Dear Boston, You Are Loved...Day Two
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 6:52PM Mrs. G. 
On day two, Mrs. G. and her mom headed to the Boston Common to grab some breakfast before they met up with Miss G. They found a Starbucks (this was before they became familiar with the refreshment bonanza known as Dunkin' Donuts) and enjoyed a cup of coffee while Mrs. G. made sure her camera was working. It was.
Day two was all about the Boston Marathon. The energy in the city was enthusiastic and intoxicating, runners, tourists, natives everywhere. Mrs. G. knew the marathon was a big deal but she didn't know it was a big ass deal -- schools and businesses close -- and she was into it. The vibe was New Year's Eve at high noon. This huge city suddenly rolled back to a small, one grocery store town, where you can talk to the the guy beside you, actually everyone around you, without feeling weird, chuck random babies under their chins and scream your head off at will. It was thrilling.
Mrs. G. was rooting around in her backpack for some lip balm when she heard a lady behind her yell, "HERE COME THE PIGS ON WHEELS!" Mrs. G. turned back to the lady, tickled and amazed, and said, "Are you for real? Are there pigs in this race?" The lady ignored her. And ignored her. So Mrs. G. turned back around. Alrighty then. Mrs. G. hasn't heard anyone call a cop a pig since she was nine and secretly bathing herself in her mom's Jontue perfume, so the whole scene was a little off, tacky really. Mrs. G. dealt with the letdown that no actual pigs would be in the race and moved on.
Why, hello Cute Officer. That's right. Mrs. G. is taking a picture of that big banner not above your head.
And the race was off!
Runners from all over the world have been pounding these streets since the first Boston Marathon, April 19, 1897.
Mrs. G's main goal of the day was to see her fellow blogger and Seattle sister, Kelly Tweeddale dash by in her pink running shoes. No such luck. But this did not stop Mrs. G. from yelling, "GO, KELLY, YOU CAN WIN THIS THING!" every six minutes.
And damned if Kelly Tweeddale did not win the 2012 Boston Marathon.
She really didn't, but she did in Mrs. G's mind.
Caught up in all the excitement and slightly delusional from the heat and her typical daily mindset, Mrs. G. told Miss G. that the minute she got home she was going to start training for next year's marathon. To her credit, Miss G. didn't laugh, but it is at these times Mrs. G. most needs her friend Ann, who makes a genuine effort to at least look like she believes Mrs. G's enterprise of the week. Sometimes Ann even nods her head a little.
To inspire her marathon training, Mrs. G. decided to buy the official 2012 jacket. They did not sell them in her size. Dreams don't come easy, people.
"GO, KELLY, YOU CAN WIN THIS THING!"
Malia Mancake.
Hey there, Miss G. and Mrs. G's mom.
Mrs. G. can't remember if she's mentioned her mom's lifelong love affair with Jack Russell terriers. She adores them and she has many t-shirts to prove it.
Who doesn't love swan boats?
Or George Washington, tulips and red heads?
Or friends having lunch in a tree?
Nobody that's who.
After a long day, Mrs. G, Miss G. and Mrs. G's Mom went and had an early dinner at the Summer Shack. Mrs. G's mom's friend insisted it was a "must go" so they took her at her word and went.
"GO, KELLY, YOU CAN WIN THIS THING!"
And Mrs. G's mom's friend was right. Meet Mrs. G's new Secret Boyfriend: the lobster roll.
This is the Summer Shack's owner, Jasper White. He was not in attendance at their meal but if he had been, Mrs. G. would have overtly covertly taken his picture and added him to Mancake of Boston. Jasper is a cool name and she likes his glasses.
