Catching You Up...

Today is Friday. For the past five or six days Donna and I have seen a small part of our beautiful country. I think that I’ve said every day “wouldn’t it be nice to spend a few months here?”

Boston is so rich with history, sights, great places to eat, and a very walking friendly town. We spent most of Tuesday walking the freedom trail in Boston. They mark it with a red line (either bricks in the sidewalk or painted) so it’s easy to follow. It runs for several miles through the city from downtown to Bunker Hill.

By late afternoon we had seen all of the historical sites we could handle for the day and found ourselves in a very upscale part of town that included all of the necessary upscale stores. Donna looked but didn’t buy in several stores and I was content to spend some time in the Borders bookstore. I am such a sucker for books and wound up walking out with a couple of new ones. When we left the bookstore we were a couple of miles from our hotel. Donnas’ back was bothering her and we decided to get a cab back to the hotel…. Until she discovered that there was just one more store that she wanted to go to. So, we wound up shopping and walking back to the hotel anyway. We’ve gotten plenty of exercise but don’t worry; we’ve eaten enough to keep us from wasting away.

Wednesday we rented a car and left Boston headed for Portland Maine. We stayed primarily on highway 1 which runs on the coast, winding through small towns, and saying “wouldn’t it be nice to spend a few months here?” We got to Portland around six o ’clock and checked into the St. Johns Hotel.

St. Johns is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Portland. Opened in the late 1800’s it’s a 4 story building located next to the former railroad station, close to the Greyhound bus station, nestled in between a Chinese restaurant and a convenience store. It’s most recent claim to fame (before being purchased by the current owner) is that you could rent rooms by the hour. Imagine that, you could decide how tired you were and rent your room for just the right amount of time. They even had ladies available to assist you in your slumber… . Well now that I’ve painted the picture, it really is a nice old hotel, nicely redone in an area that is ripe for revitalization. Our room was very clean (passed the Donna test). Our room was on the third story and the steps were very steep like a lot of older buildings are. A long term stay would yield great opportunites to improve your cardiovascular strength.

We dined that evening at a restaurant that boasted the “best clam chowder in Maine”. We both had mediocre lobster rolls and shared a bowl of chowdah. We met a couple from Colorado Springs and got some great insight into places to see and go in Bar Harbor/Acadia. After dinner we strolled the streets of downtown Portland. It was ehhh, ok.

After checking out of hotel St John yesterday we headed up the coast again towards Belfast Maine. One of our planned stops was in Freeport, home of L.L. Bean. They have a gigantuan store here, actually several buildings, with lots of stuff. We got a couple of things, not too much. Donna snagged a backpack and lunch box for Madison and a small bag for herself. I saw quite a few things that I “needed” but resisted until I went in the L.L. Bean outlet store. I bought a great daypack and a Nalgene bottle. You can’t have too many of those.

Lunch was a hot dog from a stand outside the stores and on to Belfast. Again, a beautiful drive. We got to Belfast around 5 and checked in to the Penobscot Bay Inn. Beautiful old place, breakfast included, $79.00 a night. We came down to the old downtown, (it was music on the square Thursday) and strolled around. Dinner was at the local pizza joint. We really had a great evening. I went for a walk this morning down to the beautiful city park, out to the beach, and back to the Inn for breakfast with Donna. Donna is now at the downtown farmers market looking for blueberries and

I’m in a local coffee shop telling stories.

Well, that catches you up. Donna will fill in the details later. We’re having a lot fun and recognizing how blessed we are to be able to do this. We’re missing our kids. More later.

Oh, i almost forgot, we went to the lighthouse in Portland yesterday. Very Cool.

So Chris' travel agent is writing today's blog....

We started our second day in Boston by doing a little shopping...Chris decided he needed to update his look with some longer shorts and stylish walking shoes. I really wanted him to try the man purse look--he would have totally fit in. (He went with the Dickies backpack instead.) We managed to find plenty of stores at Quincy Market--I really wanted to go in Crate & Barrel, but figured why torture myself? I barely closed my suitcase just to get here, so I can't do any home decor shopping.

