Missypie's Trip to New York, Boston and Maine with teens
Jul 24th, 2007, 10:29 AM
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Friday, July 13th. We bought subway tickets first thing. The subway system had a nice employee who showed us how to put money on a Charlie card; very easy to use. It was great that all of us could use the same card. Kids 11 and under ride free. We were wondering how that worked. The employee just told us to have DD11 enter with one of us. (Once kids have spent so many years entering with someone else on a single fare, do you think that makes it harder for them to be honest and pay once they are teens?)
We went to the visitor's center in Boston Common to get info on the Freedom Trail. We enjoyed seeing the historic buildings. Lunch was at Fanuel (sp) Hall. It was hard to decide what to eat, but we all enjoyed our food. My favorite thing was a brochette of maybe 5 large scallops wrapped in bacon; I think it cost $6, which is so reasonable given the cost of scallops in Dallas. I wished later that we hadn't eaten so much, because right after lunch we were doing the part of the trail where we walked through the North End. We passed all the bakeries that I had read about, but no one was a bit hungry.
We walked over to the Charlestown segment of the trail. I was so glad I knew about the ferry back, because our feet were tired and it was nice to be on the water.
After a rest in our hotel room, we ate dinner at Pizzaria Uno. I know it's a chain, but DH grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so we eat their pizza whenever we can.
We went to the visitor's center in Boston Common to get info on the Freedom Trail. We enjoyed seeing the historic buildings. Lunch was at Fanuel (sp) Hall. It was hard to decide what to eat, but we all enjoyed our food. My favorite thing was a brochette of maybe 5 large scallops wrapped in bacon; I think it cost $6, which is so reasonable given the cost of scallops in Dallas. I wished later that we hadn't eaten so much, because right after lunch we were doing the part of the trail where we walked through the North End. We passed all the bakeries that I had read about, but no one was a bit hungry.
We walked over to the Charlestown segment of the trail. I was so glad I knew about the ferry back, because our feet were tired and it was nice to be on the water.
After a rest in our hotel room, we ate dinner at Pizzaria Uno. I know it's a chain, but DH grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so we eat their pizza whenever we can.
Jul 24th, 2007, 11:10 AM
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When the time came (before our track was posted), the red cap loaded up our luggage and took us down the escalator, found a car with plenty of room, loaded our luggage and we were so easily settled in. It would have been so stressful for us to have been waiting for the track to be posted, balancing our bags down the escalator, etc.
missypie, it's great you had advance notice of this. My daughter and I were once in that predicament, and ended up on the wrong train (heading to Washington, DC instead of to Boston!). We jumped off at Newark Airport, rented a car and DROVE to Mass.
missypie, it's great you had advance notice of this. My daughter and I were once in that predicament, and ended up on the wrong train (heading to Washington, DC instead of to Boston!). We jumped off at Newark Airport, rented a car and DROVE to Mass.
Jul 24th, 2007, 12:40 PM
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Saturday, July 14th. Everyone still wanted to do the Duck Tour, so we walked over to the Prudential Center first thing. We waited in line for maybe 35 minutes. I wanted a 4 pm tour (by the time we got to the front of the line, the earliest available time was 12:30.) The employee was kind enough to tell us that the 4 pm tour already contained 18 high school seniors, so we booked the 4:30 pm tour.
From there, we took the train to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, to be there right when it opened...but we were there at 10 am and it didn't open till 11 am. (I feel so terrible when I make a mistake like that!) Fortunately, we also wanted to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, so we walked over there.
After the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MFA seemed serene. The kids weren't entirely appreciative of the furniture, ceramics, etc., but they all liked the Impressionists. DS16, who is a big Dante fan, really perked up when he saw three works of art featuring Dante/scenes from the Divine Comedy. He was really hoping that the gift shop had a print of the Scheffer Beatrice and Dante painting, but they didn't. (I've since searched on line, but still can't find one.) We had lunch in the cafeteria...not a lot of choices, but not crowded. No, we didn't see the Hopper exhibit. As first time visitors to the museum, I thought there would be plenty to see without paying extra for that. (If you go to the Hopper exhibit, go early; by about 11:30, the place to enter the exhibit was a zoo.)
After leaving the musuem, we got off the train to view the Symphony Hall. DH noticed that the Christian Science Mother Church was nearby, so we walked over there. A very nice lady was giving tours of the Mother Church and the old church (the original mother church); the old church has wonderful stained glass windows. I've known Christian Scientists before but hadn't known much about the religion. The lady explained it all very well. She encouraged us to visit the Maparium, which is in the libary/Monitor building.
