Tuesday – A good day of muddles.

Today I had great intentions of visiting some touristy places. I tried. I went ,after my coffee and croissant, to the train station that I leave on Thursday from to see if the system is the same as at NY – yes, they only put up the platform number about 10min before the train leaves and there is a mad scramble to get a good seat. The info man told me if I came about ¾ hour early and spoke to a red-hatted man they would preboard me. I asked how much does that cost – only about $5 per bag he said. My bag is not the issue – I want a good seat. I pay good money to have lightweight clothes ( and I support the USPS) so I can manage my bag. Not sure what I will do.

I walked from there around the waterfront for quite a while to the North. It is very similar to some of the old docks in Sydney that have been gentrified with fancy apartments, upmarket restaurants, upmarket hotels, beauty salons, real estate agents with some old buildings inbetween. It was cold, windy and showery.

I passed a place advertising harbour cruises - $19 for 45 min. I asked for a brochure showing where it went. She had none. I asked if you got one if you went on the tour. Oh no, she said, there is a commentary. Cannot you have a map to look at at the same time? No thanks. I knew there was a regular commuter ferry and found it soon after that. First, I had a nice lunch sitting at a bar in a newly opened branch of Legal Seafoods. This is a Boston institution that has been growing since 1950’s with now many branches. I had a nice crab cake and salad and then the lady was very smart. She asked ‘Have you tried Boston cream pie yet? The answer was ‘no’ but I wanted to . It was quite light – sponge cake, then thick custard then choc icing, but too much. She walked past when I was half way through ‘Do you want a box to take that home?’ I knew there would be no issues with refrigeration – it was so cold outside. There were more mature waitstaff than I have seen in any place in USA.

Then I went to the ferry. I thought that the website said they did not take the T passes , but they did – so instead of costing me $1.70 it cost nothing for a 15 min ride to the other side at the Charlestown Navy Yard. There are 2 old naval ships that you can look over, one from the mid 20th century, the other built in 1791, wooden –hulled, but extremely resilient , the USS Constitution, otherwise known as Old Ironsides. I went first to Old Ironsides but could not get in – I had no photo ID with me. Ah well, I think they would have objected to my little ‘Legal Take-Out’ carry bag and its contents too. I went back to the Museum to use their restroom ( see, I am learning the lingo) and saw a young Museum attendant ( mid 20’s) explaining an interactive display to a few 10 ish year olds about shifting the angle of the gun so that the mast got hit. The younger people left and I said ‘ Tell him it’s like Angry Birds’ , not having the foggiest if US people play Angry Birds. He looked quite puzzled – and then his face lit up ‘Of Course , I have not thought of that’ – then he sort of looked at me sideways, up and down or something – clearly puzzled that this very dishevelled wind-blown lady with a funny accent should know about angry birds – maybe they are well out of fashion. I did not tell him that it was my 60yr old neighbour who showed me.

Then I walked through the streets of Charlestown. The houses are quite like Beacon Hill but a bit smaller and quite a few are wooden with ‘built in early 1800’s ‘ plaques. I went to what is called the Bunker Hill Monument. This is a tall obelisk –like structure built to commemorate a battle in 1775 , considered to be the first major battle in the Revolution. The English won, but at great cost, and the colonists became more determined to win.

I set off back through Charlestown, over the harbour, around the foreshore looking for the Institute of Contemporary Art. It was not where I thought it was. I looked up my various pieces of paper. It is in Northern street. I had written down N with a superscript n, but had missed the little n when I was planning today . There is a North street and that was where I was looking . Northern street was where I had started this morning. Never mind – I kept walking. I had to smile as I passed 2 doorman for a fancy hotel who had shower cap like things over their bowler-ish hats to protect them from the rain . It reminded me of the horrid plastic thing I had to put over my hat on the way to school in the rain.

I got to Northern street and walked a far way along it. Just as I was about to give up I saw the msuseum in the distance, but there was a large construction site between me and it and I decided to give it amiss. Next time I do a trip like this I might wear a pedometer out of curiosity.

Spurred on by Jenny’s comment on yesterday’s post, I went early – 5pm – to the local Irish pub that had been recommended to me. I opened the door – restaurants usually have their door open- and noone bit my head off! I had a nice salad. They had a chocolate cake laced with something alcoholic as part of the Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer. I had to have it. It was a large place. Nicely decorated with red and green . The back of the bar stools had a Irish knot pattern that I recognised from an Irish book of knitting patterns. I felt fine watching all the other people, but I could see no other single people. Come to think of it, I have not seen any other single diner in the evening in Boston. Lunch – yes. Boston has a more restrained, conventional, conformist feel than New York. I saw a slightly crazy person on the T this morning. He was harmless – just sitting there talking loudly to noone in particular about his daisies that he was carrying. People would look, then try and turn a little away from him and not make eye contact. On the subways in New York I saw several crazies. I donot remember people reacting at all – just shrugging.
I did not finish my chocolate cake – so now I have 3 half eaten sweet things and I am about to have an apple. A friend once said that you pay for what you want to eat, not how much is put on your plate. Maybe another way of looking at it is as a sunk cost. My friend Helen knows about these. No point in eating for the sake of it.

Tomorrow will be busy – certainly I will try again to see the boats, but not the modern art – I am sure there will be modern art in Washington.