That's a Wrap Then
29 Apr 2010 09:21
We’re home. Well, home in the sense that we’re in the UK, and as I type we’re rattling up the M40 properly homeward.
Time to report on the flight, not that there’s a lot to say, and wrap things up.
As far as the flight goes, we boarded at 19:00 and pushed back just before the scheduled time of 19:45. Then there was a bang and the plane shook a bit and we stopped. To be fair it wasn’t much more of a bang than a cargo door being closed heavily. The Captain came on PA shortly after to reassure us that nothing serious had happened, just the tow-bar the push-back tug was using had sheered! They soon found another and we pushed-back for real shortly after the scheduled time.
It took half an hour to taxi out to the end of Runway 33, mainly because we had to cross to active runways being used for landing. When we turned onto the runway ready for the off, those of us on the left side had the most beautiful view of Boston. It was raining heavily but the sky had cleared in the distant western sky. This resulted in a sunset of the deepest purple hue, forming the background to the lights of the city centre skyscrapers. Absolutely stunning - and I didn’t have my camera to hand. I hope someone, somewhere captured it.
I quickly reached the conclusion that seat 44A (the same as I occupied on the way out) was a lot more comfortable when 44C is vacant (there are no B seats in this part of a A340-300). My neighbour was a tall, middle-aged American who mostly kept himself to himself. He did have a nasty habit of letting his left leg spread over onto my side, consciously or otherwise. He got the hint after a nudge.
To no-one’s real surprise, the full economy cabin was subjected to the braying of discontented babies for much of the flight. I plugged my earphones in and turned the music up on my iPhone and tried to tune it all out - moderately successfully.
The flight time was scheduled to be 5hrs 57min and within the first hour the crew got the meal served - cottage pie, allegedly. After that I did my best to sleep, and on the grounds that I don’t recall every minute of the period up to the cabin lights coming back on, must have managed to drift off a bit. Can;t say I was particularly refreshed by it. Nor did the three-quarters full paper cup of lukewarm coffee, served with a small Otis Spunkmeyer muffin do much for me by way of breakfast.
We were buckled-up and the cabin secured for landing well over half an hour before we were due on the ground, and the Captain’s prediction that we’d have a few circuits to do came true. When we did finally turn onto final approach, the aircraft banked sharply to the left giving me a superb view of central London in the misty early morning light. Two spectacular city views inside six hours.
Landing, long walk to passport control, baggage reclaim and customs were all unremarkable. We split up as Nick went to Revivals and I went to the former Starbucks on T3 Departures, which is now a Costa. The coffee and muffin from there were a lot better than those served on the plane, but that’s only because the bar was set so low. Still not brilliant.
After half an hour I met Nick outside and the wait for his car to appear from Purple Parking’s “Meet & Greet” was spent watching some unfortunate motorist being dealt with - firstly by a brace of PCSOs, then by a pair of traffic cops with guns. It wasn’t clear what it was all about but it ended with smiles all round and the Met tow truck that turned up was sent away unladen.
That’s it. We’re still on the M40 and I’m hoping nothing eventful happens between here and home.
Some final thoughts...
We’ve just been discussing what this trip will be remembered for the most. Inevitably has to be the room upgrade in Toronto. Close runners-up will be the snow, the game itself in Toronto (34 hits and 25 runs is almost unheard of - the next two games between the Red Sox and the Blue Jays were much more subdued affairs, so we did really well there), the fact it was my first ever visit to Canada, and of course meeting Eileen.
Seven days is a good duration for a holiday: neither too long nor too short. To echo something Kay said in a phone call the other night, I missed her a lot, not in a I-can’t-live-without-you soppy way, but more that so many of the sights and experiences of the last week I’d have loved to have shared with her and got her unique take on things. Nothing against Nick’s company, of course, just a completely different dynamic.
One other thing I’ve been meaning to talk about, but it never really fitted in to the narrative is the hire car we had. The Chrysler Sebring was basic but plenty big enough and more than functional. It certainly looked after us in the snow. The specific point I wanted to make was about the radio: It was a satellite radio, a subscription service provided by Sirius. The commercial free content is themed. For example almost the very first station we found was East Street Radio - playing nothing but Springsteen. We spent most of the time listening to various classic rock themed stations - a staple of US radio, of course, and all the usual suspects were there. We tried various FM stations, especially in Canada and yesterday in the snow, but their limited reach and incessant commercials made the satellite an easy winner.
Another cracking trip, with no major dramas and many, many highlights. Glad to be (nearly) home though.
Time to report on the flight, not that there’s a lot to say, and wrap things up.
As far as the flight goes, we boarded at 19:00 and pushed back just before the scheduled time of 19:45. Then there was a bang and the plane shook a bit and we stopped. To be fair it wasn’t much more of a bang than a cargo door being closed heavily. The Captain came on PA shortly after to reassure us that nothing serious had happened, just the tow-bar the push-back tug was using had sheered! They soon found another and we pushed-back for real shortly after the scheduled time.
It took half an hour to taxi out to the end of Runway 33, mainly because we had to cross to active runways being used for landing. When we turned onto the runway ready for the off, those of us on the left side had the most beautiful view of Boston. It was raining heavily but the sky had cleared in the distant western sky. This resulted in a sunset of the deepest purple hue, forming the background to the lights of the city centre skyscrapers. Absolutely stunning - and I didn’t have my camera to hand. I hope someone, somewhere captured it.
I quickly reached the conclusion that seat 44A (the same as I occupied on the way out) was a lot more comfortable when 44C is vacant (there are no B seats in this part of a A340-300). My neighbour was a tall, middle-aged American who mostly kept himself to himself. He did have a nasty habit of letting his left leg spread over onto my side, consciously or otherwise. He got the hint after a nudge.
To no-one’s real surprise, the full economy cabin was subjected to the braying of discontented babies for much of the flight. I plugged my earphones in and turned the music up on my iPhone and tried to tune it all out - moderately successfully.
