Boston 2024

 

Boston

January 2024

 

We start our travels in the new year with several days in Boston, courtesy of the generosity of Marjorie’s sister Mary and hubbie Jeff. They treat us to a Marriott stay on their Vacation Club points. We’ve enjoyed similar outings with them here & Branson MO. A nice break. Been a pretty easy winter so far, not much snow. But Old Man Winter has been sending some reminders. Mary & Jeff are flying from KC where the NFL playoff game the previous night started at -4° with -27° windchill, the 3^rd coldest NFL game ever! [What's the coldest?: The "Ice Bowl" in Green Bay (vs. Dallas) 1967, -13 with -48 windchill!] Plus the game in Buffalo is postponed a day due to Winter Storm Heather bringing 2+ feet of snow. [And a shout-out to my brother Doug, whose Lions win their 1st playoff game in 32 years!] We have a brief but ferocious “squall” & whiteout conditions at home.

 

Monday, 1/15: “From Blood to Boston”

           A few things to take care of before driving to Boston. I'm off on what turns out to be an unusually long Red Cross delivery route, 7 hours, 270 miles: 4 hospitals from Kingston to Poughkeepsie to Putnam County, and then the small airfield at Walkill for "Air Methods" helicopter service. Some difficulty – the code I have doesn't open the door, no answers on phone #s I have -- but then a copter lands to "rescue" me. A pretty drive, sunny & brisk (teens to start), criss-crossing the Hudson, Catskill views, past imposing Fishkill prison and a favorite storefront outside Poughkeepsie that reads "ubreakifix." Marjorie finishes up some other things, we hit the road at 5pm. An easy drive until a GPS kerfuffle sends us headed back west! We correct things, get to the hotel about 9pm. 

A lovely suite, panoramic views of the city. Wine & snacks with Mary & Jeff. I head up to the 26th-floor observation deck on a clear evening: the waterfront with Logan airport beyond, Old North Church in the distance, Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market below, lots of skyscrapers.

 

Tuesday, 1/16: "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland"

I'm up early, as usual when we travel, so some exploring around the hotel. Some light snow during the night, thanks to Heather (it's -10 in Chicago!). In the news: Trump wins big in Iowa caucuses, leads NH polling for their upcoming primary. (but that’s enough on politics!) Continental breakfast, topped off with mimosas. We meet very friendly & helpful concierge Monika.

A short walk thru pretty snowflakes to the New England Aquarium. Lots of adorable little African & Rockhopper penguins. We learn they are monogamous, almost all are paired up. Some being treated for "bumblefoot," a foot inflammation that can be fatal. 

An exhibit on the Blue Planet Action Center that helps whales, turtles, fish, reefs, etc. An impressive 3-level reef tank; 500 animals, 75 species. Myrtle the Turtle an estimated 90 years old, weighs 500 lbs! 

To Quincy Market for lunch. Many choices, from Japanese or Mexican to Wicked Lobsta. A busker on violin in the central area. The pretty snow has turned to sloppy sleet & rain, slippery conditions; full disclosure: I have a slip-down walking back to the hotel. The Custom House tower pretty in the snow.

Tastes of Boston Cream Pie in the lobby. Later the "Clam Chowder Debate," tasting 3 chowdahs, including well-known Legal Seafood. We chat with other Vacation Clubbers. Some are “owners,” others like Mary & Jeff accumulate points. We find it a bit confusing. I make a brief foray (walking carefully around ice!) for photos of some lights along a nearby street. Wine & snacks again with M & J in our suite, then Manhattans in "Mitchter's Manhattan Social" as we enjoy the excellent "Country Blues" of Erin Harpe & Jim Countryman. Maybe guest artists for Mendelssohn Club? I get contact info. Following a tip, Marjorie & I go up to the 24th floor Game Room to see the clock mechanism, then the colorful activities room with colonial costumes for kids.

A full, fun day!

 

Wednesday, 1/17: “Gelato to Jail"

Up early again. A sunny day. The observation deck is closed due to snow & ice, but I manage some sunrise photos thru windows. 

We join 6 others for a "Taste of the North End" tour with Tracey. We cross paths thruout our stay with a friendly couple from California, Cal & Gloria. A bit brisk, but our layers suffice. Stops into selected eateries in this well-known ethnic neighborhood. 92-year-old coffee shop Polaris offers friendly history. Ernesto’s provides yummy pizza. A sign on the wall includes Ernesto’s in “500 things to eat before it’s too late … and the best places to eat them.” Tasty sandwiches at Mare. Gelato (I pick my favorite: stracciatella) at Café Paradiso. Wonderful “lobster tails” pastries at Bova’s Deli. 

A pretty walk back to the hotel along the “Greenway,” a public park created when the “Big Dig” removed elevated highways.

