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Well at this rate I don't think that I'll EVER get rid of these "love handles", especially right after we come back from a mini-vacations to the big city. Camping or climbing trips are different. There is usually enough hiking about during the days to offset the mac & cheese, hot dogs and hamburgers for dinners. That said, I don't think that any amount of walking around Boston is going to work off a large order of St. Louis ribs at Redbones and creme boulet at the Top Of The Hub!
I did find a couple of ways to keep from getting completely sloppy on our trip to the city:
1) Walk everywhere you can. Don't take cabs or the T unless absolutely necessary. We walked from the Aquarium to Chinatown for dinner and then back to our hotel which was about a block from the Prudential tower. It was definitely a couple of miles. Just ask the kiddo!
2) If you do ride the T, maybe you are short on time or are traveling with a 6 year old, climb all the stairs while everyone else takes the escalator. The ones coming up from the train stop in Porter Square will almost put you into an aerobic state. Try taking them 2 at a time if you really feel good. But try not to be passed by the cute secretaries in suits and running shoes who blow past you without evening breathing hard!
3) Only one Creme Boulet allowed per vacation!
In spite of having lived in Boston for 13 years, New York City for 5 and Miami for 5, I have finally come to accept that I have become provincial. I suppose living here in the North country for the past 9 years will do it to a person. It kind of blew me away to see what seemed like practically everyone walking around with either a cell phone attached to their ear or iPod style earphones dangling. I guess it's a good way just to tune out the city, if you live there.
Here's a couple of Boston recommendations from this country boy. If you live down in that neck of the woods you may already know about some of these.
1) The Mid Town Hotel - $99/night early week. Clean large rooms, nice people, free parking and a super location directly across from the Christian Science center and 1 block from the Green Line T stop.
2) Hong Kong Eatery on Harrison in Chinatown - the best mustard greens and tastiest fried and salted calamari I've had since the little Chow Chow around the corner closed down a few years ago. All at a pretty reasonable price.
3) The Top Of The Hub restaurant in the Prudential Tower for drinks and/or dessert. Their creme boulet is the best I've ever had. Beware tho, our 2 wines, kiddo's milk & 2 desserts cost more than our whole dinner in Chinatown!
4) The Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science is totally cool for kids & kid-like adults like us.
5) The Aliens Of The Deep 3-D movie at the I-Max at the Aquarium. Wow, that Cameron guy really looks like he is having fun 1,000 feet down in a submersible. And he paid for the whole thing out of his own, almost bottomless, pocket.
As my beautiful and very smart wife says, there are times when you just have to take the time out, spend the moo-la and get away. A short trip to the big city with the family during an early February thaw is well worth it, but maybe next year we'll manage Disney World! One thing is for sure... It felt a whole lot better to get back and see the cold temps and ice reforming all over the place. What a relief.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective April 24, 2024
It's all over for 2023/2024.
Huntington Ravine
OUT
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OUT
Dracula
OUT
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
Mobile Version Of NEClimbs:
Up on one of the Mount Washington Valley's finest crags and want to know what that climb you're looking at is? Or maybe you're on your way up from Boston and want to check out the Ice Report for your upcoming weekend plans. Or more likely, you're at work just want to daydream about your next adventure. Well if you have a smart phone handy, you can get to NEClimbs from anywhere you have cell service. While it doesn't offer every single feature of the site and it's not an "app", in mobile form, it does do a whole lot and is very useful. Here is the live link to the mobile version of NEClimbs:
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
NEClimbs & White Mountain Report On Facebook:
Join us and LIKE us on Facebook. I'll try and post interesting pix every Thursday and the latest Ice Report in the season, tho certainly not the whole Report. Here's where you can check it out:
Climbing is a very dangerous sport. You can get hurt or even kill yourself. When you go climbing, you do so of your own free will. Everything on this site is to be taken with a grain of salt. Don't blame us if you get up some totally heinous route, in over your head and fall and hurt yourself.
