My Ego-Boost in Beantown

A week ago today, I returned from my trip to Boston. I hadn't been there since I was 10, so it was really interesting to see it as an adult. The conference I went to is really good about scheduling the classes I need to attend in a way that also provides me with daytime and nighttime sightseeing opportunities. I won't bore you with the conference details, but I will tell you about my tourist adventures. One thing I definitely learned while I was there is that DC drivers ain't got nothin' on Boston drivers. If you've ever seen the previews for the movie with Vin Diesel called The Pacifier where he spins the van around and the kid jumps out just to kiss the ground after the twisted ride in the van...then you know what the airport shuttle to and from Logan was like. I'm honestly surprised I didn't get sick.

The first day I was there, I received lunch and a tour at Fenway Park. I haven't been much of a baseball fan since Cal Ripken, Jr. retired, but I still love stadiums and ballparks. Tours of these venues are actually really interesting to me. I got to see the trophy from last year's world series. It was actually smaller than I expected. That night I went to the original Cheers bar for dinner. I mean if I have to be in Boston, I might as well go see if I can find Norm and the gang. Having failed on this attempt, I still had a great meal and spent way too much in the gift shop. The original Cheers looks nothing like the TV show as it was there before the show existed. However, there is a new Cheers downtown that is modeled after the show. When I was finishing my dinner there, these two guys came in and sat down at the table next to me. One of them started up a conversation with me. It was the type of conversation that was so transparent, but I won't bother you with the term that was running through my head.

The next day I took a tour on the Old Town Trolley (it's not just for DC). I figured this would be the easiest way to see all the historical highlights of Boston without having to walk for days. I got off at the Fleet Center stop and took the tour of the arena where the Bruins and the Celtics now play since the destruction of the old Boston Garden. The Boston Garden was way cooler than the Fleet Center, but still I got to tour another sporting venue. Two in one week! That night I went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is actually one of my favorite things to do when I visit a new city. Alas, there was no Bon Jovi memorabilia, but plenty of Aerosmith stuff as they are apparently from Boston (new fact I learned). I sat down at my table and my waiter, whose name turned out to be Mark according to my receipt, came over to get my drink order. I looked up at him and he looked right at me and said "You're really beautiful." I said thank you (a little caught off guard) and he proceeded to ask me if I went to school around there. I told him no and that I was just in town for a conference. He was very nice, but I was really taken aback at these two instances (Cheers and Hard Rock Cafe). It's not that I don't think I warrant the description of beautiful. I'm sure someday I'll marry someone who believes I'm beautiful. But, I'm just not used to men being that forward with me...much less that confident in themselves. Most guys I know would think those things but never say them. So, Thanks, Mark, for the ego boost. Every now and then a girl just really needs that.

The next day I went to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. It was really interesting and again I spent too much money in the gift shop. They showed a video before we went into the museum and parts of the video showed JFK as a senator in the same building that I work in. It was actually quite eerie to see places I know so well on a video from the 1950s. The Library and Museum is in a very beautiful location right out on the Harbor. I mean 20-30 feet from the building and you're in the water. Gorgeous! I had to take Boston public transportation to the museum which was an adventure in itself. It reminded me of the NYC subway as far as cleanliness, but it was pretty simple to understand once I got on it like the DC metro is. All based on colors. I love that!

Anyway...that was my trip to Boston. Whirlwind, ego-boosting, educational, interesting, and fun. The conference is in St. Louis next year!!