Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

Oops - I missed a whole bunch of updates!

So T is for Train... is it an elevated train like Chicago?
The "T" seems to be a mixture of actual underground subways like in NYC (or Toronto) and above ground sort of trains (that we call "streetcars" in Toronto, but they seem to be called trains in a lot of US cities...)
Just to clarify - Chicago has both elevated and subway sections. And a few ground-level transition areas, including some in between the inbound and outbound lanes on expressways. But, the elevated part in downtown (the Loop, named for a section of track that literally is a loop) is the most famous part.

Sounds like you had a good trip so far! Good to hear that your son is keeping busy and making friends (and girlfriend).
 
Onwards with the TR...

Sunday October 24 - my son was otherwise occupied this morning so I decided to hang out with my cousin's son's wife...I think @pkondz figured out at some point that is my second cousin once removed or something? Anyway...we'll call her R for simplicity! Because it was October, I had heard Salem was worth a visit, but we had also heard it was insane in October. I had been about 10 years back but at the time my DD was 9 and couldn't tolerate that much browsing around, so I wanted to give it a second look! We hoped to bet the crowds and go early. I got up around 7pm and took the T at 8 ish back to Cambridge where R picked me up and we were off. It was around a 45 min drive and we were there. At that hour, there was a half full parking lot waiting for us which was perfect, and also confirmed that we had been wise to go early!!

We wandered around the area, a lot wasn't open yet, but we didn't mind, we were there more to soak up the atmosphere. We saw the graveyard for the witches among other sights! We grabbed some coffee and walked around with that. We went into some neat shoppes with all manner of spells and Oiuja boards and books as well. By 11am, the place was rammed. There were lineups for every shop. We decided we needed Witches hats and one souvenier shop visit so we waited in line for Coonts. Got our Witches hats...which people said would not look too weird on a normal day outside of Salem...but now looking at it at home...I'm not so sure...what do you think lol?

After we had our souveniers, it was too packed for our liking so we called it a day. R drove me back to the hotel and she went on her way. We would be meeting again later for dinner with my son and her husband.

I lounged around back in the hotel for a bit, and then went out in search of lunch. I ended up getting a salad from Tatte bakery and a cookie for dessert! It was the perfect light lunch and hit the spot. I walked around downtown a bit more and did some shopping at Primark which is my new Boston fave store. Then I headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. I met my son and cousins' son and wife for dinner at State Street Provisions. This place looked like it had a menu that would appeal to everyone, and promised to be well spaced out for my still covid scared self. We had a great dinner, I went with the fish and chips. After dinner as usual my son had to run off, but I stayed with the second cousins and we went for some dessert in Little Italy. We had some delicious cookies and coffee before walking back to the hotel and calling it a night.

Also including some cool pics that my son took!

621915621916621917
 
Found Tatte Bakery which is a real Boston thing I hear.
Baked goods and tattoos, of course. :rolleyes:
They had some amazing looking brunch items and baked goods...I wasn't in the mood at this time
WHAT?!?!?!?
I was a bit disappointed but not overly so because there were lots of other abandoned parents there!
All looking lost and forlorn?
There was a cookie/ice cream sandwich truck, a gigantic grilled cheese sandwich truck, a pizza truck, one serving Jamaican food and another serving Greek food.
Whoa! Those sound great! I'll take one of each, please.
I totally scorched the roof of my mouth eating it.
:headache: Hate when that happens.
So of course...had to follow it up with a cookie ice cream sandwich to soothe my aching mouth!
But of course! Otherwise, I'm sure you would have skipped it.


:rolleyes2
As usual..time to kill in hotel means...trashy TV!!
:thumbsup2
there was this cool ice cream place that serves the ice cream in these fish (or teddy bear) shaped waffle cones.
Available in TO too, you say?
My son and his GF walked me back and then went on their way (back to their dorms....or at least that's what they told me. :))
But of course they did.
621327
Can't really see the fish cones, but... that's a fair bit of ice cream. :)
 


