We vacationed in Boston for a few days while picking up our daughters from their respective ballet workshops. We had been “empty-nesters” for five weeks, but we survived.
There are a few things to dislike about Boston:
- The traffic. It made me miss Houston traffic. And then there were the indecipherable Yahoo Maps directions – in one case, there were literally 17 steps to go 2.25 miles!
- The Celtics. Boo! (Go 80’s Lakers!)
- The politics.
But there were a lot of good things as well. Great food. The whale-watching trip was a highlight. The architecture and all the old brick buildings. The history. The people were friendly. And seeing the girls again was the best part!
Filed under: Family / fun
I was an 80’s Laker fan too! Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Byron, AC, Cooper…Man that is when the NBA was fun.
Neil said: I miss those days. I’d stay up late watching them every time they were on TV. When they beat Boston in ‘85 it was my all-time favorite sports moment. I was a Kareem fan all the way back to his Milwaukee Bucks days.
Aw, directions. One time I was driving to Lake Bluff IL to see my sister and I got some mapquest directions. It’s mostly freeway driving there but it had us taking a really big detour! After that, I think twice about using them.
Glad you made it around. Nice pictures too!
hiya Neil!..we were there a few years back in..Salem for Halloween..bwwhahahahah!
Of course the people were friendly!
As for driving: you’re better off walking. A lot of the streets are one-way; unlike New York City, they are not rationally one-way (i.e. alternating blocks).
As for the traffic: I’m only really bothered by 128 (i.e. what most of the non-Boston world calls I-95). There’s no way to avoid it. OTOH, there are a ton of ways in and out of Boston via back roads that move along pretty nicely.
What did you think of parking? I have well-developed “Boston driver” parking skills – see a parking space on the other side of the street, do immediate U-turn while traffic comes at 50 mph, and slide into the parking space before 3 other cars get in. Helps to have a hand on the horn.
Oh, Boston treats traffic signage differently than the rest of the country. Y’all have it wrong.
*Double yellow lines = U-Turn acceptable.
*Green light, no protected left = start moving as the other light turns yellow so you can bang a left before oncoming traffic gets the green.
*Dashed white lines = centering lines for your car. When driving, the lines should be just to your right, underneath the gear shifter.
*Breakdown lane = extra lane during rush hour (if so marked).
Where did you go for whale-watching?
I have to admit I was surprised by the friendliness. We were there in ‘88 and I didn’t recall people being as nice (my motto: Go to Boston every 19 years, like it or not).
The main problem with the traffic was that our hotel was on the one tiny stretch of Mass Ave. that went to a one way street. That made all the Mapquest directions rather funky as we tried to get going in the right direction.
The parking was an adventure! I admit that I quickly learned to drive more aggressively. There was a LOT of weaving in and out of lanes that I don’t do in Houston.
LOL re. your Boston traffic signage!
We went to the New England Aquarium for whale watching. We saw more than we expected and I was really happy with the pictures we got. The Aquarium was really nice – the jellyfish exhibit was incredible and they had quite a penguin exhibit as well.
All kidding aside, we really had a nice visit to one of your home towns!
Mistake #1: staying in a hotel on Mass Ave and driving.
Options: stay in the ‘burbs. Take a taxi or the T. Once you’re done paying for parking, it works out to the same thing. Now, I haven’t been in Boston in a while, but I seem to recall that the price of the T has increased to $2 each way. (It was $0.85 when I started college.) It’s actually easy to use, but it doesn’t always get you where you want to go.
The penguins are great. Love how you walk right in and can look down on them.
All kidding aside, we really had a nice visit to one of your home towns!
Glad to hear it!
Yep. The problem was that the girls were in different spots – one at Boston U. and one at Mt. Ida, so we had to get a car. Next time (in 19 yrs.) I’ll definitely get a place by the T.
Neil…….Just be thankful that you don’t have to look at those unsightly windmills in the ocean thanks to Ted and his friends……..steve
(Snort) So true, Steve.
Neil,
Are you living in Houston now??? I was born and raised there… moved out my junior year in high school and haven’t been back for any amount of time since… except to watch the Astros…
Blessings
I take it you never managed to make it by my alma mater. Loads of elephant statues!
Hi Timothy – I’m just North of Houston. I grew up in Ohio.
Hi Bridget – d’oh! That would have been a good site to visit.