I picked up Alex from school on Friday around 10 a.m. and we hit the road to Washington DC arriving at Union Station around 12:30 p.m. I had a pass to Club Acela and we checked in there and stored our luggage and used the restroom. We then headed to Au Bon Pain to get lunch and chocolate croissants for the trip. After eating lunch, we headed back to Club Acela to relax for a bit before heading out to the gate in preparation for boarding. Seeing how busy the station was and knowing it was a heavy travel day, I thought we ought to get to the gate a little earlier and sure enough, a queue was already forming at the gate. We went ahead and got in line so that we could get two seats together. Once onboard, we found seats and as we were pulling out, the conductor announced that it was a sold-out train.
The ride up the east coast was uneventful and Alex and relaxed, watched movies, and surfed the internet. We arrived in Boston a little after 10 p.m. and took a short taxi ride to our hotel, Club Quarters. The Hotel was very small but clean, comfortable, and convenient. We turned in for the night in preparation for a busy day.
On Saturday, we were up and out of the room by 9 a.m. and walked toward the waterfront taking in historic sites along the way. After the waterfront, we continued our walking tour around downtown including the Old State House, Quincy Market, Fanuiel Hall, Kings Chapel, and some cemeteries. We were fascinated by the old headstones in the cemeteries and their macabre inscriptions.
Finally, we made our way to Boston Commons where a very large festival was taking place and was very crowded. From there, we hopped on the "T" which is their public transit system. It is a subway system downtown that kind of turns into buses out in the suburbs. The cars are very small but run frequently and it was fairly easy to get around.
We rode the T to Fenway Park and really enjoyed our afternoon. The crowds were friendly and the food at the stadium was very good. Our Orioles won in extra innings, too, which made it a great day.
After the game, we took the T back downtown and walked back to our hotel. We were exhausted and decided to order room service instead of going out for dinner.
On Sunday, we slept in a little and then checked out of our hotel and headed back to South Station. We visited Au Bon Pain yet again for more chocolate croissants and then checked in to Club Acela in Boston. It is a beautiful lounge for first class and sleeper passengers.
They called our train to board and we walked out and boarded our train. On the Acela, they have some seats where there are four chairs that face each other at a table. It is designed for businessmen and women to be able to work while traveling. We sat at one of these tables and was fortunate enough to enjoy it to ourselves for the first part of the trip. After we left Boston, they bought us our first meal and it was very good. I had mimosas all morning.
Except for the two seats across from us, the rest of the train was full. Many people left at NYC but just as many boarded there including a group of four who could not find four seats together so they sat at the two across from us and the two single seats beside us. They were friendly and we talked about the Ravens and the Orioles as they were from Baltimore. There was an older gentleman traveling with them that the daughter-in-law kept calling Tom. Later, I noticed one of the bags which had the last name "Clancy" on it and realized that we were riding with the author Tom Clancy and his family. He didn't talk much as he spent most of his time reading a large book. His son was following the football and based ball scores on the computer and we chatted with the daughter-in-law and granddaughter. They left in Baltimore and by that time, there were only a few people left in our car.
All in all, we had a great weekend. We loved Boston and enjoyed our train trip and are now ready for our next adventure. Until then . . . .