The flight time was scheduled to be 5hrs 57min and within the first hour the crew got the meal served - cottage pie, allegedly. After that I did my best to sleep, and on the grounds that I don’t recall every minute of the period up to the cabin lights coming back on, must have managed to drift off a bit. Can;t say I was particularly refreshed by it. Nor did the three-quarters full paper cup of lukewarm coffee, served with a small Otis Spunkmeyer muffin do much for me by way of breakfast.
We were buckled-up and the cabin secured for landing well over half an hour before we were due on the ground, and the Captain’s prediction that we’d have a few circuits to do came true. When we did finally turn onto final approach, the aircraft banked sharply to the left giving me a superb view of central London in the misty early morning light. Two spectacular city views inside six hours.
Landing, long walk to passport control, baggage reclaim and customs were all unremarkable. We split up as Nick went to Revivals and I went to the former Starbucks on T3 Departures, which is now a Costa. The coffee and muffin from there were a lot better than those served on the plane, but that’s only because the bar was set so low. Still not brilliant.
After half an hour I met Nick outside and the wait for his car to appear from Purple Parking’s “Meet & Greet” was spent watching some unfortunate motorist being dealt with - firstly by a brace of PCSOs, then by a pair of traffic cops with guns. It wasn’t clear what it was all about but it ended with smiles all round and the Met tow truck that turned up was sent away unladen.
That’s it. We’re still on the M40 and I’m hoping nothing eventful happens between here and home.
Some final thoughts...
We’ve just been discussing what this trip will be remembered for the most. Inevitably has to be the room upgrade in Toronto. Close runners-up will be the snow, the game itself in Toronto (34 hits and 25 runs is almost unheard of - the next two games between the Red Sox and the Blue Jays were much more subdued affairs, so we did really well there), the fact it was my first ever visit to Canada, and of course meeting Eileen.
Seven days is a good duration for a holiday: neither too long nor too short. To echo something Kay said in a phone call the other night, I missed her a lot, not in a I-can’t-live-without-you soppy way, but more that so many of the sights and experiences of the last week I’d have loved to have shared with her and got her unique take on things. Nothing against Nick’s company, of course, just a completely different dynamic.
One other thing I’ve been meaning to talk about, but it never really fitted in to the narrative is the hire car we had. The Chrysler Sebring was basic but plenty big enough and more than functional. It certainly looked after us in the snow. The specific point I wanted to make was about the radio: It was a satellite radio, a subscription service provided by Sirius. The commercial free content is themed. For example almost the very first station we found was East Street Radio - playing nothing but Springsteen. We spent most of the time listening to various classic rock themed stations - a staple of US radio, of course, and all the usual suspects were there. We tried various FM stations, especially in Canada and yesterday in the snow, but their limited reach and incessant commercials made the satellite an easy winner.
Another cracking trip, with no major dramas and many, many highlights. Glad to be (nearly) home though.
Going Home
28 Apr 2010 23:03
We’re checked-in at Logan and are due to board in a little under an hour. Virgin are looking after us well in the Clubhouse, but this is how we’ve spent the day so far...
We arrived in the Nashua area but thanks to a moment’s indecision about which particular Target store we were going to visit, we came off the Interstate a little early. Rather than turn around, we let the SatNav guide us, which meant we found a picturesque corner of suburban New Hampshire I doubt many Brit tourists have visited.
Sure enough we found ourselves on Daniel Webster Highway, a mile-or-so strip of retail heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective). The various plazas and the Pheasant Lane Mall have just about every brand of chain store you’ve ever heard of.
Target entertained us first with Nick buying ink cartridges, and him happily reporting they are still cheaper here. He also got a $4 off voucher for his next purchase so decided to redeem that. However, when we returned he read the small print and saw it was for combo-packs only... and there weren’t any for his printer. There were for mine, so he handed over the voucher, but I decided I really didn’t need a combo pack but did want a single black cartridge. At the checkout I played dumb (not hard!) and asked the cashier if the voucher was valid. She scanned it and got a “computer says no” answer. However, she looked at it and scratched her head. “It should be valid” she said, and duly over-rode the computer. A small victory for the consumer which I can hear Carl applauding.
Next, to the Apple store. I decided to play it cool, uploading the diary first and listening to what was happening around me, rather than asking if they had any iPads in stock and suffer the humiliation of a “no”. The first clue was a phone call in which an assistant told the caller they had “none in stock and we don’t know when we will. Can I reserve you one?”. Next, I listened in to a silver-tounged demo of the device to a silver-surfer which resulted in the inevitable question. The answer here was “the situation changes by the day... by the hour or even by the minute”. “Do you have one in stock”, the lady pressed.... “er, no. Can I reserve one for you” was the answer.
It was clearly not meant to be.
Lunch was provided by Chick-Fil-A in the food court. This franchise must have a seniors-friendly hiring policy as most of the employees were in their late 60s. The charming little old lady who served me asked if I was Australian. No, I told her, English. “Oh, that’s good. We’re going to New Zealand next month”. OK.
The lunch was pleasant. Nick had something Chinese from the Texan BBQ - go figure.
Next was over the road (we drove, of course) to Borders. I had a Seattle’s Best Coffee while Nick bucked tradition and walked to a nearby Newbury Comics. I bought some bits in Borders and was asked by the cashier (another senior gentleman) if I wanted to join the Border’s Rewards Program. I told him I wasn’t a US Resident so probably wouldn’t qualify. When he established where I was from he proudly reminded me that “We have branches in England”. Er, no you don’t. Not any more. He was crushed; “Huh, corporate don't tell us anything”.
And that was it. Back onto Route 3 then I95 and into Boston. The traffic got heavier and heavier as we approached Boston and we decided to exit a little earlier and go and find gas to fill tank prior to returning the car. The SatNav assisted a little but we found ourselves in a highly industrialised area of Everett. To be fair, we would probably have gone a very long way round trying to find our way back had it not been for our electronic friend.
