11 posts tagged “boston”
Sunday was the day of the Theatre Marathon. Jason, his friend Rob and I made it through 9 of the 10 hours, stopping only from 7:00-8:00 to eat dinner at a nearby cafe. (Can't remember the name ... something with an F ... Francesca's?) I took the above photo in the bathroom of the cafe. It was a really cool display with all of the mugs that had been broken, autographed by the people who broke them. Below is a (blurry) picture of Calderwood Pavillion.
On Monday, Jason, Rob and I went to the MFA. It was really nice. You couldn't photograph any of the paintings, so I just took a few pictures of non-paintings.
The MFA has a large section of Egyptian art. I was determined to find a cat statue, since I think my cat, Sweeney, looks like an Egyptian kitty.
This lemur poster is just damn cool.
And those are all of the pictures I took. Pretty pathetic, huh?
On Monday, Jason, Rob and I went to the MFA. It was really nice. You couldn't photograph any of the paintings, so I just took a few pictures of non-paintings.
The MFA has a large section of Egyptian art. I was determined to find a cat statue, since I think my cat, Sweeney, looks like an Egyptian kitty.
I went to Boston for the tenth annual Boston Theatre Marathon. I was in town May 9-12. I was pretty lazy taking photos this time around. Plus, this was my fourth time in Boston, so I already have a lot of pictures from there. Anyway, here are photos from the 9th and 10th (sorry that the narrative is all disjointed):
I stayed with my friend, Jason. While we were driving to his house, we stopped at Walden Pond.
Later that evening, Jason carved a Cyclops squash:
The next morning, I helped with some yard work. I chopped down 1-1/2 10-feet-tall rose bushes in the front of the house:
Then, we went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum:
After that, we walked around the city to find a place to eat. Along the way, we took this picture.
Walking back to the car, we walked through a park and saw this flower heart someone had made.
More later ...
On Sunday, we (Dale, me, Jason and Jason's friend Rob [not my Rob, who I invited along but who declined]) attended the 9th annual Boston Theatre Marathon. I don't have any pictures from that day, so I will just write about it. The marathon consisted of 50 plays performed consecutively in 10 hours. It started at noon and ended at 10 p.m. Each play was about 5 minutes in length.
Tickets cost $40 and you were given an all-day pass, so you could come and go as you pleased. We left only to get some Thai food from a place up the street, so we sat through 8 1/2 or 9 hours of theatre total. I would say I enjoyed the majority of the plays. It was interesting to see what people were able to do in 5 minutes. I would also say that comedy seemed to work better than drama in this format. It was a great time and I am definitely thinking about going back next year.
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On Monday, Dale and I headed back to Faneuil Hall for breakfast.
Above, you can see the new New Balance gym shoes I was forced to buy after my Skechers got soaked. They are actually pretty cute and comfortable. Anyway, I digress ...
After we ate, we walked to the New England Aquarium. (I had wanted to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but it is closed on Mondays.) The aquarium turned out to be a lot of fun, though. Jason played hookey from work and met up with us soon after we got there.
I learned that Dale hates reptiles. Look at this snake all coiled around his branch ... Eww.
The jellyfish were really cool. They had several different kinds.
The New England Aquarium is famous for its penguin exhibit. We spent a lot of time watching the penguins and asking questions of the volunteers.
They had a kind of petting tank where you could touch different sea creatures. Obviously, this exhibit was a hit with the kids.
Note: In the above photo, those are not my man-hands.
Turtles are so neat.
The salt water exhibits were cool.
Our flight was at 3:20 p.m., so we left the aquarium to get something to eat. We discovered that the wait was too long at Legal Seafood, so we decided to go back to Faneuil Hall and get some more of the delicious lobster bisque Dale and I had had our first afternoon in Boston.
And that concludes our Boston vacation.
Tickets cost $40 and you were given an all-day pass, so you could come and go as you pleased. We left only to get some Thai food from a place up the street, so we sat through 8 1/2 or 9 hours of theatre total. I would say I enjoyed the majority of the plays. It was interesting to see what people were able to do in 5 minutes. I would also say that comedy seemed to work better than drama in this format. It was a great time and I am definitely thinking about going back next year.