I decided to hang out with my cousin's son's wife...I think @pkondz figured out at some point that is my second cousin once removed or something?
Or something... I'm not going back to look either!
I had heard Salem was worth a visit, but we had also heard it was insane in October.
Huh. I hadn't thought of that, but... I suppose it makes sense. ::yes::
At that hour, there was a half full parking lot waiting for us which was perfect, and also confirmed that we had been wise to go early!!
Rope drop for the win!
We saw the graveyard for the witches among other sights!
Really! Original? Or recreation?
We went into some neat shoppes with all manner of spells and Oiuja boards and books as well.
Cool!
Got our Witches hats...which people said would not look too weird on a normal day outside of Salem...but now looking at it at home...I'm not so sure...what do you think lol?
Well... I think you could pull it off. But I'm certainly no fashion maven!
I ended up getting a salad from Tatte bakery and a cookie for dessert!
Finally a Tatte bakery item!

;)
Really like that one.
This one is more... like a postcard. Meaning more of what I'd expect, but really pretty nonetheless.
 
WHAT?!?!?!?

Yeah shocking I know...actually it was morning and I've been trying to lose a few pounds doing Intermittent Fasting...so I try to avoid eating in the mornings other than black coffee and water...so that's the truth. I COULD have eaten every baked good in the place if I'm being honest.

All looking lost and forlorn?

Ha yeah..or....relieved not to be around the constant eye rolling? A bit of both lol

Available in TO too, you say?

Yes there are a few cool Asian ice cream places in the city that have these type of cones.

Can't really see the fish cones, but... that's a fair bit of ice cream. :)

Yes I probably should have taken off the paper napkin before the photo so the cones would be more visible..but...with that amount of ice cream I wanted to get into it before it toppled over lol
 


Lots of yummy treats and fun stuff you were getting to do in Boston. It's someplace I've never been to but would be interested in the history of. I do know there are probably some pretty fantastic museums and the food scene sure looks yummy!! Glad your son is settling in!
 
Yeah shocking I know...actually it was morning and I've been trying to lose a few pounds doing Intermittent Fasting...so I try to avoid eating in the mornings other than black coffee and water...so that's the truth.
Ah!
I was doing similar, so understand. ::yes::
I COULD have eaten every baked good in the place if I'm being honest.
:laughing: Always!
Ha yeah..or....relieved not to be around the constant eye rolling? A bit of both lol
:lmao:
Yes there are a few cool Asian ice cream places in the city that have these type of cones.
I'll have to make sure I visit next time. Last time (couple weeks ago?) I did Wanda's Pie in the Sky though. :cloud9:
For realz.
No way! So cool!!!
 
Lots of yummy treats and fun stuff you were getting to do in Boston. It's someplace I've never been to but would be interested in the history of. I do know there are probably some pretty fantastic museums and the food scene sure looks yummy!! Glad your son is settling in!

Yes Boston is well worth a visit for both the food and attractions. There are never enough meals to try all the foods I want to try when I go lol...at least I know I will be back! I'd like to check out the science museum and the history museum on future trips too.

I'll have to make sure I visit next time. Last time (couple weeks ago?) I did Wanda's Pie in the Sky though. :cloud9:

Wanda's is great. There are some great tiny new joints that have popped up for amazing takeout treats during the pandemic too. In the early days when there was no traffic it was fun to drive around and pick up some delicacies...but...now it's back to being impossible to stop anywhere!
 
Yes Boston is well worth a visit for both the food and attractions. There are never enough meals to try all the foods I want to try when I go lol...at least I know I will be back! I'd like to check out the science museum and the history museum on future trips too.
Love a good museum!! I'll keep those in the back of my mind!
 
