Celebrate

To Boston, To Boston!

71 Comments

On Saturday, Dee, Clif, and I went to Boston to visit Shannon and Mike. Shannon’s birthday is in a week or so, and we figured last weekend would be less busy for travel than next weekend, which is Easter weekend.

I’d like to write that Saturday morning was bright and sunny, a perfect day for traveling. But that’s not how it was. Instead, we woke up to snow. When we checked the forecast, we discovered that the snow would soon turn to rain and then rain for the entire weekend. We figured if we left early, we wouldn’t have to hurry and would safely get to the train station, which is in Brunswick, about forty-five minutes away when the weather is good.  All went as planned. We made it safe and sound to the train station in good time. However, we did see an accident on the highway—fortunately on the north-bound side—and we were glad we had taken it slow.

Eventually, the snow did turn to rain, giving everything a mysterious, ghostly look as we headed south to Boston.

We went by misty trees and water.

Even the overpass looked moody.

But inside the train, all was warm and cozy. Clif got his usual can of Sam Adams to kick off the trip.

Once at Shannon and Mike’s apartment, we were greeted by Holly the dog.

Mike made us martinis.

As we sipped our drinks, we listened to actual albums on the record player Dee, Clif, and I bought Mike for Christmas.

And what did we listen to? Harvest by Neil Young. It still amazes me that Dee, Mike, and Shannon like the music I listened to as a teenager. Let’s just say I don’t feel the same way about my parents’ music and leave it at that.

Then it was off to Carlo’s Cucina Italiana, a cozy restaurant with a fun, friendly vibe. Not only was the food delicious, but I was also impressed with the way the staff treated elders. They were solicitous of me as without my cane, I carefully made my way into the restaurant. Then, after I was seated, two women, also elders, came in. They might have been sisters; they might have been friends. One of the servers, a man, rushed over to them.

“Hello, darlings,” he said. “So good to see you two.”

Then he escorted them to one of his tables. The women were obviously regulars. Perhaps they left especially good tips, but whatever the case, they were welcomed in a way that seniors aren’t always welcomed.

Best of all, the food was so good. And plentiful. Here is a picture of my tortellini. I could only eat half. The other half was boxed and brought to Shannon and Mike’s apartment to be left with them as part of a supper meal some night.

Shannon had a seafood pasta dish, and like me, she couldn’t eat all of her meal. This, too, was boxed and taken home. The other half of Shannon and Mike’s supper meal.

After Carlo’s it was back to the apartment for presents and cupcakes.

What a jolly day of food and fun.

We are so grateful that Shannon and Mike live within an easy train trip of us. And while I’m at it, I am also grateful that Amtrak was recently extended from Portland to Brunswick. It’s much easier for us to take a train in Brunswick than it is to go to Portland, a half hour south of Brunswick.

Vive le train! Such a great way to travel.

 

 

71 thoughts on “To Boston, To Boston!”

  1. Thank you so much for a wonderful birthday celebration weekend! Love you guys coming down!

  3. Sounds like you had a great trip, good visit, and delicious food. I was in Boston last week with my daughter. We went to see the hanging nasturtiums at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We also stopped at the Tatte Bakery and Mahoney’s Garden Center in Lexington. We are both lucky to live close enough to Boston to visit family and see the sights.

    1. We had a wonderful trip and the food was utterly delicious. Sounds like you had a fun trip with your daughter. Yes, lucky to live close enough to visit Boston and family.

  4. Family,good food and a train journey…it doesn’t get much better. I also marvel at my grandaughters taste in music which includes stuff that was on high rotation for both myself and Craig – very diverse.

  5. Sounds like a very successful weekend of family celebrations. You really are lucky to be able to make the trip by train. Boy, would I like that option!

  6. What a wonderful way to travel and to celebrate Laurie and happy birthday wishes for Shannon too 💛🎉

  10. I am so jealous of east-coasters’ access to train travel! As for young people’s taste in music, I am often surprised by my granddaughter’s music (she’s 18). It’s all over the place, including 1980s. I tell her she’s listening to her *mother’s* music, which of course I heard in the car when my kids were growing up.