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On Monday, Dale and I headed back to Faneuil Hall for breakfast.
After we ate, we walked to the New England Aquarium. (I had wanted to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but it is closed on Mondays.) The aquarium turned out to be a lot of fun, though. Jason played hookey from work and met up with us soon after we got there.
Our flight was at 3:20 p.m., so we left the aquarium to get something to eat. We discovered that the wait was too long at Legal Seafood, so we decided to go back to Faneuil Hall and get some more of the delicious lobster bisque Dale and I had had our first afternoon in Boston.
Saturday morning when we woke up, it was still raining, though thankfully not as hard has the night before. Dale and I decided to get some breakfast (McDonalds for him, Starbucks for me -- hey, there wasn't anything else near the hotel). After that, we walked to Boston Common.
At 10:00, we met up with Jason, Rob's friend who lives in Boston. He agreed to play tour guide for the day. We hit the Freedom Trail.
Along the way, we stopped at Paul Revere's house. It was pretty interesting, though not quite as interesting as the House of Seven Gables, which we'd visited in October 2005.
Next stop was the Old North Church, where two lanterns ("Two if by Sea") had been hung to warn the Americans that the red coats were coming.
Next was the USS Constitution. We were actually able to go below deck, despite the rain. We learned how cannons work, what types of food the sailors ate, and saw where they slept.
After all that walking, we went back to the hotel. I wanted to change out of my jeans, which were soaking, and my Skechers, where water had penetrated through the two layers of socks I was wearing. I realized my only other options were dress shoes and open-toed shoes. Dale suggested we stop by DSW near our hotel, so I could buy some gym shoes. This seemed like the best option. I dragged the boys with me by promising we'd go eat as soon as my feet were warm and dry.
I bought a (cute) pair of New Balance sneakers, and we were off to Newbury Street to try this pizza place Dale had read about. It was delicious! The three of us split a large thin crust pizza with spinach.
Afterwards, we walked around Beacon Hill.
I bought a (cute) pair of New Balance sneakers, and we were off to Newbury Street to try this pizza place Dale had read about. It was delicious! The three of us split a large thin crust pizza with spinach.
Afterwards, we walked around Beacon Hill.
By that time, we were so tired that we stopped back at the hotel and just sat in the (very nice) lobby, talking. We sat. And sat. Finally we decided to head next door to the Beantown Pub for drinks.The boys each had a beer and I had a glass of $7 wine. I guess that made up for the $3.75 rum and coke I'd had the night before ...
Dale wanted to return the umbrella he'd bought the day before from Brookstone (it cost $40 and had broken already, meanwhile my cheap-ass $5 umbrella was holding up fine), so we went back to Quincy Market. Once we'd taken care of that, we debated on what to do. We decided to go and see Spiderman 3 (which we all liked).
Dale and I walked Jason to the T, and by this time I was famished. I begged Dale to look for a place to eat. We couldn't find anything open, so we went back to our hotel room and ordered a pizza. By this time, it was past 11 p.m. I downed some Pepto Bismal after our meal (just in case) and we crashed.
Dale wanted to return the umbrella he'd bought the day before from Brookstone (it cost $40 and had broken already, meanwhile my cheap-ass $5 umbrella was holding up fine), so we went back to Quincy Market. Once we'd taken care of that, we debated on what to do. We decided to go and see Spiderman 3 (which we all liked).
Dale and I walked Jason to the T, and by this time I was famished. I begged Dale to look for a place to eat. We couldn't find anything open, so we went back to our hotel room and ordered a pizza. By this time, it was past 11 p.m. I downed some Pepto Bismal after our meal (just in case) and we crashed.
I just got back from Boston. My friend Dale and I were there this weekend to attend the 9th annual Boston Theatre Marathon, which consisted of 50 plays in 10 hours (more on the marathon later). Here are pictures from Friday, May 18, 2007.
Above is a picture of Dale and me at Chili's, at O'Hare International Airport. When we'd finished eating, I happened to glance at the time and realized our flight was about to board. Whoops. Luckily, we made it.
