spring break vacation, Day 8

All good vacations come to an end, alas.  It's not so bad, I guess - I often find that the bedding and pillows on hotel room beds are the worst part of any vacation, and it's a delightful relief to crawl into my own bed after I have returned home.  And as much as I love to dine out, I find that my system appreciates it when I eat at home and eat a little simpler.  The joys of getting older, right?

We did have a good half day in Boston before needing to head to the airport.  We duly got our walking gear on

and headed around the Seaport area (once we got our Starbucks to start the day!).  It was a beautiful spring morning once again,

which promised for an on-time and easy departure later.  We strolled, taking photos, then headed back to the hotel for a bite of breakfast and final packing.

We also had time for brunch before heading to Logan.  I steered us to Row 34 for a bite.  A Hugh-No Spritz (non-alcoholic) for me,

a few oysters to share,

a tasty but maybe a little too garlicky avocado and crab toast,

and we had suitable food in our bellies.  Nice place though it felt like we were sort of stranded in this weird family room and with a somewhat indifferent server.  Still, I'd go back to try it again.

On to the airport where we parked in the lounge a goodly while before boarding our first flight. 

A connection in Chicago,

and we were on the ground at LAX late that night.  Bed, when we crawled into it somewhere around 1 in the morning, felt really darn good. 

spring break vacation, Day 7

Day 7 we left New Hampshire.  Sigh.

It was a nice drive down to the Boston area, and thanks again to Ed for driving us.  We set out at a decent time of the morning, enabling us to stop in Lawrence, an outer Boston suburb, so that Conrad could visit a museum there and see a specific piece on exhibit.  The Lawrence Heritage State Park was a nice stop en route, I have to admit.  A fine little museum about the industrial history of the city including labour strife, disaster, and the growing presence and influence of a Latino community. 

And, sorry, but the person staffing the park welcome desk was a friendly and handsome mature guy.  Sue me, I'm gay!  ;-)

It wasn't long after that that we arrived at our hotel in the Seaport area of Boston.  I hadn't been in Boston in ten years, and the last time I was there, the Seaport area was rather less developed.  I'd had to stay out that way for a conference at the new (at the time) convention center.  This time I chose it because it is relatively easy to get from there to the airport across the water.

We were able to check in right away,

then we took Ed for lunch nearby (mocktail, shrimp tacos)

before sending him on his way home to Rhode Island.  We spent the rest of the afternoon napping (not pictured) and strolling around the area a little. 

Such beautiful spring weather!

I was excited for dinner.  No, not for the food, but for the company. 

I first got to know Robert ages ago, I think it was on Flickr.  We met once for dinner back on my last trip to Boston in 2016 (I had a cassoulet that was nowhere near as good as what I would have at Yoshi's), and I'd looked forward to another chance to meet again.  Oddly enough, we were both in Palm Springs last month at the same time but not realizing it.  We almost missed the chance to have dinner in Boston - Robert was booked to be in Hawaii on vacation.  However, the torrential rains that Hawaii has received in recent times had him reconsider, and that meant he was in town and free for dinner. 

Yay!  Conrad got to meet him, too, which was a bonus.

We met up at Woods Hill Pier 4 not far from the hotel, a nice little walk.  Robert was already enjoying a drink when we got there, and we soon joined him in that pursuit once seated.  The dinner was good, and I liked the food, but the only thing that stuck with me was the salt-roasted celery root.  The star of the meal.  Everything else was great, though. 

I confess, after a week of dining out and drinking, I was looking forward to getting home and maybe trying a little more of a regular diet again.

Anyway, a lovely dinner.  Robert is a character, and that is a compliment.  Stylish, a raconteur.  It was fun conversation. 

We walked him partway to where he could get transit

then headed the other way back to our hotel.  There was no rush for us the next morning, so we knew we could wind down and sleep as late as we liked. 

Boston (the US one)

Howdy!  I’m sitting in a United Club at Logan, wishing we were already home.  I always get this way with travel, wanting the return to be over with and done.  It will be a slog home, connecting through Chicago.  Ah well.  In my own bed a little after midnight, I hope!

This has been my first time in Boston in ten years.  10!!  That doesn’t seem real.  It’s a fine city but not one for which I feel any particular affinity.  Still, it was a lovely day today, and we had a nice morning walk in the newly-developed Seaport area.

I’ll really blog the trip when I get home, I promise.  Boarding in 40 minutes here.  I can’t wait to be home despite how delightful the vacation was.

salt of the earth

So here I sit, a bit of coffee and food in me, thinking of all the things I need to catch up on but reading news stories and obituaries about the passing of Kate McGarrigle. Thousands died in Haiti, but this hits harder for me. I'll be listening to the McGarrigles a lot in days ahead, I think.

Cheer up Peter. Consider this post a distraction from the sad news. I should comment more, but I'll instead simply post photos from a Boston restaurant where Conrad and I enjoyed dinner one night with CG, her colleagues Missy and Beth, and her former colleague Josh, and then drinks the next night with Martin and TK. Sel de la Terre is the name, the waterfront location - it's a sister restaurant to L'Espalier, it seems. Fine food and a good drinks list. Enjoy the fuzzy iPhone shots.