Into the Airport and the car rental return (only one wrong turn) for a final mileage of the trip of 1311.7. Airport formalities were unremarkable and here we are.
We arrived in the Nashua area but thanks to a moment’s indecision about which particular Target store we were going to visit, we came off the Interstate a little early. Rather than turn around, we let the SatNav guide us, which meant we found a picturesque corner of suburban New Hampshire I doubt many Brit tourists have visited.
Sure enough we found ourselves on Daniel Webster Highway, a mile-or-so strip of retail heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective). The various plazas and the Pheasant Lane Mall have just about every brand of chain store you’ve ever heard of.
Target entertained us first with Nick buying ink cartridges, and him happily reporting they are still cheaper here. He also got a $4 off voucher for his next purchase so decided to redeem that. However, when we returned he read the small print and saw it was for combo-packs only... and there weren’t any for his printer. There were for mine, so he handed over the voucher, but I decided I really didn’t need a combo pack but did want a single black cartridge. At the checkout I played dumb (not hard!) and asked the cashier if the voucher was valid. She scanned it and got a “computer says no” answer. However, she looked at it and scratched her head. “It should be valid” she said, and duly over-rode the computer. A small victory for the consumer which I can hear Carl applauding.
Next, to the Apple store. I decided to play it cool, uploading the diary first and listening to what was happening around me, rather than asking if they had any iPads in stock and suffer the humiliation of a “no”. The first clue was a phone call in which an assistant told the caller they had “none in stock and we don’t know when we will. Can I reserve you one?”. Next, I listened in to a silver-tounged demo of the device to a silver-surfer which resulted in the inevitable question. The answer here was “the situation changes by the day... by the hour or even by the minute”. “Do you have one in stock”, the lady pressed.... “er, no. Can I reserve one for you” was the answer.
It was clearly not meant to be.
Lunch was provided by Chick-Fil-A in the food court. This franchise must have a seniors-friendly hiring policy as most of the employees were in their late 60s. The charming little old lady who served me asked if I was Australian. No, I told her, English. “Oh, that’s good. We’re going to New Zealand next month”. OK.
The lunch was pleasant. Nick had something Chinese from the Texan BBQ - go figure.
Next was over the road (we drove, of course) to Borders. I had a Seattle’s Best Coffee while Nick bucked tradition and walked to a nearby Newbury Comics. I bought some bits in Borders and was asked by the cashier (another senior gentleman) if I wanted to join the Border’s Rewards Program. I told him I wasn’t a US Resident so probably wouldn’t qualify. When he established where I was from he proudly reminded me that “We have branches in England”. Er, no you don’t. Not any more. He was crushed; “Huh, corporate don't tell us anything”.
And that was it. Back onto Route 3 then I95 and into Boston. The traffic got heavier and heavier as we approached Boston and we decided to exit a little earlier and go and find gas to fill tank prior to returning the car. The SatNav assisted a little but we found ourselves in a highly industrialised area of Everett. To be fair, we would probably have gone a very long way round trying to find our way back had it not been for our electronic friend.
Into the Airport and the car rental return (only one wrong turn) for a final mileage of the trip of 1311.7. Airport formalities were unremarkable and here we are.
Montreal and the Snow
28 Apr 2010 15:03
Like yesterday, today’s diary is being typed on the move while Nick does the second stint behind the wheel from Lebanon, NH.
The journey, both yesterday evening and this morning has been dominated by snow - and lots of it.
The drive to Montreal was long and uneventful really. We were heading due east on Highway 401 - an interstate by any other name - for almost the whole route. As we got toward the eastern side of Ontario we started to notice two things, not necessarily related to one another: The weather got worse and worse, the sunshine and blue skies of Toronto became grey and wet. The other thing was more and more bi-lingual signs as we approached French speaking Quebec.
Once we crossed into Quebec and toward Montreal, any tokenism of bi-lingual signs had disappeared - they were ALL in French! It struck me as rather hypocritical - where French is a minority language it is catered for; where English is the minority it is a case of Getez Vous Stuffed.
The traffic getting into Montreal was quite heavy, combined with the poor weather and there being no simple route into the Center De Ville, all made it a challenge for Nick’s driving, which he rose admirably to.
When we arrived in Montreal city centre, or at least the part of it the SatNav took us to, it was snowing and bitterly cold. At this time it was the sort of snow which is barely more than hail, very small flakes which sting as they’re blown into your face. I was still in my T shirt from the sunshine of Toronto so made a mad dash into the boot of the car for my coat before going and feeding the meter.
The first shop we looked in, as it was next to where we parked, was a combined bookshop and video store, though it may have been a short-term lease affair as the fixtures all looked temporary. It was striking that even though this was a high street shop in the truest sense, it had a well stocked porn section which was centrally situated. As we went back out onto Rue Sainte Catherine we noticed that strip clubs and adult book stores were a popular business enterprise round here - this being the central shopping area.
We followed our noses a couple of blocks and found ourselves in the city centre campus of a university. This didn’t seem like a sensible use of our limited time in Montreal (but at least it was under cover!), so we found a WiFi signal and consulted Google maps to guide us to the Apple store. This turned out to be only two blocks away and, again, was warm and dry! Here, like every other shop we looked in, everything was French language - though I did hear quite a few folk speaking English.
Nick posted on BookFace that he was in Montreal Apple Store and instantly got several “likes” from his friends. There was also some mention of Fengurola or someplace!?
Other than a few souvenirs and knick-knacks helping to use up Canadian Dollars, that was the sum total of our visit to Montreal. Having looked at the map since, we only brushed the edge of the city centre and, above all else, the weather was abysmal. On that basis, any impression I got of the place was unfair, but I have to confess it wasn’t very positive.
I drove, and Nick navigated, us out of the city centre, just as the rush hour was in full swing. The driving wasn’t pretty and I may have been on the receiving end of a few French curse words, but we didn’t hit owt!