When we arrived in Boston, it was pouring rain. No big surprise there, as EVERY TIME I have been to Boston, it's been raining. We took the T to the Government Center stop, and had to buy cheap umbrellas at a kiosk outside the stop. We walked the few blocks to the hotel, checked in, and unpacked. I suggested we head to Quincy Market, as it was nearby and mostly indoors, so we did that. At this point, Dale and I were both freezing and desperately wanted gloves. We stopped at Filenes and TJ Maxx, neither of which was selling gloves (it is spring, after all). We wandered down the street and found an Army Surplus store selling gloves -- yay!
Later that night, Dale wanted to go to Harvard Square, so we hopped back on the T and went up there. We walked around for a bit, and stopped in a flower shop.
Later that night, Dale wanted to go to Harvard Square, so we hopped back on the T and went up there. We walked around for a bit, and stopped in a flower shop.
After walking around in the rain some more, we decided to eat dinner at the bar/restaurant called Charlie's ... pub? I really don't remember. Anyway, Dale got tasty beef tips and a beer, while I got a "lobster melt" (basically a tuna salad sandwich with lobster instead of tuna) and a rum and coke. It was pretty good (and my rum and coke cost only $3.75! I haven't had a drink that cheap since I was last in Madison, WI.)
Afterwards, we went to a high-end dessert place Dale had read about called Finale. We both got the molten chocolate. It was goooood.
And that concludes Day 1 in Boston. More to follow ...
And that concludes Day 1 in Boston. More to follow ...
Our stay Sunday night at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston was more eventful than most hotel stays, given that the fire alarm sounded at 2:40 a.m. Rob and I dragged ourselves out of bed and got dressed, but it turned out to be a false alarm so we didn't have to leave the room. The next morning, I left Rob sleeping while I explored the city on my own. Since our hotel was on Washington I stuck to that street so as not to get lost. When I came back, Rob got up, Jason came over, and we headed out again. Rob wanted dim sum so we went to China Pearl, where we'd gone the previous year. On our way out, we walked across The Boston Common and decided to go to Quincy Market. The nice thing about Boston is that it's very easy to get around on foot. Chicago is so huge and sprawling that you have to rely on cars or public transportation to get you where you need to go.
Our trip ended with us snapping a few pictures in the lobby of the Omni Parker House (Malcolm X used to be a busboy at the restaurant there -- I hadn't known that). I had a really great time and am definitely looking forward to our next trip out there (whenever that may be).
Our trip ended with us snapping a few pictures in the lobby of the Omni Parker House (Malcolm X used to be a busboy at the restaurant there -- I hadn't known that). I had a really great time and am definitely looking forward to our next trip out there (whenever that may be).
We spent the night in Peabody (Pea-body to Midwesterners like me and Rob, Pea-biddy to East Coasters like Jason) at a Homewood Suites Hilton. Jason and I watched Robin Williams movies (parts of Hook and Jumanji) while we waited for Rob to get out of bed. When he FINALLY got up, we ate the free breakfast food at the hotel (waffles, eggs, sausage and muffins -- not bad) and headed into Salem. Thankfully, the weather had cleared and it was a gorgeous, sunny (albeit chilly) day. We basically spent the day walking around Salem, visiting the little shops and admiring costumes. I didn't buy much, just a small gift for my mom, who also loves Halloween. We stopped for a drink at the same bar we visited last year (can't remember the name) and then headed to Turner's Seafood (where we'd also gone during last year's visit). I had linguini, calamari and mussels with spicy tomato sauce. It was SO GOOD! If you live in the Boston area, I would highly recommend checking this place out.
After dinner, we drove to Boston, driving over this bridge along the way. Jason dropped Rob and me off at the Omni Parker House. More tomorrow ...
After dinner, we drove to Boston, driving over this bridge along the way. Jason dropped Rob and me off at the Omni Parker House. More tomorrow ...
(Rob took the one above)
Last year, when we visited Boston, we were driving through Gloucester, MA and saw this castle. Jason, Rob's college friend and a native Bostonian, said that he'd been to the aforementioned castle during Halloween and that they turn it into a "haunted" castle. Well, of course I wanted to visit the haunted castle (!) but unfortunately, we were in MA too early in October and the haunted castle wasn't open. So ...
