Boston Inclement Weather Day 3

Today we awoke to rainy weather. We decided that indoor activities would be in order due to the rain and thought museums or aquarium.

We took a cab to the North End (that’s Boston’s Italian ethnic neighborhood), we had decided to have lunch at a restaurant called Massimino’s. It was small (maybe eight tables), cozy and the menu was extensive. I had called last night and they told me that they opened for lunch at 11am. We got there around 10:45 and found others in search of Pasta for breakfast already there – it appeared to be three young (I’m speculating here) Navy guys or coast guard guys. Sailors have no common sense, so they had the same idea as me eat brunch early and save room for a good dinner. Food was excellent – no eggs or grits.

While we ate, Lucy and I decided to WALK to the aquarium (we brought an umbrella). Boston is a relatively small town in its center. It is only about four miles from where we are staying to downtown and the distance from our hotel to the restaurant was about half a mile. Another half mile to the aquarium. There were several interesting historical sites enroute to the aquarium; the oldest cemetery in the country- Copps Hill Burying Ground, on top of one of the three highest hills in Boston and Boston’s earliest graveyard. Some of the pilgrims commenced burying their deceased here in the sixteen hundreds – Cotton Mather and the Mather family are all buried here, Paul Revere’s preserved house – the oldest building in Boston and all of the restaurants and shops owned by Italians in Boston’s “north end”. It was an interesting walk. By the time we got going it was around 12:30 and every little hole-in-the-wall Trattoria was overflowing with patrons. They had failed to arrive during breakfast hours and now had to wait.

We continued walking and about ten minutes later we spied the Marriott hotel on Long Wharf, which is adjacent to two notable things, the Aquarium and the Legal Seafood wharf restaurant (its where the ferry we’ve been taking back and forth docks). By this time we were feeling our age – feet were hurting -so we stopped at the Marriott (I checked the rooms at this Marriott online and they are - get this- $699 per night). We parked ourselves in a nice little lobby enclave with four chairs and a table and relaxed. The lobby and the enclave are all on the second floor of the hotel. I presume they did that to discourage the riff raff from trying to lounge around in their enclaves or using their restrooms (also on the second floor). They failed dismally as we Riff Raff from San Antonio soon discovered the subterfuge and took advantage of it fully.

Directly in front of our nest was a gift shop overlooking the wharf. I walked in the store to buy Lucy a bottle of water and glanced out the window. At the Aquarium there was a fire truck parked, lights ablaze, and about five million people milling about in the rain (obviously evacuated patrons from the Aquarium). I guess the small respite had saved us considerable trouble. We decided to forego the aquarium. We were really disappointed, having never seen a live fish before.

So, skipping the Aquarium we walked directly across the street to the Faneuil (pronounced like Daniel with an F) marketplace. Faneuil Hall was the spot where the American revolution was fomented in the 1770’s. Typical of good ole American ingenuity it is now a mile long market with kiosks and every sort of food vendor you could possibly imagine. They even have fast food Lobster being served in paper bowls at a mini bar. It was surreal.

There was a group of musicians from Chile who used to perform in front of Mi Tierra Mexican restauraunt in San Antonio’s Market Square. They played music from the Ande’s mountain villages using flutes and various instruments. It was a unique and excellent sound. I hadn’t seen them for a while. Voila!!! Here they were playing their hearts out for the gringos of Boston. Click on the sideways triangle below to play the video


Lucy indulged her sweet tooth and purchased the largest Macaroon I’ve ever seen.



We picked up a couple of clam chowdah’s to go (from Legal Seafoods, of course) ---- and headed back to our hotel.

We were in for the day at 4pm to read and lounge about in our own personal attic (see photo from day one). Looking forward to good weather tomorrow as the clouds are scheduled to depart and the sun return (along with 40 mile per hour winds). Hope that doesn’t blow every last leaf off the trees!!!