The traffic was nose-to-tail on Highway 15 as it took us over the huge bridge to the south (over the St. Lawrence River?) but gradually thinned out - as did the road until we were in rural Canada heading toward the USA. Even as we left Montreal, presumably as we were heading toward the USA, the road signs suddenly all included English again.
We changed over drivers at Sabrevois and headed for the border. The weather continued to deteriorate and we were travelling along white-over country roads. There was no queue at all at the frontier with just one booth open. The formalities consisted on a border guard, who was out-of-sight to me in his booth, glancing at our passports and asking how long we’d been in Canada. Nick’s answer satisfied him as we were on our way in a few seconds with a cheery’ “have a good day guys”.
For a few miles the weather improved, almost as though Nature knew and respected international borders, but it was a false dawn. The route south from the border is Interstate 89 skirting the unseen Lake Champlain off to our right. We were about the only vehicle on the road and conditions got challenging. One thing we did learn quickly was the significance of the many signs reading “Bridge Freezes First”. This applied to bridges over rivers and waterways, where on the approach the road surface would be just slushy, but on the bridge deck itself several inches of snow would be lying in wait for the unwary.
We arrived at the Residence Inn just as it was getting dark and there was already a lot of snow lying. As we checked in the Manager’s Buffet was just winding up in the lobby, so we grabbed some small nibbles and drinks, then went to the room. Like the Residence in Cambridge, this was a small studio apartment with one bed and a roll-away. Nick generously reminded me it was his turn for the roll-away so I got the comfy bed.
The baseball was just starting on NESN as we settled in. It is the second of three games in Toronto and Boston were one down already in the First. After catching up on emails and downloading photos, we went in search of dinner. Nick took me to Chilli’s, a chain he assured me I had been to with him before and that the name didn’t mean it was all Mexican or such. As it was, he has chicken fajhitas while I stuck with a reliable burger washed down with Sam Adams.
In the short journey to the restaurant the Red Sox had got a run back to tie the game one each and so it remained while we were eating, the big screen at the bar showing the game. As we left the place the greeter gave us the very sage advice to “stay warm guys”. We returned to the room via a gas station for me to buy a six pack of a local Vermont brewery (the name of which escapes me now and the evidence is in my bag in the boot). It was still snowing but gave us no great problems at that stage.
Back in the room we watched the end of the game which the Sox won in the most bizarre circumstances. It was till tied and one in the eight but the Red Sox had managed to load the bases. The Blue Jay’s star closer came on and last night he’d done a good job. Tonight he proceeded to miss the plate on four straight balls and walked-in the winning run. I bet his manager had the same choice words I’d not heard in Montreal in mind.
This morning...
I awoke to the sound of Nick getting ready to go for breakfast. My first thought was what’s the now like? Not much more he replied and went out. I got sorted and looked out - there was eight inches of snow covering our car! Even so, I could hear traffic running by on the Interstate as I walked along the cleared path to the lobby (the hotel is formed of a series of detached blocks). In other words, the good people of Vermont are geared up for such weather and totally unfazed by it - even in late April. I did notice the local news reporting various closed schools though.
We were out on the road by 0800 and although we didn’t have to dig the car out, exactly, there was quite a performance in clearing the windscreen etc. The first time I applied the brakes the entire accumulation on the roof shot forward and buried the screen all over again!
On the Interstate it was quite hairy at times as we climbed up into the Vermont hills heading south. Snow ploughs were out and busy, but for long stretches, the outside lane was unusable and even the one lane left was white over. To be fair, the Sebring was very sure-footed and traction was never a problem. There were plenty of time that braking wouldn’t really have been desirable.
Other than one car spun out from the other carriageway with State Trooper parked behind it, and a broken down truck on’a hill, we didn’t encounter any problems, not anything that really held us up. Our progress south was therefore very good. We made the New Hampshire border where we swapped drivers by 10:00.
The further south we got into New Hampshire the less snow there was. Within half an hour all the snow had disappeared and ten minutes later Nick was asking for his sunglasses!
We’re currently heading south on I293 toward Nashua where we intend to finish our shopping needs and take luncheon.
The journey, both yesterday evening and this morning has been dominated by snow - and lots of it.
The drive to Montreal was long and uneventful really. We were heading due east on Highway 401 - an interstate by any other name - for almost the whole route. As we got toward the eastern side of Ontario we started to notice two things, not necessarily related to one another: The weather got worse and worse, the sunshine and blue skies of Toronto became grey and wet. The other thing was more and more bi-lingual signs as we approached French speaking Quebec.
Once we crossed into Quebec and toward Montreal, any tokenism of bi-lingual signs had disappeared - they were ALL in French! It struck me as rather hypocritical - where French is a minority language it is catered for; where English is the minority it is a case of Getez Vous Stuffed.
The traffic getting into Montreal was quite heavy, combined with the poor weather and there being no simple route into the Center De Ville, all made it a challenge for Nick’s driving, which he rose admirably to.
When we arrived in Montreal city centre, or at least the part of it the SatNav took us to, it was snowing and bitterly cold. At this time it was the sort of snow which is barely more than hail, very small flakes which sting as they’re blown into your face. I was still in my T shirt from the sunshine of Toronto so made a mad dash into the boot of the car for my coat before going and feeding the meter.
The first shop we looked in, as it was next to where we parked, was a combined bookshop and video store, though it may have been a short-term lease affair as the fixtures all looked temporary. It was striking that even though this was a high street shop in the truest sense, it had a well stocked porn section which was centrally situated. As we went back out onto Rue Sainte Catherine we noticed that strip clubs and adult book stores were a popular business enterprise round here - this being the central shopping area.
We followed our noses a couple of blocks and found ourselves in the city centre campus of a university. This didn’t seem like a sensible use of our limited time in Montreal (but at least it was under cover!), so we found a WiFi signal and consulted Google maps to guide us to the Apple store. This turned out to be only two blocks away and, again, was warm and dry! Here, like every other shop we looked in, everything was French language - though I did hear quite a few folk speaking English.
