Bostonia, Again...

I swear I'm hanging around family too much. The last few trips to Boston were with my mother which, trying as it may have been at times, managed to be enjoyable. This past Easter weekend was no different, only there were two additions, my cousins. Because they hadn't been before, Friday, we took them into Boston, hopped the Red line, and situated them both on the Freedom Trail. Meanwhile, my mother and I headed to a cemetery in Roxbury to find a grave for her genealogy project. After we accomplished all that was needed, we headed back into Boston proper and met up with the others to finish out the remainder of the trail.

Leaving the North End, I was left with a feeling inside. It felt different, not tiring or frustrating, just a kinda sorta empty and longing feeling. More longing, actually. Then it all came full circle; Boston hasn't been explored on my own in well over ten years. It was all clear now. Each and every time I have visited it has been either with other travelers or for exclusive visits to people.

It's not like I have never had a great time. That's just the opposite. In fact, my impression of this city is only of fun and happiness, not to mention the youthful transgressions that still make my friends and I laugh reminiscing about them. What happened was I haven't, in a long time, given myself a mini solo trip, a chance to spread my wings again and be as unfettered and independent in what I believe to be, the second greatest city in the country.

The next and last day of our quick city jaunt, the group split up. My mother and cousins went to Fenway Park and I, all by my little lonesome, went to explore the campus of the university I will start attending this summer. Although I am a distant student and won't be campus bound for my education, I still have all the privileges afforded to me as if I were studying brick and mortar style. While there, it felt so good to relax, walk around, and take everything in stride. Aside from the excitement of seeing the campus, it confirmed the need for some Boston alone time. It also gave me a chance to breath and plot my next trip to the city, alone. Without a travel companion.

Hopefully, the next trip will be to come back, get my student ID, maybe purchase textbooks if classes happen to be starting then. That will be the business side of things. The rest will be a nice meal, some meandering around, maybe a T ride to some random destination. If she's available, perhaps I could meet up with H for some fun and always enjoyable times together. Something, anything, to return that piece of Bostonian freedom back inside my soul again.

Plymouth Part Deux

This past weekend, we did the rounds again traveling to Plymouth, MA and spending a day at the Cape as well. It was a trip re-deux to make up for previous missed opportunities. When we visited last year, my mother had been in the throws of a serious illness and forgot much of the trip.

Being creatures of habit, upon our arrival to Plymouth, we hunkered down at the Cabby Shack for some excellent grub. Mom had the chunky clam chowder, which I wished I had ordered. As for our hotel, we stayed at the Best Western. Unfortunately, as my mother originally was led to believe, it wasn't right on the water. Yes, a few somewhat walkable blocks away, but not really. Still, the rooms were spacious and lovely. The breakfast was filling, with a make-your-own-waffle station. None of that continental breakfast crap.

The rest of the weekend was filled with making the rounds of landmarks that are requisite if one is visiting Plymouth and the surrounding environs; Plymouth Rock, Plimouth Plantation (yeah, I spelled that right!), and The Mayflower II. On Saturday, we focused solely on the Cape, driving route 6 all the way to the end, Provincetown, and passing through several other quaint towns. We saw a lot of dunes, and while we arrived at the tail end of cranberry season and missed the bogs, got to actually see some cranberries still clinging for life on the bushes. Some stopping points were several National Park Service areas (for cancellation stamps), and a climb to the top of the Pilgrim Monument - by way of about 160 stairs and ramps combined.

The foliage was nice, but seriously lacking in some areas. The best spots were seen from the highway, so there was really no way to stop the car for photo ops.

On our last night in town, we ate at The Weathervane, which can be hit or miss at times. I was hoping they would have the stuffed flounder in a creamy lobster sauce, which was delicious the last time we visited. They weren't offering it, but I went with the stuffed haddock (offered without sauce). Mom ordered the haddock too and chose Mac & Cheese as one of her meal sides. We were both seriously disappointed when they brought out Kraft Mac & Cheese. Yes, I kid you not. It was actually Kraft Mac & Cheese!

Heading back to CT, we stopped off for a bit in Providence, Rhode Island at the Roger Williams monument (yet more stamps!). The weather was beautiful and we got to walk around a historic neighborhood near the park where Williams was re-buried. It was a neighborhood that reminded me a lot of Charlestown, MA.

The trip was successful, if somewhat hard. We brought along my younger cousin and forgot how much a bundle of energy a pre-teen is! Still, it was nice to get away, even if we weren't straying too much from our own region.

Photos here. Enjoy!

Back From Boston

A splendid time was had by all, and the weather was way agreeable. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. Baby bear conditions. Stops were made via automobile in Hingham, Revere, and Roxbury for family genealogy enquiries, and all of Boston proper was spent on foot. Exhausting.

In Hingham, I all about climbed the walls due to impatience through an obligatory 1 1/2 hour tour of the town's historical society. Things turned immediately to joy upon being shown several samplers made by our direct ancestors when they were young girls. These samplers were close to two hundred years old. Seriously, I simply cannot believe my greats left behind such an enduring legacy!

Our side trip to Revere was spent looking for a street sign of our family name. Since our ancestors founded the town of Charlestown, and settled all throughout the area; the name, the graves, and the remaining houses can be found all over Boston. Our maddening excursion, courtesy of the rotaries, was topped off by a visit to Kelly's for a delicious meal, which we ate on the beach.

The trip to Roxbury was less than forgettable. Driving around looking for the Eustis Street Burying Ground proved to be a huge pain in the ass. Unfortunately, we arrived several minutes after the 3 o'clock closing time. Still, it was one of those beautiful Gothic looking graveyards that is situated on a busy cross street, making it stand out all the more beautiful.

As I mentioned above, our day in Boston was lovely. Since Bunker Hill wasn't open during our visit last year, we decided to stop off for a tour. I climbed all 294 steps to the top only to be met by smelly, sweaty others who probably weren't used to so many stairs. Although my calves were killing me the next day. I discovered later that most of the photos I took up there were marred by all the scratches and smudge marks embedded on the plexi-glass windows. One of the highlights was a militia man dressed in period clothing giving a shooting demonstration on the grounds.

We settled on the Union Oyster House near Faneuil Hall for our last night's dinner. Both of us chose the stuffed fillet of sole. It was delicious, but the seafood stuffing was something less than desired. Nothing bad, it was the kind of stuffing that is all seafood with scant amounts of cracker. I prefer it to be the other way, more crumbly cracker, less seafood. But that's just me. Prior to our meal, we watched a cool street performance by two drummers.

Now for the NPS Passport book. I mentioned in another post how I introduced this program to my mother when we were at the Grand Canyon last month, and that she was now an stamp addict. Boston is loaded with stamping stations and I think we got most of them. This included bagging some bonus stamps which weren't part of the NPS program, but from a now defunct citywide Freedom Trail scavenger hunt. Score!

Photos can be found here. Drummers here --