Time for another tour, suggested by friend Francisco. An uber to Liberty Hotel. The usual person who gives tours isn’t here and there’s no record of the reservation Monika made for us, but Mark gives a fine tour. The Liberty Hotel is an “imaginative transformation” of the Charles Street Jail, a National Historic Landmark built in 1851. One of the best examples of the 19^th C “Boston Granite Style." Prisoners revolted in 1973 over poor living conditions and the jail was declared unfit & unconstitutional. After the last prisoners were moved to a new jail in 1990, Massachusetts General Hospital acquired the property in 1991. A team of designers & architects collaborated with historians & conservationists to transform the site into a hotel. A Buddhist monk came to expel bad spirits. A marvelous place. Cells & tiers still evident around a beautiful central area, upside-down Christmas trees still hanging above. “Clink” Restaurant (get it?), Alibi Bar & Lounge. A “Luxury Collection Hotel,’ certainly comfier than the original jail. But you could stay here for “free” then compared with the expensive rooms now.

Back to the hotel to meet Tracey again for the “Great Cannoli Debate.” Another informative discussion of bakeries and other Boston features. We sample cannolis from 3 sources. Marjorie expresses a new appreciation for cannolis; these are better than what we have in Latham. 

Back to the North End for dinner at Riccardo’s Ristorante, suggested by Monika. A small nice place, good food, friendly service by the owner. A walk back to the hotel past pretty lights. Not too cold. Marjorie & Mary get some ice cream to take back. But sadly (?), we miss the “Blue Slushie Cocktail Social.”

 

Thursday, 1/18: “Going Separate Ways”

           

A gorgeous sunrise. Observation deck still closed, but nice photo ops again thru windows. Lots of winter weather across the US, lake effect snow, nasty windchills. Mariska Hargity (from Law and Order: SVU) on Today, her’s is the longest-running TV character at 25 years. Another mimosa day after breakfast. An “emergency” alarm & announcement, but no indication why. We split up: Mary & Jeff to spend time with friends, I’m headed out for a tour, Marjorie opts for “nothing.”

           

I join Cal & Gloria & Monika (as a “tourist”) for a “John Adams Courthouse Tour.” After a short walk we get a very informative (& very detailed. “Will there be a test?” I ask) tour by the Clerk of the Chief Justice for Massachusetts’s Supreme Court. A very impressive “monumental” building built 1892 and renovated 2002. The Supreme Court had origins in response to the 1690s Salem witch trials, formally created in the State Constitution (1780). A video about the history & philosophy of the Court. Here and in exhibits are cases related to slavery and the Sacco & Vanzetti “miscarriage of justice.” We see 2 courtrooms, one simple & one fancier for the full Court.    

Views along State St as we walk back to the hotel for the “Boston Pizza Debate” led by who else but Tracey, joined by Marjorie and who else but Cal & Gloria. Samples from 3 North End sources. We also watch workers on scaffolding up to the top of the building across the street. Brrrr!

Marjorie arranges a fascinating “private” tour of the building with Tracey. Constructed in 1849 as a domed neoclassical building. Tower up to 26+ floors was added in 1915, clocks on each side, designed to evoke St. Mark’s in Venice. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and a Boston Landmark. There are 36 fluted Doric columns, each carved from a single piece of granite from Quincy MA, each weighed 42 tons. The structure sits on filled land (Tracey shows how much of Boston was created by landfill!) supported by 3,000 wooden piles. It was the tallest building in both Boston & New England until the Prudential Tower in 1964. In 1986 when the Customs Service moved it was declared "surplus property." Sold to the city in 1987. After unoccupied for 14 years, converted into an 84-room time-share resort by Marriott Vacation Club in 1997, the 1^st US urban time-share.

Most of the activities described here (music, tastings, etc.) held in the Counting Room, off the Rotunda, which has some historical exhibits. The Rotunda dome is ringed by flags from merchant ships and topped by a Presidential Seal from JFK. Tracey takes us to the clock workings on the 24^th floor, showing how one set of gears controls all 4 clocks. Above the 26^th-floor Observation Deck is a peregrine falcon nesting site with streamed webcam. We’ll have to check this out in the Spring.

Back down for the Taste of Tequila Pairings with Tracey & our usual friends. Tequila is paired with different foods (e.g., chocolate, cheese, banana) that bring out different “notes.” Mary & Jeff return from their outing, we join them for a lighter dinner at a café in the Marriott Long Wharf, pretty lights along the waterfront. Back to our hotel for the St. Germain Gin & Tonic Social, hosted by a former police officer.

 Friday, 1/19: “Back to Exercise”

            Time to leave. A cloudy AM for a 6:30 departure to allow Marjorie to get to her Colonie Seniors workout class. I settle financial affairs: continental breakfast charges by the item (muffins, bagels, etc.), valet parking. Car delivered to the front door, GPS charged up, good to go. One kerfuffle when the GPS sends us away from the road we want, I make a “daring” u-turn to get back on track. An easy drive, clear roads, not much traffic. Marjorie does her daily Wordle & Connections. Home at 9:15, Marjorie off to her workout.

 

            A wonderful getaway, both busy & relaxing. Hadn’t expected the Activity Schedule available in the hotel. It gave us enjoyable options, friendly & interesting hosts, to combine with the things we’d planned. Not at all crowded in the hotel, or in other things we did in the city. A good offseason time to visit Boston. And we always enjoy time with Mary and Jeff. Many thanks again to them for sharing this experience!