To most of you this probably just looks like a lone sidewalk, but it is a lone sidewalk littered with old gum, nasty cigarette butts, and what remains of Mrs. G's flimsy dignity. This is the one and only place Mrs. G. fell in Boston. Her mom says she fell off a curb but that's just because she's Mrs. G's mom. There was no curb. Mrs. G. just fell. Luckily, there were few bystanders and no injuries. There was no alcohol involved (that's Day Three). As she was falling, Mrs. G. remembered hearing that you don't just show up properly dressed and run the Boston Marathon. You have to qualify. Dreams don't come easy, people.
The three weary travelers returned to the DoubleTree and headed for the Fusion Lounge, another fine day down.
To be continued...
Reader Comments (36)
I have a good friend who lives in Boston. I have never been to visit, however your posts and especially the photos of Jasper avec lobster roll, have made Boston move to the top of the travel list.
I knew you'd love Boston!
I've been wanting to take Dave to the Summer Shack...one of these days!
You had me at lobster roll. To go please. And some Boston Mancake. Well done Mrs G.!
Yes, yes, yes!!!
So glad you shared these pictures. Mancake, Mrs. G.'s Mom's t-shirt, awesome pics of your daughter, lobster rolls and evening drinks -- can life get any better? I want to travel with you!
I swear there really WAS a curb there.
Is that a Manhattan I see? In Boston??? Yum.
Dunkin' Dark beats Starbucks anything, any day of the week.
I grew up in Massachusetts...and every year Mother would take us into Boston for school clothes shopping and we'd go to Boston Gardens for a ride on the swan boats. The last time I was there was too early in the season for them. sigh
I spy a Lemon Drop. lovely way to end the day. great girl trip for the 3 generations of "G".
Looks like you all were having so much fun! I love the photos, especially the one of miss.g laughing - it made me laugh right back. I can't wait to hear more about your great trip.
Oh Mrs G *sigh* The Marathon, The Summer Shack, The Dunkin Donuts, The Public Garden.
The only way Boston could be better is if it was located in a Tropical Paradise>
I'll be there in 15 days. Can you stay until I get there?
Oh Mrs. G, I was driving UNDER all of this goodness as you were experiencing it. Damn freaking tunnel in Boston is my least favorite thing about it. So glad you had a good time and hope to catch up with you in July.
Also, my brother may or may not have been one of those pigs on a bike. ;-)
I think the town is closed not because of the marathon, but because of the original Patriot's Day of April 15th, celebrated in Mass. and Maine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots_Day and NOT closed because of the marathon. They put the marathon on Patriots Day, and it has nothing to do with 9/11 or W., and predates it by, what, 200 plus years? OK, there is my pedantic lecture.
if I needed a lawyer to sue someones ass off? I would DEFINATELY hire Miss G :) and if I was in the mood for the tall and fruity drinks, you KNOW I would be hanging out with...your mom.... :)
Glad you had fun, Mrs. G. I've been to Boston once and it's a fine town!
I am going to stop from "filching pictures of this trip" as altho my stupid phone did get great pictures..my man does not think I am qualified to download them...little does he know that if I have a problem, that my personal friends @ Apple Ipod will be more than happy to assist + I am on a first name basis w/ my Verizon man as he is teaching me slowly but surely how to text..actually he heads to the back when I come in...Erin..you were a wonderful dinner mate and I can still taste that wine we had and also that double B&B that I toddled off w/ headed for parts unknown in the Doubletree..thanks for the ride home...the Summer Shack in Cambridge was another recommendation from my friend in Sicily..she longs for her family in Boston..actually he is a very good looking man but the Summer Shack is owned by the Heinz Corp...aka Mrs Theresa Heinz Kerry who also owns a manse on Beacon Hill and whose man was also kicked out of Harvard (never to return) for plaguerism...POP QUIZ..what other reknowned member of the Congress was expelled from Harvard but did return to graduate...Double points: Name the 8 US presidents that matriculated at Harvard.....I do not like Starbucks..the original concept which they are returning to