Tuesday October 18th in Boston...My cousin met me at the lobby of my hotel in Cambridge and we set off on the "T" (Boston's public transit) to head downtown. We had purchased timed entry tickets to the aquarium. As you may recall...I went there with my son back in Sept and loved loved loved...the aquarium and especially the penguins exhibit. I just love the way this exhibit really lets you see the penguins all around and feel close to them, but they also seem to have a great habitat. We headed down to the aquarium...but made a wrong turn on the T and had to get off and take the train back a couple of stops! But finally made it just in time for our ticket window! We spent a lot of time with the penguins, and then did a slow walk around the rest of the aquarium where we saw loads of fish, sea lions, turtles and more. We got to chat a lot and catch up while there as well. Really interestingly I did not know that my cousin was really into diving and so she knew a lot about so many of the fish and sea life that we saw, so that definitely added to the experience!
I would love that! I really need to get back to Boston sooner than later.
Once we had our fill of the aquarium it was time for lunch. Legal Seafood is apparently a must eat in Boston, so to make sure we would get in there, we had made a reservation on OpenTable. We got to the restaurant and they seated us quickly! I know everyone says you have to have the clam chowder...but sorry...just not a fan of creamy soups or chowders here. My cousin tried it though and said it was excellent. She also had the crab cakes. I had this amazing sandwich which was some kind of BLT type thing on sourdough...but with salmon. It was delish. Although I'd eat anything on sourdough because it's all about the bread for me.
Sounds delicious!
Wednesday Oct 20 - This day we had plans to visit the Isabella Stuart Gardner museum. As with everything you had to purchased timed tickets these days so we got ours for 2pm. We met at the hotel again and headed to Downtown Crossing area for lunch. This is the area around my son's school (Suffolk U) and so I knew the area fairly well by this point and knew there were some great lunch options. We ended up at Sam Lagrassa's deli which had gotten rave reviews. Those were well deserved!! We shared a sandwich that was called the Pastrami Caprese and it was on this amazing Asiago cheese roll and the whole thing was just fantastic. We were glad we shared it though because one was more than enough for both of us. After lunch I showed my cousin a bit of the area and my son's dorm and some of the university buildings. Then we got on the T to head over to the museum for our timed tickets.
I adore the Gardner museum! So lovely. :)
Thurs Oct 21 - this was a sad day because my cousin was leaving to go back to Spokane. But I knew I would at least still get to see her son and his wife again, and of course, finally visit with my son who had too much going on with school to hang out with us yet!! I asked for a late checkout at the hotel so that there was more chance of getting to check directly IN to the new hotel I'd be staying in without having to wait. I got most of my stuff organized, and then went for a slow walk/run around the Cambridge and Harvard area. I was so lucky with the weather, it was perfect and sunny and not too hot or too cold. I walked/jogged along the river and even got to see some rowers. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a little coffee shop to grab some caffeine...had issues with my debit card (as I sometimes do when in the US...not as much as way back ...but now it's sadly often small independent retailers where I have issues) ANYWAY...the guy there was super nice and gave me my coffee for free even though my card didn't go through. I felt bad, but glad that I had gone with the simple small black coffee this time and not the fancy expensive latte that I sometimes get!
My RBC debit doesn't work in the US but I have no issues with my TD debit. So strange!
I texted my son to let him know that I was there but knew that chances were slim I'd see him this night. We had discussed ahead of time that even though this was family weekend...for him he had a lot going on plus midterms so he would do his best to hang out but couldn't promise much!! He said he would come by the hotel for a visit though, which was nice. I gave him a few things that he had requested from his room at home, plus some Canadian chocolate as is tradition for me when visiting anyone in the US! He stayed for a short visit and then vanished but I knew I would see him again the next night.
The workload is so heavy for them first year!
Instead, I got up early and took the ferry to Charlestown with the intention of walking the Freedom Trail. Most people do it the opposite way but since I was staying downtown I liked the idea of travelling a bit first and then walking "home" to the hotel. Also, I got to see some of the sunrise on the ferry which was lovely. The ferry took me over to the navy shipyards where the USS Constitution was so I got a closer view of that, though I'd seen it already on the Duck tour the other day. Once off the ferry, it took a bit of wandering around before I found the start (or actually the end) of the Freedom trail near the Bunker Hill monument. I snapped some pics of that and then started on the trail. The trail winds around Charlestown and then across a bridge into the downtown area going through a few areas on the way. The only issue was some construction where you couldn't actually keep following the red bricks in the sidewalk and I almost lost the trail. But luckily there were some other lost looking tourists that I could follow and eventually found our way across the bridge into town!!
It would be amazing to do the Freedom Trail.
I think my son and I were part of the select few cheering for the Raptors (who won that night BTW) and it was a good time. Also this was my first time meeting son's GF so this was a great casual way to do this in a low pressure way! I think he knew I'd be so worried about covid that I wouldn't be grilling her lol. Half accurate but I tried to get a few questions in lol. She seems like a great girl and very ambitious so a good influence on him!!
Did C meet her at school? Jamie has a long term GF who is also at Guelph and she is a very good influence on him too.
 
