Lions and Tigers and… Jellyfish?

 

YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?

Today we ventured south of South Boston to the Franklin Park Zoo.  It sort of makes the Portland Zoo look like San Diego.  Slightly disappointing but we still got to see 1 lion, 2 tigers and a plethora of gorillas and zebras.  Sadly, not much else besides some rare birds and emus – animals that Steve’s family has actually previously owned, which really took the novelty out of it. It was still nice to wander around on a 90 degree day, catching some rays. I did enjoy the exhibits that were there.  The lion was fairly talkative when he woke up and the tigers were pacing pretty close, waiting for food.  Probably the most exciting exhibit was the gorilla pen where there had to be at least 20 gorillas.  They were fun to watch and were much more interactive than the emus across the way.  Especially this one gorilla… He was sitting up against the viewing glass, eating clumps of regurgitated grass, allowing us to take a variety of pictures “with” him, considering he was as far from us as the glass was thick.  That is, until he decided he’d had enough of the picture taking and wanted to “show off” by banging the glass and his chest, propelling me 15 feet away in surprise and fear for my life.  Enough of the zoo.  Time to go to where mundane fish float around all day with no desire to beat their glass cages and show off.  

HOLY JELLYFISH!

Off to the aquarium we go!  We were greeted by 4 different colonies of penguins and a large glowing cylinder filled with colorful fish and a few sharks in the middle of the room.  A spiraling ramp, four stories tall, wound around the viewing tank to give a 360 degree view of the underwater world.  smaller exhibits on each floor showed the habitats of jellyfish, tree frogs and leafy sea dragons.  A much shorter venture than to the zoo, we had plenty of time to wander around the harbor and stroll through quincy market before heading back to the hotel.  The heat must’ve taken a lot out of us because when we laid down to watch the tube we ended up taking a nap for two hours!  At least we are well rested for tomorrow!

The Walking City

 

VIEW FROM CHARLES RIVER.

Today is going down in the books – er, blogs – as the “Most Touristy Day in Boston”.  We began our day with a famous Duck Tour aboard a renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle, code-named DUKW.  Our “conDUCKtor”, as they call themselves, was Captain Jet Black, a goth looking pirate who took our boat on wheels all around Boston, by land and sea; to the Prudential Tower, Boston Common and Public Garden, Newbury Street, Hancock Tower, Copley Square and Quincy Market just to name a few.  This was a great tour to take at the beginning of the day in order to make many mental notes of places we wanted to go back to.  It was also nice to put the sprawling city into perspective and see how easy it actually is to get around town.  

 

 

LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.

Rest assured that the city wasn’t as big as it seemed, we decided to attempt to walk the Freedom Trail, the famous heritage walk through Boston.  Beginning in Boston Common and ending at the misplaced Bunker Hill Monument (the monument actually stands atop Breed’s Hill where the majority of the fighting occurred), our favorite stops were the Granary Burying Ground and the Old State House.  It was the balcony of this building where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud over 230 years ago.  We continued to follow the metaphorical yellow brick road – the literal red brick line – through Boston to the North End before our appetites caught up with us.  This predominantly Italian area, known as “little Italy”, was chock full of authentic Italian food joints and we knew the rest of the Freedom Trail would have to wait.

 

 

We followed our noses, or rather, our guidebook, to .  Upon entering, we saw pictures of the owner entertaining guests such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Justin Timberlake and the cast from The Sopranos.  By staying, we dined on the caprese and prosciutto before having the BEST pasta dish EVER. Fettuccine Con Gamberoni.  If you go to Strega, you should, hands down, order this dish.  Jumbo shrimp, asparagus and cherry tomatoes over Fettuccine with a light, mildly spicy sauce. It was <insert Italian gesture here> muah!  Exiting the restaurant we were invited to come back again by a restaurant staff that looked like the Italian mob itself.  Overall, an experience that is highly recommended for any traveler or local Bostonian.

After dinner we postponed the last two stops on the Freedom Trail (the USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument) and thought we’d catch a glimpse of Boston all lit up at night from an almost bird’s eye view.  The 50th floor of the Prudential Tower to be exact.  This building is the second tallest in Boston and houses a Skywalk Observatory offering audio guides and 360 degrees of Boston skyline.  The view is stunning, especially at night.  Overpriced, yet worth every penny at the same time, this opportunity is essential for tourists and local Bostonians alike.

 

WICKED AH-SUM.

Witchcraft

 

COMPLETELY NORMAL.