Nick posted on BookFace that he was in Montreal Apple Store and instantly got several “likes” from his friends. There was also some mention of Fengurola or someplace!?
Other than a few souvenirs and knick-knacks helping to use up Canadian Dollars, that was the sum total of our visit to Montreal. Having looked at the map since, we only brushed the edge of the city centre and, above all else, the weather was abysmal. On that basis, any impression I got of the place was unfair, but I have to confess it wasn’t very positive.
I drove, and Nick navigated, us out of the city centre, just as the rush hour was in full swing. The driving wasn’t pretty and I may have been on the receiving end of a few French curse words, but we didn’t hit owt!
The traffic was nose-to-tail on Highway 15 as it took us over the huge bridge to the south (over the St. Lawrence River?) but gradually thinned out - as did the road until we were in rural Canada heading toward the USA. Even as we left Montreal, presumably as we were heading toward the USA, the road signs suddenly all included English again.
We changed over drivers at Sabrevois and headed for the border. The weather continued to deteriorate and we were travelling along white-over country roads. There was no queue at all at the frontier with just one booth open. The formalities consisted on a border guard, who was out-of-sight to me in his booth, glancing at our passports and asking how long we’d been in Canada. Nick’s answer satisfied him as we were on our way in a few seconds with a cheery’ “have a good day guys”.
For a few miles the weather improved, almost as though Nature knew and respected international borders, but it was a false dawn. The route south from the border is Interstate 89 skirting the unseen Lake Champlain off to our right. We were about the only vehicle on the road and conditions got challenging. One thing we did learn quickly was the significance of the many signs reading “Bridge Freezes First”. This applied to bridges over rivers and waterways, where on the approach the road surface would be just slushy, but on the bridge deck itself several inches of snow would be lying in wait for the unwary.
We arrived at the Residence Inn just as it was getting dark and there was already a lot of snow lying. As we checked in the Manager’s Buffet was just winding up in the lobby, so we grabbed some small nibbles and drinks, then went to the room. Like the Residence in Cambridge, this was a small studio apartment with one bed and a roll-away. Nick generously reminded me it was his turn for the roll-away so I got the comfy bed.
The baseball was just starting on NESN as we settled in. It is the second of three games in Toronto and Boston were one down already in the First. After catching up on emails and downloading photos, we went in search of dinner. Nick took me to Chilli’s, a chain he assured me I had been to with him before and that the name didn’t mean it was all Mexican or such. As it was, he has chicken fajhitas while I stuck with a reliable burger washed down with Sam Adams.
In the short journey to the restaurant the Red Sox had got a run back to tie the game one each and so it remained while we were eating, the big screen at the bar showing the game. As we left the place the greeter gave us the very sage advice to “stay warm guys”. We returned to the room via a gas station for me to buy a six pack of a local Vermont brewery (the name of which escapes me now and the evidence is in my bag in the boot). It was still snowing but gave us no great problems at that stage.
Back in the room we watched the end of the game which the Sox won in the most bizarre circumstances. It was till tied and one in the eight but the Red Sox had managed to load the bases. The Blue Jay’s star closer came on and last night he’d done a good job. Tonight he proceeded to miss the plate on four straight balls and walked-in the winning run. I bet his manager had the same choice words I’d not heard in Montreal in mind.
This morning...
I awoke to the sound of Nick getting ready to go for breakfast. My first thought was what’s the now like? Not much more he replied and went out. I got sorted and looked out - there was eight inches of snow covering our car! Even so, I could hear traffic running by on the Interstate as I walked along the cleared path to the lobby (the hotel is formed of a series of detached blocks). In other words, the good people of Vermont are geared up for such weather and totally unfazed by it - even in late April. I did notice the local news reporting various closed schools though.
We were out on the road by 0800 and although we didn’t have to dig the car out, exactly, there was quite a performance in clearing the windscreen etc. The first time I applied the brakes the entire accumulation on the roof shot forward and buried the screen all over again!
On the Interstate it was quite hairy at times as we climbed up into the Vermont hills heading south. Snow ploughs were out and busy, but for long stretches, the outside lane was unusable and even the one lane left was white over. To be fair, the Sebring was very sure-footed and traction was never a problem. There were plenty of time that braking wouldn’t really have been desirable.
Other than one car spun out from the other carriageway with State Trooper parked behind it, and a broken down truck on’a hill, we didn’t encounter any problems, not anything that really held us up. Our progress south was therefore very good. We made the New Hampshire border where we swapped drivers by 10:00.
The further south we got into New Hampshire the less snow there was. Within half an hour all the snow had disappeared and ten minutes later Nick was asking for his sunglasses!
We’re currently heading south on I293 toward Nashua where we intend to finish our shopping needs and take luncheon.
A Yesterday Retrospective
27 Apr 2010 15:16
This is being typed on the move on Canadian Highway 401 Eastbound, under clear(ish) blue skies and bright sunshine. A thermometer at the service area at Port Hope we’ve left read 11˚C. Now is a good time for me to cast my mind back to yesterday in more detail as Nick guides us over the 300km toward Montreal through the countryside.
We were on the road before 0800 as we knew we had a considerable distance to cover. Plan for the day was head west to Buffalo along I90, stopping for lunch at Nick’s friend Eileen’s at Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo.
It was a grotty day as we left Syracus, with the SatNav guiding us through commuter land of Liverpool, NY onto the Interstate. Nick took first stint at the wheel and I didn’t envy him tackling the dual pains of heavy rain and heavy traffic. About the only highlight, such as it was, on the journey was stopping for Tim Hortons coffee and fuel at a ‘plaza’ on I90.
The SatNav did its job and took us to the entrance to the gated community where Eileen lives, though as the turn into the street didn’t look like a turn, we ended up doing a circuit of a veterinarian’s car park. The entrance to the “olde thyme village” were open, so we drove in and found Eileen’s block.
