We will be making two trips to the Boston area in December. The first one is to attend a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Quincy, and the second trip is to help out during the last week of school for Joe and Jessica.
Christmas tree in front of Lighthouse Fellowship in Quincy.
In between the two visits we will be in NJ to (i) go to dinner with my "twin" Lorinda and her husband Henry; and (ii) attend a NJ Symphony performance with Messiah in Princeton. The other option is to skip those and remain in MA.
12/10 Saturday. We were in Hoboken looking after Ellie's children while she and Kuau were away. They returned Friday early evening. Anne and I decided to head back to South Amboy, and leave for the airport from there on Saturday.
Uber to Newark was easy enough. Today's driver was a bit on the reckless side, exceeding the speed limit by a considerable amount, and generally a little too aggressive for my comfort.
Our flight to Boston left on time, took 40 minutes wheels up to wheels down, and was pretty empty. We got in early enough that we had time to eat lunch at Stephanie's, a Priority Pass restaurant. Prices have gone up quite a bit, with a clam chowder costing $13.50 (Legal Seafood charges about the same).
This is a substantial hamburger. Cost? $25.
We had planned to rent a car, but decided to borrow Joe's car. They picked us up at the airport, then drove to a Quincy train station, and left us with his car. They were planning to take the T back home, but the Orange Line wasn't running, so they ended up walking over a mile from Davis Square.
ACCESS and Lighthouse Fellowship of Quincy held a Christmas concert feature the Enharmonic Ministry singers. After a program of about 90 minutes we all went outside for the tree-lighting, which was basically Pastor Mike plugging the lights in. It was a cold day (around freezing), so quite appropriate for the occasion.
The ACCESS people went to Ming's Restaurant in Quincy to have dinner afterwards.
The Enharmonic Ministry singers provided a lot of Christmas music. Several of its members didn't show up because of COVID.
ACCESS folks at Ming Restaurant in Quincy. Simon's family are on the right.
The grandchildren were happy to see us.
Accommodation: Putnam Road, Somerville, MA (2 nights).
12/11 Sunday. I attended David's Sunday School and the St. Paul's Bloor Street service, both on line. Anne and I then went out for lunch at Burger KIng's, and then the "99 Market" for some Chinese groceries.
Harrison and Emmie had an online piano recital.
12/12 Monday. CC was not feeling well this morning, so she stayed home. Joe came back at around 11:30 am and took us to the airport. We were upgraded (they had informed us a couple of days ago) and the flight was uneventful. Uber was at over $60, so we took the train home.
A couple of reasons for our return to NJ for a few days. One was dinner with the Homs on Monday. L was not feeling well, so the dinner was cancelled. We did manage the second "objective": going to a Messiah concert, which was quite enjoyable.
12/17 Saturday. United upgraded us to first class the day before, which wasn't unexpected as the plane was quite empty. When the actual flight took off, however, it was full. One major reason was the flight prior was cancelled, so many of the passengers on that flight were on our flight. By that time most of the F seats on our flight were already gone, so there were a few unhappy passengers. I heard the ground crew talking about compensation for such passengers. It was a good thing United never has bumped me back down from a confirmed upgrade, for which it should be commended.
Meanwhile, Jess and DD also got sick, and CC hasn't completely recovered. So we booked the AC Hotel in Station Landing Medford using my Marriott free night certificate. Joe and Emmie came to the airport to pick us up, and we had dinner at Yoki.
Anne and I also shared a late night "snack" from Five Guys.
Accommodation: AC Hotel, Medford, MA (2 nights).
12/18 Sunday. The "astute" reader will notice we stayed at the AC Hotel for 2 nights. Late last night we decided the sick might still be infectious, so it would be prudent for Anne and I to continue to stay out. When it was first completed (about 5 years ago), it would cost $300 to $500 (if memory serves) a night, for tonight it was about $140. We got a corner room (an upgrade), and it was pleasant enough. The hotel charges $19 for a rather spartan breakfast, although for the first night they gave us $20 in food credit. Right next door are the Fairfield and TownePlace Suites - the logic somewhat escapes me as they all cost about the same. In any case, $140 is a reasonable price, $300 may be a bit high.
We spent the morning shopping at Costco and Stop & Shop (mostly groceries for Joe Jr). Emmie visited us after her Chinese School, and we had dinner together at Pho Town 7, which replaced Kebab Corner.
12/19 Monday. We checked out of the hotel at around 9 am and came to Putnam. Jess and DD stayed home, and CC was generally okay. I baked rack of lamb for dinner.
Accommodation: Putnam Road, Somerville (3 nights).
12/20 Tuesday. Emmie took part in a school concert; she had been learning the cello for a few months. Anne and Jess went while I held down the fort.
Emmie is the one on the right, holding a cello, with a mask on.
When Anne got back, I took Joe's car to visit a friend from high school. We had gotten back into contact recently, having lost touch since our high school graduation. He lives in Needham, about 45 minutes from Somerville. We chatted for several hours.
Francis and I both graduated from DBS in 1969. He now lives in Needham.
Meanwhile, DD continues to feel unwell, running a slight temperature. COVID test results were negative (and he had it in August), so may be it's the flu.
12/21 Wednesday. There is an impending storm that would arrive in a couple of days. The forecasts seem to say we should not be affected by it, but I thought it was prudent to see if I can switch - especially since United offered free changes because of it. All earlier flights were booked up.
12/22 Thursday. When Joe texted me to say he found available seats on the 2:05 pm flight, I was on a conference call. Sure enough when I checked at 11 am, seats were still available. Joe dropped us off at around 12:35 pm, so we had enough time to get something to eat at Stephanie's. We had the middle and aisle seats in an exit row where seats don't recline, but the extra leg room made up for it. The 40-minute flight time turned into an hour, but I would still consider it a good flight. We Uber'd home.
This fish and chips dish is quite good. But should it cost $28? Or a small bowl of clam chowder for $13.5?
Our original flight left a bit late and got in at around 8 pm, which was not bad. But we are glad to be home for a few hours before Joe Jr and family showed up at around 11:30 pm that evening.
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