The library building is lovely. The Maparium is a huge, stained glass globe (circa 1933, I beleive) that you walk into. It was interesting. If you go to the Christian Science buildings, be sure to visit the rest room (of the appropriate gender) in the library building...they have the most fantastic tile work! (Okay, that is my third and final rest room comment of the report.)
From there we went to wait for the Duck Tour to start. Our guide ("Hardly Davidson") was entertaining. In my opinion, you don't see all that many sights on the Duck Tour-you're basically paying for the humor of the guide.
After that it was time to walk to the train station to pick up our rental car (for the Maine portion of the trip.) We didn't really need the car yet, but it would have cost almost twice as much to rent the car for only 5 days vs. the weekly rental rate. Our package at the Eliot included free valet parking. (Good thing, because the normal rate is $34 per day.)
Once we dropped the car off, we were short on time (slow line at the Avis counter; the folks in front didn't have a reservation, didn't know what kind of car they wanted, didn't know if they wanted the insurance coverage, etc.). I had make dinner reservations at Artu in the North End. We would have made it on time, but the train stopped one stop short of where we wanted to get off ("We appologize for any inconvenience.")
I called Artu and said we'd be a few minutes late. I could not believe how crowded the streets of the North End were. It would have been a fun atmosphere, except we were in a hurry to get to our dinner reservations. (If you want to eat dinner in the North End, make reservations!)
We got to Artu about 10 minutes late, went to hostess...and she didn't have our name down as having reservations. She was convinced that I had called their other location, and didn't seem to believe me even when I called the number on my cell phone history and her phone rang! Nevertheless, she said she'd get us in and she did...about 25 minutes later. She was pretty rude to everyone in line.
But our waitress made up for it. She was an absolute doll; best of the trip. We were seated in a room with several large parties of adults who were drinking too much and talking and laughing too loud. It was a bit annoying, but kind of a good life lesson for my kids....they noticed without me telling them how much they were drinking and how obnoxious they became.
We all enjoyed our food a lot. The calamari merits special attention, because it was the best I've ever had (beating out calamari in Italy and Barcelona).
My plan was to stop at one of the bakeries,probably Modern, for dessert...if they were still open. Not only were they still open, but each had an extraordinarily long line at 10:45 pm! (So, my advice is to experience the bakeries in the daytime!) There was no line for LuLu's, which is mostly a cupcake place. Maybe not the same as Modern, but my peanut butter chocolate cup cake was terrific.
From there, we took the train to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, to be there right when it opened...but we were there at 10 am and it didn't open till 11 am. (I feel so terrible when I make a mistake like that!) Fortunately, we also wanted to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, so we walked over there.
After the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MFA seemed serene. The kids weren't entirely appreciative of the furniture, ceramics, etc., but they all liked the Impressionists. DS16, who is a big Dante fan, really perked up when he saw three works of art featuring Dante/scenes from the Divine Comedy. He was really hoping that the gift shop had a print of the Scheffer Beatrice and Dante painting, but they didn't. (I've since searched on line, but still can't find one.) We had lunch in the cafeteria...not a lot of choices, but not crowded. No, we didn't see the Hopper exhibit. As first time visitors to the museum, I thought there would be plenty to see without paying extra for that. (If you go to the Hopper exhibit, go early; by about 11:30, the place to enter the exhibit was a zoo.)
After leaving the musuem, we got off the train to view the Symphony Hall. DH noticed that the Christian Science Mother Church was nearby, so we walked over there. A very nice lady was giving tours of the Mother Church and the old church (the original mother church); the old church has wonderful stained glass windows. I've known Christian Scientists before but hadn't known much about the religion. The lady explained it all very well. She encouraged us to visit the Maparium, which is in the libary/Monitor building.
The library building is lovely. The Maparium is a huge, stained glass globe (circa 1933, I beleive) that you walk into. It was interesting. If you go to the Christian Science buildings, be sure to visit the rest room (of the appropriate gender) in the library building...they have the most fantastic tile work! (Okay, that is my third and final rest room comment of the report.)
From there we went to wait for the Duck Tour to start. Our guide ("Hardly Davidson") was entertaining. In my opinion, you don't see all that many sights on the Duck Tour-you're basically paying for the humor of the guide.
