Day 26 Boston to Burlington 10-9-14

Our short stay in Boston was over in a flash. We had a bumpy start as we arrived yesterday but slept well as it was quieter than expected. We were up by 8 and went out for the recommended breakfast at Mul's diner, located within 2 blocks of our apartment. An authentic experience, we left full and happy for very little cost. We returned home for final packing and a little research. Our trip to the South Station was one stop on the metro line. We came into the North Station yesterday and were swept up into rush hour with a couple of metro lines needed to get to our apartment. That along with some people interactions was a bit of culture shock. 

Not so today. People were more courteous and friendly. We figured out to top of our CharlieT cards, get pointed in the right direction and quickly arrived at a large busy station. We had a relaxed 90 minute wait and enjoyed people watching. There was a lot of focus on safety and security given what happened in Boston recently and it wasn't out of place or intense. Our first train was headed for Chicago but we only went as far as Springfield Massachusetts where we switched trains to the Vermonter after a wait of 30 minutes or so. 

Very colorful views heading towards Vermont

Pastoral scenes flew by as we headed north

Laurie was stressing s bit to get the requested bio sent of for the upcoming awards ceremony but there was no wireless and our other efforts got stuck. Just then the southbound train rolled in including onboard wireless which she connected to and sent her information back home. We also had wireless on our train for the next 5:30 hours and used it to read, communicate, and plan our bus transfer when we reached Burlington. It was a tight schedule and the train was a few minutes behind but we caught the bus perfectly and were soon within a couple of blocks of the old house we would occupy the third floor in for the next 5 days. 

A night bus would get us to our stay 7 miles from the station 

Laurie reflected on her stay in Amherst a long while ago

We immediately learned that one of our hosts is running for Lt. Governor on a progressive platform and we felt at home with lively topics to expect over our stay here. After hauling our bags upstairs we settled in for the night with hot tea and cool water. This looks like it will be a great stopover on our grand tour. 

It feels very good to be here now!

Day 25 Heading South to Boston briefly 10-8-14

Another departure day. We were mostly packed and finished up this morning easily even though the Giants kept us up late last night. The usual routine and then out for coffee, provisions and hopefully some yarn for Laurie and a cap for me. 

Coffee by a Design was the right cafe stop as it was located near the other locations we wanted to see. I took a call from my aunt about her progress getting copies of her mom's adoption papers which I plan to follow up on when we get home. Laurie couldn't find the yarn shop so we headed for "Queen of Hats" and I tried on some caps and found one to my liking. We also made brief stops at the CrypotoZoology museum and Sprouts Cooperative for a quick look around. 

A rare sighting at the CryptoZoology museum

A Maine Food Map at the Sprouts Cooperative

Back to Aurora Provisions for some food for the train ride. We picked up our bags and had a brief chat with the cleaner there before walking down to our bus stop at Deering Oak Park. I was able to take some photos of the pond which has issues like the one I will be helping the city with at McKinley Park when we return. We had a great lunch on the train and Laurie had a good chat with brother Jon visiting in Alaska including s few teases from me about which teams are still in the baseball playoffs. 

Deering Oak Park Pond in Portland

Whoopie pie to go!

Wetland views on the train ride.

The train was about 30 minutes late and we hit the subways about 4 pm. It took a bit of effort to sort out but a few questions later we were headed the right direction. A man offered me a seat on the metro and then began a rant about how our wealth came from slavery and the time of dominance for the Caucasian race was over. Laurie tried to respond but there wasn't much to say except have a good day as we left. 

We had a short walk on the street to our 1st floor apartment but had trouble with the key. The outside was also a little too dirty and smelled. We got in and soon met the host who was nice. The place is a bit lower quality than what we have seen from AirBNB but we think most first time visitors rate it well due to location and convince. It will help us leave tomorrow from a different train station due to the close location.

We went out for a walk in our southern Boston neighborhood go look for food and settled on "Shenanigans" for a traditional meal in a sports bar/resturant with 10 large screen TVs on mute. Baked Haddock and Shepard's pie provided the comfort food needed and we headed home full. We stopped at a "Foodie" market but couldn't find anything to buy. A quiet evening was spent reading and catching up on writing before we head north again tomorrow. This is a very good location for our needs and better than a more expensive and sterile hotel. We are having a brief cultural experience in Boston.