This is the first in a series of posts about our recent trip to New England, England, and Wales.
We spent the night before we left in the Doubletree Hotel at Sea-Tac, so we could get a couple of hours extra sleep. We left the house Friday at about 5:30PM (when a jacket I'd ordered for the trip arrived), and got to the hotel at about the same time as a busload of elderly tourists just off a cruise to Alaska pulled in. After standing in line for a while, we got checked in (they handed out warm chocolate-chip cookies to those of us in the lobby!), found out that the first shuttle to the airport in the morning was at 5AM, and successfully navigated ourselves to our room (the hotel is HUGE and has several different buildings).
The room was nice, but somewhere I've stayed in one that was IDENTICAL to this. I've never stayed in this hotel before, and I don't recall staying in a Doubletree before either. It was weird. We ate dinner in the hotel & found out our server had gone to church about a mile from where we live.
The next morning, we got up at about 4:15 and got on the shuttle, which left a few minutes after 5. It was when we pulled up to the airport and got in line to check ourselves in for our flight (to Denver) that I realized that our flight left at 5:50, not 6:15, and that we had only about 35 minutes to make it. I broke into a huge sweat.
The check-in kiosk said that we were too late. More sweat. The lady behind the kiosk told us that our luggage wouldn't make it. Fortunately, we had carry-ons, so we hurried to security. Of course, since we were in a hurry, both Carrie's bag (with a too-large bottle of something) and mine (spare camera batteries and a voltage converter for the UK) were selected for extra scrutiny. More sweat.
We got to the gate just as they were starting to close the doors. Whew!
Uneventful flight to Denver. Uneventful layover in Denver (bought breakfast there, since there was no breakfast on the flight), and an uneventful flight to Boston. We grabbed our bags, got off the plane, and walked to baggage claim, from where Carrie was going to call her sister Michelle. I took the opportunity to use the men's room. When I came back, Michelle and Joe (her husband) were there. It turns out that they had been sitting about 25 feet from where Carrie called, and she actually heard their phone ringing!
It was raining so we thanked Joe & Michelle for arranging weather to make us feel at home.
They got us out of the airport, out of Boston, and to their home in Georgetown, MA. Nice place - on a pond just outside of a charming, picturesque New England village. We stayed in their 5th wheel trailer. Very nice, but short.
The next day, Michelle took Carrie to a baby shower for Michelle's daughter-in-law. I wasn't particularly looking forward to that. Fortunately, neither was Joe, so we went to a gigantic outdoors place called the Kittery Trading Post, in Kittery Maine. On the way, I got to see the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and I can now say that I've been in three more states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine). We ate lunch at a roadside seafood place - I had a lobster roll for the first time. Tasty!
The next day (I lost track of what day it was, but I think this was Monday the 31st of August), Michelle accompanied Carrie & me into Boston for a look around. She drove us to a nearby town and we took the commuter train into Boston. I really didn't know what I wanted to see (aside from the Green Monster, which wasn't possible, and Old North Church), so when we saw a kiosk selling tickets to a hop-on, hop-off Boston bus tour, we took that. Except for Fenway Park, we got to see all the big sights: Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Boston Garden, the scene of the Boston Massacre, the scene of the Boston tea-party (now a children's museum with a huge inflatable "Arthur the Aardvark" marking the spot!), and we also got to go on a 45-minute harbor tour (from which we saw Bunker Hill, Old North Church, and Old Ironsides, which isn't open for tours on Mondays). The day was kinda cool and cloudy so Carrie & Michelle bought long-sleeve souvenir t-shirts.
We had lunch at the Union Oyster House, the oldest continually-operating restaurant in the US (since 1820). Pretty good food. Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap.
Monday was our last day with Joe & Michelle. They drove us around their part of Massachusetts. First we went to an antique store in Georgetown (a great place, with some very nice hand-made furniture, and where I spent much time drooling over three matching leaded-glass windows and Carrie bought a lace tablecloth for her carriecards booth). Then it was on to Ipswich and another antique store, this one overpriced and understocked. After that, we went up the coast to Gloucester (pronounced "Glahstuh"), home of Gorton's seafood and a locally famous statue. Our final destination was Rockport. No, not Rockport, Maine; Rockport, Massachusetts, a charming little former fishing village on the coast. We wandered around Rockport for a couple of hours, and then headed back to Joe & Michelle's to pack for the rest of the trip.
