Over Land, Sea and Air…Boston #2

Cambridge, Mass.

06/02/10

8:00 am - Wake up on Bill’s futon (I met him earlier in the week at OM Restaurant).

9:00 am - Haircut appointment with Suni @ Floyd’s 99 Barbershop. Suni and her husband were responsible for getting me plane tickets from Boston to Chicago & Chicago to NY, in exchange for Groupons. Never have I had a haircut experience like this, not only was it a great cut but one hell of a scalp massage. I’ll find it difficult to ever want to get my hair cut anywhere else.

10:30 am - Stroll through Quincy Market w/Bill on route to SEG Gliders office.

11:00 am - Karen, Maggie, Paul and Nicole met Bill & me for an exciting Segway tour of Boston. If you’ve never been on one of these silly looking machines, you are likely as skeptical as I was about ever bothering to try one out. If this is the case…your preconceived notions are depriving you of oodles of fun. Alan, the owner of the company, first used a Segway while doing physical therapy to recover from a car accident. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy day to give us his very own VIP tour. Upon seeing Al’s custom painted Red Sox Segway, I knew I better start thinking about what I want painted on my Segway when this Groupawn business is all over.
1:30 pm - Al invites us up to his nearby apartment for a quick and delicious lunch of grilled burgers and dogs.

2:30 pm - Paul, Nicole and I hoof it over to the Charlestown Navy Yard for our 2 hour sailing lesson at Courageous Sailing. I was super excited about this afternoon because of what Brad Paisley would call my love affair with water. It seemed like ages since I’d been on a boat but between the perfect sailing conditions and the company of my new friends Paul, Nicole and our delightful instructor Rosemary, I couldn’t have felt more at home out there in the middle of Boston Harbor. We learned all the basics, took turns manning the tiller, and got a great view of the USS Constitution, the Nantucket Lightship, and the Boston Skyline (seen below). If this day taught me nothing else, one thing is certain…whether it be a kayak, canoe, sailboat or yacht, I will have a boat one day.

6:00 pm - Rosemary ferrys us across the harbor to South Station in lieu of a long walk. She even let me pretend to drive the boat (the joy was real).

7:00 pm - Dinner at Tupelo. Paul, Nicole and I were again joined by Bill and a bevy of others: Megha & Vivek (who chipped in on my plane tickets earlier in the week), Shawn & Celia (who I found on Couchsurfing.org), Kate (who traded me a bunch of toiletries) and Sara (who showed up just in time for dessert). The meal was truly exceptional, I expected Boston to be chock full o’ seafood places but I did not expect to find this down home southern oasis. Highlights include fried grits, biscuits & gravy, fried chicken and key lime pie. Vivek (who also had the chicken) & I shared a moment upon tasting the unbelievably crispy and flavorful skin, he half joked that “if there was no chicken in this, I’d be okay with that”, I couldn’t have agreed more. If this place wasn’t already amazing enough, apparently they only employ celebrity look-a-likes: our waiter - Jeff Foxworthy, other waiter - Justin Timberlake, manager on duty - Elvis Costello #funfact.
10:00 pm - Bill, Sara and I head down the block to their local watering hole for a couple of beers. They have such an extensive beer list that people often have trouble deciding, in which case they are offered a spin on the wheel of fortune which then decides for them. Bill’s friend Kate & his roommate Jess were already there so we got a table. We were later joined by Bridgette, a follower of my travels and a fellow Chicagoan here on business for the week; we shared a drink to mourn the Blackhawks choking. Just before leaving Bill, Kate and I make plans to play some disc golf the following morning. I’m an enthusiast who hasn’t played in awhile due to some injuries, so I was quite excited.

1:00 am -  Call it a night and walk back to Bill’s. He showed me his handmade bottlecap encrusted Batman mask to ensure sweet dreams. Bill went to sleep and I iChatted with Girlpawn before bed.

3:00 am - Pass out sunburned and exhausted.

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