Day 14: hanging in New york

It's not as efficient as it once was, but we set off this morning for the obligatory run in Central Park. Didn't really get going early, and the subway ride takes a while, but it's a must do. Still a great park. Lots of dirt trails to get lost in. The people were out in groves on a sunny Saturday in July, but hat comes with the business of the largest park in the largest city in the country.

Hauled all the way back to shower and get a little brunch, then oddly enough headed back out, to that exact same spot to check out the natural history museum. I hadn't been there since 2010, so I wanted to check it out again. He thing is absolutely enormous. We perused the animal mounts from various continents and dabbled a little of the fossils. It's so cool to gaze up at the remains of some 100 ft long creature. The blue whale to scale is still one of the highlights though. Very cool.

Back in Brooklyn, we grabbed dinner with deLaubs and Beita at Vanessa's dumplings. It's a good cheap eat place with an original location I had been to in Chinatown.

Not much motivation to go out in the evening. We relaxed on the patio watching the sun set over the east river and Williamsburg bridge. Not a bad activity if your staying in though.

Day 13: mega busing to the big apple

After a much spirited discussion of the most efficient path in NYC, we settled on leaving our car parked out in front of Kim and tillmans place and walk to the 30th st station to catch the mega bus. The thought of taking a train is very enticing, but round trip is $120 vs $20 for the bus. Not even close. The reviews online weren't too positive for any of the three companies that bused people, but it wasn't really that big of a deal. Sure, some guy feels the need to have an extended heated discussion on his phone, but it was an otherwise uneventful trip.

We got dumped off somewhere in midtown and took the subway down to deLaubs office in the financial district. We dropped our stuff off and took a spin to the 911 memorial, battery park, and Wall Street. Piscillas was suggested to us for a sandwich. For 12$ you get a massive panini hat we spilt with fresh cured Italian meats, mozzarella, and arugula. Amazing sandwich, which we ate to the rhythm of techno music and a carousel of people coming through to get his 14 in. sandwich.

With deLaubs, we took the ferry back across to Brooklyn. He lives in south Williamsburg at the foot of the Williamsburg bridge. A 7th floor apartment with a nice sized deck overlooking the bridge.

We went out on the town for the evening, too many drinks and Caribbean food around Williamsburg. It's kind of a millennial, hipster central, gentrified over the last decade to the point of very expensive rents and lots of restaurants, designer shops, and others

A good first introduction to New York for Kate and a nice return for me.

Day 12: Philadelphia

Well- the car started up this morning no questions asked. We weaved through the edge of NYC, passing what could have been in van Cartland park (we were hoping to run there en route yesterday) and Washington heights manhattan, (another big time revolutionary war site!). We stopped at the Vince lambardi memory service stop just across the Hudson in New Jersey for some gas. Nothing memorializes someone better than a rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike. Thomas Edison was the beneficiary at another one a few miles down the road. He would be so proud. 

Full service fuel is still a thing in jersey (it was sometimes in Vermont too). I remember mike Henderson saying it was a law in jersey to require it. Talk about hanging onto jobs of the past. As nice as everyone we've met this trip has been (and it's been amazing), the guy pumping was closer to the stereotype of some guy pumping gas in New Jersey. Interesting to converse with, if a bit gruff.

Kim and Tillman live in an amazing apartment just off downtown. The view from their floor to ceiling windows is phenomenal, overlooking the skyline. 

After a run along the schuylkill, we wandered around the city for the afternoon. Got a snack at reading terminal market, checked out the independence hall visitor center, saw the liberty bell, from the outside, mind you because who needs to pay to see it close and wait in line for 30 min to do so.

We ended up back in their neighborhood for dinner at kite and key. It's a pub like atmosphere that we really wanted in our neighborhood,  but don't quite have. They also live near the best Whole Foods I've seen, even beating out the amazing one in Boston we went to. Definitely catering to the millennial tastes. There's like 4-5 food kiosks right when you come in that will serve food to order, basically the caf at Gustavus, there's even a pizza place and an area with something like 15 beers on tap. Their cheese selection beats out most cheese stores and the seafood selection was unbelievable.

It's funny though, Kate and I both think their place is amazing, and exploring Philadelphia would be really cool. But at the end of the day, for me at least, I don't think I'd be sustainable in that big of a city. The running is serviceable where they are, but it's going to be the same 2ish routes every day. The parking is 19$ a day outside their apartment, which we are currently paying during our time in New York. There's also not a neighborhood park a few blocks away like we have in Minneapolis, and we have 3 within a 15 min walk. 

As slug from atmosphere raps in his Minnesota song: "roam if you must, but come home when you've seen enough". 

Day 11: car blues

well, long story short, we were supposed to leave for Philadelphia today, but when we put the key in the ignition, it wouldn't turn over. Not a battery problem, it just wouldn't catch. After a brutally long wait for the tow where they kept stringing us along on wait time, we got the car towed to a foreign auto shop not far from Mel's apartment. Got breakfast at a cafe nearby and headed downtown to make the most of our time while waiting.

Ate lunch at a food truck in the Boston commons and strolled around the park to kill time. The problem is that you don't know when they'all call, so you also don't want to commit to a super long activity. Despite being in a reasonably amazing spot to be waiting for your car, it ended up feeling like a wasted day.

Again, we got strung along a bi after bringing the car in early, hey had looked at it, but never called us and eventually, we just went back at 4:30 to get an up update. The owner was a nice guy, but was still out for the day, so, more waiting. We did talk to a couple of the mechanics who had, very frustrating and relievingly at the same time, gotten it to start right away.