I've been telling Rob that I wanted to go back to Boston/Gloucester/Salem this year. Visiting the castle was a big part, but I also really dug Boston and have a general crush on New England. Being the cool boyfriend that he is, Rob decided that yes, we did need to go back and visit again this October. :)
We were a bit apprehensive leaving O'Hare Saturday morning because the weather forecast said MA was going to have awful weather the entire weekend. BUT, we ended up lucking out. While the weather was terrible (extremely windy, rainy and cold) our first afternoon in town, it cleared up in the evening by the time we were ready to go to the castle and the rest of the weekend was fine.
We got into Boston around noon on Saturday and took the T out to the near suburbs, where Jason picked us up. We had lunch with Jason and his girlfriend Julie at Jasper White's Summer Shack, and then drove up to Gloucester. The weather at this point was still really crummy, but we parked the car and visited a few little shops. We ate dinner at a nearby pub (can't remember the name), and by the time we came back outside, the weather had cleared.
The castle was a lot of fun, though not as scary as I'd feared. The freakiest part was walking through a pitch-black hallway. Rob also got scared at one part -- hehe. There was a 7' or 8' tall guy with a giant pumpkin head propped up behind a door. He was so tall that he seemed fake, but as we walked past he leapt at us and Rob and I both jumped. Hahahaha.
Stay tuned for more on Salem and Boston ...
I've been telling Rob that I wanted to go back to Boston/Gloucester/Salem this year. Visiting the castle was a big part, but I also really dug Boston and have a general crush on New England. Being the cool boyfriend that he is, Rob decided that yes, we did need to go back and visit again this October. :)
We were a bit apprehensive leaving O'Hare Saturday morning because the weather forecast said MA was going to have awful weather the entire weekend. BUT, we ended up lucking out. While the weather was terrible (extremely windy, rainy and cold) our first afternoon in town, it cleared up in the evening by the time we were ready to go to the castle and the rest of the weekend was fine.
We got into Boston around noon on Saturday and took the T out to the near suburbs, where Jason picked us up. We had lunch with Jason and his girlfriend Julie at Jasper White's Summer Shack, and then drove up to Gloucester. The weather at this point was still really crummy, but we parked the car and visited a few little shops. We ate dinner at a nearby pub (can't remember the name), and by the time we came back outside, the weather had cleared.
The castle was a lot of fun, though not as scary as I'd feared. The freakiest part was walking through a pitch-black hallway. Rob also got scared at one part -- hehe. There was a 7' or 8' tall guy with a giant pumpkin head propped up behind a door. He was so tall that he seemed fake, but as we walked past he leapt at us and Rob and I both jumped. Hahahaha.
Stay tuned for more on Salem and Boston ...
On our last day in Boston, Rob and I decided to check out Quincy Market (sort of the Boston equivilent of Navy Pier, only less kid-oriented) before our flight. Along the way we stopped at a historic cemetary down the street from Nine Zero. It was strange to see a cemetary in the middle of the city. We then walked around Quincy Market and had fresh seafood for lunch. I really enjoyed our time in Boston and am eager to go back.
On our second day in Boston, we had dim sum at China Pearl in Chinatown. Next, we drove to Salem, MA to visit the House of Seven Gables. I'd never read the book but I thought it would be a neat thing to see. According to our very knowledgeable tour guide, a gable is a peak that connects directly to the roof line. After our tour, we walked around behind the house to take pictures and visit the gift shop. In one photo, I am standing in front of Nathaniel Hawthorne's birth home. The house wasn't originally in this spot but they moved it so that it's near the House of Seven Gables. Once we finished walking around, we headed into downtown Salem. They were having a kind of Halloween street fest, so that was fun. Unfortunately, the Salem Witch Museum was sold out, but I got my picture taken in front of the sign. Rob and Jason had been to a show there once and said it was super cheesy. I still kind of wanted to see it, though. Afterwards, we got a drink at a bar nearby and then went to Turner's Seafood for dinner. It was delicious!
