Winging it in...Boston!

Come on out. Oh, the weather outside is weather...

And the weather this week, has been really rather nice, and with the clocks going forwards an hour it has made for really gorgeous evenings. I have managed to get out nearly every day this week for a run (or if I told you I was no longer running- a pleasant stroll) along the river. Not sure I have managed anything particularly ground breaking in the speed stakes, but I have broken in my new running shoes (not currently a big fan of Reebok shoes- I’m giving them one more week before I trade them in for ever faithful Ascis, which have always been good in the past- I knew there was I reason I was brand loyal), and had a really good time. The enjoyment factor has been high. I have even managed to snap a few photos of The Fenway and The Back Bay area, although as I was running (or strolling) I’m not sure they count of much, other than a blur.

I have really enjoyed people watching too. It feels very neighborhood like to be able to head out of an evening, and just at the end of the road is Cobe Park, which has a softball pitch, a few basketball courts and a running track. It does make for great people watching seeing all these things being used by so many different people.

I have to say that this weekend has been very much a mish mash of events. It started on Thursday when a long and complex chain of events involving my car was sorted out with the minimum of hassle and only a 55 minute wait at the RMV. Having previously spoken to three different people about an issue with the paper work (incidentally- US customs and border patrol DO NOT make mistakes) a very nice lady at the RMV who was about 5 minutes away from taking a break, decided to totally ignore all the notes on the file and proceed to re-title and re-plate my vehicle without so much as a second glance at the offending documents. You gotta love break time. This led to my second car related encounter of the weekend and the dreaded state inspection. After paying the extortionate fee of $10.00 to have my plates put on- mental note to self, buy a screw driver, and pressing a few buttons to prove the lights work I now have a sticker in my windshield and I’m good to go til March 2011. Who needs emissions tests and pesky things like breaks? But all this did mean I got to enjoy a lovely two hours in the sun outside Starbucks, catching up with friends and enjoying the beautiful freeway view! This on top of the fantastic company for Friday night dinner made for a very relaxing start to the weekend.

Making the most of the weekend has been a bit of a theme and what was supposed to be a deliciously anti-social lazy time did in fact turn into an outdoor meet and great. While I managed to pass the rest of Saturday in walking, exploring and only occasionally picking up random strangers (and I’m usually so good at my “don’t even think about talking to me” stares) Sunday was planned activities. Having expanded my boundaries a littleby walking on Saturday I went for a run on Sunday a bit further along the Riverway and round the Back Bay than usual. I’m very proud of myself for not getting lost- so much so that I may treat myself to a present later this week. I did then follow this with by joining the school D of E group on a hike. Needless to say I would have been totally lost had I ventured to the Blue Hills on my own- so way to go Spencer.

Fun fact of the week- the Blue Hills reach a height of 632ft and are so named for the bluish hue the first European settlers noticed as the sailed along the coast line. The Native Americans who were already living in the hills called themselves The Massachusett – or people of the great hills, (I knew there was a reason I read sign boards) so guessing that gives a clue to the state name then, still not going to help me spell it J I was also impressed by the wildlife, I’ve seen a real life woodpecker, heard said woodpecker make an extremely loud noise, and seen a small snake, although what I failed to realize until later, when I had finished laughing at said snake, was that there are copperheads in those hills! I just hope I live until next week.

Winging it in...Boston!

When I was 7 most of my friends stopped believing in magic. That's when I first started. They were beautiful, they were happy. They didn't even need any money, they had magic cards.

Magic cards were definitely the order of the day this month, actually after this weekend I have a feeling that Amex will be watching the magic for the next few months! Despite the fact that it has not stopped raining in Boston since Friday I have had a great weekend, albeit having to escape to Maine in order to avoid the rain. In fact I am going to totally blame the rain for my spending spree, nothing to do with the fact I found the “Coach” sale totally irresistible, or the fact I have never been able to say no when faced with the idea of a new pair of shoes, and if the skirt is available in three colors why on earth would anyone want to choose between them? I do of course totally blame my mother for leading me astray as a small child and giving me the impression that all the clothes and shoes you could possibly want were yours in exchange for showing someone a small piece of plastic. Turns out she was right!

So, this weekend started with a trip to the Kittery Outlet Mall in Maine. This does also mean that I have managed to tick one more state off the list, yay, it also means that the weekend to Lincoln, Nebraska is looking increasing more likely! Due to my totally useless sense of direction, and total inability to program my GPS I also managed to get a sneak peak at York Beach, and to find a hidden fort. I did take a photograph of the fort, just to prove it was real, after it failed to appear in either the GPS, the map and I was unlocateable by satellite. I’m not sure if you are actually lost when you know the place in which you are to be found… I just couldn’t relate it to anywhere else in the world.

With over a mile of stores on each side of the road I have to say I was fairly impressed with the selection on offer here. I was initially concerned that I should look up a few other things in the area, I was leaving at 10.00am and needed to back in Boston by about 6.00pm. Even I wasn’t sure I could spend that long in this place. Turns out that not only could I, but I did, and I had to become very selective toward the end as to where I stopped, and I was still an hour late home.
You’d think that after all this shopping excitement I was ready for a Sunday break- but no! I had a DSW voucher and I was going to spend it. So, having braved the rain once in order to use the gym, I resigned myself to being wet and cold all day and headed off on the subway to buy more shoes- yes, I know, there are only so many pairs a girl can wear, but it’s always nice to have options!

