Day four started out later than the previous three days as I think both our bodies were in anarchy against us for all the walking we logged. I decided to take a day off the grind of working out while Pam forged on the treadmill to run a few quick miles. Once again we dined on our free complimentary breakfast, and we were on our way for more daily activities.
It was raining and much cooler out than the previous two days so getting on the "T" was a welcome sight. We rode out to the JFK Presidential Library to find it completely packed. We guessed a lot of people came for Memorial Day. We soon found out it was to celebrate JFK's 100 Birthday! What a great day to be at the museum. Not only was it free in honor of the big day, but news cameras and celebrations were going on everywhere!
The exhibits were packed, and the halls were filled with people elbowing and jockeying for position. Usually, this would drive me crazy as I hate being stuck in crowds. But, not today. Today was dedicated to learning more about one of my favorite Presidents.
Pam and I spent several hours looking at each exhibit in awe of all the great information presented before our eyes. It was sad we never got to see JFK live to be able to serve two terms.
My favorite exhibit was by far his personal collection they had on display to celebrate his 100 birthday. The museum displayed everything from his report cards to his famous sunglasses! Pam concurred as she liked seeing the private pictures of JFK and Jackie with their kids.
After getting our fill of the birthday party, we hopped back on the "T" and went to Faneuil Hall for a quick bite to eat. They have a ton of food vendors from all over Boston, and we wanted to try our luck with a few of them. Pam set her eyes on a bagel with cream cheese while I opted for a slice of pizza and a cup of clam "chowda" Pam loved her bagel and I was digging my pizza, but not very excited about my"chowda". It seemed very simple and lacked taste which was a total bummer!
I gave the clam "chowda a rating of 2 canned soups out of five. The pizza, on the other hand, received a reputable 4.2 pepperonis of out five. Pam was too busy getting after her bagel to give me a rating. But by the look in her eyes and the cream cheese dripping from her face, I would rank it at a 4.6!
We walked back to the hotel and relaxed for awhile before the final evening festivities which would include a visit with my cousin Erin who has recently moved to Boston. Erin suggested a local pub called the Bell in Hand. It has had the same name and location since it opened in 1795.
The local ale was terrific and the company was even better. It was great catching up with Erin and hearing all the amazing things she is doing. After a long evening, we hopped on the subway for our last ride on the "T" for the trip to get some rest as Day Five would be traveling home.
Day five started at the ridiculous time of 2:30 AM Texas time. We had to grab some quick showers and catch our Uber to the airport. The Uber ride was fast and cheap and Sam the driver, not to be confused with Brett's all-time favorite baseball player, Sam "Mayday" Malone told us tales of Boston and played the role of our tour guide on the way.
Check-in and security was a breeze, and so were the two fights home. We were tired but excited to see our girls.
Pam declared it an official family night which meant eating a meal together and telling stories about our weekends.The girls had a blast with Uncle Andy and Aunt Minnie and cannot wait to hit the lake again. We gave the girls each a shirt from the trip. AK received a Harvard volleyball shirt while Little D appropriately received one from MIT since she won the Math & Science award this year at school and was the only kid in the entire grade to earn straight A's for the whole year.
After one really good cup of clam "chowda" and one really average cup, a bucket list item of seeing Fenway Park and the Green "Monsta", learning how the "T" system worked, hiking the Freedom Trail, hanging with Normie, seeing amazing sights that started the birth of our great nation, an enjoyable visit with a family member and logging 35 miles on Pam's Fitbit, we declared the trip to Boston complete so we can rest up. Join me as we soon head out to San Francisco for more adventures and memories to share!
The morning started out early again with my legs and feet sore from all the walking on oddly shaped cobblestone walkways from the day before. After a few minutes of lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself, I got up for my early day workout. Pam worked out as well and joined me for yet another complimentary breakfast at the DoubleTree. We like to stay at Hilton properties since being a rewards member gets you a free meal in the morning. The food is standard buffet food, but we enjoy it being free and fueling up before we head out. What surprises us is the unreal prices people pay if they are not a member. To me, and maybe it's the fact that I am cheap, I could not pay $20 for a buffet breakfast!
After showering up and preparing for the day, we headed to the Hubway. The Hubway is a place you can rent bikes and ride them across the city and dock them at different locations. We decided this would be a great way to get around and save our weary feet from the evil cobble stone our precious tootsies are not accustomed to walking on.
