QV2016 = QuiltVenture Tour 2016
I arrived in Boston this morning, from Bow, New Hampshire where I’d stayed overnight. The drive to Logan Airport, where I had to drop off the rental car, was expected to take 1 hour 45 mins. I allowed four hours… And although it took just over 2 hours, I’m glad I had that extra time up my sleeve as there were major traffic issues on I-93 South for the last 10 or so miles into Boston — it was like a slow-moving car park. Fortunately, I didn’t have a plane to catch and if I’d been late with the rental car, they’d have charged me for an extra day, so the consequences of running late weren’t too arduous.
The cab from the rental car building to downtown was $32 (including a $7.50 toll), plus tip, so it wasn’t cheap to travel only a couple of miles, as the crow flies. But it took a good 15 mins or so via the network of overpasses, tunnels etc.
I checked into the hotel and waited in the lobby until my room was ready. What a lovely hotel! We’re here for 4 days, so I unpacked everything and hung up all my clothes — the first time most have seen daylight for 10 days!
The weather was gorgeous (sunshine, 80F — in mid-October!) so I went for a walk to Faneuil Hall, then down to the harbourfront and along the walkways there. It was lunchtime and everywhere was packed with people out and about enjoying the sunshine, having lunch, walking, etc. I had a pulled pork sandwich from a Jamaican food truck near Columbus Park — delicious!
Boston seems really diverse based on the downtown population I saw and their interactions with each other — all nationalities seem to be represented, and all seem to get on with each other; there doesn’t seem to be the divide that is trumpeted by one candidate in the US Presidential election… In the hotel, there are many nationalities — the man who brought the bags to my room is South Sudanese, I saw a housekeeper of Indian or Pakistani origin in the halls, the person who checked me in was European (perhaps Russian?), and another was Australian. And that’s what I observed in just a few minutes.
Tonight I’ll have dinner with one of the other tour members who arrived from London this afternoon, and later this evening the rest of the group arrive. Already I’ve seen six of the group in the hotel lobby, so we’re nearly all here.
Here are some of my photos from my walk around Boston this afternoon:
The truck matches the trees and the sky
Sidewalk grate — I loved the pattern in this
Update: Had dinner with one of the other members of the group who’s already here, then walked down by the harbourfront. Found an exhibit by the artist Ai Weiwei of Chinese Zodiac animal heads, spotted a likely Australian-style coffee place, and found B5, a long-lost member of our quilting and sewing group 😉
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 