After that it was time to walk to the train station to pick up our rental car (for the Maine portion of the trip.) We didn't really need the car yet, but it would have cost almost twice as much to rent the car for only 5 days vs. the weekly rental rate. Our package at the Eliot included free valet parking. (Good thing, because the normal rate is $34 per day.)
Once we dropped the car off, we were short on time (slow line at the Avis counter; the folks in front didn't have a reservation, didn't know what kind of car they wanted, didn't know if they wanted the insurance coverage, etc.). I had make dinner reservations at Artu in the North End. We would have made it on time, but the train stopped one stop short of where we wanted to get off ("We appologize for any inconvenience.")
I called Artu and said we'd be a few minutes late. I could not believe how crowded the streets of the North End were. It would have been a fun atmosphere, except we were in a hurry to get to our dinner reservations. (If you want to eat dinner in the North End, make reservations!)
We got to Artu about 10 minutes late, went to hostess...and she didn't have our name down as having reservations. She was convinced that I had called their other location, and didn't seem to believe me even when I called the number on my cell phone history and her phone rang! Nevertheless, she said she'd get us in and she did...about 25 minutes later. She was pretty rude to everyone in line.
But our waitress made up for it. She was an absolute doll; best of the trip. We were seated in a room with several large parties of adults who were drinking too much and talking and laughing too loud. It was a bit annoying, but kind of a good life lesson for my kids....they noticed without me telling them how much they were drinking and how obnoxious they became.
We all enjoyed our food a lot. The calamari merits special attention, because it was the best I've ever had (beating out calamari in Italy and Barcelona).
My plan was to stop at one of the bakeries,probably Modern, for dessert...if they were still open. Not only were they still open, but each had an extraordinarily long line at 10:45 pm! (So, my advice is to experience the bakeries in the daytime!) There was no line for LuLu's, which is mostly a cupcake place. Maybe not the same as Modern, but my peanut butter chocolate cup cake was terrific.
Jul 24th, 2007, 12:59 PM
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Sunday, July 15th. We had not really walked within Boston Commons or the Public Garden, so that is where we headed first. We saw the ducks (real and bronze), the swan boats, walked over the bridge and photographed the statue. It was beautiful but pretty hot.
From there we went back to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum...this time, at 11 am. We all really enjoyed the museum...the courtyard is fantastic. As Mrs. Gardner hoped, I did enjoy just looking at the art without having to read the descriptions at the side; enjoyment, with no pressure. I couldn't believe some of the paintings she owned! Amazing that such works of art were in private hands. I admit that I didn't know if my kids would enjoy this museum, but they all really did.
We went back to Trinity Church...not the most efficient way to tour the city, but it was Sunday, and when we were nearby earlier, services had been going on. We were sort of surprised that they charged admission. We walked around the area a bit more, then went to Clery's for a late lunch. The burgers were very good.
Next, we went to Cambridge and got off at Harvard. I had hoped everyone would enjoy seeing the campus, but once again, the kids wanted a "desitation." We found the natural history musuem and, although it was late, we had time to see the glass flower collection. Sorry to everyone who loves it, but after one gets over the idea that "this stuff is made of glass", it's kind of dull. A lot of the plants look like plastic, but I believe they were made before there was plastic. Once we had seen that exhibit, DH and I set off to see a few things and the kids sat on a bench, bored. (It made me glad that we had not visited the Natural History musuem in NYC.) I saw some cool birds nests and some stuffed extinct birds. DH saw bones of some sort (dinosaurs). It was interesting but I didn't really regret that it was closing time.
We walked through Harvard Yard and a bit through the town, but everyone just wanted to go back to the hotel. The high point was a stop at Starbucks. Okay, so I didn't inspire anyone to do great in school to get into Harvard. Oh, well.
Urban Outfitters is just down the street from our hotel, so the ladies shopped there a bit before going back.
From there we went back to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum...this time, at 11 am. We all really enjoyed the museum...the courtyard is fantastic. As Mrs. Gardner hoped, I did enjoy just looking at the art without having to read the descriptions at the side; enjoyment, with no pressure. I couldn't believe some of the paintings she owned! Amazing that such works of art were in private hands. I admit that I didn't know if my kids would enjoy this museum, but they all really did.
We went back to Trinity Church...not the most efficient way to tour the city, but it was Sunday, and when we were nearby earlier, services had been going on. We were sort of surprised that they charged admission. We walked around the area a bit more, then went to Clery's for a late lunch. The burgers were very good.
