - it was a chocolate marble one from a local bagel store, and it was totally amazing. My faith was restored and I set off for the long drive to Boston. I got to Alewife subway station, and parked up and took the train to Park St., Boston. There, it was raining too, but undeterred, I started to walk the Freedom Trail. There's an app for the iPhone for it. Basically, it's this red line on the pavements that you follow and it takes you around all the historic sites in Boston - the app tells you more ... read more
May 12th 2013
Friday May 10th, 9:24pm 100 miles east of Boston That might have been the longest two days of my life. Let me see if I can remember everything that happened. I never did find a good place to sleep at the airport so I was up all night watching movies and surfing around the intraweb. The chairs at Logan international airport might be the worst I have ever sat in! I hailed a cab at 8:30am this morning and headed for my new house. There was very little traffic so we got there at about 8:45am. I let Bryce know I was early and he told me he was still stuck in immigration, and it was Coast Guard inspection day so everything was running behind. That meant I got to sit outside with the cruise ship ... read more
May 10th 2013
Travel blog Day 1 Thursday may 9th 3:43pm - somewhere over America What an interesting start to a new adventure. After spending an awsome 10 days in Montreal with Captain C Bet and a PJ wearing Zuckerberg, this new opportunity was thrust upon me. I am flying to Boston via Charlotte (jealous Dan? NASCAR country ) I will be joining the NCL Dawn Friday morning. The day started early as I still had a couple of things to do before I left. When my ride showed up to take me to the airport in Seattle, they informed me that they had forgotten their passport. It was decision time, go to the border and hope I can talk my way through or risk driving 40 minutes to retrieve the passport. GAMBLE GAMBLE!!! We got to the border ... read more
Alive to see another week of New England
Published: May 12th 2013North America » United States » Massachusetts » Boston
April 16th 2013
Tue: Need to decompress out of Boston Physically and emotionally tired but it cannot stop here. Hopefully this mini getaway will help level out the rollercoaster ride. Enterprise was just about 1+ mile. After a quick stop at Panera for breakfast, we drove off at ~9am. The first stop came after 2 hrs at Portland head lighthouse. Somehow, I got derailed to Two Lights lighthouse…I wasn’t thinking much. Location looked legit on Google map, that’s all… We got there after some miles of narrow slow road, we couldn't even get past the fence to the lighthouse. The only thing there was a lobster shack. Quickly scrolling through Mingji’s notes, I realized of the real destination, sigh. Portland Head lighthouse was worth visiting. There is a nice path along the coast. Wind-chill was brisk but enjoyed it ... read more
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April 15th 2013
5:55am alarm. Slept alright. Feel good. Happy I made it to this day. I was supposed to pick up the shuttle between 6:30a and 7a at Commons. Thao & Vinh dropped me off there . Here we go! Further into the Commons, gazillions runners were hiding as 5 long snaking lines for each bus. The challenge was finding the end of any line... Finally at 7:10am, my bus took off. I figured I’d be there so early. I mean how long can a 26mile ride take? Well, over an hour. We were on freeway for a while. Once we got off, narrow road in Hopkinton was gridlocked. By the time I got off the bus, it was 8:30am. Still a lot of time to 10:20 start, so I thought. But there was a lot to do! ... read more
April 11th 2013
Thu: We're in New England! Nonstop redeye is the best . The only thing is any temptation to sleep can be dangerous. What was intended to be a 10min power nap turned into a 2-hr nap... I even put myself in uncomfortable position...fail. Gots to get up. Finally made it out to Dunkin Donuts at 11a, just around the corner. Love the convenience . We were in the mood for some soup. Yelp indicated New England soup factory to be promising. Few miles away, close enough, it's on! Unfortunately, I was feeling that creamy chowder but avogolemono-ish orzo soup was nice . Next stop was Gardner Museum. It's famous for its courtyard and theft in the 90s. Unfortunately no photo anywhere, including the courtyard garden . It's too beautiful not to use the SLR I was ... read more
Boston, Massachusetts
Published: March 31st 2013North America » United States » Massachusetts » Boston
March 31st 2013
From somewhere in New York, we continued to Boston, through the Appalachian Mountains. Boston! there are SO MANY things to do and see there!! What do you think of when you think of Boston? Paul Revere? Celtics? Common? Tea Party? Fenway Park and the Red Sox? Cheers? CHEERS!! Of course! because “sometimes you want to go where everyone knows your name!” Cheer is Cheers (1982-1993) on the outside and the Bull and Finch Pub on the inside. Apparently, the show was filmed “in front of a studio audience” on set, BUT that didn’t stop us from going in and sitting at the end of the bar, and yelling “Norm!!!” I know! HOW CLICHE!! But, I’m not embarrassed. I mean, seriously! we could not have been the first, and we sure won’t be the last! My best ... read more
Rites of Passage Summary, Part 2
Published: March 29th 2013North America » United States » Massachusetts » Boston
March 28th 2013
How do I summarize a trip of a lifetime in a few minutes? Since I’ve been back, many people I’ve met have wanted to know exactly that. It can’t be done; the range of experience and sights was just too varied. In the end, I wrote up a bunch of lists. The second half is below, with post references where appropriate. See the previous blog for the first half. Most Unexpected Surprises: 1. The incredible diversity of the United States. This country has an unbelievable variety of cultures, people, cities, landscapes, and histories; all of which manage to coexist, however uneasily. 2. How friendly people are in most of the country. Parts of the US have a reputation of being intolerant of people obviously from elsewhere. I found the exact opposite, friendly people willing to engage ... read more
Rites of Passage Summary, Part 1
Published: March 15th 2013North America » United States » Massachusetts » Boston
March 14th 2013
How do I summarize a trip of 35,000 miles in a few minutes? Since I’ve been back, many people I’ve met have wanted exactly that. It can’t be done; the range of experience and sights was just too broad. In the end, I wrote up a bunch of lists. The first half is below, with post references where appropriate. Lessons Learned: 1. I love to explore and discover things. I spent the entire trip doing it. 2. Direct experience provides insight other methods can’t match. Travelling somewhere to be there in person has a much greater impact than reading or seeing a video about it. 3. I’m very good at solving problems. They came up repeatedly (hit in a parking lot, cracked my camera, road I needed was flooded) and I found solutions within a few ... read more