We had a great time with Joe & Michelle. I'd been told that Joe is quite the raconteur, and everyone was right. What a great guy! He knows absolutely everyone in Georgetown.
Next post: London
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
On hiatus while we're traveling
We're traveling to New England, Olde Englande, and Wales. This blog is on hiatus until we get back. I've posted this before, but here's our itinerary.
August 29th: Fly from Seattle (leaving at 5:30AM - I'm not looking forward to that!) to Denver to Boston to visit Carrie's sister Michelle and her husband Joe. I've never met Joe, but everyone tells me that he's a hoot. I'm looking forward to meeting him! We're spending the night before we leave in a hotel near Sea-Tac.
August 30: Visiting Joe and Michelle. There's a slim possibility that Carrie & I will be going to Rhode Island to see a very old house that was owned by my ancestors.
August 31: Visiting Joe & Michelle. The Boston Red Sox are out of town this day, so we might be able to tour historic Fenway Park - I've always wanted to see (and touch) the Green Monster.
September 1: Visiting Joe & Michelle. We'll need to hit the sack early, because we have a 9AM flight the next morning. Joe & Michelle have told us that they'll take us to the airport, even though it's a long drive (each way!) for them. Bless 'em for that.
September 2: Fly from Boston to London. Leave Boston at 9AM. Due to a 5-hour time difference, arrive at Heathrow airport at 8:45PM. We're staying at the Park Inn Russell Square, recommended to us by some good friends. It's near the British Museum, and just a few blocks from two different tube stops.
September 3: The plan is to take it a little easy this day, to recover from jet lag. Carrie found a rubber stamp store a few block from our hotel, so we might go there. There are several walking tours in the area, and I think we may do one of those this evening, if we're up to it. We also want to see the location of the great book "84 Charing Cross Road". If you have any good suggestions for recovering from jet lag, let me know.
September 4: Hampton Court Palace. Carrie is setting the agenda for our stay in London, and this is high up on her list. Since Hampton Court is quite a way west of London, I think we'll take a train to get there, and take a three hour river tour to get back. A three-hour tour?
September 5: The Portobello Road Saturday market. This sounds really cool. Antiques, flea market. A massive shopping opportunity for Carrie! Saturday evening, we'd like to go see a play (Carrie is leaning towards a comedic version of Hitchock's "The 39 Steps". Sounds good to me!
September 6: Take the 8:15 AM train from London (Euston Station, about 10 blocks from our hotel) to Llandudno, in northern Wales. Llandudno (pronounced "Smith") is a Victorian seaside resort town on the north coast of Wales. It's a good base for exploring the area. We should arrive about noon, and spend the rest of the afternoon checking into our hotel and exploring the town.
September 7: Pick up a rental car (already reserved) at Llandudno Junction (a suburb of Llandudno, if there is such a thing), and head south to Portmerion, a small Italianate village where that great 60's TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed, and Harlech Castle.
September 8: More castles: This time Caernarfon and Conwy. We love castles!
September 9: Do laundry. Find a small pub, sit there and talk to the locals. We'll also try to ride a narrow-gauge railway.
September 10: Check out of the hotel, turn in the rental car, and take the train from Llandudno to Bath, in England. Carrie loves Jane Austen, so this is a natural. Arrive in Bath mid-afternoon. Check into the B&B and then go look at the famous Roman baths and the abbey.
September 11: All day bus tour to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock village (which was the Hogwarts village Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter movies), and Castle Combe village in the Cotswolds. Should be a good way to see a number of sites. The tour company ("Mad Max Tours") has been highly recommended to us.
September 12: Touring Bath. Start off with the Roman ruins and the abbey. There are also some great Georgian buildings, and a Jane Austen museum to see, as well as a highly-recommended costume museum.
September 13: Take the train to Salisbury to see the cathedral.