Next, we went to Cambridge and got off at Harvard. I had hoped everyone would enjoy seeing the campus, but once again, the kids wanted a "desitation." We found the natural history musuem and, although it was late, we had time to see the glass flower collection. Sorry to everyone who loves it, but after one gets over the idea that "this stuff is made of glass", it's kind of dull. A lot of the plants look like plastic, but I believe they were made before there was plastic. Once we had seen that exhibit, DH and I set off to see a few things and the kids sat on a bench, bored. (It made me glad that we had not visited the Natural History musuem in NYC.) I saw some cool birds nests and some stuffed extinct birds. DH saw bones of some sort (dinosaurs). It was interesting but I didn't really regret that it was closing time.
We walked through Harvard Yard and a bit through the town, but everyone just wanted to go back to the hotel. The high point was a stop at Starbucks. Okay, so I didn't inspire anyone to do great in school to get into Harvard. Oh, well.
Urban Outfitters is just down the street from our hotel, so the ladies shopped there a bit before going back.
Jul 24th, 2007, 01:25 PM
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Monay, July 16th. Time to actually drive the car. We got driving directions to Plymouth from the hotel maintenance man...we were fortunate that it was very easy....just down Mass Ave to get to the highway.
We went to Plimoth Plantation and learned quite a bit. The kids liked having the "characters" to talk to. We drove into town and went on the ship (it cost less to buy the family pass that included the ship than to just buy admission to the plantation) and saw the rock. I noticed a statue of a Pilgrim girl, in front of which I'd had my picture taken in about 1972, so I had to have my girls recreate that picture. I had my first lobster roll at Pebbles. Quite good. Good clam chowder, too (DD14 sampled the chowder everywhere; the only version we didn't all love was at the Summer Shack.)
On the drive back to Boston I formulated a plan: ditch the guys and go shopping on Newbury Street. It was very close to our hotel. The girls and I enjoyed going into little boutiques, looking at the restaurants, etc. We tried on clothes at H&M (employees were just as surly as in NYC...is that the corporate culture?); I'm wearing the outfit I bought there right now. I bought a fantastic purse at Filene's Basement, and DD11 got a Dooney purse at Marshalls. (Dooney must not be as big in Boston as it is in Texas, because we saw so many at Marshalls that hadn't been snapped up-even some on the clearance rack.)
We walked back to the Eliot. It was pretty late and we wanted to have dinner close to the hotel. We chose Island Hopper, a Southeast Asian place on the same block as the Eliot (Mass Ave at Newbury.) The food was absolutely terrific-a very pleasant surprise.
We went to Plimoth Plantation and learned quite a bit. The kids liked having the "characters" to talk to. We drove into town and went on the ship (it cost less to buy the family pass that included the ship than to just buy admission to the plantation) and saw the rock. I noticed a statue of a Pilgrim girl, in front of which I'd had my picture taken in about 1972, so I had to have my girls recreate that picture. I had my first lobster roll at Pebbles. Quite good. Good clam chowder, too (DD14 sampled the chowder everywhere; the only version we didn't all love was at the Summer Shack.)
On the drive back to Boston I formulated a plan: ditch the guys and go shopping on Newbury Street. It was very close to our hotel. The girls and I enjoyed going into little boutiques, looking at the restaurants, etc. We tried on clothes at H&M (employees were just as surly as in NYC...is that the corporate culture?); I'm wearing the outfit I bought there right now. I bought a fantastic purse at Filene's Basement, and DD11 got a Dooney purse at Marshalls. (Dooney must not be as big in Boston as it is in Texas, because we saw so many at Marshalls that hadn't been snapped up-even some on the clearance rack.)
We walked back to the Eliot. It was pretty late and we wanted to have dinner close to the hotel. We chose Island Hopper, a Southeast Asian place on the same block as the Eliot (Mass Ave at Newbury.) The food was absolutely terrific-a very pleasant surprise.
Jul 24th, 2007, 02:41 PM
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Tuesday, July 17th. The plan had been to visit Lexington and Concord on the way to Maine. The plan for the day before had been to visit both Plymouth and Quincy in a single day. I quickly determined that there was not time to do them both justice in one day, so after checking out of the Eliot, we drove south again, as far as Quincy.
