Boston Day 6

9/24/15

Today started out with some serious excitement. We all got up to make the 8:30 trolley, I wanted to eat breakfast out ... with waitresses and everything. I don't know I prefer breakfast out over any other meal.

Anyway we hop on the shuttle bus from the hotel, get in the backseat and head on our way. We go by A Concourse, drop off some flight crew and then we are train bound. I'm 1/2 asleep and Jack starts yelling at the driver "You are on the wrong side of the road". I instantly try to quiet Jack thinking we are on one of the roads up here that all go in one direction, but no Jack was right - here we are playing chicken with another car and the driver is busy talking on the radio. Jack is yelling, the driver isn't listening. Well the other car veers and cuts on his police lights - you heard right - our idiot driver was playing chicken with a COP. The bus stops, in the middle of the road, cop yells at him "WHAT IN GODS NAME ARE YOU DOING". Cop tells him to pull into the parking lot to our right and he just starts moving, without looking. At which time the cop goes -wait you have to look first. Well the driver doesn't pull into the parking lot, he just pulls over on the side of the road.

By this time the policeman has gone from shocked at this guys idiot behaviour to aggravated and I am just wanting to get on about our day. I call the hotel and tell them the situation... I explained we needed alternate transportation, immediately! The hotel was flabbergasted at the situation I think. I get "please hold"..... music.... music...."we are on the way". LOL All the while we are watching the man with the police - he can't find or does not have a drivers license.

At this point I realize the train is just a ways away and I want of of this bus so we walk to the front and ask the policeman if we can leave. He says yes, and explains to me, that our driver was not driving on the right side of the road. I tell him we know and thank him for his time -- we proceed to walk away. I don't know what happened with the driver. I do know he should not be allowed to drive for a living. He talked on his cell while driving, then got distracted with hand radio and then failed to listen to his passenger who was yelling at him about being on the wrong side of the road. If any of you know my husband you know his military voice is not something easily ignored.... it goes right to your core. I pray he is fine and that he finds another profession. I can tell you I will never get on a shuttle he is driving again!

So by this point us getting up early and leaving has gotten us know where -- we are still behind our iteniary. Aah well, we get on the train and head to Harvard. The red line is delayed so from leaving the hotel at 8:30 to getting to Harvard yard area for breakfast takes 2 hours. None of us have had breakfast and we are tired and grumpy.

We get off the train and walk to Henrietta's, a breakfast place with great ratings. The food was good -- service was just ok, but the food was good. I had cranberry french toast =yummy :)

We then headed over to Harvard. The daily tour was starting soon so we got our tickets and figured out where we would meet. We then had a few minutes so we walked over to Christ Church. The outside is pretty but the inside is gorgeous. White pillars, beautiful chandeliers - well worth the short walk to see.

We then headed back and joined the Harvard Tour. Our guide was an Israeli Student, whose major is Social Studies. He was very interesting to listen to and gave us a fabulous tour. My favorite building by far was the Memorial Hall. It has no religious meaning - strictly academic stain glass etc... but it was so pretty. The other buildings were ok, old brick - nothing really "special" other than to know their history and the people who had passed through the doors. It really was great to see the campus and how alive it is. To hear it from a students perspective... it was nice.

After the tour we went to the Museaum of Natural History, but it was 12 per person and we only had 45 min to an hour - we or rather Mama decided it wasn't worth it. Her words "If you've seen the one in DC you've seen them all" and given we were mainly going for her we ditched that idea. We then walked around a bit, just meandering really, before heading to MIT.

After arriving at MIT we go to the main reason we are visiting MIT at all - the robotic exhibit. Before we got there though I saw a taco shop and grabbed a taco, my french toast was long gone. Mama and Jack were still full from breakfast, but I was starving - a downside of not being able to eat alot in one sitting.

Anyway the taco place was hot, but the taco was fabulous. I got it and ate right outside the MIT museum, lol. I felt ackward, but dang it I was hungry and the taco shop was the furnace from hell.

After eating my taco we went into the museum. The actually had 4 exhibits:

1) Robotics
2) Little Machines - Mama loved this one.
3) Holograms
4) Light and Flash Photography
5) Berlin Photography

They were all good in their own right. I'm not really a museum person, but Jack and Mama had fun.

By this time it was almost 5 so we decide to find a bite to eat and head home. And this next escapade is why I try to pick our restaurants at least the day before. We had no idea what we wanted or where we wanted to eat at. The little girl at MIT told us to walk Mass Ave and there would be lots of choices. Well there were, but who knew if they were any good. Ther was an Irish Pub we went into, but OMG it was loud and the hostess never showed up so we left.

By this time I'm frustrated and flustered from not having a plan so we just walk. While we are strolling along we spot a Goodwill. Mama has died and gone to heaven, a goodwill :) I sit on the bench and she goes shopping.

I needed the moment - I used it to find us a restaurant, one near a metro with good ratings. Regina's Pizzs.

Mama finishes her shopping and we head to Regina's a few metro stops away. It was loud and confusing to us Southerners, but the food was great! We had the mediterian Pizza and Mama had a Sausage and Onion. The waitress was brusque but when she realized we were a little uncomfy she warmed up and I really liked her. She brougth me a soda in a glass (they typically serve in paper cups) and was kind to Mama when she wanted a pizza with hamburger meet - they dont have on pizza at Regina's, lol.

The food was really good and I am so glad we went.

Now we are back home, safe in the hotel. It's a bit of an early night - only 9 PM, but we need the rest. Walked over 9 miles today alone!

Hope all is well in blogland.