Game Night

We have been having game night with a few of our friends the last couple of months.  Doing old school games like Pictionary and Taboo.  Such fun!

Souvenirs

I went all "Lobstahs" on Camden.  She loved the big pencil and that the lobster gummies were strawberry flavor, not lobster.  I also got her a green Boston t-shirt.  The spoon dish is for me.

I also brought back three chocolate bars and two jars of olives from Eataly.  We all three agreed that the dark chocolate was too bitter for us - especially the 85% cacao. 

Two Meals - Eataly & Atlantic Fish Co.

Eataly is a series of restaurants and Italy market places owned by Mario Batali.  He has 14 of these establishments in Europe (and beyond) and 4 in the US. 

A walked around the marketplace was incredible.  Stations making fresh mozzarella, pasta, cannoli, jars of olives and olive oil from every region in Italy, chocolate, pesto, etc.  I could have shopped for hours.

Haddon, Beth, Paul and I ate upstairs at Terra.  It was an open grill/kitchen.  

We ordered the Gran Tagliere (chef's selection of things on a board) to share as an appetizer. 

Then we each ordered a pasta dish.  I got fazzoletti al sugo di funghi - housemade fazzoletti pasta with foraged mushrooms.

Haddon told us that the cannoli and espresso bar were located as you leave the market so that they can entice you to buy something.  He bought us a sampling of cannoli to share when we got back to our conference room.  Glad to get my cannoli fix while here on the east coast.

Our last day of the conference wrapped up on Monday morning.  After we got our stuff boxed up and shipped via Fed Ex, the whole staff goes out for a celebratory lunch.  Dena, our boss, picked a beautiful landmark institution for Boston's best seafood - sourced from the harbor every morning.  Truly spectacular.

We got two plates of shrimp cocktail to share...there were 8 of us, so we each got one, but they were huge and the best I've ever had!  And at $20 for each plate, they should be!

Several of us took advantage of the lobster.  They serve them whole in 1 1/4, 2, and 3 lb options.  Paul got the small one and had it served out of the shell.  I kinda wished I had done this too, but I loved my lobster fra diavolo (fresh picked lobster meat, linguine and spicy tomato sauce).

Dena and I got the peppermint ice cream pie to share for dessert.  This would not normally have been my pick, but was delicious and perfect ending to our meal.

Of note, is that the Atlantic Fish Company is located right behind the site of the 2nd bomb from the Boston Marathon bombing.  The city is in the process of creating a memorial at this location - the black top bump out of the sidewalk behind the orange barrels.  Just past the stop light is the finish line where the 1st bomb would have happened.

As I said, we are all spoiled by the generosity and hospitality of the Wabash Center.  I never paid a dime for anything besides the cannoli from Mike's and souvenirs.  It was a fantastic experience and I loved being in Boston, but am also glad to get home!

Freedom Trail

After a quick rest in my room, we met up with our work freelance photographer/videographer.  He actually lives in Switzerland now, but was brought in to work the conference.  He did graduate school at Berklee College of Music in Boston and lived in the area for 8 years.  One of his jobs while there was a costumed interpreter on the Freedom Trail.  So he hosted Beth and I that evening and gave us a personal tour.  He was a wealth of knowledge!

Standing in Boston Common looking at the Massachusettes statehouse.

The Boston Latin School (oldest public school in America) where 5 signers of the Declaration of Independence attended (Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and William Hooper).  Franklin is it's most notable dropout. 

The old statehouse.  Signs of British rule are the statues on the top roof corners.  The balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was first read in 1776.  Where the men are walking is the site of the Boston Massacre.

We made our way back to Faneuil Hall and then had dinner at The Black Rose, a wonderful Irish Pub.  We shared two appetizers - the best onion rings I have ever had and pastry wrapped bangers (even better than the onion rings!).

I had fish and chips.  The fish was scrod, which Haddon (knowledge galore!) explained is actually not a kind of fish.  It is an small cut of white fish.  Here in Boston restaurants, it is the small catch of the day - literally.  All I know is that it was so tender and delicious!

 A graduate student who is a friend of Haddon and his wife also joined us for the tour and dinner.

Afternoon Excursion - Historic Boston

On the day of the pre-conference, we had a morning of set-up, getting the session started with a luncheon, and making sure everything was going well.  Then we were "free" the rest of the day.

My colleague, Beth, and I decided we would head out to see a few sights for the afternoon.  We took the T (subway) to Faneuil Hall.

A little history of this place (from it's website).

In 1742 Peter Faneuil, Boston's wealthiest merchant, built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city.

The edifice was home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, and provided a platform for the country's most famous orators. It is where colonists first protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of "no taxation without representation."

Firebrand Samuel Adams rallied the citizens of Boston to the cause of independence from Great Britain in the hallowed Hall, and George Washington toasted the nation there on its first birthday

We walked through it and the Quincy Market, home to all kinds of food vendors and a market place of shops.  We then crossed over to the North Side Neighborhood to follow part of the Freedom Trail.  We made a quick stop in "Little Italy" to buy some cannoli's at Mike's Pastry, a local landmark.

A few blocks down was Paul Revere Park which connected to the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea).

In the courtyard of the church was a monument to all the fallen soldiers in Afghanistan.  Each dog tag represents one soldier.

Inside the church.  Each family had a pew box with a plaque on the door with their family's name.

Around the corner, we found a chocolatier and printing press shop from the 1800's.

He told us that the printing press was similar to the one Ben Franklin had in Philadelphia (I told him I had seen it).  Ben would have apprenticed at a shop like this one in Boston.  He also said the Declaration of Independence would have said the same thing, but the layout would have looked different if printed in Boston vs. printed in Philly.

A few blocks over was Paul Revere's house.

We walked back a slightly different way and saw Faneuil Hall from a new angle.  It looked so interesting among the modern skyline. 

We talked about walking to a few other attractions (USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, etc.) but it was a bit chilly and breezy so we decided to head back to our hotel for a little afternoon nap.

Boston Conference

I had a work conference in Boston.  I was gone for 5 days.  Longest I have been away from Camden - even summer camp is only 4 days.

We stayed at the Sheraton in the back bay neighborhood.  I had a lovely corner room on the 7th floor with fun city views.

It was a little dreary and overcast, plus it gets darker about an hour earlier...so by 4:30 the sky is beginning to say goodnight.

Three other co-workers were in for the pre-conference meetings the next morning, so we headed out for a nice dinner at Ye Olde Union Oyster House.  This is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America.  JFK was a regular as were many historical figures dating back to the revolution.

I am not a huge seafood eater, but wanted to try as much of it as possible while on the East Coast.  We got grilled oysters as a shared appetizer (along with calamari) and I had a lobster roll for dinner. 

My work place considers extravagant hospitality to be of central importance.  We were well fed (lots of food pictures to follow) and taken care of.