Saturday 13 January - Boston

A walking trip through Beacon Hill, Boston Common, Newbury Street and the surrounding shopping precinct today, with Libe up from New York after another hard 4 to 5 hour bus trip. I think we're both dreading doing these trips for the rest of the time we're here - we're losing 12 hours in transit on the weekend just to see each other at the moment, and the bus trips just seem to drag on. Unfortunately the price of airfares (including taxis to and from etc) and trains doesn't justify jumping on either of these, especially when the time recovered from going via rail or air isn't as big as you'd like.

Beacon Hill is an opulent little suburb in the middle of the city. God knows what the property values there are like - only if I make partnership level at PP would I get access to a mortgage facility to be able to afford a place like those. It is full of dwellings which appear to be the signature Boston residences - brick townhouses between 2 and 4 stories high, sharing walls, no front yards, cobblestone footpaths, and small one-way streets. If I didn't know where the photos below came from, you'd swear I'm in England. That, and it was dark, cold, and you battle to get a decent beer around here.

The original Cheers Bar (the setting for the famous sitcom) is supposed to be in this suburb. I say 'supposed' as apparently the bar looks nothing like the show - I don't know this first hand as I haven't been there yet. I'm holding off going there, because sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and you're always glad you came. I haven't experienced either of these times yet.

Boston Common is an a large park area in the middle of the city, very pictureseque, with an ice skating rink, gardens, a couple of baseball fields, a large number of squirrels and a large patronage. It seems to be the place where everyone meets for a day out in the sun (or ice). Certainly beats Barwon Common.

Directly across the road from the Common is the Public Gardens, an smaller park without the 'attractions' of the Common, a perfect place to a little more quiet and space. Well, as much as you can get with the surrounding noise associated with US drivers obeying what must be a rule to honk one's horn every 60 seconds (for cab drivers it is 30 seconds).

I found out today that where I was living - to the east of the Common - wasn't the real 'centre' of the town that I thought it was. Newbury Street and the surrounding streets clearly was. This is where Bostonians (I think they should be called Boston Buns) comes to shop, to eat, the drink and to be seen. Despite the fact that it was dark all day, forever threatening to rain, and was cold, there was people all around this area. A real nice place, and in hindsight maybe the first place I'd take a Boston visitor. Familiar stores lined the sreet, i.e. your Ralph Lauren (although everyone who works in an RL store is just a pretentious tosser), your Tiffany's, and your Dimmeys & Forges. Needless to say, with Libe on the tour, we end up in a couple of them (not Dimmeys)

Night was a special dinner out with Libe in a good Indian restaurant in Newbury Street called Kashmir, to celebrate our 2 years on the clock. I'd recommend it to anyone seeking a good Indian feed, especially to Barrel and Pete celebrating their 3 month anniversaries in the near future (with every monthly anniversary, these boys celebrate a new PB I think). Anyway, I think we both had a pretty good night - I think Libe got more out of watching me sip on a glass of Marlborough NZ region Sav Blanc than anything.

mum said...

Hi ry

Think we have worked blog out. Sounds like you and Libe had a nice meal for 2 year anniversary. I'm sure dad would have enjoyed the cheers bar hunt!!
Mum x

January 28, 2007 1:27 AM