theDIBB - View Single Post - Boston and Washington Spring 2016 - Boys, Blades and Balls!

Guest · 15 Jul 16, 11:40 AM

This is my first trippie (please be gentle)...

Trippie Index Here

Day 4 Here

What:

Boston, Washington D.C. and Baltimore

When:

Spring 2016

Who:

Me (April) Out of Breath

DH (R.C.) Feigning Interest

DM (Judybat) Wearing her Texas Tuxedo

DS (Pooter) Yep, Him Too

Day 5 - World Figure Skating Championships, Fenway Park and Boston�s North End (The Freedom Trail)

Up at 4:05 again - it always takes me AGES to adapt to a different time zone

. Today I was feeling lazy, and instead of working I took my novel (A Dying Light in Corduba - does anybody else read Lindsey Davis?) into the bathroom, and sat reading it on the bathmat until it was time to get ready and walk to the Loews.

Love these novels:

I had to wait a bit for R.C.�s tea as the lobby machine was out of order. Before I could even fully explain to the woman at the front desk, she was apologising and walking over to sort it out. Honestly the staff here were fab, they just couldn�t do enough for us.

I had hunted up a new possibility for breakfast this morning. We headed for the Back Bay location of Flour, a (small) Boston chain.

Flour was started by a Harvard-educated management consultant who chucked it all in to start a bakery. Her story is interesting:

flourbakery/team/joanne-chang

The Back Bay Flour is on Clarendon Street, just down from Back Bay Station. It was a good choice, the food was outstanding.

R.C. had traditional breakfast-y breads/pastries.

With all the skating, I had been eating strange things at strange times, so I didn�t want a lot of sugar first thing this morning. They were happy to make me a roast beef and horseradish sandwich (on fresh-baked bread. Yum-o!).

Poot wanted a Greek salad, which was delicious (but HUGE - we should have shared this).

There was also a giant dispenser filled with iced water and lemon slices, from which people could help themselves. I really dislike the trend to push people towards purchasing bottled water, so yay!

I recommend Flour, highly. Great story, local business, wonderful food.

We went to the Westin to collect DM, who had Starbucked herself and was now ready to go.

Because there were (relatively) few pairs teams competing at this year�s Worlds, we didn�t need to be at the Garden today until 1:30 PM or so. Which meant we could do something NOT RELATED to skating for the first time!

---------------------------

So off we all went to our (pre-booked) tour of Fenway Park. This tour is NOT cheap ($18 for adults, and it�s only an hour long). We booked the tour since the Sox were starting the 2016 season away from home and we wouldn�t be able to catch a game (bummer).

This morning was THE ONLY time we had any trouble with the trains (never fails, when you have a set time to be somewhere). There was a breakdown somewhere, and we were fifteen minutes late getting our train�

As I think I mentioned, DH has rheumatoid arthritis, so he is not exactly speedy. Poot and I went running ahead of R.C. and my mother - off the train and towards Fenway Park. R.C. has a great sense of direction - I knew he would find us even if we disappeared from view.

I eventually saw Fenway, then the tour entrance - and I noticed that people were already going in...panic! We still had to go to the window and collect our tickets�

Now we weren�t *exactly* running, but we were walking briskly. A kind man at the tour entrance told me not to hurry, as people were still getting searched inside...OK, then.

We signed for the tickets (I needed photo ID for this, but not my credit card) and walked back to the tour entrance. As I knew he would, R.C. had found us and he and DM were approaching. We were the last people to be searched. I�ve toured a few different stadia/parks around the world. This was the first one to feature full airport-style security. O Tempora!

I�ll get my one negative out of the way now. They booked too many people on the tour. There must have been thirty of us.

Now I get it - more people = more money, but many of us struggled to hear the guide, even though he was miked. Highlights of the tour were sitting in the Green Monster seats (and the original seats - they were tiny!), seeing �the red seat� (we love Ted Williams �round ours), walking into the visitors clubhouse - and just hearing good baseball stories.

Green Monster Seats from a distance:

Poot on the Monster:

The "Red Seat":

The Visitors' Clubhouse:

The head groundskeeper brings his German Shepherd to work every day. It was funny to see him patrolling the field.

The tour finishes in a little baseball museum. The day we toured, the central heating was on the blink - it had to be 95 degrees in the museum. So we didn�t stay as long as Poot would have liked.

R.C. is English, and to be frank I was surprised he even wanted to come on the baseball tour (he doesn�t even like ENGLISH sports, lol). As we walked out of the museum, he said, �Well, that was more interesting than I thought it would be.� High praise, indeed!

I love this photo of Poot and DM walking next to Fenway, both wearing their Texas tuxedos. Poot is 9, and not particularly tall, so you can see how tiny DM is. She was rocking her baseball ponytail today.