I won’t bore you too much with the story of Nick’s friendship with Eileen and her late husband John, except to say John was a cop in Buffalo in 1987 when Nick & Sue visited the city on their honeymoon. Thanks to John, they blagged their way into a Bruce Springsteen concert - and a long term friendship developed.
Eileen made us extremely welcome and fed us handsomely with hot beef cobs. We spent best part of a couple of hours with Eileen, chatting and catching up, before pressing on. Our route from Hamburg took us north back toward Buffalo toward the Peace Bridge border with Canada. Buffalo gives the impression of a blue-collar industrial city which has hit hard times. Demolition seems to be the predominant industry now.
I was driving as the passed over the city centre on the aptly named Sky Bridge and then over the Peace Bridge which forms the border. The queue for Canadian immigration control was only two or three cars deep and the official asked us the usual cursory questions. He seemed satisfied the a one night stay to watch baseball posed no threat to the Canadian national interest and allowed us in. A new stamp in my passport.
Once through the toll booths for the bridge we had just passed over, Interstate driving in Ontario seemed predictably identical to in the US. The speed limit is 100km/h (65ish mph) but seems universally ignored. I pinched 10km/h on the cruise control and was constantly passed. Trucks are banned from the outside lane and the road signs are blue instead of green. Other than that, it’s still North America.
The advantage of road signs in kilometres is that big numbers for distances reduce much quicker! In no time at all we could see the CN Tower in the distance and the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way - what had been I90 from the border) took us right into the city centre.
Our hotel was literally two turns off the main highway, though we discovered we had to go round the houses a little to enter the parking garage. Considering the hotel is integral to the Rogers Center stadium, parking is not surprising expensive. We’re paying a discounted $20 (Canadian dollars, of course, which are slightly more expensive than US Dollars).
We checked in and Nick was greeted with the News that we were being upgraded to Stadium View rooms. As we were checking in, a couple next to us were being told that the hotel was almost full and there were no double rooms left - if they wished to stay they would have to pay for king size rooms. Again, the undeniably power of the Gold Card.
We went up to the room on the fourth floor and as we opened the door we were both blown away! You’ll have read my views on the subject in yesterday’s brief diary entry and I hope seen the photographs, as words can’t do it justice.
Although it was three hours before game time, players were out on the field and we spotted Boston’s Dustin Pedrioa wandering about. Someone else (a Blue Jay?) was being interviewed for television and closer to our position, the expensive dining area overlooking the pitch was being set up. Taking a little time out to send emails and make phone calls to share our good fortune with friends and loved-ones, we set off to explore Toronto.
Nick has obtained a map from the concierge and some tips of where to see in a whistle-stop walking tour of downtown. Suitably equipped we walked over a footbridge spanning the railway lines (the Rogers Center appears to be built on former railway marshalling yards etc.) and past the foot of the CN Tower. Toronto seems to be an area of contrasts, with distinct areas; grungy, bohemian, cutting-edge fashion shops and cafes merging into an entertainment district with lots of bars, followed by a mainstream shopping district, merging into the banking and business area. All this with a sprinkling of old and historic buildings rubbing shoulders with countless new, towering, glass and steel offices.
I was particularly taken by the red street cars plying their trade on many of the streets. These are like the Green Line trollies of Boston except that their rails run along the centre of the city street. The streets are wide enough to accommodate the trollies and the road traffic. It is interesting to see that when they stop to pick up and set down passengers, road traffic is prohibited from passing - a sensible precaution against skittling pedestrians. The interaction with the street cars and the road traffic at intersections, especially where there are junctions with the tracks was interesting to watch.
We found ourselves in the Eaton Center - the inevitable large shopping mall. We decided to split up and regroup at the room, so my first stop was the Indigo bookstore (very Borders-like). I’d got some Canadian dollars from an ATM so made my first purchase in the form of a coffee from the Starbucks in there. There’s an Apple store but I visited only briefly to hook up to their wifi. No iPads here as they are int he same “international” boat as the UK in it not being released in Canada yet.
My walk back to the room took me through the central business district, just as the offices were disgorging their employees onto the streets for their journeys home. As I got closer to the Roger Center, the proliferation of both Red Sox shirts and scalpers increased. So too did the amount of pan-handlers, an apparently very prevalent phenomenon in Toronto?
Back at the hotel we went up to the Concierge level to check out the complimentary nibbles. The fare on offer worked better for Nick than it did for me, but I tried a cold potato concoction - because I could!
With about half an hour to game time we walked out to find our entrance. The concourses outside the stadium were busy with food vendors, program sellers and, again, lots and lots of scalpers. Nick commented he was tempted to sell his ticket and go back to the room, but I think he was joking.
Inside the stadium the Canadian national anthem was being sung as part of the pre-game traditions. If the pattern we witnessed at Boston when the Blue Jays played there, the US national anthem will have been played too, but we must’ve missed that. As Nick went to find our seats I went to find some stadium food. I plumped for burger and fries and noticed that the guy in front of me was paying by card. As my Canadian money was limited, I was going to do the same, but was scared-off when the youth who served the customer ahead (who happened to be a Brit, as well) disappeared out of sight for half a minute with his credit card. Hmmm, no, the last thing I need is my card being cloned, thank you. Incidentally, unlike in the US, the Canadians use the chip & pin with debit cards.
I found Nick with my food just as the first innings began. We were in the first block behind home plate, though in the last-but-one row. Expensive seats in most stadia, prohibitively so in Fenway Park and especially Yankee Stadium. There were quite a few empty seats around us, so we were’t crushed in. Most of the fans around us were wearing Red Sox shirts - perhaps something to do with the way Ticketmaster sell the tickets? As I looked around, however, I’d say the proportion of Boston fans was at least 40%. We later read that the attendance was just over 13,000 - so the sea of empty blue seats was unsurprising.