My RBC debit doesn't work in the US but I have no issues with my TD debit. So strange!

That is interesting...I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that TD has physical branches in the US but RBC doesn't...will have to research that one some more.

It would be amazing to do the Freedom Trail.

It was!! Although I have to admit, I didn't read as many of the plaques and interesting historical tidbits along the route as I should have. The first few yes...but then kind of...just wanted to keep the walk going lol.

Did C meet her at school? Jamie has a long term GF who is also at Guelph and she is a very good influence on him too.

Yup, met her at school. Said that a bunch of kids went to the movies one night near the start of the school year and on the walk back to the dorms he started talking to her and they hit it off. They exchanged contact info and then texted for a while before deciding to meet up again...and the rest is history lol. Glad Jamie's is a good influence too!!
 
Time to finish this off if anyone's still here...

Monday October 25 - this was departure day. I had purposely picked a later in the day flight because..thanks to covid and Canada's travel rules...I knew that I would have to get a PCR test done on this day, and that could take some time. I researched several possible options but the logistics were very complicated. There were free PCR tests to be had at some walgreens and CVS locations (that I had read about here actually with Canadians going to Disney) however...none such places could be found anywhere near downtown Boston or accessible without a car. I did not want to inconvenience the cousins further, and the cost and time to get an uber out to some random pharmacy in the burbs a day or two before departure just did not appeal...so...overpriced airport testing at Logan it would have to be for me and I resigned myself to this fate!!

Luckily...my hotel let me keep my room until about 1pm. I spent the morning taking another leisurely walk around the area for one more time. Went back to the Suffolk U bookstore and picked up some more Suffolk gear - sweatpants for me, a hoodie for my daughter, some magnets and stickers for my car and fridge. I was very torn for what to have as lunch option for my last day in Beantown. Ended up with a sandwich and soup from Tatte bakery near the hotel. Delish and the perfect light lunch. I actually debated buying one of their T-shirts and/or reuseable coffee cups because they have become such a Boston "thing" but decided to pass, knowing I will for sure be back sometime! Ate my lunch in the room because Tatte was pretty busy and I wanted to lounge as long as I could before packing up!! Watched some more HGTV while eating and then showered and got ready to leave.

Checked out of the hotel just after 1pm and called and Uber to take me to Logan airport. Google said it was only about a 15 minute drive. My flight was a 6pm, but with the covid testing etc, I had no idea what time I should plan to be there and there wasn't much else I could do with all my luggage other than head straight to the airport even though it was crazy early. Good thing I did though because...as soon as we got into the dreaded tunnel...stopped traffic. There was some kind of accident and we sat in there unmoving for a good 30 mins. I did not enjoy that at all. It was too hot in the car and the stop and go while wearing my mask just made me a bit nauseous. Ugh. Luckily...we eventually were able to inch past the accident and be on our way and still got to the aiport about 4 hours before my flight. Crazy...but when I did the math not so much. The Logan PCR testing place would guarantee two hour service (for a crazy price) but you couldn't check in for your flight without the negative test result and you are supposed to check in two hours early so...four hours. Got in the small-ish line for the PCR test which I had made an appointment for but was a few mins early. They took me in right away which was great. Got my nose swabbed and then was told to wait in some chairs. This was not the most comfortable situation because I had my giant suitcase and people had to walk around me to get to the testing place...but I was told to stay within sight so they could find me when they had my results. Waited. Surfed the interwebs. Played some games on my phone. Texted some friends. After 45 mins they had my results!! Um...would have been nice to know that before I arrived so darn early. Oh well. Thankfully negative so I was now allowed to check in for my flight....