It turns out riding a bike in Boston is also no easy feat. You have to obey the laws of the road and figure out not only how to get where you are going, but also realize that riding down the wrong way street is not a wise or popular choice with the local Bostonian's who are already really happy with all the traffic. After weaving in and out of China Town and dodging a few middle fingers and maybe a Chinese star or two, we safely arrived at our destination know as Boston Commons.
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The Commons is a beautiful park where many assemblies have taken place from recruiting soldiers for the Revolutionary War to most recently being where Pope John Paul II held Mass. The grounds are fantastic, and we enjoyed the sights as we weaved our bikes in and out of people as it was a packed park for the holiday weekend. We were getting weird vibes and looks from the local fanfare as a soon realized that we were the only ones on a bike, which seemed strange since there was probably close to several thousand people in the park. Pam quickly realized that it was illegal to ride our bikes in the park and right there-and-then our dream of biking riding to save our feet died! We docked our bikes and walked the park to see the sights!
It was a great place to see all the flags dedicated to those who served and did not return.
From the bottom of the hill, you get a great view of The State House which is the capitol building of Massachusetts. Pam liked the premise and kept remarking that it reminded her of something she has seen before but just couldn't remember exactly what it was!
The Commons sits right across another historical place. We walked across the street to find the original location of Cheers and see if we could catch Normie for a beer. I asked Norm would he had been up to and he replied..."Just like my pal Brett, my ideal weight if I were eleven feet tall!"
We continued down to the Charles River and set our sights on making it to MIT to see if Will was busy at work solving complicated mathematical theories. It was a long walk but we were able to manage and reach our destination. MIT looks just like the name suggests. It indeed has an institutional feel to it. We were eager to see the location of the film Good Will Hunting.
We stopped inside to see if they had any public restrooms since the theme from yesterday continued. I quickly rushed in, and when I came out, I found Pam making some corrections to Will's math theories on a chalkboard. After Pam's good duty, we hopped about the "T" and set our sights on Harvard.
When we arrived at Harvard, we soon realized it was closed to the public for graduation. Pam, being one to not take no for an answer used her intellectual power, good looks, and southern charm to persuade the police officer to let us in so we can see the sights. He let us in, and we went directly to John Harvard where we were told tales of good luck and fortune to come if you touch John Harvard's gold toe. Being suckers for falling for every and all superstitions that have to deal with chance, Pam and I not only grabbed the toe, but we also rubbed it and made three wishes. In fact, Pam also fist bumped the toe just for good measure as we walked away!
Harvard's campus is impressive and incredibly small. It very much reminds me of the University of Denver. We enjoyed strolling through the campus knowing full well that my high school GPA of a 2.3 would never have gotten me in. However, I wouldn't be the proud graduate of the Metropolitan State University of Denver if Harvard came calling.
We were getting a little hungry and stopped off at Mike's for a cannoli. It's world famous, and we decided we at least needed to try it. We shared one chocolate chip cannoli and were not very impressed with the pastry. We may get beat up, but we both agreed on a rating of only 2.3 half eaten cannolis on a scale of five. I'm sure they are great if it's your thing. It just wasn't our thing!
Exhausted from logging in 12.5 miles on Pam's Fitbit, we headed back to the room for some rest for day 4!
The day started out early for Texas time as I seemed to forget the simple fact that we are now on Boston time. I climbed out of bed and headed to the YMCA gym that is attached to the hotel and free to DoubleTree guests. After a quality workout, I headed to the lobby and typed up yesterday's trip report so Pam could enjoy sleeping in. Pam joined me after her own exercise to get our free complimentary breakfast. While chowing down on my eggs and bacon, I looked across the room and saw a familiar face staring back at me. It was Coach Wood from Midland! He used to coach baseball at Midland High School and was the principal at AK's junior high before he retired. It really is a small world. I certainly was not expecting to see him at the exact same hotel we were staying at in Boston!
We quickly showered up and headed out the door for more walking, sightseeing and Boston fun. There was two must do's on the agenda. One was finding a place to get some good clam "chowda," and the other was to watch the Red Sox at Fenway. Everything else we would do would be gravy on top of the biscuits!
We started our walkabout on the Freedom Trail to seek out the Old North Church to see if the British were coming by sea or land. The church is a must do while touring Boston. It is still a functioning congregation and remarkable sight to set your eyes upon if you like history!
