When you've 'bean' to Boston

I am sitting at the airport in Boston waiting until my boarding call to return to Chicago and I've been trying to remember everything that I've done since I got here on Thursday. I get the distinct impression that the next few blog entries will be entirely out of chronological order. Despite the hole in the space/time continuum, I'll try and bring you up to speed on the fun I had with the Hardys in beautiful Bean Town.

Let's start by saying that the sensible tourist does not come to Boston in February. While the weather here has been a heatwave compared with Chicago, neverthless it was still terribly cold to the point where I had to keep clenching my fists just to defrost my fingers! I lived in my winter coat and gave appropriate amounts of thanks to my Grandma for the scarf she knitted me for Christmas.

I arrived from Chicago at around 11.45am on Thursday and though I had been up since 5am, I was running on adrenalin and I was really excited to have the opportunity of exploring a new City. Kate wasn't due to arrive from Paris until around 4.30pm, so I checked into our hotel (the Hilton Financial) ahead of her. Given my non-existent sense of direction, I was not too inclined to explore the City without Kate, so I restricted myself to the side streets all around my Hotel. As it was, one could get very displaced just meandering through there - loads of one-way places and pokey laneways that made it very hard to keep one's bearings. Anyway, with an Irish pub on every corner, I don't suppose it really matters where you end up! I settled into one of the more authentic-looking establishments and tucked into some hearty bangers & mash, all washed down with a cold Guinness. Ahh it was bliss, to be sure.

Then I went back to the Hotel and stayed in the room, for fear that Kate would arrive and not be given a key. I laid down to watch a terrible Richard Gere movie, and must have dozed a little. I awoke to find Kate & her mum trying to open the door. It was great to see the girls again. Mr H was still in NJ for a wine event, but he would arrive later that night.

So K and I relaxed a bit until dinner, and we swapped some souvenirs and travel stories in our room. Then it was dinner time and we all packed off to Bertucci's, one of a chain of Italian restaurants where I had a very nice (though very filling) calzone and a glass of Italian wine (the start of a pattern really).

We then slept like the dead, ready to face Day 2 in Bean Town. More to follow.