Two new pairs of shoes, and lunch in the smallest Starbucks in Boston (it has two tables) later and I was ready to head toward my first ever baby shower! The gift wrap stop in Macy’s could have been a mistake- I have never known anyone to move so slowly in my entire life! Apparently they will no longer offer this service from April 12, and the lady wrapping the boxes couldn’t work out why- having stood there for 25 minutes I can give her a fair few clues! I have now learned lots of interesting facts about babies, not sure how useful they will be, or why a man takes 1 min 30 seconds to change a diaper while a new mom takes 2 mins 5 seconds? I’m also slightly at a loss as to who knows these facts or how they measure them! But definitely a first, and a new experience for this week!

P.S. I also discovered my names means beautiful, and as I was born on a Monday I was aptly named- yet another thing to thank my mother for- and such an appropriate day to do it!

Winging it in...Boston!

Well, how 'bout it boys? Look like hockey to you? Looks more like a couple monkeys trying to hump a football to me…

This week has proved to be a fairly busy one- not least because I avoided all semblance of having anything to do today and stayed in bed until 12.30pm- which has helped the tiredness, but has also meant I have spent the rest of the day running errands, I’m late writing my blog and I probably won’t sleep tonight!

However, I did get to TD Bank Gardens to see some Hockey on Thursday night! I do tend to be a bit flighty when it comes to home team support, and home very much is where the heart is, and for me at the minute, having seen all of the Olympics I missing Vancouver, so the Vancouver Canucks are the team I would like to have been out supporting (they are also currently top of the western division and so very easy to support) but since they weren’t playing in Boston this week I slipped my allegiance to the Toronto Maple Leafs who were the first hockey team I ever saw (after the MK Kings- and I’m not sure they count as actual real hockey players). I wasn’t holding out a great deal of hope for this event as the Bruins and the Leafs are currently the bottom two teams in the Eastern Division- and for fairly good reasons, there were points when, quite honestly I could have done better.

I do love the chants at the hockey though, being the most “aggressive” spectators, and even advertised as not child friendly unlike all other sporting events here, the fans still all sit together, although I have to say sporting a Canada shirt and being surrounded by Bruins fans was a little lonely- I was the only one cheering for Kessel and not booing him (his crime being to leave the Bruins as a free agent and sign for the Maple Leafs). So, “atta boy Kessel”, was a welcome refrain from the left of me and few rows down. It didn’t really work though, as was obvious when the other Canadian fans starting shouting “did you sleep in the Holiday Inn last night?” Never good when you have to insult you own team. My personal favorite for the night- “poke him in the eye!” From a Bruins fan as they struggled to get the puck! So, for any brave soccer fans out there who want a way to spice up the terraces next time they are at a game, go ahead and steal some of the chants from the hockey crowd!

In case any of you were wondering, the hockey went to a penalty shoot out, and was won by the Bruins- yay, boo sucks and poke them all in the eyes J It was very entertaining, at least three fights that resulted in time penalties, gloves came off, shirts were torn, all makes for a good evening. The fattest kid in the arena won a pizza, for, as far as I can tell, being fat and stupid- like he needed more pizza, and I rode the subway way with a guy dressed entirely in green lycra- more weird than funny, until a random girl turned around and realized that her purse, followed by her hand as she tried to move it had been rubbing against an altogether inappropriate area!

Saturday saw a girly day out to the summer “cottages” of the old American money in Newport, Rhode Island. One can only assume you have to been born a Vanderbilt or an Astor to refer to a 70 room mansion on the ocean, with 13 acres of garden as a cottage. This wasn’t even the biggest one and was a small retreat for 10 weeks in the summer. Now if only…

Newport is a really charming touristy town. It has amazing views of the Atlantic and a really spectacular cliff top walk. The views across the white sandy beaches, an Atlantic Ocean that I have never seen look so appealing- it is really hard to believe it is the same body of water that laps the shores of England, and then on the land side it backs onto the most amazing ‘cottages”. Newport is also known for its bird watching and surfing, although not doing either I can’t say how good they actually are, and if the reputation is deserved. There were however, lots of surfers riding the waves…

The main reason for the trip and the town’s main attractions are the Bellevue Avenue Mansions. They were all built between 1748 and 1902 (some more than once due to fires) when the rich and famous of NYC fled to the country to escape the city heat. The Vanderbilts and the Astors are probably some of the most famed monied families in America, and their ‘cottages’ are all modeled on European palaces and contain some of the most amazing artwork and architectural features. Who inlays their walls with platinum? Who ships a 17th century fireplace from France to America just to enhance their library? The decoration is incredible if a little ornate and cluttered by today’s standards. Roman style mosaics cover floors, walls and ceiling, tapestries and family portraits hang from the walls, and marble that is no longer available makes up a huge part of the columns and floors. I will say that their personal style is a little bit off for my taste but when you have $200 million dollars (in the late 1800s) I guess you can build what you like- including indoor fountains and stair cases with 95 steps. I’d learn to live with it…
Unfortunately, as it is still the winter season most of the properties that have been donated to the preservation trust are closed, but I have a season ticket so I will be going back. If only to see if all the other families (although they are all related) have four faucets on every running water receptacle…