Playing Tourist
I've had a good couple of days with my dad.
Friday we spent up on the north shore, heading first to Rowley, Mass to check out the town where several of our ancestors lived. We weren't at all successful in finding any graves, so we headed back to Boston by way of Salem and the Salem Witch Museum. The presentation was rather cheesy, but the content itself was interesting. Who knew that the Salem witch trials started because of the machinations of four young girls??
I managed to get into a scuffle with some young, defensive mother whose baby was screeching. The kid was obviously frightened, and rather than taking him out of the 'theater,' the woman stood in the back letting him scream. Now, I have all the sympathy in the world for parents whose children are crying uncontrollably for no reason. But I get SO frustrated with people who think it's their god-given right to stay in a movie theater, a presentation or wherever, even if their kid is screaming. Look, I'm sorry your kid is screaming, but the rest of us DO NOT want to hear it. TAKE IT OUT OF THE DAMNED THEATER. We paid good money to be here and see/hear what's being presented, and we should be able to do that without the addition of a child's cries.
If the baby's fussing for 30 seconds or so, no problem. But crying for minutes on end?? Probably needs something, and you should find out what that is. Maybe that makes me intolerant, but jaysus, people, have some consideration!
So I gave her a couple of sharp looks, and when she finally left with the baby, she walked by me and asked, "Is there a problem?" So, since she was pretty much right in my face, I answered with, "Yeah, there is. Your kid is crying so loud we can't hear over him. Take it out of here." She just looked at me and then stormed off. Maybe she realized I was right??
Following the visit to the Witch Museum, we headed back into Boston. Yes, I actually DROVE MY CAR into the city!! Because of a detour and then a missed exit on my part, we got to the Prudential Center with only 15 minutes to spare before our Duck Tour was scheduled to leave.
I'm really glad we went on the tour. Our guide, Sven the Viking, was hilarious and it was fun to hear some of the history of Boston and see some things I'd not see before. Plus, it was pretty cool to get on a vehicle that can just drive right into the water. We spent some time on the river and even though the day was rainy and gross, it was still really fun.
We finished up our Friday with dinner at Fire + Ice with Joe & Julia. Fire + Ice is AWESOME. You basically get a bowl, fill it up with a bunch of stuff and then take it to the grill and they cook it for you with your choice of sauce. SO good. Plus, it was nice to spend some time w/ J & J. I don't get to see them nearly as much as I would like, and now that I'm moving I'll be seeing them even less. BOO! Anyway, dad has been reading their comments on my blog since I started it and has said several times that I should listen to them... so he wanted to take them out to dinner when he came to visit.
Yesterday, we both slept in. After walking around in the rain the day before we were both wiped out. Saturday was definitely much dryer and clearer and we headed into town to Fenway Park via the T instead of by car. We met up for lunch at Boston Beer Works with my dad's brother Jeff and his wife Gale, as well as their son Jeff Jr. and his girlfriend Sonia. The food there is yummy, the beer is good, and best of all, it's right across the street from Fenway Park!!!
Following lunch - I had the biggest Caesar Salad I have ever seen - we headed across the way for a tour. There were about 100 people on this tour, it seemed, but once we got into the ballpark it didn't seem to matter. It was a great tour and we got to go into the press box (super-cool!), the .406 club and out to the Green Monster seats in left field. The tour lasted about an hour and, after purchasing some RedSox swag, we headed back home.
We decided to take Rennie for a short walk - along the Battle Road that I mentioned last week - and then stopped for Chinese takeout on our way back. The remainder of the evening was spent watching episodes of the first season of 24 and munching on dinner...
We're now getting ready to head to the Cape (Falmouth) to see a friend of his and spend the night. We'll head up to Provincetown tomorrow and then back home through Newport, RI. Should be a fun time!!
Comments
I've had Sven a few times on my various Duck Tours. Boston is one of the greatest cities in the world. A tourists dream too!
Posted by: happyfeet | July 10, 2005 01:08 PM
I love Boston, but haven't been there in...ack! 14 years. Too long.
Posted by: MissMeliss | July 10, 2005 05:22 PM
You're having too much carefree fun! Keep it up!
Posted by: Paul N. | July 11, 2005 01:24 AM