  14. Oh, it sounds like a wonderful trip! Isn’t listening to albums on a turntable a marvelous thing? You forget how cool it is because we consume music so differently these days.

    Harvest was a favorite of mine. One of the people I babysat for had it and I played it every time I was there.

  15. Lovely to read a ‘good story’ for a change! Oh, I love train travel in all weathers – glad you had a warm family time!

  18. Your records and record player reminded me of my first record player. It was one of those little suitcase numbers, and the records were red and yellow — so colorful, and such fun. I still have a photo of my dad and I the year I received the player as a Christmas gift — a wonderful family memory.

    Your day sounds splendid. The only problem I have now is that it’s 10:44 p.m. and I want tortellini — especially a dish that looks as good as that one. I’m so glad you were able to have such a nice, warm visit despite the weather!

  23. I love travelling by train and seeing the back gardens and wasteland – the bits you rarely see. And no driving, can get a drink whenever you feel like one (and go to the loo afterwards!) It must be so lovely to be able to go and visit Mike and Shannon without needing to stay over. It sounds like a brilliant visit.

    1. Actually, we did stay overnight at their apartment. Sorry I didn’t make this clear. The trip takes four hours one way, a little long for a day visit. I love train travel, too. So much more relaxing than driving in a big city.

      1. 8 hours travelling doesn’t leave much time to enjoy each others company. But I imagine that in the US you often find that loved ones live so much further away than we are used to here.

      2. Yes, the U.S. is a big country, and families sometimes live thousands of miles apart from each other. We feel lucky to be able to reach Shannon and Mike in one day. If the train were a little speedier, then we would have a three-hour trip.

  24. What a great visit you had with your daughter.

    We are lucky enough to live within a 10 minute drive of the railway station where, despite living in ‘the sticks’, we can be in London in 2.5 hours where we can either stay or get loads of connections to many parts of the country (one of the benefits of living in a small one). It’s definitely less stressful than driving and paying for parking.

    My record collection has moved around with me for more decades than I care to remember and I recently rescued it from the loft and most have survived without too much damage so I bought an ‘actual record player’ to annoy the neighbours with. Like your daughter, mine is very interested in both past and contemporary popular music and I’d say we have probably influenced eachother’s tastes along the way. Mother/Daughter bonding through pop and rock can only be a good thing 😉

    1. Wonderful to be able to live in the country and yet have such easy access to the city.

      Same with my daughters. We have influenced each other’s taste. Fun! And enjoy those records.

  26. I love train travel. It’s cozy and relaxing and fun to watch the world go by. Your first set of photos feel like black and whites. I’m glad you made it to the station safely, and that your time in Boston produced interesting observations of the wait staff, yummy food, good company AND music. The pooch is adorable. And finally, great news on the Amtrak extension.

  28. I’ve loved traveling by train for much of my life, so I’m delighted to hear you enjoy it, too! And you know, in inclement weather, it’s especially nice. Love the photo of Holly with her sugar-coated face. Senior pups are the best — so gentle and grateful (just like those elderly women you mentioned in the restaurant!)

  29. I’m glad all went well, Laurie, despite the snow! I had to laugh at your comment about Mike and Shannon liking the same music as you did as a teenager. I have the same experience with my daughter. It’s so funny to catch her listening to Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. 🙂

  30. I’m glad you had a great trip, Laurie, despite the gloomy weather. Travelling by train is definitely the civilised way to go!

    (We’ve had the occasional sighting of April snow in the past, but luckily, it’s a pretty rare occurrence over here.)

  31. We will be taking the Amtrak train from Freeport to Boston in May. Glad to hear you liked it. Unfortunately, our return train has been cancelled, and the next two trains are full, so we will be returning much later in the day.

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  35. Back in the day, British Rail’s marketing slogan was “Let the train take the strain”. Good advice, particularly when you’re travelling to a busy place like Boston.

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