Boston

Dec 26, 2009

I'm in Boston, MA for the first time. Okay, technically I'm at a train terminal in Boston and this is the 2nd time I've been here (the first time was also via train), but this is the first time I've had time to kick around a bit and maybe do some exploring outside the terminal.

I have about an hour and a half before my train leaves so I thought I might have enough time to walk a few blocks into the city just so I could say, officially, that I had BEEN to Boston and that I had SEEN more than the inside of a transportation hub.

Before I even make it from the bus terminal to the train station in the next building I pass by a woman who says to someone she knows, "This is the part [of the city] they fixed to make it look nice . . . the rest is still a mess."

There are about 200 people in the main train terminal when I walk through the doors--all of them are in various stages of travel-weary. The family of about 8 who are laughing and smiling. A couple of folks segregated out to read alone at their own tables, ready for the next leg of their journeys. A few less exhausted souls barely awake on the far side of the room on what appear to be the most uncomfortable (and orange!) high-back benches ever.

Time is shorter than I think, and its cold and wet outside. My crap right shoulder aches from toting around an over-packed carry-on. I seem to be in some dense commercial area near "downtown" . . . I know we passed a gate to Chinatown a few miles back on our way into the station. From the bus terminal exit I saw the State Street building . . . whatever that is. (They are presenting the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker from "NOW - DEC 27" according to the massive hanging signs in the train terminal.)

I head outside, determined to get a photo of something in Boston, even though it's dark. On my way out, I am accosted by two gentlemen wanting change ("Sorry, I don't have any change.") and a cat-call all before I reach the bottom of 6 steps from the station to the sidewalk. I settle for a quick shot of a few buildings visible from the station--exploration will have to wait for another time.

[photo pending]