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New England: Monday, 20th August 2001 |
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Written by Stephen Baines
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Monday, 20 August 2001 |
04:00 BST / 23:00 Sunday Local
I'm here at the hotel, as you've previously got Sunday's page, no doubt you've realised I've got an internet connection as well. Irony of irony's is that I didn't have to set up an internet account, by the look of it, as there is an Internet Access Point in the room. My network card and cable, however, are on the other side of the atlantic... But that's getting beyond the moment.
The plane landed safely, and we got through imigration rather quickly. Unlike last time, there were equal processing points for US and Aliens. And then through to collect the luggage. We waited, we waited, we waited... After an hour, I hated Mr Ajakayack of Pensylvania, he had his suitcases, they were going round and round the conveyor every minute or so, and still he didn't collect them. The rest of us waited. Eventually my cases arrived, and off I toddled to the customs. There was a huge crush around the entry point - one one person way through, and several hundred people from our flight, and several hundred from a second flight, and a further several hundred from another flight that just arrived, trying to get through just the one access point. Eventually, sense prevailed, they opened the gate, and through we flooded. I lugged the cases out to the main road, and waited for the Hertz bus.
The Hertz bus arrived, and on I got. I switched on my phone, and found to my surprise that it actually worked. Even more surprisingly, we got to Hertz, and they had my reservation. I filled in the forms, and was given my key. It was now about 20:30 local, 01:30 UK time, and I was feeling a little more tired. I poddled out to the lot, to bay 707, and got in the car. I did remember to get in on the left. Opened the boot, put in the cases, and then noticed the car I've got the next fortnight - a silver Mistubishi Galant.
After a couple of tours of the Hertz complex, just to remind myself how to drive on that side of the road, and to get used to the steering and not changing gears. I felt confident enough to hit the road. On I went, and into the maze around Boston Logan Airport. I quickly got lost, and found myself on the wrong road, and at a roundabout. I followed the signs back to the airport, and this time managed to get into the right lane in time to hit the Sumner Tunnel.
Despite having been to Boston once before, I haven't actually been through the Sumner Tunnel. I wasn't sure what to expect, I wasn't expecting 4 lanes of traffic to bunch up, and then like dodgems force themselves through the toll booth, followed by it going into two lanes, and more dodgems as you decide whether you want to go north or south on the other side. I wasn't, also, expecting it to be so slow... We went through a few at a time, I got bored and pulled out the CDs, and put one on the player in the car. Eventually I almost hit the reason for the slowness - a broken down car in the tunnel. Boston drivers don't appear to be exactly the most considerate, and many battles were faught over those in the left lane trying to get into the right to get by. Through I got, and off onto a relatively clear road.
Onto the 93 North, and on I went, looking out for the turn I wanted. One wrong turn later, when I'd found myself in the right hand lane by accident, and it was forced off, I got to the correct junction, and soon enough found the hotel. Quickly I got parked, got everything into reception, and waited to see if I could get checked in.
The receptionist, unfortunately, was new, and didn't know anything about the booking being on account. After a while, she finally got someone more senior, and it was all sorted in a trice. Up I went to my room, got in, and tried desperately not to go to sleep until a reasonable time. I unpacked, found out how to control the air conditioning (boy, is it humid in Boston!), and wired up the computer. I tried to find something to eat, as well, but it was too late.
07:30 Local
I slept reasonable well, waking only at about 2am (7 BST) briefly, but I did manage to sleep till my usual UK time. I don't feel too bad so far, and I've had the coffee from the machine in the room, so now I'm feeling a tad more lively. I'll have to go exploring later on today.
17:08 Local
I've had the day to acclimatise, and get used to the time zone, and to the heat. More importantly, though, to get used to driving.
The day started off pleasantly enough with breakfast, a particularly healthy one, made up of bacon, sausages, and pancakes with maple syrup, plus several gallons of coffee. Suitably fed, I took a wander up the road in the car to try and find Andover.
ReservoirI must have gone wrong - natch, I definitely went wrong, as somehow I ended up half-way to the coast before I twigged how wrong I'd got. It didn't matter all that much, as it brought something home to me that I'd never seen when I came to Boston before - New England is absolutely beautiful. Just a few miles down the road from the hotel, it's tree lined avenues, forests, lakes... I was in serious danger of putting the car in a fire hydrant. I was completely awestruck at the place.
