Visiting Boston, Day Five

Me on Freedom Trail

Geoffrey on Freedom Trail

Day Five, 8/25: 在旅館用完早餐, 吳小兵依舊很認真的在旅館聽音樂看小說. 中午等周小兵開會ㄧ結束, 我們就準備去行軍, 今天的目標是Freedom Trail (http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/). 就從最近的Faneuil Hall開始, 往市區方向前進, 沿著路上鑲磚塊或是劃紅線的路線行走. 中午就搭T到China Town吃飲茶, 不過比Seattle這邊的飲茶弱很多, 這裡就不特別提了, 只能說以後到Boston可以不用去找這類的用餐地點了. 走一圈下來, 這天的天氣剛好比較悶熱, 所以我們就選擇還是走完後, 下午回到旅館吹冷氣午休. 晚餐就走路去外帶一份沙拉, 一大片Pizza跟一大份Panini回旅館, 配電視享用!!

The site of first public school

Benjamin Franklin in front of Old City Hall (now Ruth's Chris Steakhouse)

Visiting Boston, Day Four

以下開始用親愛的中文繼續 (前面的部分是人還在Boston用周小兵沒有中文輸入的電腦記下的. I gotta write them down before my memory betrays me.)

North End @ Boston

Boston Marina

Day four, 8/24: 在飯店輕鬆的享用準備好的肉鬆麵包跟小餐包跟柳橙汁, 不用急著出門覓食, 在飯店的好處就是有健身房跟游泳池. 所以隨時可以上去走兩圈, 順便拿個水果(有apple, banana, orange)當點心. 有時候人在異地, 尤其是旅遊地區, 附近也真的沒看到有超市或是賣蔬菜水果的. 所以往往好幾天下來會吃不到甚麼水果. 到這家飯店的健身房雖然不大, 但是有附有電視的踏步機就夠我用的了. 前幾天也在外面曬了不少太陽, 所以今天採室內活動, 有人很認真的去開會, 我當然也要很認真的玩樂, 今天在旅館用了一下健身房, 吃過午餐就帶著帽子出門, 沿著旅館旁Boston Marina走一圈, 看著好多遊客等著搭cruise/ferry, 也很多人作日光浴, 在草地上野餐. 下午就在房間內的貴妃椅看我帶去的小說, 聽著爵士電台的放送的音樂.

然後等辛苦聽talk的人回來, 稍作休息後, 就輕鬆的散步去小義大利區用晚餐. 今日晚餐是在一家小不啦嘰的餐館Pomodoro用餐, 整個店只有一個笑容滿面的可愛女服務生負責外場. 聽說他的義大利麵有名, 所以我們兩個人就分享了一個招牌前菜antipasti platter(很多小菜組合 white bean, green bean, calamari, artichoke, potato, stuffed cherry pepper, prosciutto, cheese, olive), 配上隨餐附上的熱呼呼小餐包跟橄欖油,  然後慢慢配著紅酒 (是周小兵喝的!)一邊聊天一邊嘗各種味道, 然後某人就說他一點半飽了. 親切的服務生看我們兩個點一盤海鮮麵要share, 廚房很體貼的自動幫我們分成兩盤, 料也均分, 還不外加分盤費用 (ps. 在ㄧ些西餐的地方, 如果一份餐點要請廚房分兩個盤子裝, 是要另外收費的!). 在美國, 餐點的分量通常不小, 久了我們也習慣點來分食, 而盡量不要點太多, 吃不完浪費, 吃過多又把胃撐得不舒服. 尤其出外旅遊, 又不會打包食物留到下一餐再用.

Half-way through with disposed shells

不過一看到送到面前的"半盤麵", 就非常慶幸只有點一份兩個人分, 因為實在料多太實在了. 看到熱呼呼的麵就很開心地吃起來, 忘了先照相記念. 不過一盤Linquine扁麵上面覆蓋海鮮有蝦子, 淡菜, 花枝, 鮭魚, clam. 除了淡菜是我不敢吃的以外, 其它的都好好食阿, 帶點辣味的番茄醬汁, 麵也很Q. 飯後又慢慢散步踱回旅館旁的冰淇淋小店, 一人一球 (banana + passion fruit).

