27. Massachuetts

   We were later getting to Boston then expected but nevertheless we were determined to see a few things. Some things to note about Boston. First, if you don’t have to drive, don’t. It is chaotic. The streets will just all of a sudden change names. Second, parking is at a premium. There aren’t many places to park. We did manage to find some underground parking beneath The Boston Commons. Wear some good shoes and walk everywhere. Third, restrooms are few and far between. Buy a drink at Burger King and they’ll let you use theirs.

 

    Boston is full of history and if you’re a history buff then walk the Freedom Trail. We spent a couple of hours walking and didn’t even see half of it. It was getting dark and we needed to find our restaurant and I had only an address and a small map with very little detail. After driving around we finally found the area the restaurant was in, but where to park; that was going to be a challenge. We drove up and thankfully they had valet. I started to get out and the attendant asked which restaurant we were going to. We told him and he said, “You’re here for the special event?” I was like no; we just wanted to have dinner. He informed us they were closed for a private function. Now, mind you, this is a Saturday night. It would have to be a real special event to close a restaurant down for a private party. We asked for suggestions, but nothing interested us. I got out my trusty little book and searched for another option. Found one. Hmmm… I think we passed that street a while back. Off we go again to find the perfect restaurant. We find it but the sign has a different name. I call the number and it’s not the same restaurant and I’m not too sure about this one so maybe the third option will be the one. Did I mention we saw the Cheers bar on our adventure in trying to find a restaurant? Had there been a parking spot we probably would have gone there. 
     Onward to the North End of Boston. We finally find this little street with absolutely no parking in what we deemed “Little Italy”. Boy, did it smell good, if only we could find a parking spot. We drive around the block a couple of times and this takes about 30 minutes each time because of the traffic. We pass this one place, Mike’s Pastry, and I’m not sure what he’s selling but there is a line out the door. I’m ready to give up and come back to Boston another day. I’m tired and hungry and that does not make for a good combination with me. Dennis, the wonderful husband he is, doesn’t give up and locates a parking garage. My feet hurt so much, I’m not sure I can walk but he urges me on. We finally arrive at Ernesto’s on Salem St. Ernesto’s is a great place to get a slice of pizza. It’s small but the variety is unbelievable. We share a slice of pepperoni. I know, with all those options, we went for the plain pepperoni. It had just come out of the oven and we couldn’t resist. We ordered a chicken parmesan calzone to share and sat down to enjoy

the pizza while we waited for the calzone. The pizza reminded of us Tony’s pizza in Arlington which we always enjoy. My back was to the street and all of a sudden Dennis says, “Oh no.”  It had begun to rain. We had carried the umbrella with us while walking around Boston because it looked like rain but never did and I had left the umbrella in the car that was parked in the garage a few blocks away. We hoped it wouldn’t rain for long. The calzone came and we cut into the perfectly browned crust to reveal an abundance of melted cheese and chicken. Yum, Yum. There was so much it was impossible for us to eat it all.  The rain finally slowed and we were full so we decided to try to make it back to the car without getting soaked. About Mike’s? We’ll have to try the cannoli another time but from what I hear (from those walking with boxes) it’s worth the wait.

Leg 10
     4 days
     2 flights
     $9.00 tolls
     841 miles driven
     and 1 new tire
           = 5 states visited
23 states to go!

http://thefreedomtrail.org/

http://www.ernestosnorthend.com/