Arriving 'in town' we headed for the Historic District via TJ Maxx, to buy an 'emergency' fleece for Pat. Then we hit the Freedom Trail, following-in the footsteps of Paul Revere. We passed his house and the point from which he set-out on his historic midnight ride.....and I only hope it was warmer for him!!
We also called in Faneuil Hall, home to a thousand types of food, where we shared a plate of fries and kebabs (scallops wrapped in bacon!).....'yes' they were as good as they sound!
Boston has a very 'English' feel due to its architecture and street patterns, but it's clearly been shaped by many cultures. We got a huge buzz from the the Italian District because of its vibrant atmosphere and fabulous eating places. Here, Pat got to meet and eat her first Cannoli....something akin to a cream-filled brandy snap....she's hooked!
Should anyone wish to share this experience, I recommend 'Caffe Vittoria'......worth visiting in any event simply to see the memorabilia on show! By mid-afternoon our wind-chill-factor threshold was breached and we headed back to base. On arrival, we had a thaw-out coffee and walked to Legacy Mall and our (now) favourite fish restaurant "It Ain't Legal". Pat had Crab Cakes and I ate Flounder stuffed with Crab Meat (with draught Pale Ale).........Haaaaaa!!! On our way home we had to cross the railway track again and wouldn't you know it, the train arrived just as we wanted to cross the track. Having stood shivering in front of the 'iron horse' for a while, a door opened above us and the conductor appeared....."Do you guy's want to go to Boston?"...we answered in the negative, the reply being "OK guys, We'll be out of your way in just a minute"....only in America....and we love it!!
HI Guys - The reason it's called "it ain't legal" is because there is a VERY popular seafood chain in Boston called "Legal Seafood." Just a tid-bit...
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments about travelling by train. I’ve taken the double-decker from Oak Brook Hills into Chicago, I’ve been on the Metro from Fairfax VA to central Washington DC and I’ve travelled from Durham NH to Boston on the Amtrak Downeaster. My experience has been like yours; clean, punctual trains, sensible ticket prices, and staffed by someone who looks like they know what they’re doing. Contrast that to the Valley Lines trains much loved by aggressive, drunken scumbags, where kids north of Pontypridd think it’s funny to throw paving slabs off bridges as the trains pass, and the London Paddington to Cardiff train on Friday night where it’s so overcrowded there’s just one class – Zoo Class.
ReplyDeleteOn less contentious stuff, I like Boston, and although I’ve not sampled Italian there, I have eaten at Durgin Park which opened in 1742 and claims to be the oldest restaurant in the US. Its style is more of a dinning room with long trestle tables, and old-fashioned Yankee food. I had a traditional ‘plains’ beef roast for lunch and loved it. The only bit I wasn’t keen on was the pureed corn that looked like something you might put down a feeding tube. I’ve also been to the Faneuil Hall to a chamber concert, not really my thing, but my host was keen for me to go. If you think the MEN is steep on the balcony, climb the rickety stairs to the one in the Faneuil. I’ve never had vertigo in a venue, but I was shit-scared there.
PS I hope Pat has enough statins for the trip. I can see her cholesterol climbing with every mouthful of the cannoli.