7/21/01
It was 11 a.m. and we were just beginning to stir this morning after the late night partying with the Phantom's Boston friends. I took advantage of the hot Boston day to dry out some gear and wash my cook pot and water bottles. Julie took us to a laundromat in the early afternoon for the obligatory washing that our trail clothing so desperately needed. While I stayed and babysat the laundering process, Phantom and Julie went to pick up Paola so we could get a jump on the fun for the afternoon. Soon we were back at Julie's apartment dropping off the laundry, then the four of us walked to the bus stop. We took the bus to Cambridge, MA to Harvard Square where we stopped at the Border Cafe for a mid-afternoon late lunch. After chips and salsa, gumbo, and a chile relleno platter, I was sufficiently stuffed and ready to walk the Harvard campus. The campus was full of people strolling its sidewalks and basking in the golden sunshine of late afternoon. After the self-guided mini tour of campus, we found the subway train station and hopped on the red line to Boston. Then we switched trains and got off at the Government Center in the downtown financial district. Soon we were strolling through Fanuel Hall and the Quincey Market where there were thousands of tourists and locals enjoying the shops and numerous restaurants and pubs in the multi-block area. After walking out to the harbor, we stopped at an open air pub next to the aquarium and docks for a cocktail. The late afternoon temperature was perfect, and a light sea breeze made the outdoor experience delightful. After an hour we strolled to the Bell In Hand tavern, which claims to be the oldest tavern in the US. We were fortunate to get a choice table overlooking the street, despite a very crowded bar. We spent the bulk of the evening there enjoying watching the hoards of people walk by.
By late evening we were all tired and went back to the train station to begin our trek back to Watertown. The girls wanted to stop at one more pub where some friends of Paola were playing foosball, so we hopped off the train to go to the Beacon Hill Pub. While Paola and Julie were busy talking with the guys, Phantom and I located the pinball machines in the rear of the pub and entertained ourselves. Still in the thru-hiker hunger mode, we left the girls behind in the pub, to eat a late night supper at a roast beef joint across the street. When we came back to the pub, Julie and Phantom and I left Paola behind (she was still hanging out with her guy friends) as we scrambled to the train station to catch the final train of the night. When we reached the turnstile to enter the station, the attendant told us to hurry as the train was due any minute. It was about 5 seconds after we jumped over the turnstile when Phantom realized that he had left his camera on top of the pinball machine back at the Beacon Hill Pub. In crisis mode, the three of us leapt over the turnstiles and ran back to the pub to retrieve the camera. Somehow we got lucky that the 12:45 a.m. train didn't run on time and we made it back to the station in time to catch it to Harvard Square. However, we did miss the final bus of the night from Harvard Square back to Watertown. A $10.00 taxi ride got us back to Julie's apartment by 1:20 a.m. where we immediately called it a night and got into bed. Our Boston adventure was a ton of fun, thanks to Julie, her roommates, and friends who were very kind to us the whole time we were with them. Another great zero mile day off the AT ! ! No stats for today!
