Boston

I’ve marked two more states off my places-to-visit map: Connecticut and Massachusetts. The first (CT) doesn’t really count because, exempting McDonald’s, we didn’t stop there on our Labor Day trip to Boston. But just like I count Kentucky, Georgia, and other drive-though states passed on numerous family trips to Florida, Connecticut will remain shaded in on my mental map. I took the Port Jeff ferry to Bridgeport after work on Friday, where Abbey and Adam picked me up on their way to Bean Town. The ferry ride was so much better than sitting in what I’m sure was bumper-to-bumper traffic on the GWB, and probably cheaper once you add together the tolls and gas money. Surprisingly, traffic for the rest of the trip up the coast wasn’t too bad. A few hours later, we knew we’d reached Boston when a fuel truck decorated with huge green shamrock images passed us on the street.

We stayed with Abbey’s cousin, Andrea, for the weekend in her apartment in Brookline – just a short T-ride away from the city. On Saturday, we took a tour of the Sam Adam’s R&D facility, which included free beer and some cool tidbits from our guide. We had dinner that night with Andrea’s friends in the north end – Boston’s Italian section of town that’s lined with restaurants, pastry shops, and lots of hungry people. The highlight of the day, however, happened in Michigan. U-M lost 34-32 to Appalachian State in what is being called “the biggest upset in college football history.” Adam was battling a cold for most of the weekend, but watching the continuous replays of the Wolverines’ failure (and knowing that MSU won its first game) was enough to help him rally for the night. Unfortunately, he was shot for the rest of the weekend. You know Adam’s sick when he forgoes the bar for the couch.

On Sunday, we drove north to a beach in Gloucester, which is exactly how I’d pictured New England: quaint (and not so quaint) houses sitting on rocky jutts in the ocean. I fried my back and legs. And although my skin has finally stopped hurting, it’s beginning to peel in ugly shreds.

On Monday, we ate lunch at an outdoor café on Newbury Street, followed by desert at one of Abbey’s favorites, JP Licks. Now I have the itch to explore more of the east coast.