Next stop was the Super Trolley! Hop on, hop off, get a narrated tour as we cruise around the city, and the ticket is good for two days. We rode as far as Cambridge, and then I decided I really needed to use the restroom (shocking, I know). This had nothing to do with the fact that the next stop was the Cambridge Galleria. ;) We parted ways and shopped on our own. Chris found a bookstore, and I found a Sephora--perfect! We didn't feel guilty about spending time there--after all, we had seen such rich historical sights just getting there (Old North Church, USS Constitution, Bunker Hill). And the Erase Paste for undereye circles I bought was totally worth the trip!

The ride back around town was great. We saw homes (and former homes) of many noted individuals: Paul Revere, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, John Kennedy, Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, etc. The homes on Boston Common go for around $10 million. Wow. We saw the site of the Boston Tea Party--they actually found preserved chests of tea when they built the new bridge there. There used to be a museum, but it burned a couple of years ago and is still under renovation. There are also many many beautiful churches everywhere. We hope to go to Trinity church tomorrow where there are dozens of statues of Jesus.

Our walk back to the hotel in the early evening took us past the home of Paul Revere. It was closed for touring. I bought some kids history books at the gift shop so Madison can learn all about the American Revolution. I am actually excited to read them myself!

We also made sure to walk by Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street....we tried to get in there yesterday but it was so mobbed, we couldn't even get near the counter. We timed it better today and came out with two cannelonis. I'll be getting another one tomorrow---maybe the chocolate mousse filled....Food doesn't have calories when you're on vacation, right???

Later, we decided to wander the downtown area and see what looked interesting for dinner. On the way, we stopped for pics at the Old State House. Colonial building right smack in the middle of skyscrapers! This was the site of the Boston Massacre, which started the Revolution. In the pic to the left, you can see the balcony from which the Declaration of Independence was first read in Boston. Pretty cool.

As a planner, I was a little uneasy not to have researched any place for dinner.....but I was trusting in Chris (and the Lord) that we wouldn't wander into the bleak financial district (which is pretty deserted after business hours except for the scary folks). We had done this the previous evening at about 10:30pm, but I notice this was not included in yesterday's blog. Oh, back to the search for dinner. We happened upon a quaint and not very busy Irish pub---Mr. Dooley's Boston Tavern (yes, in the financial district). Only a few locals were hanging out in there---Cheers style. We sat by open windows, looked out over flower boxes, had an Irish waitress with a very heavy accent, and had some fabulous food. The best part was the guy playing his guitar (and a nice selection of harmonicas) in the corner. He looked like Brian Adams and had a great voice. He covered James Taylor, the Eagles, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Johnny Cash and many others, I'm sure. Chris was in hog heaven. I wanted to request Elton but didn't think he could pull it off without a piano. It was a great evening and we stayed until he took a break. Oh, I also had some Boston Creme pie, which was fabulous, and was again reminded that I typically eat more at meals than my husband.

We're looking forward to another day tomorrow--we want to walk the 2 1/2 mile Freedom Trail, which takes you past all of the important Revolutionary sites.

Boston On The Move

After talking about it for four years we’re finally here. The flight from Charlotte to Boston was uneventful (my favorite kind), a short and quick cab ride to our hotel, and after getting our bags in the room, we were off to see the sights.
Donna would like for me to tell you that we’re staying at the Fairmont Battery Wharf which provides its guests with a contemporary and sophisticated waterfront retreat. The hotel is very nice (thank you Priceline) and quiet and comfortable.
We left the hotel and found ourselves almost immediately in a festival in Little Italy celebrating Saint Something Something, with bands playing, booths set up with food, fun, and frolic, and lots of people. Since we didn’t have an agenda we just walked around.
We found ourselves at The Old North Church where “one if by land, two if by sea” happened in the church tower, we purchased a map of Boston at the gift shop, and headed out again.
Since lunch had been a short and hurried affair at the airport in Charlotte we were ready to eat dinner at 4:30 so we set out to find a restaurant. We agreed on Legal Seafood by the water. We ate too much but enjoyed the outdoor dining. The rest of the evening comprised of walking the streets, sitting in the park, a movie (Harry Potter), and a walk back down the Freedom Trail to our hotel. It was a fun day.
We’ve enjoyed walking and the weather is perfect. We haven’t decided on an agenda for today but I’m sure it will include more sightseeing. We’re having fun and enjoying our time together.