September 14: A day of rest and packing, followed by an evening train to London. We'll spend the night at the Sheraton Skyline, near Heathrow.
September 15: We fly from Heathrow to Boston, from Boston to Chicago, and from Chicago to Seattle. Then from the airport to home, after more than 20 hours traveling.
September 16: A day off to recuperate. We'll need it!
August 29th: Fly from Seattle (leaving at 5:30AM - I'm not looking forward to that!) to Denver to Boston to visit Carrie's sister Michelle and her husband Joe. I've never met Joe, but everyone tells me that he's a hoot. I'm looking forward to meeting him! We're spending the night before we leave in a hotel near Sea-Tac.
August 30: Visiting Joe and Michelle. There's a slim possibility that Carrie & I will be going to Rhode Island to see a very old house that was owned by my ancestors.
August 31: Visiting Joe & Michelle. The Boston Red Sox are out of town this day, so we might be able to tour historic Fenway Park - I've always wanted to see (and touch) the Green Monster.
September 1: Visiting Joe & Michelle. We'll need to hit the sack early, because we have a 9AM flight the next morning. Joe & Michelle have told us that they'll take us to the airport, even though it's a long drive (each way!) for them. Bless 'em for that.
September 2: Fly from Boston to London. Leave Boston at 9AM. Due to a 5-hour time difference, arrive at Heathrow airport at 8:45PM. We're staying at the Park Inn Russell Square, recommended to us by some good friends. It's near the British Museum, and just a few blocks from two different tube stops.
September 3: The plan is to take it a little easy this day, to recover from jet lag. Carrie found a rubber stamp store a few block from our hotel, so we might go there. There are several walking tours in the area, and I think we may do one of those this evening, if we're up to it. We also want to see the location of the great book "84 Charing Cross Road". If you have any good suggestions for recovering from jet lag, let me know.
September 4: Hampton Court Palace. Carrie is setting the agenda for our stay in London, and this is high up on her list. Since Hampton Court is quite a way west of London, I think we'll take a train to get there, and take a three hour river tour to get back. A three-hour tour?
September 5: The Portobello Road Saturday market. This sounds really cool. Antiques, flea market. A massive shopping opportunity for Carrie! Saturday evening, we'd like to go see a play (Carrie is leaning towards a comedic version of Hitchock's "The 39 Steps". Sounds good to me!
September 6: Take the 8:15 AM train from London (Euston Station, about 10 blocks from our hotel) to Llandudno, in northern Wales. Llandudno (pronounced "Smith") is a Victorian seaside resort town on the north coast of Wales. It's a good base for exploring the area. We should arrive about noon, and spend the rest of the afternoon checking into our hotel and exploring the town.
September 7: Pick up a rental car (already reserved) at Llandudno Junction (a suburb of Llandudno, if there is such a thing), and head south to Portmerion, a small Italianate village where that great 60's TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed, and Harlech Castle.
September 8: More castles: This time Caernarfon and Conwy. We love castles!
September 9: Do laundry. Find a small pub, sit there and talk to the locals. We'll also try to ride a narrow-gauge railway.
September 10: Check out of the hotel, turn in the rental car, and take the train from Llandudno to Bath, in England. Carrie loves Jane Austen, so this is a natural. Arrive in Bath mid-afternoon. Check into the B&B and then go look at the famous Roman baths and the abbey.
September 11: All day bus tour to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock village (which was the Hogwarts village Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter movies), and Castle Combe village in the Cotswolds. Should be a good way to see a number of sites. The tour company ("Mad Max Tours") has been highly recommended to us.
September 12: Touring Bath. Start off with the Roman ruins and the abbey. There are also some great Georgian buildings, and a Jane Austen museum to see, as well as a highly-recommended costume museum.
September 13: Take the train to Salisbury to see the cathedral.
September 14: A day of rest and packing, followed by an evening train to London. We'll spend the night at the Sheraton Skyline, near Heathrow.
September 15: We fly from Heathrow to Boston, from Boston to Chicago, and from Chicago to Seattle. Then from the airport to home, after more than 20 hours traveling.
September 16: A day off to recuperate. We'll need it!
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