Visiting Boston, Day Three

Dunkin Donuts Brunch 

Me & the Hot Dog Cart

Day Three, 8/23: Enjoyed a good night sleep because the king-size bed is so comfortable. Enjoyed a take-out brunch from Dunkin donuts outdoors, while watching kids playing with the dancing watering fountain in the sun. It was a nice breezy and sunny day. We gave Dunkin donuts a try simply because we don't have any branch in Seattle and it's close to the hotel.

John Harvard with a tour guide

We took T to Harvard square station and spent a good time walking around the campus and see if we can get a little smarter after the tour. After a walk, some iced tea would seem just perfect. It can be iced coffee but Geoffrey and I are not coffee drinkers for different reasons. I googled a tea place called Dado tea nearby, and finally sat down to enjoy a cup of iced tea. Geoffrey had a large cup of lemon iced tea with honey while I had a regular Thai iced tea.

To take a break from the sun, we decided to take an effortless T tour. Before dinner time, we transferred between the red line and the green line (B). We first hopped on the red line, going from Harvard square all the way to the south of Boston and saw people hopping on and off the train. Got on the green line, it went from underground stations in downtown area to above-the-ground stations, passing by Boston University's campus (east, central, west), getting to the suburb area. We took off T and walked to a Taiwanese style bakery to stock up bread for breakfast since Geoffrey has to attend the early morning session next day. Then we walked toward a Thai restaurant called Brown Sugar, where we enjoyed a shrimp patty appetizer, raman duck, and a seafood volcano (shrimp, scallop, mussel, squid, salmon). The seasoning was good with a lot of fresh herbs. The only problem was that we had too much food. :)

Minced Shrimp Patty (sorry, almost finished before the photo was taken)

Seafood Volcano and Roasted Duck

Visiting Boston, Day Two

Day Two, 8/22: Quite unfortunate for our brunch hunt, we walked to a panini shop which for no reason was not open that day. Then we quickly walked to the second choice on the list and only to find that it was no longer there and perhaps was replaced by Starbucks. We only can manage to survive and feed ourselves with some take-out food from Quincy market (chicken shawarma and beef with rice) only because it was just so close.

Swan boat on the lake @ Boston Public Garden

Washington Statue

Trinity Church

Trinity Church under reconstruction

Geoffrey took off to the conference and I took T to explore downtown Boston. It was nice and warm. Glad that I had my hat with me. I walked around Public Garden and Boston Common and visited the old Trinity church (under reconstruction) and Copley square nearby. I also wondered into Chinatown and ran into a chinese supermarket behind an unlikely small door (entrance) where I picked up a couple of oranges for snack. Also, I went by a pastry shop and picked up a couple of buns for Geoffrey just in case he needed something for breakfast in early morning.

Seared Tuna Salad and Chicken Wings.

One order of yummy sandwich split in two plates.

We met at hotel before dinner and took T to Parish cafe for some decent dinner. Most people enjoyed outdoor dining, but we preferred to sit inside and enjoy warm food. We shared an entree salad (seared tuna on top of greens, tomato, cucumber, olive, boiled egg), Reggae wing, and Viera sandwich (flank steak sandwich). Geoffrey had a bottle of rye lager with the food. Sound like regular pub/cafe food but the seasoning was pretty good. Love the jerky chicken wings and steak sandwich served on french baguette. The menu offered a variety of creation on sandwiches by local chefs.

Visiting Boston, Day One

Day One, 8/21: We took the red-eye flight from Seattle to Boston. However, a couple of toddlers (who sat right behind us) "entertained" the entire flight with their crying-for-mommy and made a successful noisy attempt to keep some people awake. Glad that I caught some naps between their crying and wooing. Since this is my first trip to Boston area, we had decided to take T (subway) between the airport and the hotel. So both Geoffrey and I purchased the 7-day link pass for $15 per person. In that way, I can make good use of the pass and take time to do some sightseeing at Boston while Geoffrey tried to enjoy his conference.

 Marriott Long Wharf with lots of tourists

Although typically the hotel guests can only check into the guest rooms in Marriott Long Wharf, we were lucky enough to get into our room early in the morning and took a nap to make up the loss of sleep due to the red-eye flight. By the time I woke up to myself, it was almost noon and time for some brunch. Therefore, the first stop was surely Quincy Market in a short walking distance from the hotel. The market was full of tourists from all over the world. Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Italian and a lot of other languages that I can't identified were ringing around me.

