phew, what a day

pecosy showed up on my doorstep around 6:30 this morning. She had flown all the way across the country and arrived an hour earlier than expected. She crashed in the TV room while I passed out upstairs, and then around noon we regained consciousness and walked over to Kelly's Diner in Ball Square for fine brunchy things.

Fortified by home fries and french toast, we walked all around Boston. We started by taking the train to Charles/MGH and wandering through the construction zone. We headed up around Beacon Hill, over to Downtown Crossing for a beer or two in The Littlest Bar, then across through the Financial District and down to Rowe's Wharf, then across to South Station, up through Chinatown, and finally back through the Boston Common and the remnants of today's Fall Freedom Rally, an annual hempfest where this year, only 53 arrests were made.

Have I mentioned I love living in a walking city?

Finally we looped back through more Beacon Hill and ended up at Charles/MGH again, where we took the train to Porter and met up with genarti for dinner at Sugar & Spice. Then we walked up to North Cambridge for drinks at Joe Sent Me, which was not-so-crowded, even on a game night. I rather like Joe Sent Me for that very reason; it's a nice local joint which never seems to be horrendously crowded, yet has been in business since at least when I moved to the area in 2002 so hopefully they're doing something right. Plus they have Guinness on tap for when you wants your Guinness, and they have Hoegaarden on tap for when you wants your beer what tastes like flowers. I have enjoyed copious amounts of both this afternoon and evening.

There was one destination which I have conveniently neglected to mention. That I shall do tomorrow once I have catalogued all the pictures. It was wicked awesome, the first time I'd ever been there, and you'll enjoy the travelogue, I think. But for now, I'm passing out again.

The Secrets of the Ether Dome

THE LADY AT THE INFORMATION DESK was as professional as they come. High-cheekboned, smartly dressed, standing against a backdrop of "Welcome!" written in many different languages. She smiled a perfunctory smile at me and Pecos, two casual touristy types, as she how-may-I-help-youed. Her associate to her right was speaking to a family in a language I didn't know. "Well, I guess I've got a bit of a weird request," I started. Her brow furrowed. "How weird?" she asked. ( "We'd like to see the Ether Dome, please," I said. )