After leaving the church, we continued down the Freedom Trail to the USS Constitution. While on the trial Pam and I started to realize a common theme in Boston. There are very few public restrooms in the most public of places. The shops are all Mom and Pop places that hang signs on the outside with the warm, welcoming note of "No Restrooms!" This made it tricky for me and my kidney stone medication which works in ways to flush my kidney very often. We went from one location to another location hoping to find some relief for my poor bladder only to be denied each place. We marched on and saw a public bathroom at a park next to the harbor. I was eager and excited to allow my bladder the relief it needed. I was quickly denied when I found out that the public bathroom required you to pay to 25 cents to enter. No problem, I thought as I asked Pam for a quarter. A troubled look came over her face as she realized she had no change. We were forced to press on the trail and passed - porta potty. Desperate for relief, I was willing to enter the place no one wants to be. Once again, I was denied by the outhouse as someone decided to padlock the door. We hustled over the bridge with each step pushing harder on my bladder. Pam was trying to figure out a good story so a shopkeeper would let us use their restroom when we saw the most glorious sign of all that simply read "Public Restroom". We eagerly used the facilities so we can then step foot on the Navy's oldest commissioned vessel that has never lost in a battle at sea.
We both enjoyed stepping onto what was considered the most significant naval vessel in the fleet when she was built. It is an unreal feeling to see a list of all the sailors who died on the ship during battle and another list of all the Captains that have led this great warship since 1797!
After an enjoyable experience with the Navy, we decided it was getting close to time to head to the Fenway Park so we could enjoy the sights and grab some lunch before heading into the game. We Ubered it over to Fenway and were there in no time. We walked around the park and took in the sights, people and excitement of it being a game day.
With our stomachs growling and our throats dry we found a hip place called Tony C's Sports Bar. We sat down and perused the menu to see the pub offered clam "chowda". I was pretty excited as I consider myself a connoisseur of clam "chowda". After all, living in West Texas, I have two options of clam "chowda" to choose from. Pam was equally excited to see fish-n-chips on the menu. We ordered the grub and were blown away by the tastes our lame West Texas seafood senses have never experienced before. Our tummies made our eyes smile with delight by the food we were eating! The clam "chowda" was easily the best I have ever had and Pam was equally pleased with her fish-n-chips, which, she explained was far better than the only option of a box of fish sticks we have available to us in the dry and dusty desert of Midland, Texas!
On a scale of one-to-five fish sticks, Pam gave her fish-and-chips an unheard of perfect score of five crunching and satisfying fish sticks. I eagerly agreed with five empty soup spoons!
We left for the game where we arrived early enough to take in all the sights the oldest MLB park has to offer. We climbed to the top of the "Green Monsta" to take in Fisk's Pole and see the old gem from the top. We then went down to the field level to see the viewpoint of the players.
No doubt that Fenway is remarkable and quickly climbed to the number two field I have visited. Wrigley continues to get top billing, Fenway second, the Old Comiskey three followed by Dodgers Stadium in a not too shabby four.
The game was great as we got to see Johnson throw a rare complete game shutout, a long single hit off the "Green Monsta" and were able to sing along to the traditional Neil Diamond Sweet Caroline song with 37,000 Red Sox faithful going into the bottom of the 8th inning!
Pam and I enjoyed a Fenway Frank and also gave it a number three on top hot dogs eaten at ballparks. A Vienna Beef dog at Wrigley still has the number one spot, while the Dodger Dog is a close second.
After eating some good food, enjoying the sights and watching a great game, it was time for Pam and me to get on the subway for thirst time and head back for the evening. Before we hopped on the subway, we were able to get of picture of Pam crossing the finish line for the Boston Marathon.
We did stop at a little pizza joint called Boston Kitchen Pizza for a pie to take back to the hotel. Starving from a distinct lack of eating anything for the day, We inhaled it and gave the pizza a solid rating of four slices eaten at of five.
After a quick call to the girls to make sure their lives were being spoiled entirely by Aunt Minnie and Uncle Andy at the Lake, we dozed off in eager anticipation of what day three might bring!
The morning started out at the cruel hour of 4:00 AM. But instead of the usual arm flapping knocking anything and everything off the nightstand, Pam shot out of bed like a rocket knowing full well that the Desparrois' family minus the two littles were heading to see one of America's most historical cities--Boston!
Since we only had three flights, one layover and a bus trip across an unknown city during rush hour before we reached our final destination, Pam decided it would be wise for us to load up on some sustenance at the Dallas Love airport. Her choice for breakfast was Dickie's BBQ. We powered down some mean brisket breakfast tacos in anticipation of the first trip together without kids in almost two years!
