Boston

I returned to Boston for a conference last week, but really, I didn't see or do much (the weather there was hot and humid, as it was in fact across most of the country).

Boston this time was all about food. My single vow was to consume as much seafood as I could while I was there, and I was pretty successful.

The first evening, I met a few friends when I was scoping out the convention area and attached hotels and mall. We ended up at a small restaurant on Columbus Avenue near Dartmouth, called Coda. We were wandering along looking at the menus posted outside when a young man stopped and told us, "Don't bother with that one, there's a better one around the corner." That's how we found Coda. It was a nice, quiet, and not too busy bar and grill. I had Prince Edward Island mussels.

The second evening, I went alone to Legal Seafood - there are many of these in the Boston area. Because I was alone, I sat at the bar and had a Sam Adams, then the special (chowder, a 1.5lb lobster, and strawberry shortcake). Another lone diner two seats down had the same meal, except for wine rather than beer. He decided I was his dining buddy and talked to me throughtout the meal. (Apparently, he also knew everything about pretty much everything.) I did like the food, though.

Third evening found me in the Cheesecake Factory with several colleagues, where I had their New Orleans shrimp (made with andouille sausage) and a half-slice of carrot cake. I had heartburn that night, but it was so worth it.

The final evening in Boston, I met another friend and we ventured to Newbury Street and had sushi at a sidewalk cafe, where we could watch the passers-by and catch up. Also excellent.

On my way home at Logan Airport, I must admit I also picked up a crab cake sandwich. I just didn't get enough seafood, even though I did have it every day. I would like to visit again, just for the food.

Boston

The first and only time I have been in Massachusetts was a conference trip to Boston in 1990. I had just joined a software project team and we went to Boston for a software users group conference. But I did have the opportunity to see the city, and it was the first major business trip I had made so it was all a big new adventure for me.

I hadn't been in a very old east coast city before and was amazed and pleased to see what the old part of town looked like - cobblestone streets too narrow for two people walking side by side, the scent of the sea in the harbor - the tall, masted ships. I love the old houses, the brownstones on Beacon Hill. I hadn't seen a real city part until Boston Common. And I hadn't ridden a subway until the T in Boston.

This was also where my practice of visiting museums began. I found I liked them very much and made a habit of seeing one whenever I could from then on.

I had written a novel in which a character attended Harvard and Harvard Medical School, so I took the subway to Cambridge to look over the Harvard campus, and was surprised that Harvard Medical School was not near Harvard but in a different part of the city all together. So I wandered around, gathering background for my novel and taking plenty of photos.

Boston is famous for its seafood and its pubs. I tried both, repeatedly, and enjoyed it. I love fresh seafood and found several great restaurants there. It was also my first experience with Au Bon Pain, a croissant and coffee shop where I had several breakfasts.

I enjoyed Boston but in retrospect, having visited several large cities since, it wasn't remarkable and it wouldn't matter to me if I never returned.