Today we took a small excursion outside of Boston to the town of Salem.  First stop: The Salem Witch Museum.  After perusing the herbs and spell-books in the gift shop, we watch a presentation on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.  We also walked through exhibits explaining the Wiccan religion and the evolving perceptions of witches.  We continued to get beat over the head with witchcraft in every nook and cranny of downtown Salem; similar to the carnival atmosphere of Seaside, OR with chintzy shops and aged storefronts on the main drag.  We decided to venture a bit from the epicenter of Salem and walk among historical houses from as early as the 1600s.

BIRTHPLACE OF "SCARLET LETTER" AUTHOR.

Neighborhoods stretched on, full of houses with dates and names of their victorian owners. Waterfront property included the Custom House, the Derby House, and the House of Seven Gables, the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne.  There are beautiful sailboats in the marina and the “Friendship of Salem”, a tall ship reminiscent of old fashioned pirate vessels.  You can’t forget the Witch House on the other side of town close to the Witch Dungeon.  This is the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only building with direct ties to the witch trials.  This little jaunt brought us full circle, back to the hub of Salem.

Unsurprisingly, this small town seems to shut down right at 5:00 pm, minus a few places to eat. We had to forgo the New England Pirate Museum, the Vampire and Ghost Hunt and the Salem Wax Museum of Witches and Seafarers.  Let me tell you, we weren’t too broken hearted (and don’t ask me why the higher ups of Salem decided to throw pirates and vampires in to the mix… Steve and I were just as befuddled as you might be.) Besides, we had a Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour to look forward to. Which began at 8:00 pm. With more than enough time to spare, we decided to grab a bite to eat.

Off to the Upper Crust we go for some gourmet thin crust pizza and we fill our bellies with a meat lovers pie. Mmmmm, good! But where to go for dessert? On the corner of Derby Square is Maria’s Sweet Somethings, a sweet shop and ice cream parlor promoting their “wicked good confections”.  By the way, this is not the first display – or the hundredth for that matter – of Boston’s slang term, “Wicked”, overused in humorous context pertaining to the witchcraft of Salem.  But Maria did have good chocolate.  The sun is setting and a thunder storm is brewing; a perfect setting for our haunted tour!

 

GARDNER-PINGREE HOUSE.

We meet our guide and browse pictures of smokey profiles and floating orbs that have been spotted on her previous tours.  This being Steve’s guilty pleasure, he is giddy as a school boy and I’m scouring the proof for shiny objects ricocheting light. I gave up looking for logical answers and we began our tour.  A small group, just the two of us.  We walk down shadowed alleys and past crooked cemeteries.  We learn the history behind brutal murders performed in houses that still stand today, haunted of course.  We even leaned on the locked chain-link fence, enclosing the old Salem Jail where victims were hanged and didn’t have running water.  Vacant and not in use since 1991, this building will eventually be turned into condos.  Apparently the plethora of haunted condos popping up all over Salem is the running joke of the town.  Also, the “Yankee Frugality” is pointed out as there are many churches next to cemeteries next to senior living centers.  

Speaking of which, the senior living complex across the street from the jail used to be where a factory stood and child laborers worked – before it burned down and the soul of a 5 year old girl decided to run through the streets of Salem laughing.  Though we didn’t get to hear her haunting squeals of laughter first-hand, we were more than happy to miss out on face time with the ghost of Giles Corey.  This was a man who was accused of witchcraft and pressed to death during the witch trials.  According to first-hand accounts, anytime Giles Corey shows up, something bad happens in Salem.  From the fire of 1914, to a teen suicide 7 years ago, you can guess who had been spotted just hours before.  Our tour ended in the Witch Memorial, remembering the names of the witch trial victims and trying to figure out how those damn orbs kept showing up in our pictures. 

 

SERIOUSLY. WHAT IS THAT?

4 Yawkey Way, Field Box 46, Row C

 

502 FEET.

Today we woke up bright and early, filled our bellies with belgian waffles and took the T to Fenway Park.  We walked around and got our bearings a bit before heading to “the souvenir shop across the street from Fenway”, otherwise known as the Official Red Sox Team Store. It’s HUGE. If there was any Red Sox paraphernalia that ever existed, it was in this store. From foam fingers to Jerseys to, yes, even a Rubik’s cube to add to my collection, this store had it all.  After getting decked out in our player shirts (Varitek and Beckett) and caps, we anxiously awaited the beginning of our Fenway Park Tour.  Yawkey Way was crazy! Guys on stilts, balloon animals, shoulder to shoulder fans, and some of the greatest American baseball history right under your nose.