The breakfast tacos were great with Pam giving Dickie's on a 3.5 of 5 scoops of BBQ sauce. With our stomachs happy we loaded up on our next leg to reach Boston. We arrived at the Boston airport with the Captain making the announcement we would be in 30 minutes early. I was as excited as a kid waiting for Christmas! 30 minutes early meant 30 more minutes of fun! We quickly figured out it was 30 more minutes of waiting on the plane for a gate to open up.
Since we are new to Boston and being the adventurous travelers we are, Pam and I made the decision to take what the locals call the "T" for our transportation to the hotel. We had to wait outside the airport for 45 minutes to get on a bus that drove us to another bus station so we could walk a block to another bus station to connect us to the hotel. At this point, I was tired, grumpy and had no desire to load my luggage and jockey for a seat on another crowded city bus. I declared we were hoofing it to the DoubleTree.
After being in Boston for two hours and waiting on buses and walking a mile through China Town in the rain, we made it to our hotel. Check in was smooth, and the room was great. We dumped our luggage and set out to explore. Our fellow history buff and friend, Cheree has played a significant role leading up to the trip and helping us map out the must do's for our adventure. Based on her recommendations we headed to Faneuil Hall for our first stop since it was close to our location.
As we started our walk, Pam became overjoyed with delight as she found a Chipotle on Avery Street. Too bad AK wouldn't have the opportunity to eat at her favorite restaurant on the street with her namesake. Pam and I decided to ditch the girls with Uncle Andy and Aunt Minnie as they headed to Lake Granbury for the weekend. AK would just have to settle for a picture instead of a burrito.
We continued our journey through Boston in marvel of the architecture and the fantastic sights our eyes were taking in. What's cool about Boston is all the fantastic buildings you come across. We walked right up to a building called the Old State House. It's the oldest building in Boston, and the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time to the people of Boston on the balcony on July 18, 1776. Pretty remarkable to think the birth of the nation was announced at this very building for the good fighting citizens of Boston.
With our stomachs growling and our throats dry from a long day of travel, Pam declared it was time to find a bar for some spirits and food. Since we were in Boston, it only made sense to go to a place where everyone knows your name.
In honor of Holmes, AKA Tony Jackson, on the way in I asked Norm what was shaking. Without missing a beat, Normie replied, " Just like Tony, all four cheeks and a couple of chins!"
We sat down and waited, waited and waited some more. Pam found it odd as it was not busy and very few tables were full. Our server finally came by with her not-so-happy face on and asked for our order. Pam declared that her cheery disposition would earn her the name of Carla. After several long minutes of waiting, Carla returned with some beers and Pam, and I were able to officially toast our much-needed adult vacation that had nothing to do with volleyball or kids!
After chowing down on hot dogs, fries and several beers we were shocked to see the final bill. Apparently Woody has hit Sam up for a raise! Carla continued to be as pleasant as she could while expecting a 25% tip. After tipping Carla only 15% Pam and I agreed the that on a scale of one-to-five, Carla got a solid 4 middle fingers while the ambiance of Cheers received five satisfied empty beer mugs! No trip to Cheers would be complete without paying homage to Brett Flood's all-time favorite relief pitcher Sam "Mayday" Malone.
With our bellies full and thirst quenched we decided to continue on to the North End. On our journey, we came across Paul Revere's house and decided to stop and say hello. It was late in the evening, and the keeper of the house said Paul was out on some vital horse ride and we would not be able to meet with him.
We continued our journey through the North End enjoying the sights and smell of all the excellent Italian restaurants in the neighborhood. Exhausted from a long day of travel and Pam logging in 9 miles on her Fitbit, we cashed it and went back to the hotel for relaxation and rest for another day of adventures. We checked in with the girls, and they had safely arrived at Lake Granbury with their Uncle Andy and Aunt Minnie. AK and Little D were enjoying being spoiled with nuggets from Chick-fil-a and shakes from Whataburger. Rumor has it, they also were able to go out on the lake and do some paddle boarding!
Pam and I neslted down and quickly fell asleep as we dreamed of vision of eating clam chowda, staring up at the Green Monsta and whatever else the next day might bring!
Pam declared it an official family night which meant eating a meal together and telling stories about our weekends.The girls had a blast with Uncle Andy and Aunt Minnie and cannot wait to hit the lake again. We gave the girls each a shirt from the trip. AK received a Harvard volleyball shirt while Little D appropriately received one from MIT since she won the Math & Science award this year at school and was the only kid in the entire grade to earn straight A's for the whole year.
