Last day of 2009

The last day of 2009 dawned gray with low clouds, as we looked outside our 28th floor room at the Copley Park Marriott. After a leisurely waking, we decided to head out and explore Boston before heading to Jamaica Plain to meet up with Bill for lunch. Walking off the elevator, we realized that in fact the Marriott is park of a complex of hotel, conference center, and mall, so we were able to walk some distance through what looks like a very nice mall until we reached an exterior door.

Once there -- magic -- it was snowing!! For two transplanted northerners, it was a welcome sight and Alan characterized it as his best birthday present. Grabbed a quick Starbucks and headed back to Copley Park to see how the ice sculptures were developing. There were part of First Night, an all day celebration of the year's end that featured arts events, walking tours, concerts, parades, and fireworks. Looked like a lot of fun and reason enough to come spend NYE in Boston in the future.



The ice sculptures were under active development and it was fun to watch them chisel and saw away. We both were interested to see that the chain saw was a Stihl. :-) The snow kept coming down and we walked over to the Boston Commons and joined the crowds slip-sliding on the iced over ponds. We both were glad for our hats, gloves, and scarfs as the snow really did start coming down -- I think it must have accumulated a couple of inches.



Hopped on the orange T line to head for Jamaica Plain. We really were impressed by the T system in Boston. We bought passes and didn't do anything but take the T or walk, including transport to and from the airport. Once in JP, we took a right up the hill to Bill's apartment which we found with no trouble. Inside, we met the famous dog Rocky (he has a FB fan page), my cousin's pug. Gotten at a shelter where he was described as mean and untrainable, he's nothing of the sort--a well-behaved, sweet dog who clearly adores Bill.



With the snow coming down, we got into Bill's truck to go to one of his favorite pubs for lunch. It was quite a bit of fun traversing the streets in rear wheel drive but luckily Bill had had lots of practice steering into skids with his old truck. Lunch was served fireside with chicken curry for Alan and a burger for me and lots of catching up.

Alan had chosen a birthday dinner in the Northend at Taranta, which offered an intriguing combination of Italian and Peruvian food. We got there early and walked around; everyone was at the bakeries getting little boxes of cookies. The restaurant was crowded and quite loud but we had a nice server and most of the food was good, including an amazing tuna entree enjoyed by Alan. By the time we were done with dinner, it was almost time for fireworks on the Bay, so we took the opportunity to call the Reichels and wish them a happy new year, and then followed the crowds down to the Bay for the big show. A quick trip back to the hotel via the T and we were more than ready for bed. 2010 here we come!