Thanksgiving Trip - Day 2

I was up early this morning after an extremely restful sleep.  Despite the fact that it was raining, I still went for a walk near Katie's house.  After that, I waited on everyone else to get up (0945).  Made plans for Saturday and Sunday (Dad, Gerard and Judy/Dick).  Johnnie was ready to leave for Boston by 1030 but we had to stop for gas on the way.  There was lots of traffic on MA-3 and I-93 and, as a result, we didn't arrive at Copley Plaza until after 1130.  We found a parking garage ("Back Bay") but the cost seemed prohibitive ($30 for an hour).  When I attempted to get permission to leave the garage, the manager offered us a one-time discount so we wouldn't have to worry about the large expense.  This was a nice bonus, since I hate the parking situation in Boston.  When Johnnie and I walked out of the garage, we came out on the Trinity Church side of the Plaza - this brought back memories from my High School days.  We then only had to walk a short distance to Fogo de Chao and were seated by about 1145.  From there, we had an amazing meal!  Johnnie had never been there and I'd been promising I'd take him for a long time.  We spent more than two hours gorging ourselves before we staggered out of the restaurant.  To burn off some of the food, we walked several blocks through the Back Bay (pretty neighborhood) and across Storrow Drive (Dartmouth Street Bridge) onto the Charles River Esplanade.  It was windy and cold but we could see a lot of landmarks (Fenway Park Citgo Sign, MIT Campus, Bunker Hill Monument) and got a lot of exercise.  We then headed back to Copley Plaza before getting our car from the garage again (1445).  From there, we drove back to Katie's (lots more traffic on I-93 and MA-3).  Johnnie had lots of schoolwork to do so I relaxed/read in the living room.  The house got really busy at around 1700 as everyone came home from where they'd been during the daylight hours.  John and I decided to head over to watch Ella sing at a local venue but, before we could leave, she called to say that the event had ended early.  Instead, John drove me to Quincy (Hancock-Adams Common) for a Christmas Tree lighting.  It had been raining off and on all day and got much colder as it got darker.  John found a good parking spot and we ended up walking around a lot to learn more about the history and experience the pageantry of the event.  Fortunately, we got to see Katie and her singing group perform (she even gave me a chance to choose a song) and got some hot chocolate.  When the rain got to be too much (1845), John and I went to a nearby Mexican restaurant (Acapulcos) and had margaritas, chips and queso.  We ultimately missed the tree lighting but later went back to see the pretty lights.  Surprisingly, we ran into Aria (she lived nearby) and, when Katie was done performing, they left for a dinner together.  Meanwhile, John and I went back to Hanover and I spent the rest of the night relaxing.  I went to bed at around 2200 after a VERY full (pun intended) day!