 

 

Finally, the gates are opened and we are led to the top deck of right field.  We stopped at the “Red Seat” where Ted Williams’ 502 foot home run ball landed, sat in the Monster Seats atop the “Green Monster” – you have to win a lottery to be offered the chance to buy these – and learned the history behind the oldest ballpark in America.  (Ever notice the morse code memorial to the Yawkey’s on the scoreboard’s vertical white lines? Did you know the green color used for the Green Monster is a copyrighted color? It’s called “Fenz Green”.) We took tons of pictures of the Diamond from every angle and even got our picture taken from the Right Field Roof Deck, another coveted seating area you must win a lottery for.  After the tour we met up with some friends at Eastern Standard for a burger and returned to Fenway for the 4:00 pitch.

 

 

"YOOOOUUUUUUK!"

This time, our view was from Field Box 46, Row C, Seats 1 &2.  1000 words couldn’t do this view justice, so this picture will have to suffice. Taken during the game, from our seats, only a 3x zoom was used, which is basically enough to cut out the people sitting around me and get a clear shot.  Amazing seats. (Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt threw the ceremonial first pitch and I got his autograph.  That kind of amazing.) With mini helmet ice cream bowls and a gorgeous, sunny day, we thought it couldn’t get any better.  Then we sadly watched the Yankees take the lead… Two Fenway Franks later, Boston scored their first five runs and the chants of “Yankees Suck!” rang loud and clear. Some heavy hitting, a handful of strikeouts and an amazing Grand Slam was all we needed to clinch the “W” by a safe margin and karaoke “Sweet Caroline”.

 

Red Sox, 16.  Yankees, 11.  I’d say it was a good game for our first time at Fenway…

 

BEST DAY EVER.

Flight To Boston, Ready For Take-off!

5:00 am. The Portland Broadway Cab arrives to whisk Steve and I off to the airport.  I have enough electronic toys and DVDs to attract attention at the “point of no return” but we make it through with a couple hours to spare.  Off to the airport branch of Gustav’s for a heavier than desired breakfast sandwich and then to the miniature Powell’s.  You’d be surprised at how much they packed into such a tiny space. Very “Powell’s”.  I grabbed a Boston pocketbook (on sale) that offers a few essential maps and allows me to record the places I’ve been.  We watched Emperor’s New Groove and part of Dark Knight before resorting to naps and card games, and lastly, my Mac’s Photo Booth, passing the time until the descent into Boston…

There it is, all flat and brown-ish, yet it’s the most exciting thing in the world right now.  We both had forgotten how close to the water the city is and we try to spot Fenway Park from a bird’s eye view during landing.  Before we can even check-in at the hotel, our shuttle driver is filling us in with all the best Boston has to offer while on our right, we pass the bar where parts of Good Will Hunting were filmed.  I can’t believe we’re already seeing some sites as I make a mental note of Woody’s L Street Tavern as we pass by the “Home of Good Will Hunting”.

We check in to the Ramada, grab a bite at a sub shop, D’Angelos, down the street and head into downtown Boston on the T.  We emerge from underground right on the edge of the Boston Common and quickly gather maps and brochures to the best attractions. We picked up our Go Boston cards and took a walk through the park just to take it all in for a minute. We shopped around the Ladder District and came back to the hotel with plenty of ideas for the week… Tomorrow we plan to get into the city early to grab first dibs on game-day attire and take a tour of Fenway before the big game! Go Sox!

How ‘Bout Them Apples?

I will be traveling to Boston, MA April 24th-May 1st with Steve for what seems to be our “Annual April MLB Trip”. (Last year we went to Seattle for an A’s vs. Mariners game.) We will watch the 1:00 pitch of the Red Sox vs. Yankees game, hotdog in hand, from field box 46, row C, left of home plate at Fenway Park on Saturday, April 25th.  The rest of the week is TBD, but more importantly, it’s PTO. 

Where we’re staying: Ramada Inn Boston

What we’re not leaving the hotel room without: a Go Boston card

What I hope to do: Pahk the cah at Hahvahd Yahd. But, seriously. I’d like to take a gameday Fenway Park Tour, get spooked on a nighttime Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour, have a beer at the Samuel Adam’s Brewery and a cocktail at “Cheers”, walk the Freedom Trail, ride the new Dark Knight ride at Six Flags New England, and maybe spot some whales with the Mass Bay Lines Whale Watch. 

Stay tuned! It’ll be wicked awesome.