Day 6
Today we're travelling to Boston by train which leaves from Penn station at 11.00 am. So plenty of time to finish packing, get some breakfast and make our way to the station which is literally across the road from our hotel.
As it had been so good, and not far away we returned to Guy and Gallard for breakfast. We shared a fruit cup of strawberries and pineapple then Steve played safe with another Western omelette while I had a strawberry yogurt with granola. I had also bought a pain au chocolat but ended up saving it for later.
Although the entrance to Penn station was just across the road, we had to go pretty much all the way to the other side of the station to find the platform that our train would be leaving from. It's a fairly old station and there was just the one escalator for all the passengers to get down with all their luggage. We had "reserved seats" but unlike in the UK they were not specific seats and we could board anywhere. We were most impressed with the comfort of the train, nice wide seats and plenty of leg room, and also that wifi was available via Amtrak which was infinitely better than that from the hotel! The journey took about 4 1/2 hours (a slight delay due to police activity on the line once we were about half an hour away from Boston) - not quick but quite a relaxed trip. We came in to Boston South station so had to get a taxi to our hotel - the Royal Sonesta - which is on the Cambridge side of the Charles river. Looking at a map of the area, it was quite remarkable the familiar place names being shared in the UK and New England including Braintree, Manchester, Warwick, Taunton, Bristol and Portsmouth.
This hotel is very nice indeed - from our window we can see the Museum of Science and part of the Charles River. It is definitely more expensive but seems worth it. The only niggle being that there are no facilities for making tea or coffee in the room. Thankfully the water is drinkable as there is a charge of $4 for a bottle!
Having freshened up and got some directions and a map, we walked over the river into Boston - about 1 1/2 miles - to an Irish bar and restaurant called Kinsales. Some dishes on the menu were offered at smaller serving sizes so I opted for the smaller Steak Tips with colcannon and green beans (still couldn't eat it all!) with a glass of sangria, while Steve had swordfish with sweet potato chips and vegetables with more beer to drink - he's getting through them this holiday!!!
Now to get back again using the 'T' as it is known. We thought we were in the right location for State Street station but could we see the entrance?! It really wasn't obvious so we had to ask someone who kindly pointed it out just across the road from where we were standing. Next battle was to buy tickets from the machine which didn't seem to like our dollar card. Success at the 5th or 6th attempt! We have been very surprised that in most places they don't use chip and pin but still rely on a signature or, in the case of machines like those at the station, on reading the magnetic strip. Evidently, you have to swipe the card at exactly the right speed! The same had happened earlier when trying to get some more cash out.
We had to make a change from the orange line to the green line - there is also a red and a blue line to make up the Boston underground system - in order to reach the station nearest our hotel which is probably 2/3 mile away. Made it back getting slower as the feet were giving out by this time.
Tomorrow it's whale watching for me and a bike ride for Steve. :-)
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