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New England: Concord MA and it Hertz |
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Written by Stephen Baines
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Monday, 28 June 1999 |
I've had a very exciting day today... I woke up to the dulcet tones of a drill going through a wall, and so the alarm call that was booked wasn't really needed. I had my "continental" breakfast, and set off for Concord Massachusetts, and to find The Concord Consortium who are running the Virtual High School project.
The US1 highway is very interesting, as from the Comfort Inn I could only go north, and the exits aren't exactly clear if they are ones where it will be possible to turn around to go the other way... Needless to say I took a few wrong ones before one that got me pointing in the right direction. Boston and it's lack of signs then further hindered things, as suddenly without warning there was a distinct lack of signs once I'd turned off telling me even vaguely where to go, and a road with 5 possible options. I shut my eyes (not really), and pulled away and saw which way the traffic forced me... 10 miles later I ended back on the US1 northbound, and I decided to take option B... The US95 to get to Concord. I did this via a 3 mile traffic jam and some very unpredictable traffic. Driving, Boston-style, is very nerve wracking! I eventually found the turn off for Concord, and even managed to find the street and the building. I pulled in, and went into the office.
No sign of the person I was meant to meet. Other people were there, and were very helpful, and suggested trying the other office... They in turn suggested a third office... Who in turn informed me that he'd rescheduled his day and had gone to a meeting with a Senator and hadn't even told them he was expecting anyone else, and no they couldn't help at all, and goodbye. I was fuming. This was the only reason I'd made the stop over in Boston - if it'd been a personal preference I'd have stayed in California for a few more days. I took a few snaps of Concord, and set off on the road back. There is a shop that claims to be a priest cleaner in Concord... Make of that what you will.
With no other visits scheduled, as this should have been an all day job, I set off back the scenic route, via Maine and Salem, and saw the New England of Steven King novels. The places fit the mental images perfectly, and do look like the kind of places where spooky goings on went on. Rather morbidly, you can buy witch detecting kits in Salem, the home of the famous witch trials...
I went back, and popped into a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Revere for some tea, and had a quick wander around the shops. The restaurant was particularly interesting... I ordered my food, took it away, and the woman behind me in the queue followed me and sat an adjoining table, and stared... And stared... And stared... This was a little off putting - this was really nice chinese food, and I felt under the microscope somewhat. I checked my teeth for spinach, but decided it must be something else. Eventually she plucked up courage and said something "Excuse me, don't I know you?". I suddenly think if I know anybody who lives in Boston Ma, decide I don't and say "Sorry, I don't think so". Why did I say that - I didn't know here, period. Why "I don't think so"?. I'd rather daftly left the door open.
"Sure I do" says the woman who then tells me "you're that nurse aren't you? In that British doctors thing".
Like a fool I twig what she meant and said "what? Casualty?". Well, that was that. I couldn't deny it now, as far as she was concerned I was "that nurse" in Casualty, and I'd made her day. Further denials just confirmed it. Apparantly its on one of the cable channels, and she'd heard I was trying to break into the USA... In the end there was only one way out, and that was to sign her magazine, and tell her how wonderful the cast are to work with...
Some particularly uninspiring shops, so I decided enough was enough - the weather was far too hot and muggy outside, and I decided to take the hire car back to Hertz and get it over with. This car has to be the most evil car in the history of driving. Not only is it as previously reported gutless in the extreme - to the point of being dangerous when pulling out onto the Interstates and Freeways, let alone junctions - it also has major handling vices, and a terrible brake bias which leaves you yanking on the wheel whenever you touch the brakes to stop it veering off to the right... I would be glad to hand the damn thing over. Evil, evil, evil. You may have got the impression I wasn't too in love with this car...
I drove down to Logan Airport, and the Hertz depot to drop off the car. I drove in handed over my paperwork, to be told $202 would be charged to my Visa card... I was more than a little surprised as the voucher should have paid for it. It wasn't late, and I said so. She said "So? You're paying by Visa". No, says I. I paid by voucher. "Not my problem - says here you're paying by Visa" says the very helpful lady "If you've a problem see them inside".
I went inside pretty sharpish to sort this out. No queue, go to the front, only to be fobbed off with I'd have to phone Hertz headquarters or go back to my hotel to get any proof I have. I take his phone off him (politely) and ask him the number, and refuse to let him serve anyone else... The woman at Hertz at the other end says it's Boston's problem to sort out "Can you tell this assistant here that please? He seems unwilling to help". The man behind the counter starts to blush and tries again to fob me off. I demand to see the manager, still refusing to let him serve anyone else until I'm sorted... The manager turns up and asks what the problem is... I explain very diplomatically. He asks if they took the voucher, yes says I, that's how I got the car in the first place. Do I have a copy of the voucher? Yes, says I, back at the hotel - and it's now somewhat difficult to go and get it as I've handed in the car - do they want to drive me back there? Then a new assistant came on duty - the one that served me Saturday night. I pointed him out, and said it was him who served me. Thankfully for my sanity and the health of the manager at Hertz, he remembered me, and yes indeed remembered I had a voucher, and he'd took it, but he'd not typed in the details into the computer. It took an hour to sort out. I was not a happy bunny. At all. And nothing in the way of an apology.
I caught the Hertz bus back to Logan Airport, and then the Comfort Inn shuttle back to the hotel. The driver was Boston born and bred, and knew the place backwards. We stopped at another terminal to pick up another couple - an elderly English couple, who thought I was American, even when I spoke... This was getting ridiculous. I was then treated to a display of Boston driving. The driver set off and pulled out all over the place, mucho fist waving, papping of horns, flashing lights and assorted other gestures too complex to get a hang off all in the space of 1 mile. Then we got to the main road, which was lockjam, so he took us the scenic route around the different areas of Boston that the tourists don't normally see. It was nice to see some of the less touristy (ahem) areas of Boston, and see what the city is like for normal people. Eventually we made it back to the hotel, where I've a thumping headache and a developing personality complex about exactly who I am... |
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