We found the visitor's center for the Adams site tour and bought tickets. We rode a trolly to the old house where John was born, and the house next door where John Quincy was born. We then rode the trolley to the house that John and Abigail moved into upon their return from Paris. After the tour we went to the church that is the burial place for John, John Q. and their wives. If you are a history buff, don't skip the church; the old guy who gives the tour would talk to you about the Adams' for hours if you let him.
I am so glad we didn't skip Quincy. My high school did the musical "1776" way back in 1974, and I've been a fan of John and Abigail Adams ever since. Abigail was such a remarkable woman. It was so special for me to be in the spot where Abigail wrote her letters to John.
After visiting the church, we ate at a sandwich place across the street, then drove to Lexington and Concord. It's kind of a difficult area to tour and I'm sure we missed a lot, but at least I've stood on the battle sites.
Of course, by then it was rush hour, so it was pretty slow going until we got out of greater Boston. We found the Pink Blossom in Ogunquit, Maine and checked in. It was pretty late and we wanted to get to the grocery store in Wells, so - horrors - we ate at McDonalds.
I was expecting the Pink Blossom to be the quirkiest place we stayed...from the pictures on line, it looked kind of like someone's great grandma had decorated it. We were in a very large two level suite that was less than a year old. It was a very nice surprise. The property is nicely landscaped and well kept.
We found the visitor's center for the Adams site tour and bought tickets. We rode a trolly to the old house where John was born, and the house next door where John Quincy was born. We then rode the trolley to the house that John and Abigail moved into upon their return from Paris. After the tour we went to the church that is the burial place for John, John Q. and their wives. If you are a history buff, don't skip the church; the old guy who gives the tour would talk to you about the Adams' for hours if you let him.
I am so glad we didn't skip Quincy. My high school did the musical "1776" way back in 1974, and I've been a fan of John and Abigail Adams ever since. Abigail was such a remarkable woman. It was so special for me to be in the spot where Abigail wrote her letters to John.
After visiting the church, we ate at a sandwich place across the street, then drove to Lexington and Concord. It's kind of a difficult area to tour and I'm sure we missed a lot, but at least I've stood on the battle sites.
Of course, by then it was rush hour, so it was pretty slow going until we got out of greater Boston. We found the Pink Blossom in Ogunquit, Maine and checked in. It was pretty late and we wanted to get to the grocery store in Wells, so - horrors - we ate at McDonalds.
I was expecting the Pink Blossom to be the quirkiest place we stayed...from the pictures on line, it looked kind of like someone's great grandma had decorated it. We were in a very large two level suite that was less than a year old. It was a very nice surprise. The property is nicely landscaped and well kept.
Jul 24th, 2007, 02:47 PM
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Wednesday, July 18th. For the first time of the entire trip, no wake up call. The kids had asked what we were going to DO in Maine and I told them that we were just going to BE in Maine.
The weather forecast was unfortunate...days of rain predicted. It was only sprinkling, so we put on our raincoats and took a long walk on the beach. It was grey and misty and felt like Maine. We ate a late lunch at the Oarweed in Perkins Cove. We started out with a view of the water, and by the time our meal was finished, the fog was shrouding everything. I had a whole lobster...very good. Blueberry pie for dessert. Yummy.
We took naps in the rainy late afternoon, then walked around the shops in the evening. It was a very relaxing day, but I was concerned about having to fill three rainy days.
The weather forecast was unfortunate...days of rain predicted. It was only sprinkling, so we put on our raincoats and took a long walk on the beach. It was grey and misty and felt like Maine. We ate a late lunch at the Oarweed in Perkins Cove. We started out with a view of the water, and by the time our meal was finished, the fog was shrouding everything. I had a whole lobster...very good. Blueberry pie for dessert. Yummy.
We took naps in the rainy late afternoon, then walked around the shops in the evening. It was a very relaxing day, but I was concerned about having to fill three rainy days.
Jul 24th, 2007, 03:06 PM
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Friday, July 19th. Rain forecast for the whole day. Not to worry....we're off to Freeport to the outlet stores. We were mostly interested in the Coach and Dooney stores. I had told the girls that I would buy them each a purse on the trip and each found the "perfect" Coach bag. They were having their summer clearance, so the damage was not too bad. We stopped in Harry & David and a few more stores. Had to eat Ben and Jerry's ice cream. DS16 got the new creme brulee flavor, which we all loved!
We drove into the port of Freeport for lunch and I'm glad we did. I don't remember the name of the little place where we ate on picnic tables outside, but I think it's the only place to eat right there. It was misting but we were able to eat under the canopy. I had crab cakes....$1.60 each! In Dallas, I am used to paying maybe $12 for a two crab cake appetizer. The onion rings were terrific, too. Good clam chowder.