I had several options, either turn around, or use the lostness as a chance to explore a bit more, and see what else there was around here. I took the interstate south, and through Boston - this time avoiding the Sumner Tunnel - and down to the other side, off towards Providence, finally ending up a few miles North. The area surround Boston is beautiful - really quite magnificent. I feel quite ashamed that I didn't give the place the chance when I was last here, I can only put it down to the fact that it was the end of my journey, I was tired, and ready for home. This time I was fresh, and had a better car to drive, rather than the wreck I had last time. As I'd got as far south as Providence, I took the orbital around Boston on the way back, and went past Concord, a place I'd visited 2 years ago, and onwards.
In total my couple of miles up the road had turned into a 150 mile round trip, but it was worth it. I am now very much looking forward to the weekend, when I can take a trip north, and see what the coast has to offer.
A long trip like this, though, did give me a good chance to get used to driving. The things that are hardest to get used to are quite daft things - the car itself has proven to be no trouble, as last time. You quickly get used to having the handbrake on the wrong side, and the gearshift (that you only use in parking lots), even the rear-view mirror being in the wrong place. The hardest thing is the roads - for some reason, I find myself unable to work out which is left, and which is right when in the US. I put it down to being on the wrong side of the road. It also takes some getting used to things such as u-turns at lights, turning right under reds, and the fact that the signs telling you the junctions off don't mean that lane disappears.
I'm now back at the hotel, and having a little rest, before attempting again to find Andover, and then having something to eat. Again, the American breakfast set me up for the day, and left me feeling unhungry by lunchtime. I'm not sure whether this is entirely a good thing.
21:34 Local
OK, I'm now starting to feel ever so slightly podged. It's been a fun evening.
It started off simple enough, I toddled off using my instructions, trying to find our company's office in Andover ready for the course tomorrow morning. It was more than a little embarassing to find out I'd actually driven straight past it this morning whilst getting thoroughly lost. On the plus side, I've now also found a post office as US stores don't sell stamps.
On my return to the hotel, I decided I'd look in the restaurant and see what was on offer. I saw a few things that caught my eye, and went to sample them. Firstly was the clam chowder... Oh, the clam chowder. I could go into raptures about it - the sublime creaminess of it, the delicious meat in it, the tenderly cooked vegetables, I was in ecstasy. I was rather curious about the accompaniment - something called Oyster Crackers - on closer inspection they looked suspiciously like Peak Freen's Midget Gems without the icing on top. On tasting, they were Midget Gems without the icing on top. But it mattered not, the clam chowder was out of this world. The main course then arrived - lobster pie. If a Holiday Inn-type hotel offered this in the uk, it'd be a microwaved dish of runny liquid with bits of crab stick in, but this was a home made pie, complete with huge pieces of lobster meet, and at least half-a-dozen claw meats (my favourites). If this is what is offered in a mainstream hotel restaurant, I look forward to eating in some of the other chowder houses I've seen up the road. I think I'm going to enjoy eating in New England - I adore sea food, and to find an area as passionate about it as I am makes the whole journey worthwhile in itself. I've got to find some good local recipes and bring them back with me.
I came back to my room, feeling rather nicely full, and ready to flop. I switched on the telly, and was somewhat surprised at what greeted me - shall we just say someone's $9.95 ended up on my tv. I phoned up the front desk, somewhat worried that someone's 'pleasure' was going to be on my account. The girl on the front desk thought it was hilarious, said no it wasn't on my account, and I should just lay back and make the most of it. I tried my best to explain it wasn't my cup of tea, finally the penny dropped, and the problem was resolved. Larry King, et al, returned to my telly.
Which reminds me of possibly the funniest bit of television I've seen so far whilst in the States. Whilst sorting things out, I had CNN on. What got my attention was the interviewer asking someone "so how could you tell a shark had bitten you". The obvious response being there was a huge chunk taken out of my leg, but it turned out it was because they'd been seen for several days. "You have more chance of being hit by lightening than you do getting bitten by a shark" said Mr Surfer-dude. "You were struck by lightening last year, weren't you?" enquired the interviewer. "Yes" responded Surfer-dude, at which point I was too creased up in laughter to actually take in any more. |
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