is great as is their rising stock which will someday be bequethed to MrsG's handsome son...but only the Wired Puppy (NewberryStreet) had a coffee shop w/ a restroom...I havent unpacked yet but do have something from everywhere we went in a large white envelope...I do not have the ability of a "sharp as a tack" memory as that brilliant (when she is saying nice things which is 99.9% of the time about her blessed mother - me). I would auction something for the trip but dont know how to embed things...I consider those gangsta pix of the G women and me to be worthy of the finest photo gallery...and when she fell..she never landed on her butt...she and I were laughing and Caitie (our confident kind one of the Trio - actually we all are - me least of all) was worried..she didnt not hit the ground..she gracefully stepped off the tiniest of curbs and slightly twisted her cute self..almost like a Cirque movement...I used to sneak down to the Swan Boats when I was in Boston on business to sneak a smoke..w/ a latte in my hand...it was too early for them to be opened but I always "wanted" to ride them...now I have no tolerance for lines altho I did wait in a long one the day they "laid Elvis" out on the front porch of Graceland"....me and 100K other people showed up...I was a local as where the 1st 1000 or so mixed in w/ some Elvisites but the National Guard were there and soon Elvis returned to the bldg...by midnight the 100K were coming in from points afar w/ lotsa limo's w/ the rich and famous who drove right up through those gates..MrsG was in the safe care of her wonderful Mamaw and Papaw....we LOVED Elvis....I must go as I am now juggling too many balls - am handling the raffle for the June JRT Trial and also for my Walk for Arthritis where I will be walking w/ my rock star mancake Orthopedic surgeon and 350 of our closest friends...dont know what tshirt to wear...everybody from my dentist (spent 3 hrs in a chair today w/ my mouth propped open & he game me toothbrushes w/ his practice's name on it which the JRT people will LOVE....) I have also returned to FB to socially unfriend 75% of the people who I was friends w/ because I need to network...tomorrow is another day....
Our friend Jasper actually has a Summer Shack next door to my store-- and he used to (IDK, maybe he still does) live near my first B&N-- so he's actually/kinda/sorta my friend as well. Or, at least, he seems to recall me and will take my book recommendations and then say the next time he comes in that he liked it before perusing my Staff Reccs endcap some more. Once when we were eating next door to my current store, he smiled and stopped at the table and said hi, since I'd had him sign a book for my Dad not a few weeks before and fangirled about his Pan-Roasted-Lobster. (Get Mr. G. to make this for you-- it's totally worth the money and time. http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/11611/Jasper-Whites-Pan-Roasted-Lobster.html)
Yep. I stalk chefs through competent book recommendations. (He likes non-fiction, travelogues, that kind of thing, but he'll read noir mysteries, too.) I have Mad Ninja Skillz.
Also? Your daughter is utterly lovely and her smile is gorgeous.
A-mazing. I can't wait to read about day 3.
Mrs. G's mother, you rock!! What a great traveling companion you must be!!
Miss G is looking quite fantastic. Boston agrees with her it appears. Cute cop - bet he's Irish, don't you think?
I am glad to hear from Mrs. G's Mom's account that you made it to Newbury Street, and I LOVE the swan boats. It's been too long since I've seen them.
I don;t know the Summer Shack, but the Clam Box in Ipswich is fine!
Oh, and Mrs. G., I am sorry to hear of your fall, but according to your Mom it was performed with quite spectacular aplomb. I suppose that's a consolation to bumps and bruises.
The hubbie was in Boston on the very same day you were! If I had realized, I would have sent him to the Summer Shack to meet up with you. Or perhaps he could have offered his arm for support after you fell down. (He's a big strong guy and is always helping me up after I fall off my own shoes.)
A 3Gs trip for the win! sounds most awesome, and there's nothing quite like Marathon Fever, it's pretty special. Never seen Boston, but the feeling in nyc on marathon day is similar ... barriers are down and it feels like a small town. So glad you got away, together, and that it went so smoothly.
