Life in one city is much like another
We had some errands downtown today, so Kate and I decided to go have lunch in the North End. Following that, Kate discovered that I had never been to Mike's Pastries, so we headed over there to pick up some dessert for tonight. (Mmm -- espresso cannoli.) Thence back towards Faneuil Hall, where we went our separate ways -- her to work, and me to quickly poke around, since I hadn't been to Quincy Market in an age.
After a quick reminder that Quincy Market is just like any other mall (aside from an exceptionally good food court), I started to head home. But I quickly decided that Park Street was out of my way, so I headed towards Charles MGH.
When I got to Charles, I was still slightly tipsy from the monumental cocktail at lunch (a tasty but idiosyncratic "Manhattan", dominated by cherry liquor), and I wanted to walk it off. So I headed across the Longfellow to Kendall.
By the time I got to Kendall, I was finally clear-headed again, and enjoying the walk. So I kept going towards Central.
By the time I got to Central, I was fully up to speed, and realized that the stubborn side of my brain had engaged. So I gave up on illusions of the MBTA, turned right, stopped in Whole Foods for a bottle of iced tea, and walked home to Ball Square.
All told, it was about six miles home from Mike's -- add to that about two miles of walking before lunch, and it's been a good day of exercise.
And the thing is, it doesn't feel *strange*. My feet are a tad blistered, but it reminds me of nothing quite so much as a good day at Pennsic, where I probably average about six miles of walking per day. The details are obviously different, but the general notion feels very similar: starting from home, walking downtown, doing some errands, having lunch, hitting some neighborhoods and walking home again. Granted, here I'm not carrying a big bundle of archery equipment, but the effect is nonetheless much the same, and it's really quite lovely.
I have a feeling that I'm going to get very used to city life, very quickly. I suspect I'm never going to be comfortable in the suburbs again...
After a quick reminder that Quincy Market is just like any other mall (aside from an exceptionally good food court), I started to head home. But I quickly decided that Park Street was out of my way, so I headed towards Charles MGH.
When I got to Charles, I was still slightly tipsy from the monumental cocktail at lunch (a tasty but idiosyncratic "Manhattan", dominated by cherry liquor), and I wanted to walk it off. So I headed across the Longfellow to Kendall.
By the time I got to Kendall, I was finally clear-headed again, and enjoying the walk. So I kept going towards Central.
By the time I got to Central, I was fully up to speed, and realized that the stubborn side of my brain had engaged. So I gave up on illusions of the MBTA, turned right, stopped in Whole Foods for a bottle of iced tea, and walked home to Ball Square.
All told, it was about six miles home from Mike's -- add to that about two miles of walking before lunch, and it's been a good day of exercise.
And the thing is, it doesn't feel *strange*. My feet are a tad blistered, but it reminds me of nothing quite so much as a good day at Pennsic, where I probably average about six miles of walking per day. The details are obviously different, but the general notion feels very similar: starting from home, walking downtown, doing some errands, having lunch, hitting some neighborhoods and walking home again. Granted, here I'm not carrying a big bundle of archery equipment, but the effect is nonetheless much the same, and it's really quite lovely.
I have a feeling that I'm going to get very used to city life, very quickly. I suspect I'm never going to be comfortable in the suburbs again...