Took the escalator up to departures and.....the Porter airlines desk not open yet for my flight. No chairs available anywhere nearby either. Ugh. What's a girl to do? Sit on her suitcase. Yup. Waited around a half hour and then the desk opened and a line formed immediately...luckily I got in it quickly and before long was showing my test results, vax certs, and of course passport to the agent and was able to drop off my bag and be on my way to....the ridiculously long line for security. Got through that line eventually....and walked and walked and walked....and finally found my gate and had about 45 mins left before boarding time....phew. Considering I had arrived at the airport a good 4 hours before my flight...that's actually not that much time left. I had planned on trying to find something to eat but still hoping to keep a good distance from hordes of people. Sadly those two goals did not align...not a lot was open at Logan...and the places that were...were rammed with people and I wanted no part of that. So...dinner of champions was....a strawberry frosted donut and iced tea from Dunkin'. At least it was novel since we don't have Dunkin' at home lol. Took my Dunkin' back to the gate and found a secluded spot to remove my mask and eat it and by the time that was done it was almost boarding time.

The whole getting to the airport and ordeal was longer than the flight itself. It was a bit longer than the flight from Toronto-Boston because this was a smaller prop plane with Porter airlines. I love this airline because they fly in/out of our small island airport in downtown Toronto. It's much quicker and also easier for me to get home from. Also customs is way less busy and faster. I got through in no time since ours was the only flight coming in that night, and then went to bag claim. Sadly...my suitcase zipper broke - funny enough...that's the second time this year...and the first time was on the only other flight I took this year in May when I went to my son's graduation. Ugh. There goes another suitcase during a pandemic where I barely travelled lol. Luckily even though the zipper was broken, everything seemed intact - at least I haven't noticed anything missing yet!!!

So that's the end of that trip!! Not sure when I'll do another TR.....

Although I will share...I drove across the border to Buffalo NY last week and got my covid booster at Walgreens!! We can finally drive into the US, so I did that because I'm travelling to (South) Florida at xmas and am pretty nervous about it covid-wise...so wanted to get that booster in now...and I likely won't be eligible here at home for a while...and the rollout will likely be disastrous as it was the first time so...why not road trip? Also got a Tar-jay run in and some Trader Joe's while there!!
 
Sounds like you had a good trip. It sucks that you had to have the covid test at the high priced airport. So happy you were able to get the covid booster shot. I get mine on Monday. Have fun in South Florida.
 
Sounds like you had a good trip. It sucks that you had to have the covid test at the high priced airport. So happy you were able to get the covid booster shot. I get mine on Monday. Have fun in South Florida.

Yeah...crazy times I guess!! I do hope that in FL we can find a place that will give timely results but doesn't cost that much!!! Good luck with your booster!!
 
so...overpriced airport testing at Logan it would have to be for me and I resigned myself to this fate!!
Eep. But... it's the option that worked best for you. How much was the airport test?
some magnets and stickers for my car
Right! I remember that. Didn't you post a shot of your car once??
I actually debated buying one of their T-shirts and/or reuseable coffee cups because they have become such a Boston "thing" but decided to pass, knowing I will for sure be back sometime!
Regretting it now? Or... still unconcerned because you'll be back?
Ate my lunch in the room because Tatte was pretty busy and I wanted to lounge as long as I could before packing up!! Watched some more HGTV while eating
:laughing:
As soon as I saw "lunch in the room", I immediately thought "Trashy TV!"
My flight was a 6pm, but with the covid testing etc, I had no idea what time I should plan to be there
Ugh. :sad2:
Good thing I did though because...as soon as we got into the dreaded tunnel...stopped traffic. There was some kind of accident and we sat in there unmoving for a good 30 mins.
Oh, man. That must've been nerve-wracking!
got to the aiport about 4 hours before my flight. Crazy...but when I did the math not so much. The Logan PCR testing place would guarantee two hour service (for a crazy price) but you couldn't check in for your flight without the negative test result and you are supposed to check in two hours early so...four hours.
So... question for you. What was your plan if your test came back positive? A possibility, obviously.
After 45 mins they had my results!!
Whoa! Quick!
Took the escalator up to departures and.....the Porter airlines desk not open yet for my flight.
:headache:
Hate when that happens. Has happened to me a few times.
Got through that line eventually....and walked and walked and walked....and finally found my gate and had about 45 mins left before boarding time....phew
That's so strange. I mean... you'd think the airline would open the desk with enough time for their passengers to get to the plane???
So...dinner of champions was....a strawberry frosted donut and iced tea from Dunkin'. At least it was novel since we don't have Dunkin' at home lol.
I've never had Dunkin' either. :)
Porter airlines. I love this airline because they fly in/out of our small island airport in downtown Toronto.
My DSis likes them too. I wish they flew to Winnipeg.
Luckily even though the zipper was broken, everything seemed intact - at least I haven't noticed anything missing yet!!!
Phew!
Although I will share...I drove across the border to Buffalo NY last week and got my covid booster at Walgreens!! We can finally drive into the US, so I did that because I'm travelling to (South) Florida at xmas and am pretty nervous about it covid-wise...so wanted to get that booster in now...and I likely won't be eligible here at home for a while...and the rollout will likely be disastrous as it was the first time so...why not road trip?
I'll probably be driving across sometime in the new year. I've not heard any horror stories, so... I feel a bit more confident about it. I'm eligible for my booster in early December, so I'll get that somewhere. I think it won't be quite the... adventure... getting the first shots was.
 