We split up once on the train. The chaps were off to walk the Freedom Trail, we ladies to...more skating!

continued in next post

15 Jul 16, 11:40 AM	#1
	15 Jul 16, 11:40 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Boston and Washington Spring 2016 - Boys, Blades and Balls! - Day 5 (Fenway, Skating, Freedom Trail) This is my first trippie (please be gentle)... Trippie Index Here Day 4 Here What: Boston, Washington D.C. and Baltimore When: Spring 2016 Who: Me (April) Out of Breath DH (R.C.) Feigning Interest DM (Judybat) Wearing her Texas Tuxedo DS (Pooter) Yep, Him Too Day 5 - World Figure Skating Championships, Fenway Park and Boston�s North End (The Freedom Trail) Up at 4:05 again - it always takes me AGES to adapt to a different time zone . Today I was feeling lazy, and instead of working I took my novel (A Dying Light in Corduba - does anybody else read Lindsey Davis?) into the bathroom, and sat reading it on the bathmat until it was time to get ready and walk to the Loews. Love these novels: I had to wait a bit for R.C.�s tea as the lobby machine was out of order. Before I could even fully explain to the woman at the front desk, she was apologising and walking over to sort it out. Honestly the staff here were fab, they just couldn�t do enough for us. I had hunted up a new possibility for breakfast this morning. We headed for the Back Bay location of Flour, a (small) Boston chain. Flour was started by a Harvard-educated management consultant who chucked it all in to start a bakery. Her story is interesting: flourbakery/team/joanne-chang The Back Bay Flour is on Clarendon Street, just down from Back Bay Station. It was a good choice, the food was outstanding. R.C. had traditional breakfast-y breads/pastries. With all the skating, I had been eating strange things at strange times, so I didn�t want a lot of sugar first thing this morning. They were happy to make me a roast beef and horseradish sandwich (on fresh-baked bread. Yum-o!). Poot wanted a Greek salad, which was delicious (but HUGE - we should have shared this). There was also a giant dispenser filled with iced water and lemon slices, from which people could help themselves. I really dislike the trend to push people towards purchasing bottled water, so yay! I recommend Flour, highly. Great story, local business, wonderful food. We went to the Westin to collect DM, who had Starbucked herself and was now ready to go. Because there were (relatively) few pairs teams competing at this year�s Worlds, we didn�t need to be at the Garden today until 1:30 PM or so. Which meant we could do something NOT RELATED to skating for the first time! --------------------------- So off we all went to our (pre-booked) tour of Fenway Park. This tour is NOT cheap ($18 for adults, and it�s only an hour long). We booked the tour since the Sox were starting the 2016 season away from home and we wouldn�t be able to catch a game (bummer). This morning was THE ONLY time we had any trouble with the trains (never fails, when you have a set time to be somewhere). There was a breakdown somewhere, and we were fifteen minutes late getting our train� As I think I mentioned, DH has rheumatoid arthritis, so he is not exactly speedy. Poot and I went running ahead of R.C. and my mother - off the train and towards Fenway Park. R.C. has a great sense of direction - I knew he would find us even if we disappeared from view. I eventually saw Fenway, then the tour entrance - and I noticed that people were already going in...panic! We still had to go to the window and collect our tickets� Now we weren�t exactly running, but we were walking briskly. A kind man at the tour entrance told me not to hurry, as people were still getting searched inside...OK, then. We signed for the tickets (I needed photo ID for this, but not my credit card) and walked back to the tour entrance. As I knew he would, R.C. had found us and he and DM were approaching. We were the last people to be searched. I�ve toured a few different stadia/parks around the world. This was the first one to feature full airport-style security. O Tempora! I�ll get my one negative out of the way now. They booked too many people on the tour. There must have been thirty of us. Now I get it - more people = more money, but many of us struggled to hear the guide, even though he was miked. Highlights of the tour were sitting in the Green Monster seats (and the original seats - they were tiny!), seeing �the red seat� (we love Ted Williams �round ours), walking into the visitors clubhouse - and just hearing good baseball stories. Green Monster Seats from a distance: Poot on the Monster: The "Red Seat": The Visitors' Clubhouse: The head groundskeeper brings his German Shepherd to work every day. It was funny to see him patrolling the field. The tour finishes in a little baseball museum. The day we toured, the central heating was on the blink - it had to be 95 degrees in the museum. So we didn�t stay as long as Poot would have liked. R.C. is English, and to be frank I was surprised he even wanted to come on the baseball tour (he doesn�t even like ENGLISH sports, lol). As we walked out of the museum, he said, �Well, that was more interesting than I thought it would be.� High praise, indeed! I love this photo of Poot and DM walking next to Fenway, both wearing their Texas tuxedos. Poot is 9, and not particularly tall, so you can see how tiny DM is. She was rocking her baseball ponytail today. We split up once on the train. The chaps were off to walk the Freedom Trail, we ladies to...more skating! continued in next post Edited at 10:49 PM.