What terrific fun! Looking forward to the Day 3 installment! Moments to treasure... :)
You 3 women are the bomb! Boston looks like a wonderful place to be, with cycling pigs and everything. I did a double-take when I saw the photo of the George Washington statue- we have that same statue here in KC at naturally, Washington Square Park. Ol' George still gets around!
I was really sorry when my daughter decided against looking at Boston for school because I have always wanted to go there. So I fell down in Philadelphia while walking with her on a sidewalk. Believe me, you are not alone with the falling down thing.
Thanks for rooting for me. Here is how it felt to be a runner with pink shoes: http://redroom.com/member/kelly-tweeddale/blog/boston-memories. Pink shoes are still intact and somehow carried me across the finish line.
Kelly
So much fun reading this and seeing pictures. Three generations of G women together? That sounds like a recipe for fun.
Darla
If your posts on your Derfwad Road Trip are anything like this, I'm prepared for a lot of AWESOMENESS ahead here.
I love seeing the 3 generations together (even if they weren't in a picture together)! And I too love Jack Russell's (have one!) and lobster rolls (want one!). Boston is beautiful, I was there at this time 4 years ago with my son who is now away at college. Can't wait to read about the rest of the story. WAY TO GO KELLY! YOU CAN WIN THIS THING!
I just read Mrs. G's Mom's comment! What an awesome individual! Now I will have to search the comments for her everyday. Can you get her to start her own blog. Oh my gawd. Now to go search the internet for who that 2nd congressman was that got kicked out of Harvard.
Thanks for the compliments Lizzie and I will solve your interwave quest for the 2nd Harvard Cheater...Teddy Kennedy was expelled for cheating altho he did indeed graduate eventually from Havard (phonetic) to include a Post Grad (I think)...Sen Kerry was never allowed back and is not a fav of the Boston City Licensing dpt because he said the fire hydrant in front of his Beacon Hill Manse was an eye sore and should be removed posthaste..it wasnt...his..maybe his wife's actually $$...manse is right next to the club on Beacon St that blackballed JFK....Teddy, Rose, Jacqueline etal are much revered in the city for all the great things they did...in her rose garden near the Long Wharf & North End has 104 rose bushes for her 104 yrs on our planet...at 100 on a tv morning show, she was asked "How does it feel to be 100" by a gauche young Matt Lauer type and she replied..."Well, there isnt a lot of peer pressure"....also the rosegarden is also called the Gold Star Rose Kennedy Garden in respects for the mothers of all wars who lost loved ones (it actually started w/ WWII & continues to this day) as she lost a son and a daughter and almost lost JFK...remarkable family....
Kelly, thanks for putting up your link. You are a great writer and you crossed the finish line (in pink shoes)!!!!!!!! Way to go!
I can't wait until you begin the road trip if this is what I have to look forward to. I'm in France so I can't meet you but I am looking forward to meeting everyone else through your words. Mrs. G. you crack my ass up! I am off to look up lobster roll recipes.
Can't wait for day three! Keep 'em coming!
Sounds like you had a phenomenal time, so glad you got to have such a nice trip with your daughter and mom!
Mrs. G,
When I click on the picture titles I'm taken to Flickr and it says I need to be signed in to view the content. While I find this weirdly flattering, I'm also a little frustrated because I don't know how to sign into Flickr. I'm using Firefox. Is something wrong, or are you posting photos my little virgin eyes aren't supposed to be viewing?
Sorry you fell. My mum would pretend that I hadn't. And I would be so embarrassed I would go along with her, all the while wondering why she didn't care about me, lol.
Sheila, I need to investigate this. I have my settings open to the public or else they wouldn't show up on the blog. I learned this the hard way three years ago when I decided to clean out my flickr and all the photos disappeared from DM (smooth move). Mr. G. had the same problem trying to see the Boston photos day before yesterday. He sent me a request to become a contact, so everyone can do that until I figure out the problem. It also started when I signed up for the "Pro" account last week. Sorry for the inconvenience.