Friday, June 08, 2007

wagons east

as some of you may have seen on ba-scrappy, i'm going to boston next week. parts unknown! at least unknownst to me. either due to the late hour or my being lazy, i'm at a loss for words to describe how excited i am about this trip. it's not because i've been nursing the unbidden flames of boston love in my heart. no, i'm excited because:

- the trip offer was a surprise
- boston is full of history (i have a mild history fetish)
- i haven't been to boston before

and to a lesser degree, i'm excited because i'm going by myself. sure, i'm going for work, and i'll put in my time... but it's unmetered time. there's a conference and over the few days, i just need to show up periodically. which means i get the rest of the time to explore, go wherever i want, whenever i want.

speaking of want, while making dinner tonight a fantasy excursion popped into my head. how far is it from boston to new york? could i attend a taping of my favorite show, hosted by my secret man crush? ok maybe not so secret now. alas, this excursion was not meant to be. it's too far away and unsurprisingly, almost impossible to get tickets for. the man is hot. yes i am 99% speaking metaphorically. altho judging by the last picture, in the eyes of jane fonda and gloria steinem, the hotness is more literal.

moving on! i already have a long list of places want to explore in boston -- more than i have time for. however, if any of you have suggestions for what is must-see-or-do, please let me know. i adore discovery.

7 comments:

gs said...

You've done the basic research, so you have your list of the historic sites, the bar that inspired the TV show Cheers, and all that stuff. You won't have any problem keeping busy. You might want to do a little checking into the subway system, so you can get around easily. The subways are very nice.

As far as attractions go, as I said, I know you've done your research, but the Aquarium is good, if you're into such things. Also, the old Harvard campus is interesting, if you like wandering around among old buildings.

I would definitely recommend eating at the Union Oyster House (http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/) if you get a chance. It's easily accessible in the historic district, it's the oldest operating restaurant in the U.S., the food is terrific (if you like fried oysters, this is the place to go, but the other food is great, too), and the old building is fascinating. Daniel Webster used to have lunch there every day.

I hope you have a great time!

gs said...

Okay, I wasn't going to mention this, because so many people think museums are boring, but I can't leave without recommending the Museum of Fine Arts (http://www.mfa.org/). If you don't gag over museums, then this one is worth a visit. Take one of the docent-led guided tours (especially since you'll be by yourself). It's a really first-class and fascinating museum.

heather said...

i do not think museums are boring. the other stuff sounds good too. thanks gs!!

Pandababy said...

Boston is one place I would gladly visit again (and again and again). I spent a few days there and of all the places I went, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts tops the list. None of the historic places (Fanueil Hall, the ship Constitution, etc.) spoke to me like the MFA. I love history, and don't know why the history in Boston didn't light my fire, but can only say -- leave at least one whole day for the art museum. (and yes the subways are wonderful for getting around, but I found them to be extremely confusing and disorienting also -- us west coasties aren't familiar with subways!)

Boston -- lucky you!

heather said...

cool thanks! yea i do plan to blaze down the subway system. i have a pretty good sense of direction, generally, so hopefully i'll be alright.

Jbeeky said...

As a transplant from Boston to San Diego, I miss the feeing of leaning against a building and glancing at the cornerstone of 1699 or so. I just love Boston. I lived on Boylston Street right in front of Fenway Park. I am jealous you are going! Fondle some cornerstone for me!

heather said...

ooh virgin commenter to the blog! thanks for visiting. and of course, putting the idea of fondling cornerstones in my head. i hadn't thought of it yet, but i'm sure, once there, i'd have fondled, you're right.