Aclimated at last ~ Day 4

7/09/07 ~ Well we are on better mental time clock today and got up early enough to wander about in the rain to find a good breakfast spot. We ended up at Thornton's on Huntington Avenue, just a couple blocks away from the hotel. I had wanted to go over the Church of Christ, Scientist as the travel guides had shown some gorgeous photos of the architecture and the reflection pool, but with the rain we just sat on the restaurant patio under an umbrella and ate bagels and scrambled eggs and didn't venture off walking any further. The wait staff sure was not user friendly, but the food was good in the end.

Conference was GREAT today, was Web 2.0 all about social software and what's out there and how to use it. Good take aways and resources in a nice binder, much better than yesterday. Speakers were engaging and dynamic, hands on.

This was our afternoon to take an adventure so while it was still light out (4:30p) we began to head in the direction of Cheers (the original) over by the Commons on Beacon Street. When we arrived it looked just like in the TV show, wow, I could almost hear the music playing in my head! That was really fun, brought home the placemats to laminate, the first time I've found any good ones in quite a while! What was it I saw in the bathroom in Lir the other day a poster with a bunch of trivial information on it ... a person who collects beer coasters is known as a tegestologist ... so I guess I am one of those! I wonder what they call those who collect placemats ... maybe just 'weird'! ha ha ...

After our Blue Moons, potato skins and onion rings (which were huge BTW) we started out to walk the Freedom Trail (http://www.thefreedomtrail.org). Beginning in the Boston Commons you just follow the red brick (sometimes painted) walking trail that leads eventually over to Bunker Hill. This was an incredible 2.5mi walk (we didn't cross the Charles River to Bunker Hill as dark was setting in), sooo much history from the American Revolution era, to be able to walk the same streets, touch the same buildings and see the same sights as those who lived at that time really brings it to life for me. The Granary Burying Ground was amazing; Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and all 5 Boston Massacre victims graves are here. The Old North Church where the lanterns shone their signal the night of Paul Revere's midnight ride and so much more was just captivating. The streets are beautiful, sometimes narrow, weathered, and cobblestoned. Lots of Irish pubs to be found here! Having walked ourselves out, we succumbed to taking the subway back to the hotel, after all you have not fully immersed yourself in a city until you have taken its subway. This one falls somewhere between New York nasty and D.C. pristine, not bad. We stopped at Lir for a pint before heading in for the evening very tired. Was happy that the rain had subsided and that the day was accommodating for our little walkabout, not one I will soon forget!