Unfortunately, I didn't sleep that great last night due to lots of noise down on the street. As a result, I was wide awake just before 0500 and spent the next two hours reading, doing Duolingo and Sudoku, relaxing. At 0730, I ordered some food from Panera (used a gift card) and then walked downstairs (and then just down the block) to pick it up at 0815. I ended up eating in the restaurant. On my own until a company event, I decided to do some exploring. First, I walked outside and took High Street to Summer Street and continued southwest until I was able to reach Washington Street. It was VERY chilly! After passing Tufts Medical School, I crossed I-90 and then walked through an area of the South End where my grandparents got married in the 1940s. Most the area was demolished to build I-90 and I-93 but the exact spot where Our Lady of Pompeii Parish once stood has since been gentrified. Walking around near that location, I ducked into an interesting condo ("The Lucas") that apparently used to be a Lutheran church - the doorman allowed me to warm up before proceeding on my way. I next walked to the east and stopped at the distinctive building I remember passing during many trips to Boston as a youngster. The Pine Street Inn has a tower that my dad always told me reminded him of the Provincetown Monument. Afterwards, I walked over to the water (Fourth Street Park) and took the bike path towards South Station. Instead of going all the way there, though, I returned to Summer and High Street. After passing a restaurant I'd noticed earlier, Better Bagels, and bought a snack (0940). Again, I ate at the shop. Resuming my walk, I reached my hotel again and took a break (and talked to Mollie) in my room. At 1045, I went downstairs to the lobby to meet up with Chris D and other members of my company. We had a large "tour bus" reserved and it used busy city streets all the way to Fenway Park. Once there, the bus had trouble accessing side streets... After getting inside the historic ball field, we were given a VIP tour by a quintessential Bostonian (sarcasm, shtick, etc.). We also walked down behind the dugouts, visited the visitor's locker room and sat in old seats with big green columns in the way. We next walked up to the top of the Green Monster, then through the Press boxes and across the top of the stadium to the Sam Deck. The tour was wonderful! We ended in a kind of ticket holder lounge that was filled with lots of memorabilia - I found lots of amazing items related to players I knew "way back when." A few of my colleagues had memories of Fenway from when they were younger and we all shared happy stories. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and started back towards the hotel - it took a while because of the regular traffic. We arrived back at The Dagney at about 1330 and I immediately walked over to Coogan's Pub, where I had lunch (Coogan Burger, fries, $2 Bud Light draft). It was nice to enjoy the vibe of my namesake restaurant for the first time in many years! Finished at 1415, I walked back to the hotel and spent some more time relaxing (reading, watching the Bowl Selection program, etc.) before it was time for our company to go to dinner. At 1730, I went downstairs and (after looking at everyone else) realized how overdressed I was. Returning to my room, I downgraded from a suit jacket to just a shirt and tie. At 1745, it was time to leave on the tour bus again. We drove a short distance to the North End and then walked the last 100 yards to Lucca's Restaurant. Inside, our company had the whole downstairs dining area reserved. The hors d'oeuvres were really good and the wine was free flowing. I sat with a few of my old friends from work. The courses were soup/salad (I had a Caesar), entrée (I had lobster ravioli) and dessert (I chose chocolate torte). All of the food was wonderful! Afterwards (2200!), I walked with a few people back to the hotel - it didn't take long but I was glad to have people to follow... Other folks kept the night going at the hotel bar but I went to bed (2300). It was great to see everyone today and to discover that our little business has grown from everyone fitting in a small bus (20) to needing a tour bus (almost 30) to get around the city! Only a few of us, though, were used to the cold & windy New England weather so we’ll see if the annual meeting place is in Boston again. I hope so!
