Our drive could not have been any smoother. This being our first trip to Boston since moving to Massofchewedsticks we were delightfully surprised to find that it is pretty much a straight line there, however that is not to say it was in any way dull. Route 2 is a regular treasure trove of roadkill. First we came upon your standard fare, a squirrel here, an opossum there, but when we passed the dust bitten pelts of two cats and what looked like a boar a new game was born! We tried to imagine what scenarios might have sealed the fate for these out-of-place animals. Perhaps the cats were just bastards? Scratching the furniture of some dad who never wanted them in the first place, who then saw his morning commute to be the perfect solution to his fur ball infestation. The boar likely could have escaped from a butcher truck, or felt like living out the stampede scene of Lion King, only to fail miserably and immediately. When we came across a fallen falcon we were perplexed. No such noble bird ever seems to soar lower than thirty feet. We could only surmise that perhaps it had mistaken a Smart car for a mouse, considering that they must look like equal size from that distance.
After about ninety minutes of driving and one brush with death we finally made it to the Boston Commons where we put the awesome $11 all day parking to use. We took a stroll as Julie pointed out all the sights of her old stomping grounds. The Boston Commons, the bridge in the public gardens, the man wearing clogs pushing a stroller, her first dorm, the place where she had to hand clothes to naked men for some "play" she stage managed (grimace), the burial place of Sam Adams, the burial place of Mary "Mother" Goose.
It was at this point I felt I needed a break from all the morbidity and we stopped in the nearest 7-11 for a Ginger Ale. After paying for the soda a small family of tourists cut the line demanding to know if there were any socks for sale. From the look of them they seemed that their shorts to tube sock ratio was complete, but for whatever reason they needed more, and they needed them now! As the cashier hesitantly questioned the store's stock of socks (try saying that five times fast!) Julie perked up to inform the woman that there were multiple stores around the corner that would sell her the socks she so desperately needed. The woman politely thanked her, then turned back to the cashier to continue her interrogation over foot underwear.
We made our way to Faneuil Hall loosely following the freedom trail. While there, we took in the sights, namely the scantily clad silver woman doing the robot for change. It was there that we met up with Jojo and her crew. While they were traveling together it appeared as though each of the sixsome had their own agenda. As a result we resolved to pick up a quick snack and sit for a little face time before continuing the journey through the real world text book. Julie recognized a certain chowder shoppe that she remembered from her youth and we picked up a couple of soccer ball sized soup in bread bowls. Astonishingly enough we found a space large enough to seat us all amidst the crowded outdoor plaza. While sipping on our bowling ball's worth of lobster bisque (or creamed corn in Julie's case) we got caught up with what we have been missing in the City we departed not three months ago. As we sat there we had a delightful run in with Julie's brother Neeily Dan and his girlfriend Pal Jodi. It turned out that she had arranged a special day for him which included walking the Freedom Trail.
As Julie pestered me as to why I don't do nice things like that for her we continued on our way. We passed a few landmarks, a tour guide maintaining the character of a 19th century town crier, right down to the walking stick and sense (moreover lack) of humor. Then after shouldering our way through a crowded market we decided it was time to part ways. We made our farewells and footed it back to the commons, stopping at the landmarks we had recently passed by.
By the time we got there our feet were in desperate need of rest, so we made ourselves comfy on a bench and reflected on our day. As we watched a man in a cherry picker drive down the sidewalk and into traffic we developed a loose plan for the rest of our afternoon. To give the play-by-play: we strolled down Newbury Street, passed through the Prudential Building, then made our way to Copley Square to meet up with Jodidaya and Neil of Steel again at the mall. After some tense moments in a Victoria Secret Julie and I felt it was time to make our way to my cousin's.
We arrived at their cozy second floor apartment on the smallest street in the world. It was delightful to catch up with relatives whom it feels like only recently I had gotten a chance to know. We caught up on everything from the dirty, behind the scenes stories of the wedding to, of course, blogging! With my cousin having just launched her own blog, and her husband managing somewhere around 500 of them there was a lot to talk about. But frankly, I feel a little narcissistic when talking about myself and this blog. Sure it's all I ever talk about, but still it's bad enough I write long winded posts like this one, no one needs to hear how great it... they can read for themselves.
Around twelve hours after our big adventure began, it was over. We made our way home, through the roundabouts and past the discarded pets that now lay in darkness scantly illuminated by passing cars. While it makes me realize that I no longer feel at home in an urban setting, we did have a great time and hope to find some reason to get back out there again soon, even if it is just to dump some future pet we just don't want anymore.
*previously alluded to in a photo essay experiment. No not the old people.
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