Day -01 - 08/02/22 - Boston

We were bushed and didn't get started on our day until nearly 10am.  My Garmin fitness tracker quit displaying an accurate time although it accurately tracked my steps. I found an inexpensive tracker aff if a local Target store nearby so we walked over there.  This store, however, was just a pickup point.  I found another store at SouthBay and we decided to use the subway system. Of course, that brought up the memories of the song by the Kingston Trio about poor Charlie stuck riding the MTA for lack of fare money to get off the train.  The modern MBTA (Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority) memorializes him by naming the fare card the 'Charlie card).  It's a cute reminder.

 

We initially were a bit confused about how to use the system, but a helpful young man wearing a 'fare ambassador' shirt helped us out. We purchased a two ride ticket (RT essentially for $4.80 each and took the elevator down to the subway level. We followed the signs to the green train, waited a bit and took that train a couple stations away where we transferred to the red line which took us to our stop at Andrew.  

 

We emerged from the subway back into the oppressive heat and followed our gps directions to the large Target store about 1/2 mile away.  I found the $35 tracker, purchased it, and tried to set it up while in the store. It wouldn't turn on, and the instruction booklet was worthless.  So I figured it likely had to be charged so I just packed it up in my backpack and headed out back to the subway station.

 

Our decision was to visit the Bunker Hull monument which was quite a ways from SouthBay, but the trusty MTA would get us there. So north we went on the red line and transferred to the orange line after getting off the red line one stop too early and having to wait 15 minutes for the next red line train. We rode the orange line to the community college stop. Emerging from the subway we could see the Bunker Hill monument and easily walked up the hill to it in the oppressive heat. We took a few pictures and then started walking the Freedom Trail to the USS Constitution, the oldest ship in the US Navy.  By the time we reached the ship, I was really getting hot.  We lingered in the Visitor Center with its powerful air conditioning before venturing out to board the ship.  It's in remarkable condition and we enjoyed our brief visit.

 

The walk back to the hotel was beastly hot.  We stopped at the first restaurant we saw for some cold Diet Cokes and an excellent club sandwich.  We lingered there past their closing before finishing our walk back to the hotel. Back in the room we noted we had walked over 6 miles (15,000 plus steps).  Cold showers were refreshing and I put the new fitness tracker in a charger and found a YouTube video in how to set it up (very helpful). 

 

We took an Uber over to the theater district and spent our evening at the Emerson Colonial Theater watching the new play 'A Beautiful Noise' about the life of Neil Diamond.  It was simply fabulous and only 6 performances remain here in Boston before it opens on Broadway in November.  If you have any interest in his music, this is a must see play. After the play, we strolled in the still warm but cooler night air back to our hotel.

 

I finished the set up of my new fitness tracker and we once again cooled off with showers before retiring for the night.  We board the Nieuw Statendam tomorrow amidst much controversy about boarding times due to a mandatory US Coast Guard inspection. The controversy is centered around changes in boarding times.  Our latest notice of boarding time is 1pm although the inspection notification has us boarding at 1:30.  Our booked room has also changed. So it should be interesting.  Before we board, we'll do a tour of Faneuil Hall, an important historical stop on the Freedom Trail. Then it's Uber time once again.