Let's see if I can lighten the mood in here...
So on Wednesday Emmy and I woke up abysmally late in the morning, 11am. We had a 2 hour drive from Meredith, NH to Boston, MA. "No big," I said, "Our day is simple.We'll have plenty of time." And we did.
Now, I have a system for getting in and out of Boston. It is the most brilliant thing in the universe. We drive south on I-93 and get off at exit 31 Wellington. Hang a left and go straight past a park and some shopping until you see the sign for the MTA, Boston's Underground. We found parking ($6 a day) and hopped the Orange Line Inbound for Boston. The best thing about this is that you don't even have to bother with the congested traffic around the old capital city. Which, believe you me, is a big plus.
So after obtaining the some Charlie Cards (so named for the MTA's fare hike protest song "He'll Never Return" in the 1970's, I think), we zipped into town. $15 might have done it for all we had planned to do, but in case we had energy for a 4th activity, I wanted to be prepared. So $20 it was. Boston is a BIG CITY, boasting the New England Aquarium, Logan Airport, and many focal points of historical and literay relevance. This was the home of the original Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and Make Way For Ducklings. Boston accents are thick and varied, but don't wear a Yankees' cap unless you fancy a confrontation. When people cheer the Red Sox just go with the flow. You may hear a lot about Italian mobs in movies, New York, and Chicago, but the Irish ruled Boston and with good reason. South Boston was a concentrated Irish neighborhood before the installation of the highway brought new diversity to the area.
First stop: Harvard Square & the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Down the Orange Line, over a stop or two on the green, and then up the red line (I think I've got the colors right) to Cambridge and Harvard Square. That's right, Harvard school, the famous one. Built or founded by John Harvard, the campus swarmed with all the normal-looking varieties of young students carrying oversized backpacks, and with tours going on in German, Korean, and Russian. Across the main square of campus and past a monumental cathedral, we found our way easily to the Museum. The Harvard Museum of Natural History has more variety and size of any taxidermy museum in the world. Dinosaurs, sea creatures, giant lobsters exceeding 2 feet in length, a North American exhibit, and various other regions were on display including: Afrian, South American, Mammalian, and the giant hanging whale skeletons from the museum's cieling. I loved the tigers, the snow leopard, and the grey wolf. Emmy was facinated by everything, but she really like the whales, dinosaurs, and also the tigers. A couple savage-looking monkeys made us steer clear of their cases, though.
Harvard really just looks to me like any other New England college, especially with its red brick and small windows, just like my old school in Keene, NH, so I never feel out of place visiting.
Second stop: Fire & Ice, early dinner
I should mention that we finally arrived in the city around 1pm, so now it was about 4pm. Instead of hopping back on the T to Arlington's green stop, we beat it back across Harvard Square and down a row of shops to a specialty flat-top-grill establishment that sits under the very streets we had just come from. Fire & Ice is a choose-your-own and I highly reccomend it. You can choose whatever toppings you want, mix and match your sauces, and then they'll fry it all up for you right there. The ingredients are top quality and never frozen or salted, like at Hu Hot or Flat Top Grill (both here in Madison, WI), and therefore far superior
E: Chicken, egg noodles, rice noodles, bacon, pineapple, green pepper, green onion, white onion, garlic, broccoli bits, fried rice. Sauce: mango garlic & peach bourbon BBQ.
Fruity, a little spicy & the noodles & rice gave it good texture. As a first-timer I may have gone a little overboard on the ingredients. Ate mine in a warmed flour tortillas--very tasty.
K: Top sirloin, bow-tie noodles, a little red onion, pineapple chucnks. Sauces: Yakatori, jalapeno lime, & hoisin ginger.
Open & colorful atmosphere. All you can eat, too. 1-bowl lunch special for earlier patrons, usually a dinner place, they have Sunday brunch hours as well. Salad and ice cream bars. My food is sweet with a little heat, very savory with just enough spice.
Third & final stop: Quincy Market
Coming off the Aquarium stop in the blue line of the T, we headed away from the water to be met with a 3-story Christmas tree and a long parade of lighted trees and strung lights. Beautiful. It was cold and dark now but that didn't stop us from shopping for artwork or getting black raspberry ice cream at one of the Market's many food shops.
8pm.
Finally get back the car & rev her up to wake her up (I've since learned what this problem is, don't worry), and we got back onto the not-busy highway and headed home. All told? Easy, quick, and with just enough time to have fun and do what we came to do. If you want my advice never plan for more than 4 stops on the T, and only 1 museum per day, since standing rather than walking can play more hell on your feet.