We shared a clam chowder in the bread bowl and a piece pizza from Regina. The chowder was ok but too much potato fill the stomach easily instead of the nice creamy soup. The pizza was not enjoyable because it was not heated well or the seasoning was just not that great. Or I just did not choose the wrong flavor. We also tried some gelato (pineapple/orange/melon), ok but not impressive. We walked around the Quincy market and did whatever tourist should do--taking pictures.

After the short tour, we took a break from the heat after lunch and rested at the hotel. Geoffrey took a nap again.......Then, it came to dinner time. We set out to "Little Italy" area, where a strip of Italian restaurants, cafe, and pastry shops were feeding the hungry crowd. For the dinner, I picked "Daily Catch" with featuring Sicilian pasta. We shared a garden salad with some Italian soft bread/butter, an order of Calamari meatball in marinara sauce (very nice, but it would be better if the meatball could have been served hot instead of slightly warm), and a served-on-pan black pasta (Aglio Olio, ground squid sauteed with garlic + olive oil). Needless to say, the pasta was handmade and tasted just great. It's not something pasta you have in any chain restaurant. But be aware, it's a small place and CASH ONLY. Worth it!!

Calamari Meatballs

Garden Salad and Bread&Butter

Black Pasta served with the pan

We also walked by the famous Mike's pastry and Modern pastry that served a variety of Italian dessert, esp cannoli. The shops were always filled with tourists. Unfortunately, we were not in the mood for dessert. So we decided to pass.

Mike's Pastry

零食補貨

現在每次去超市都會忍不住要補貨零食.
美國超市的零食餅乾幾乎80%以上都是甜的, 鹹的零食多半是chips要不然就太鹹, 已經吃了很多年, 都膩了.
自從知道有阿熊以後 周小兵怕我餓到 所以每次去Uwajimaya買菜都會提醒我買零食
不過就會盡量多買鹹的 不要太鹹的也不要太甜的
看心情採購大概就是海苔捲米果, 仙貝, 蔥的蘇打餅乾, 小小口糧餅乾, 有一種上面有糖粒的蘇打餅乾也不錯吃, 上星期有買義美牛奶小泡芙!!
最近補貨的有KIND PLUS NUTS&FRUITS BAR有很多口味可以選 (出門以防萬一用) <----蠻好吃, 又可以補充protein跟fiber!!
今天找到低鹽的bagel crisp要試試看, 之前吃過simply naked的pita chips也很好吃, 不過還是鹹了一點.
雖然講了這麼多餅乾類的零食, 水果還是我最喜歡的零食選擇!!

每日亂亂吃 8/15-8/21

8/15 B: 肉鬆土司&焗奶黃包各ㄧ, 豆漿ㄧ杯, kiwi*1 / L: 番茄牛肉湯麵+四季豆,  椰奶銀耳湯ㄧ大碗 / S: 小番茄ㄧ大碗, 米奇雞塊*8 / D: 排骨粥配炒茼蒿, XO醬燒豆腐, 雙色炒雞丁, 豆腐乳
8/16 B: 肉鬆起士土司, 豆漿ㄧ杯, kiwi*1 / L: 排骨粥配紅蘿蔔炒四季豆, 菜肉包 / S: 小番茄一大碗, 餅乾 / D: 白飯配黑胡椒洋蔥豬柳, 花椰菜炒櫛瓜, 燙豆干, 辣豬血, pluot*1
8/17 B: 肉鬆起士土司, 豆漿ㄧ杯 / L: 蔬菜湯麵ㄧ大鍋 / S: 小番茄ㄧ碗 / D: 拉麵ㄧ大碗, 日式炸雞, 幾口炒飯.
8/18 B: 10-grain hot cereal兩碗 / L: 蔬菜咖哩飯, croissant *1, pluot*1 / S: 米奇雞塊*9 / D: 菜肉包配青蔥蘿勒煎蛋, 青江菜, 土豆面筋, pluot*1
8/19 B: 10-grain hot cereal* 1 pint, kiwi*1 / S: Chocolate Almond Milk, 蘇打餅乾*3 / L: 自製免揉麵包配三蔬燴雞丁, Doritos chips (spicy sweet chili) / D: Garlic Fried Rice, orange juice兩杯, 冰淇淋半球, 牛奶小泡芙半包
8/20 B: 肉鬆蛋土司(今天不吃煎蛋, 水煮蛋一顆稍微壓碎鋪上吐司), 柳橙汁一杯, kiwi*1 / L: 番茄蔥蛋炒飯兩碗 / S: peach, mixed  /  D: beef shaved noodle soup / S: riceball*0.5