Eep. But... it's the option that worked best for you. How much was the airport test?

It was about $150 USD. So steep yeah..but definitely convenient.

Right! I remember that. Didn't you post a shot of your car once??

I am sure I did!! It's the one thing that is easy to collect (stickers) while travelling and easy to pack and bring home lol.

Regretting it now? Or... still unconcerned because you'll be back?

Not regretting...yet.....but hopefully think about it when I'm back...most likely in May to bring DS home for the summer...

So... question for you. What was your plan if your test came back positive? A possibility, obviously.

You know I've gone back and forth on this one over and over, and still thinking it over regarding our Dec plans to go to south FL. I really don't know. Honestly think the best option would be to somehow on land get yourself to Buffalo or other land crossing, and then if you still test positive...I think they let you into the country but you have to promise to quarantine at home...which is fine...but yeah... that worst case scenario is enough to add a lot of stress to any trip.

I've never had Dunkin' either. :)

I would say it's on par with Tim's...but they do have the unsweetened iced tea which I like.

My DSis likes them too. I wish they flew to Winnipeg.

Maybe one day when flights really get back to normal...who knows...but I will definitely be using Porter again for Boston trips!

I'll probably be driving across sometime in the new year. I've not heard any horror stories, so... I feel a bit more confident about it. I'm eligible for my booster in early December, so I'll get that somewhere. I think it won't be quite the... adventure... getting the first shots was.

Yeah the driving was actually much less stressful than I thought...and of course way less stress than flying. Yeah re: boosters not sure how it is where you are...but knowing Ford in Ontario...it's gonna be the Hunger Games all over again trying to find the shots and figure out who and when is eligible...I'm glad I got it over with!
 
It was about $150 USD. So steep yeah..but definitely convenient.
Always a trade off, isn't it?
Cost vs convenience.
I am sure I did!! It's the one thing that is easy to collect (stickers) while travelling and easy to pack and bring home lol.
::yes::
I'm the same with my poker chips. So small I can pick up as many as I want and not run out of room.
You know I've gone back and forth on this one over and over, and still thinking it over regarding our Dec plans to go to south FL. I really don't know. Honestly think the best option would be to somehow on land get yourself to Buffalo or other land crossing, and then if you still test positive...I think they let you into the country but you have to promise to quarantine at home...which is fine...but yeah... that worst case scenario is enough to add a lot of stress to any trip.
You'd have to drive to Buffalo, or something. You couldn't take a plane. :(
I would say it's on par with Tim's...but they do have the unsweetened iced tea which I like.
Ha! I'm the opposite. Give me the sweetest ice tea you got!
Maybe one day when flights really get back to normal...who knows...but I will definitely be using Porter again for Boston trips!
Even pre-pandemic, the farthest west they flew was Thunder Bay.
Yeah the driving was actually much less stressful than I thought...and of course way less stress than flying. Yeah re: boosters not sure how it is where you are...but knowing Ford in Ontario...it's gonna be the Hunger Games all over again trying to find the shots and figure out who and when is eligible...I'm glad I got it over with!
I think we won't have bottlenecks, but I'm not sure. I'm not eligible for my booster for another week or so.
 
The good news is that Florida now has the lowest Covid rates in the nation right now. :) I think you'll be just fine for your trip.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top