We stayed in our allotted seats for about five innings before wandering in search of beer (and food for Nick). After doing a circuit of the stadium, checking out standing room views from a variety of positions, we returned to the area of our seats for the seventh innings but moved quite a bit further forward into the vacant seats.
I won’t go over the intricacies of the game again as I think I covered that part last night. It was enough that the Red Sox won, but how they did it was far from conventional.
After the seventh innings we went back to the room and took advantage of our birds-eye panoramic viewpoint. The crowd had thinned considerably and it was quite striking that it was mostly the home crowd who had remained. The noise they made when the Blue Jays got a hit or an out carried up into the dome and reverberated into our vantage point.
That is pretty much that for yesterday. Today we were up and sorted for 0900. I drove first with Nick and the SatNav guiding us out onto Highway 401 east via a slightly circuitous tour of the harbour area - the usual trouble of the GPS signal bouncing around tall buildings. The traffic wasn’t too bad, though we did have a 20 minute crawl along the Don Valley Parkway before traffic thinned out as we left the city. A stop of coffee at a Tim Horton’s and now as I type this we’re pulling into another plaza to swap over again.
We were on the road before 0800 as we knew we had a considerable distance to cover. Plan for the day was head west to Buffalo along I90, stopping for lunch at Nick’s friend Eileen’s at Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo.
It was a grotty day as we left Syracus, with the SatNav guiding us through commuter land of Liverpool, NY onto the Interstate. Nick took first stint at the wheel and I didn’t envy him tackling the dual pains of heavy rain and heavy traffic. About the only highlight, such as it was, on the journey was stopping for Tim Hortons coffee and fuel at a ‘plaza’ on I90.
The SatNav did its job and took us to the entrance to the gated community where Eileen lives, though as the turn into the street didn’t look like a turn, we ended up doing a circuit of a veterinarian’s car park. The entrance to the “olde thyme village” were open, so we drove in and found Eileen’s block.
I won’t bore you too much with the story of Nick’s friendship with Eileen and her late husband John, except to say John was a cop in Buffalo in 1987 when Nick & Sue visited the city on their honeymoon. Thanks to John, they blagged their way into a Bruce Springsteen concert - and a long term friendship developed.
Eileen made us extremely welcome and fed us handsomely with hot beef cobs. We spent best part of a couple of hours with Eileen, chatting and catching up, before pressing on. Our route from Hamburg took us north back toward Buffalo toward the Peace Bridge border with Canada. Buffalo gives the impression of a blue-collar industrial city which has hit hard times. Demolition seems to be the predominant industry now.
I was driving as the passed over the city centre on the aptly named Sky Bridge and then over the Peace Bridge which forms the border. The queue for Canadian immigration control was only two or three cars deep and the official asked us the usual cursory questions. He seemed satisfied the a one night stay to watch baseball posed no threat to the Canadian national interest and allowed us in. A new stamp in my passport.
Once through the toll booths for the bridge we had just passed over, Interstate driving in Ontario seemed predictably identical to in the US. The speed limit is 100km/h (65ish mph) but seems universally ignored. I pinched 10km/h on the cruise control and was constantly passed. Trucks are banned from the outside lane and the road signs are blue instead of green. Other than that, it’s still North America.
The advantage of road signs in kilometres is that big numbers for distances reduce much quicker! In no time at all we could see the CN Tower in the distance and the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way - what had been I90 from the border) took us right into the city centre.
Our hotel was literally two turns off the main highway, though we discovered we had to go round the houses a little to enter the parking garage. Considering the hotel is integral to the Rogers Center stadium, parking is not surprising expensive. We’re paying a discounted $20 (Canadian dollars, of course, which are slightly more expensive than US Dollars).
We checked in and Nick was greeted with the News that we were being upgraded to Stadium View rooms. As we were checking in, a couple next to us were being told that the hotel was almost full and there were no double rooms left - if they wished to stay they would have to pay for king size rooms. Again, the undeniably power of the Gold Card.
We went up to the room on the fourth floor and as we opened the door we were both blown away! You’ll have read my views on the subject in yesterday’s brief diary entry and I hope seen the photographs, as words can’t do it justice.
Although it was three hours before game time, players were out on the field and we spotted Boston’s Dustin Pedrioa wandering about. Someone else (a Blue Jay?) was being interviewed for television and closer to our position, the expensive dining area overlooking the pitch was being set up. Taking a little time out to send emails and make phone calls to share our good fortune with friends and loved-ones, we set off to explore Toronto.
Nick has obtained a map from the concierge and some tips of where to see in a whistle-stop walking tour of downtown. Suitably equipped we walked over a footbridge spanning the railway lines (the Rogers Center appears to be built on former railway marshalling yards etc.) and past the foot of the CN Tower. Toronto seems to be an area of contrasts, with distinct areas; grungy, bohemian, cutting-edge fashion shops and cafes merging into an entertainment district with lots of bars, followed by a mainstream shopping district, merging into the banking and business area. All this with a sprinkling of old and historic buildings rubbing shoulders with countless new, towering, glass and steel offices.
I was particularly taken by the red street cars plying their trade on many of the streets. These are like the Green Line trollies of Boston except that their rails run along the centre of the city street. The streets are wide enough to accommodate the trollies and the road traffic. It is interesting to see that when they stop to pick up and set down passengers, road traffic is prohibited from passing - a sensible precaution against skittling pedestrians. The interaction with the street cars and the road traffic at intersections, especially where there are junctions with the tracks was interesting to watch.
We found ourselves in the Eaton Center - the inevitable large shopping mall. We decided to split up and regroup at the room, so my first stop was the Indigo bookstore (very Borders-like). I’d got some Canadian dollars from an ATM so made my first purchase in the form of a coffee from the Starbucks in there. There’s an Apple store but I visited only briefly to hook up to their wifi. No iPads here as they are int he same “international” boat as the UK in it not being released in Canada yet.
