Thursday, September 17, 2009

On Foggy Boston

I’m assuming you all have yesterday’s post fresh in mind (!), so I’m jumping right into action. Setting: Boston, Massachusetts. Featuring: two crazy ladies who have just finished making havoc in D.C. Action!


The next morning we decided to go to Salem. Not only because we are Potter-dorks (mostly, though), but also because it is a nice place in terms of architecture, shops and, apparently, rain. We spent a few hours there, and managed to see some, but not all – partly because of the rain, partly because we didn’t feel like stressing. One of my favourite parts was that Leanne took me to a museum – not to see the museum, but to see the museum shop. How nice is that!

After Salem, Leanne had to go back to (as she put it) retail hell, and I was once again on my own in Boston. It was still really foggy and rainy, so most of my alone time was spent in a nice, little café by the harbor. However, I also walked around for a while, taking pictures of the skyscrapers not just scraping the sky, but disappearing into it. I was supposed to go to the Aquarium, but the line to get in was insane, so I decided it was not worth it. After all, I’ve only just been to the DC aquarium (and frankly wasn’t impressed, though I know the Boston one supposedly is better). Foggy Boston was, however, worth it.


On Sunday morning, I got to go with Leanne to work. This might not sound very entertaining, but trust me, to be able to spend four and a half hour in a bookshop (especially one that has a Starbucks), is bliss to me. There is a mall (two actually) close by, so I did at one point leave Leanne’s bookshop to go to the mall, but when I got there, the only shop I visited was Borders… Clearly, there is no such thing as too much time spent in a bookstore to me.

After work, we went to hang out with Leanne’s friends, Courtney and Christine, and eventually my friend from back home, Hana, who happens to live in Boston at the moment. We had a good time – in fact so good that we nearly missed what we were supposed to do – go to the zoo. It took a while to get there, and when we did, we were told that the giraffes probably would be inside by then. The main purpose of going to the zoo was to see the baby giraffe (surprised?), so this was kind of a bummer. The ticket lady was really nice and let us in for free, though, and when we finally located where the giraffes were supposed to be, we did get to see them briefly before they went to bed. That baby giraffe was just the cutest thing!


Leanne and I rounded off the day by watching Coraline (great movie – for those interested I might also mention that it features a giraffe and a slug within a few minutes, so CLEARLY this is a movie made especially for me!), and then going to one of Leanne’s favourite places – Doyle’s. We were not able to taste their famous onion rings, but I still liked the place (I was informed that parts of Mystic River was filmed there. Now I’ll have to see Mystic River).

After this it was very little left for me to do than try to figure out how to fit all my purchases into my suitcase (my Welsh green did it, though), say goodbye to Leanne and her furry friends (her cats, in case that was unclear), and leave Boston early the next morning.

5 comments:

Hart Johnson said...

Yay for books, baby giraffes and fog! I'm still jealous and pouting, but I'm glad you had such fun! (Ann Arbor will not be nearly so exciting--sorry to tell you)

joe doaks-Author said...

Gee, sounds like a really good time. I'm glad you got to see Boston...lots of history there. Do you know I've NEVER been. But, trust me, it's on my must see list. Oh, the DC aquarium is the pits, a disaster of the first order. Sorry you saw that, it's a national embarrassment. Hope your trip back was good. What’s your next adventure?

Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog

Paul FooDaddy Brand said...

You'd probably like Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. They have this platform that puts you at giraffe-eye-level, and you can poke them. You're invited to vend yourself some giraffe cookies from a giant gumball machine, and they'll stomp over and eat 'em right from your hand.

Great fog pictures, too!

Cruella Collett said...

Tami - you can come next time! And I am absolutely positive that Ann Arbor will be awesome too - if nothing else, they have you ;)

Galen - Boston should be on anyone's must see list. I think it is on my must return list... My next adventure (unless you count the archive - can be adventurous enough, I tell you) goes to (as Tami already hinted) Michigan, and from there (actually it'll be the other way around) to Minnesota. If I ever get these stupid flights coordinated and booked, that is. I have been trying for weeks to get it done, but there is always something in the matter - either my credit card isn't loaded, or my computer shuts down on me, or the booking site isn't functioning. It's driving me nuts.

Paul - now THAT sounds like my kind of place. TWO baby giraffes! I wonder how far Battle Creek is from Ann Arbor...

Natasha said...

Mari, any chance of stopping off in India on your way back?

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