When  we did finally talk to the guy by 7:20 or so, he said they didn't have a great lead on what the problem was. We was going to look at a few things that night but had no guarantees. We initially leaned toward just holding up for the night in a hotel. But the uncertainty of actual improvement and the additional cost (both money and time) swayed us to just go for it. If it started once, it could go again. So we struck off towards Philadelphia trying for as far as we could.

Providence looked nice, if difficult to tell going 60 on the freeeway through it. Ended up in Sanford, Ct at a super inn. Very unexciting, but at least we knocked out a good portion of the drive.

Note- I'm in the future right now and we did indeed make it to philly just fine. Ready for NYC this morning via bus.

Day 10: Boston in full color

Attempted my second speed work since quitting running along the bay of Quincy overlooking the harbor islands, the view was great although a non- concrete path would have improved it. Lots of people out- as expected on a beautiful day when most people are off. Kate and Mel did a workout in the fitness center so we really didn't get rolling for downtown until 11.

Mel had the day off for the forth, so she was our tour guide for the day in Boston! Drove to the T and took the red line into the city. Kate and I both like riding public transit. It's good people watching and nice to not have to worry about your car once you get downtown. We spent the morning wandering north Boston, get cannoli, then checking out old north Church and Paul reveres house. It was quite packed, hard to say whether for the 4th or just because it's peak season.

Next we checked out up the New England aquarium- still cool! Loved checking out the various exhibits, although it does make you feel a little sad with how much we are screwing up the environments.

Post aquarium, we were all tired of walking around so it was time to hit up some bars. First: bell in hand- the oldest continuously open bar in America. After that, just across the street was the union oyster house, for a couple oysters and a Cup of chowder. We also walked down to the liberty hotel per suggestion of an office lady at north. A very ritzy hotel that used to be a jail.

After the rather extravagant afternoon, we saved a little money by picking up burger supplies at while Whole Foods and having a barbecue at her place in Quincy. It was a relaxed, and American way to end the 4th.

Day 9: Tracing the revolutionary war

An awesome first day in Boston....even it most of it wasn't spent in actual Boston. Went for a morning run on the emerald necklace; a string of ponds and a creek that bill Rodgers used to train on back in the 80s. They are fantastic. Dirt for much of it, it inconsistent, but a nice gem of woods surrounded by city. My legs were actually pretty tired from hiking so it was a bit of a slog, even with good scenery.

We found a brunch spot in cambridge across the river, Petsi's pies. Decent coffee and egg sandwiches. After this, I basically drug Kate to all of the random revolutionary war sites en route to concord, but I think she enjoyed it in the end.

First spot was washingtons command post in Cambridge during the siege.

It's a cool old house, definitely a lot of money put into the renovation and upkeep of it. It want open and it looked like they were actively working on the interior, but we were able to walk right up to it, which was pretty cool.

From there, we went to the Lexington battle green. I hadn't been here since 4th grade so it was cool to envision again as an adult. Next up was a stop at the minute man historic park visitor center. I was glad to have read up on the revolutionary war stuff but it was also nice to help fit more of the pieces together. We walked a little down the battle road to Paul Revere's capture site, then got in the car again and took a look at the north bridge in concord. Id imagine that it's surrounded by suburbs, wemthe park service did a nice job with the battle road. It feels very peaceful when walking it and it's gernerally only views of woods and fields.

The hope was also to check out Walden pond, but they weren't accepting visitors as they said that the park reserve was currently at capacity. Somehow I don't believe this was as much related to checking out Thoreau's cabin, but more in line with the beach on an 88 degree day. Oh well though, it'll save something for when I come back next time.

We headed back to Boston and Kate and Mel did a strengt class at a boxing gym in south Boston that Mel had started going to. I chose for a walk up to Dorchester heights. South Boston has really gentrified based on the reputation I had heard of it. The historic houses were incredibly well kept and there were new apartments going up all over the place at the base of the hill. Kind of a sad reality that close to the city center. The view is good from the heights, but you can't even really see the harbor through the trees and houses. I also believe that they filled in much of the old harbor so perhaps the view might have once been there. They had a couple cool history vignettes on Irish in southie too which was kind of cool to take in.

I still had time to kill on the walk back so I swung by a bar down the street from the gym. More of what I'd imagine a traditional south Boston bar, it was a good experience.

We ate dinner at worden hall, kind of general American food, but good. The taco place that Mel had originally hoped for was a 2 hour wait, and still was crazy busy after we finished our dinner. Another next time member I guess.

Day 8: graylock and beantown

Our first destination today was mount graylock, the tallest point in Massachusetts. It's no beast at some 3,500 feet, but there's a lot of hiking trails there and it's on the way to Boston so why not.

We picked a 5.6 mile round trip approach from the city of Adams, ma. It was steadily up, but nothing out of the ordinary. The view is amazing, although you can also drive right up it, meaning there's lots of people milling about. There's even an old school lodge to stay at, with fairly reasonable prices given its location.

We weaved through some more back roads and eventually hooked into the notorious 90 east turnpike,  Boston bound.

Stopped at a Whole Foods to pick up some pizza supplies to cook for Mel Howe, Kate's friend that we are staying with in Boston. Mel lives in Quincy, just south of Boston. Kate did some catching up as we cooked up our standard pizza. Not a super eventful day,  but we are ready to roll tomorrow in Boston.