My walk back to the room took me through the central business district, just as the offices were disgorging their employees onto the streets for their journeys home. As I got closer to the Roger Center, the proliferation of both Red Sox shirts and scalpers increased. So too did the amount of pan-handlers, an apparently very prevalent phenomenon in Toronto?
Back at the hotel we went up to the Concierge level to check out the complimentary nibbles. The fare on offer worked better for Nick than it did for me, but I tried a cold potato concoction - because I could!
With about half an hour to game time we walked out to find our entrance. The concourses outside the stadium were busy with food vendors, program sellers and, again, lots and lots of scalpers. Nick commented he was tempted to sell his ticket and go back to the room, but I think he was joking.
Inside the stadium the Canadian national anthem was being sung as part of the pre-game traditions. If the pattern we witnessed at Boston when the Blue Jays played there, the US national anthem will have been played too, but we must’ve missed that. As Nick went to find our seats I went to find some stadium food. I plumped for burger and fries and noticed that the guy in front of me was paying by card. As my Canadian money was limited, I was going to do the same, but was scared-off when the youth who served the customer ahead (who happened to be a Brit, as well) disappeared out of sight for half a minute with his credit card. Hmmm, no, the last thing I need is my card being cloned, thank you. Incidentally, unlike in the US, the Canadians use the chip & pin with debit cards.
I found Nick with my food just as the first innings began. We were in the first block behind home plate, though in the last-but-one row. Expensive seats in most stadia, prohibitively so in Fenway Park and especially Yankee Stadium. There were quite a few empty seats around us, so we were’t crushed in. Most of the fans around us were wearing Red Sox shirts - perhaps something to do with the way Ticketmaster sell the tickets? As I looked around, however, I’d say the proportion of Boston fans was at least 40%. We later read that the attendance was just over 13,000 - so the sea of empty blue seats was unsurprising.
We stayed in our allotted seats for about five innings before wandering in search of beer (and food for Nick). After doing a circuit of the stadium, checking out standing room views from a variety of positions, we returned to the area of our seats for the seventh innings but moved quite a bit further forward into the vacant seats.
I won’t go over the intricacies of the game again as I think I covered that part last night. It was enough that the Red Sox won, but how they did it was far from conventional.
After the seventh innings we went back to the room and took advantage of our birds-eye panoramic viewpoint. The crowd had thinned considerably and it was quite striking that it was mostly the home crowd who had remained. The noise they made when the Blue Jays got a hit or an out carried up into the dome and reverberated into our vantage point.
That is pretty much that for yesterday. Today we were up and sorted for 0900. I drove first with Nick and the SatNav guiding us out onto Highway 401 east via a slightly circuitous tour of the harbour area - the usual trouble of the GPS signal bouncing around tall buildings. The traffic wasn’t too bad, though we did have a 20 minute crawl along the Don Valley Parkway before traffic thinned out as we left the city. A stop of coffee at a Tim Horton’s and now as I type this we’re pulling into another plaza to swap over again.
This will be brief...
27 Apr 2010 04:58
... and I will expand on it at length tomorrow.
“Wow!” is the word of the day. We are staying in an incredible room. We’ve seen an incredible game of baseball (which the Red Sox won - maintaining my 100% record), and we are in an incredible city.
In summary, we drove to Hamburg on the outskirts of Buffalo to see Eileen, a long time friend of Nicks. From there we entered Canada and drove to Toronto and checked into the Renaissance. Thanks to Nick’s points obsession and his Marriott gold card we were upgraded to a stadium view room (cost to you, my friend, $650+ dollars a night!)
After checking in (and a chat with Kay which was lovely) we went to look round downtown Toronto. Whereas it was wet and miserable when we left New York State, it was blue skied and 18 degrees of sunshine in Toronto. We barely scratched the surface, but what I’ve seen I’ve liked and it it definitely on my list of cities I’d like to come back to. Just enough that is North American but entirely different to the USA.
Back at the room we watched the Red Sox batting practice from our window (incredible!) then went down to the ground. The stadium is very good, with plenty of room even had it been a capacity crowd (there were 13,847 as it turned out, which isn’t even close - and many, many, many of the crowd were Red Sox fans).
The game was a slug-fest, with an unheard of 34 hits and 25 runs - yet the Red Sox didn’t hit a single Home Run. Again, it was nail biting stuff but the good guys won in the end. With so many hits, the game took an age to play, finishing at 2315. Good job we didn’t have more than a two or thee feet to travel back home for the night!
I’ll say it again - Wow! Read more tomorrow on the road via Montreal to Vermont. Good Night.
“Wow!” is the word of the day. We are staying in an incredible room. We’ve seen an incredible game of baseball (which the Red Sox won - maintaining my 100% record), and we are in an incredible city.
In summary, we drove to Hamburg on the outskirts of Buffalo to see Eileen, a long time friend of Nicks. From there we entered Canada and drove to Toronto and checked into the Renaissance. Thanks to Nick’s points obsession and his Marriott gold card we were upgraded to a stadium view room (cost to you, my friend, $650+ dollars a night!)
After checking in (and a chat with Kay which was lovely) we went to look round downtown Toronto. Whereas it was wet and miserable when we left New York State, it was blue skied and 18 degrees of sunshine in Toronto. We barely scratched the surface, but what I’ve seen I’ve liked and it it definitely on my list of cities I’d like to come back to. Just enough that is North American but entirely different to the USA.
Back at the room we watched the Red Sox batting practice from our window (incredible!) then went down to the ground. The stadium is very good, with plenty of room even had it been a capacity crowd (there were 13,847 as it turned out, which isn’t even close - and many, many, many of the crowd were Red Sox fans).
The game was a slug-fest, with an unheard of 34 hits and 25 runs - yet the Red Sox didn’t hit a single Home Run. Again, it was nail biting stuff but the good guys won in the end. With so many hits, the game took an age to play, finishing at 2315. Good job we didn’t have more than a two or thee feet to travel back home for the night!
I’ll say it again - Wow! Read more tomorrow on the road via Montreal to Vermont. Good Night.