Boston

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The clean up was relatively painless – scavenging at such a high standard by Ms Biggs and able assistance by Pete (transporting our bags and thus saving our backs) made our last day or two in TO go without a hitch. Hospitality was laid out on a plate to us by Sarah and Pete (and I couldn’t go on without mentioning the ever so cute Inara) and we spent our last few hours watching Shrek, eating pizza and being entertained by Inara. Twas soon time to depart – we were dropped off by Pete (big thanks) and met up with Xtreme aka Ash. A last minute fill of that btch (said very affectionately!), a hug and we were off. No sleep for me on the way to Buffalo but Zoe managed a bit. Customs was relatively hassle free – had to grab our bags off and walk through a little room. Why we had to take our bags is a bit of a mystery as they didn’t check anything. And surprisingly, the customs lady was the nicest one we’ve come across in our journey’s into/out of the States. Muchly appreciated at 2am in the morning. Soon after we were in Buffalo, a quick stop and then on to Syracuse. Slept pretty much the whole way there and realised we were lucky to get there – snow was piled up everywhere. Evidently, we were running late and our connecting bus was waiting for us – as was the irritable bus driver, seemingly pissed off at us because we didn’t magically make the bus get there quicker. Anyways, a super quick transfer and we were on the road again. A quick stop in Rochester, we then made our way to Albany, where daylight was now in full swing. New York State was soon behind us – we stopped in at Worcester, Massachusetts and a cat nap later Boston was upon us.

The cold tracked us all the way from Toronto and slapped us in the face as soon as we walked outside. Our hostel was pretty easy to find and there was no dramas with it. A quick bag dump, a snack and we were out and about (missing the Canadian accent already). Taking advantage of the free entry, we headed to the Museum of Fine Arts and took in some pretty good art, the best of which was a couple of photo exhibitions (Zoe loved the ‘Fashion 1940’s – 2000’s’ exhibit). Unfortunately it was still bloody freezing outside but a sojourn to a little Thai place for dinner helped ease the chills. Home was not far away and we briskly made our way back (power walking becomes second nature when frostbite is around the corner) to the hostel. We both then had a run-in with our respective showers (it is a hostel after all) and then hit the sack.

Thursday started with breakfast – prepared to fuel ourselves to help with that budget planning, we tackled the food on offer which was of a standard the makes Macca’s almost gourmet. Nevertheless it was free and did the trick. We then strolled for the morning and kept going because the sun was out in force – we radiated in what little warmth there was in it. Stumbled upon Boston Common, found some cool frogs that mum would love and had a look at the kiddies ice skating (trying to get some tips so I don’t fall next time). Up the hill past what we think was the State Parliament building, we then got the ‘T’ (subway) to Harvard Square. We checked out Harvard/Cambridge for an hour or so and walked around some pretty impressive uni buildings. Still think UQ sandstone leads the way! Had a look in a little book store (cold avoidance) and then jumped back on the T to downtown. Starbucks (warmth via coffee/tea) was next and the loaded card that Ms Gust gave us worked….wahoo! Free coffee! The Boston Library was right nearby and we had a look around here – impressive library indeed. Hostel was next for some on demand TV (Zoe loves being in the US if not for this reason alone!), book reading a quick nap. Navigating the T we then made our way to the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) on the docks. A couple of hours went by quickly here with the exhibits on show pretty enthralling, the best of which were some intricate drawings of beaches with washed up stuff (love the artistic insight there), chilling pics of prisons and numerous sculptures. Shepperd Fairey was also on show with some clever social commentary re the wars and social obedience and there was a massive feature of Mark Banford’s work – good stuff. Food was soon on the agenda and having not exhausted our funds all day we decided to splash out. An article in the local ‘The Phoenix’ about a Mexican place near to our hostel had caught our eye and we headed there for dinner. Had guacamole made beside our table and it was superb. Then we both had enchilada’s for main and a drink to wash it all down. Two fat bastards later and we were done – bed was inevitable soon after.

We decided our next day in Boston would be a lazy one – explore early and then chill in the arvo. So off on the green line we headed to Fenway Park – home of the Boston Red Sox (baseball for those on another planet!) and the Green Monster. We got on to a guided tour (the joys of winter meant there were only six of us) and true to the title, we were lead around the stadium. The place is full of history and after really getting into the MLB with our exposure to the mighty Blue Jays the previous season, Zoe and I were both loving the insight about the team and ground. There were mass renovations taking place but we nevertheless got a great perch behind home plate and checked out the green monster in close detail. Only wish we could’ve been there for a game. After heading back into town we realised that the Copley Sq markets were done for the season – we therefore wandered up to the Prudential Centre, grab some groceries for dinner and made our way home. Our afternoon consisted of not much – a couple of games of pool (reluctantly I’ll admit Zoe was the champ after my prowess in consistently sinking the black), some internet time and a movie (Ladder 49). Our mish mash dinner was fab – bread, brie, capsicum, tomatoes, beans and of course red wine....mmmmm!!

Our last full day involved a trip to the Samuel Adams Brewery as recommended by Tayls. A quick (but importantly free) tour and we were up to speed with Boston Lager and the like. Zoe chose to forgo the free samples but I got my fill and had me some pre-lunch brews – must say I wasn’t overly impressed though with the brew. Nevertheless complimentary beer is a great way to start the day! Then caught the T back into town and jumped on the historic and touristy freedom trail. Our legs were a bit weary by this stage and after a quick stop off at a famous graveyard and via some pretty famous historic sights (Boston massacre), we ended up wandering the Italian part of town in the North End. Zoe was fixated on getting some delectable pastry in this area, as suggested by the Lonely Planet. The Modern Pastry shop line was lengthy but the wait was worth it – the cannoli was pretty special. We then headed back to the hostel for some quick respite before heading back out again for dinner at an Italian place. Next up we hit a comedy bar – on offer were a couple of Jewish comics churning out the typical Jew jokes – the headliner Myq Kaplan was noticeably better. The other was MC Mr Napkins…..his first ‘bee’ rap quality but surpassed easily by the old dude in the front row with a laugh to rival Kerry O’keefe. And that was our last night in Boston. Oh, one last thing – the accent here was awesome. Zoe and I were trying to take it off constantly but there’s probably nothing more painful to the ears then two Aussies attempting it!

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Photos

Boston Common
Who's this guy Zoe asked? That'd be George Washington

Brett and the frog
This one's goin' fishin' Rob!

Samuel Adams taste testing
11am beers....mmm

Beer wench
If you don't wanna drink it, might aswell pour it!

Pastry!
Zoe put in some hard yards in the queue for this puppy