It was raining pretty steadily by the time we were done, so we decided that after passsing Portland, we'd get back on 1 or 1A and take the scenic route back to Ogunquit. It really wasn't a good idea, because the road goes near the coast, but you can hardly see the coast; there are dozens of stop lights. But it was raining anyway, so what the heck.
We did get to drive through Old Orchard Beach...amazing! When I was young, my family spent quite a few summer vacations in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Old Orchard Beach reminded me so much of Clearwater Beach in maybe 1967. A real blast from the past!
We watched TV, caught up on emails and napped a bit when we got back to the hotel. We had a late dinner at Mike's Clam Shack in Wells. (The folks at the hotel told us that was where the locals eat.) It was good and we had a nice waitress. I had scallops....what a treat to have a ramekin with maybe 15 scallops. I know I'm sounding like a seafood starved broken record, but here in Dallas, a "serving" of scallops is 3 or 4.
We drove into the port of Freeport for lunch and I'm glad we did. I don't remember the name of the little place where we ate on picnic tables outside, but I think it's the only place to eat right there. It was misting but we were able to eat under the canopy. I had crab cakes....$1.60 each! In Dallas, I am used to paying maybe $12 for a two crab cake appetizer. The onion rings were terrific, too. Good clam chowder.
It was raining pretty steadily by the time we were done, so we decided that after passsing Portland, we'd get back on 1 or 1A and take the scenic route back to Ogunquit. It really wasn't a good idea, because the road goes near the coast, but you can hardly see the coast; there are dozens of stop lights. But it was raining anyway, so what the heck.
We did get to drive through Old Orchard Beach...amazing! When I was young, my family spent quite a few summer vacations in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Old Orchard Beach reminded me so much of Clearwater Beach in maybe 1967. A real blast from the past!
We watched TV, caught up on emails and napped a bit when we got back to the hotel. We had a late dinner at Mike's Clam Shack in Wells. (The folks at the hotel told us that was where the locals eat.) It was good and we had a nice waitress. I had scallops....what a treat to have a ramekin with maybe 15 scallops. I know I'm sounding like a seafood starved broken record, but here in Dallas, a "serving" of scallops is 3 or 4.
Jul 24th, 2007, 03:46 PM
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Hey missypie,
Again thank you for the report. Did you happen to have fried clams at Mikes as I have recommended it in the past and it's been a season too long to recommend it without firsthand experience!
A great report. You really used your time wisely! I have stayed at Pink Blossoms years ago and thought it was a great place.
Would you recommend your itinerary to others. It was quite aggressive, but so successful in my humble opinion. I cannot beleive you managed to fit in Concord and Lexington after Plymouth!~!!!
Thanks for the details.
Again thank you for the report. Did you happen to have fried clams at Mikes as I have recommended it in the past and it's been a season too long to recommend it without firsthand experience!
A great report. You really used your time wisely! I have stayed at Pink Blossoms years ago and thought it was a great place.
Would you recommend your itinerary to others. It was quite aggressive, but so successful in my humble opinion. I cannot beleive you managed to fit in Concord and Lexington after Plymouth!~!!!
Thanks for the details.
Jul 24th, 2007, 04:58 PM
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Missypie you kept a great schedule and did see a lot- museums, you got on the water, some great architecture , shopping and you were able to find a theater showing HP which I know was important to you all (altho it seems you didn't get to see it.....hopefully one of them will see it again with mom!)
great report.
great report.
Jul 24th, 2007, 05:27 PM
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Hello Missypie, welcome back to Texas! I'm thoroughly enjoying your trip report, especially about the kids as it brings back memories of taking our teenage son to NYC (we also loved Hairspray). Our son loves chess - he thought he was such a great player til he lost matches & money in Washington Square park. Keep the trip report coming!
Jul 24th, 2007, 06:31 PM
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Alas, after becoming ill on fried clams in Boston, I just couldn't eat them anywhere else-not even at Mike's. I was really looking forward to it. I was encouraged that I could still stomach all the other seafood, so I don't think I will have a lengthy aversion to fried clams...but it was just too soon on this trip.
Jul 24th, 2007, 06:41 PM
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Thank you for all of your responses.