Next I'll post about our Thanksgiving!
xoxoxo,
Kim & Emmy
So on Wednesday Emmy and I woke up abysmally late in the morning, 11am. We had a 2 hour drive from Meredith, NH to Boston, MA. "No big," I said, "Our day is simple.We'll have plenty of time." And we did.
Now, I have a system for getting in and out of Boston. It is the most brilliant thing in the universe. We drive south on I-93 and get off at exit 31 Wellington. Hang a left and go straight past a park and some shopping until you see the sign for the MTA, Boston's Underground. We found parking ($6 a day) and hopped the Orange Line Inbound for Boston. The best thing about this is that you don't even have to bother with the congested traffic around the old capital city. Which, believe you me, is a big plus.
So after obtaining the some Charlie Cards (so named for the MTA's fare hike protest song "He'll Never Return" in the 1970's, I think), we zipped into town. $15 might have done it for all we had planned to do, but in case we had energy for a 4th activity, I wanted to be prepared. So $20 it was. Boston is a BIG CITY, boasting the New England Aquarium, Logan Airport, and many focal points of historical and literay relevance. This was the home of the original Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, and Make Way For Ducklings. Boston accents are thick and varied, but don't wear a Yankees' cap unless you fancy a confrontation. When people cheer the Red Sox just go with the flow. You may hear a lot about Italian mobs in movies, New York, and Chicago, but the Irish ruled Boston and with good reason. South Boston was a concentrated Irish neighborhood before the installation of the highway brought new diversity to the area.
First stop: Harvard Square & the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Down the Orange Line, over a stop or two on the green, and then up the red line (I think I've got the colors right) to Cambridge and Harvard Square. That's right, Harvard school, the famous one. Built or founded by John Harvard, the campus swarmed with all the normal-looking varieties of young students carrying oversized backpacks, and with tours going on in German, Korean, and Russian. Across the main square of campus and past a monumental cathedral, we found our way easily to the Museum. The Harvard Museum of Natural History has more variety and size of any taxidermy museum in the world. Dinosaurs, sea creatures, giant lobsters exceeding 2 feet in length, a North American exhibit, and various other regions were on display including: Afrian, South American, Mammalian, and the giant hanging whale skeletons from the museum's cieling. I loved the tigers, the snow leopard, and the grey wolf. Emmy was facinated by everything, but she really like the whales, dinosaurs, and also the tigers. A couple savage-looking monkeys made us steer clear of their cases, though.
Harvard really just looks to me like any other New England college, especially with its red brick and small windows, just like my old school in Keene, NH, so I never feel out of place visiting.
Second stop: Fire & Ice, early dinner
I should mention that we finally arrived in the city around 1pm, so now it was about 4pm. Instead of hopping back on the T to Arlington's green stop, we beat it back across Harvard Square and down a row of shops to a specialty flat-top-grill establishment that sits under the very streets we had just come from. Fire & Ice is a choose-your-own and I highly reccomend it. You can choose whatever toppings you want, mix and match your sauces, and then they'll fry it all up for you right there. The ingredients are top quality and never frozen or salted, like at Hu Hot or Flat Top Grill (both here in Madison, WI), and therefore far superior
E: Chicken, egg noodles, rice noodles, bacon, pineapple, green pepper, green onion, white onion, garlic, broccoli bits, fried rice. Sauce: mango garlic & peach bourbon BBQ.
Fruity, a little spicy & the noodles & rice gave it good texture. As a first-timer I may have gone a little overboard on the ingredients. Ate mine in a warmed flour tortillas--very tasty.
K: Top sirloin, bow-tie noodles, a little red onion, pineapple chucnks. Sauces: Yakatori, jalapeno lime, & hoisin ginger.
Open & colorful atmosphere. All you can eat, too. 1-bowl lunch special for earlier patrons, usually a dinner place, they have Sunday brunch hours as well. Salad and ice cream bars. My food is sweet with a little heat, very savory with just enough spice.
Third & final stop: Quincy Market
Coming off the Aquarium stop in the blue line of the T, we headed away from the water to be met with a 3-story Christmas tree and a long parade of lighted trees and strung lights. Beautiful. It was cold and dark now but that didn't stop us from shopping for artwork or getting black raspberry ice cream at one of the Market's many food shops.
8pm.
Finally get back the car & rev her up to wake her up (I've since learned what this problem is, don't worry), and we got back onto the not-busy highway and headed home. All told? Easy, quick, and with just enough time to have fun and do what we came to do. If you want my advice never plan for more than 4 stops on the T, and only 1 museum per day, since standing rather than walking can play more hell on your feet.
Next I'll post about our Thanksgiving!
xoxoxo,
Kim & Emmy
No comments:
Post a Comment