Regarding our itinerary: Last year, we visited Rome, Florence and Venice, in that order and it was perfect for us. Hectic, always on the go Rome. Then busy but less crowded Florence. Then touring Venice without a strict agenda. That worked so well that I planned this trip in the same pattern - on the go in busy NYC, a bit less in Boston, and totally relaxed in Maine.
Although the itinerary was full, it wasn't a death march. We gave up a couple of planned "big" dinners and substituted some quicker bites to give us a bit more down time in the hotel. We left both the Met and the MFA before I had personally seen everything I wanted to see, to keep numbness and exhaustion from setting in. But for the heat, we probably could have fit even more into NYC, but as we all know, heat just zaps your energy. I always said yes to ice cream.
Regarding our itinerary: Last year, we visited Rome, Florence and Venice, in that order and it was perfect for us. Hectic, always on the go Rome. Then busy but less crowded Florence. Then touring Venice without a strict agenda. That worked so well that I planned this trip in the same pattern - on the go in busy NYC, a bit less in Boston, and totally relaxed in Maine.
Although the itinerary was full, it wasn't a death march. We gave up a couple of planned "big" dinners and substituted some quicker bites to give us a bit more down time in the hotel. We left both the Met and the MFA before I had personally seen everything I wanted to see, to keep numbness and exhaustion from setting in. But for the heat, we probably could have fit even more into NYC, but as we all know, heat just zaps your energy. I always said yes to ice cream.
Jul 24th, 2007, 06:45 PM
#38
You would never have been sick if yiou dined the Legal's seafood. People like to put it down because the food is not fancy but e has his own microbiologist to test his food so you'll never get sick.
Jul 24th, 2007, 06:51 PM
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We certainly didn't choose Summer Shack because it was fancy! I've heard so many "clam stories" since I got sick...both from tourists and locals...both fried and steamers. At Legal, are they really able to test each clam?
Jul 24th, 2007, 08:08 PM
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Missypie: no, no one is able to test each clam, each piece of each fish, scallop, etc and all it takes is one. Most food poisoning from clams and shellfish is caused by bacteria or marine toxins, toxic algaes, some of which you have no forewarning of -
Some fish or shellfish poisoning is worse than others. Sometimes, it can be worse from larger tropical fish. Sometimes it is mild, sometimes certrain fish can have excess histamine in it and then you can get diarrhea, hives, sweats, vomiting, chills, tingling, lots of things.
Shellfish poisoning often happens because of red tides, and before the area is closed, well - usually some "get out" and into the food source before a red tide is called and confirmed and an area closwed. All it takes is one bad one.
During a red tide shellfish can have nerve toxins. that then can give you everything from chills, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea to chills, swelling of tongue, lips, closing of breathing -
I grew up on the water in the northeast, eating shellfish and fish all my life -now I've had anaphylactic shock from shelffish so that is that and I can't eat it anymore and carry an epi-pen -
It was then I learned most shellfish allergies come on in adulthood - and you can have but before they determined that, they asked me if I'd ever had any kind of reaction: any of the symptoms above , - saying some people have mild to moderate reactions before building up to the severe allergic reaction.
So hopefull you just got what we call the 'proverbial bad clam' .....so sorry !!
It can happen in the best of restaurants, but tha tis why when you really think you know WHY you got food poisoning, you should always let the restaurant know if you can.
Some fish or shellfish poisoning is worse than others. Sometimes, it can be worse from larger tropical fish. Sometimes it is mild, sometimes certrain fish can have excess histamine in it and then you can get diarrhea, hives, sweats, vomiting, chills, tingling, lots of things.
Shellfish poisoning often happens because of red tides, and before the area is closed, well - usually some "get out" and into the food source before a red tide is called and confirmed and an area closwed. All it takes is one bad one.
During a red tide shellfish can have nerve toxins. that then can give you everything from chills, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea to chills, swelling of tongue, lips, closing of breathing -
I grew up on the water in the northeast, eating shellfish and fish all my life -now I've had anaphylactic shock from shelffish so that is that and I can't eat it anymore and carry an epi-pen -
It was then I learned most shellfish allergies come on in adulthood - and you can have but before they determined that, they asked me if I'd ever had any kind of reaction: any of the symptoms above , - saying some people have mild to moderate reactions before building up to the severe allergic reaction.
So hopefull you just got what we call the 'proverbial bad clam' .....so sorry !!
It can happen in the best of restaurants, but tha tis why when you really think you know WHY you got food poisoning, you should always let the restaurant know if you can.
