Let’s do this! I’m off to Colorado, to visit two of its most well-known cities: Denver and Glenwood Springs. I left home at 6:30 AM and took Uber to Boston’s Logan International Airport. Checking my bag was super easy, and I hung out in the United club prior to my flight. The United club was comfortable, with a lot of seating, good coffee, light snacks, and the staff was super helpful. The flight to Denver was full, and we left on time, at 9:30 AM. I was in economy plus, which has a bit more leg room than regular economy My seat mate, Frank, was super helpful. He was [...]
Here I go again, friends! It’s time for yet another Learning Moment back to Baltimore, which is known by locals as the charm city! Last summer, I didn’t get to see everything, so it’s time for another awesome visit! To begin the day, I left home at 5:30 AM, and took Uber to Amtrak’s Route 128 Station in Westwood, where I took Amtrak’s Acela to Baltimore. For the first time, I was in first class, which was an experience. The train was sold out, and I noticed that the first class seats were exactly the same as the business class seats. The attendants were Louis and [...]
Finally, at last, after a year and a half, I’m traveling again! This time, I’m off to Baltimore, Maryland, which is known as the charm city, with my awesome friend Emily. We met at the Starbuck’s in Boston in 2018, hung out in Washington, DC, hung out a few times in Boston, and this is our first real trip together! I left home at 6:00 AM, and took a car service, dav el Boston Coach, to South Street Diner, a 24-hour diner near South Station. The diner wasn’t very crowded at 6:30 AM, and I had the mixed grill. The Italian sausage and the crab cakes were amazing, and I had[...]
I’m off to Halifax, Nova Scotia for yet another fall adventure! The last time that I was in Canada was from July 13-16, 2017 when I visited Montreal. I left home at 6:30 AM and went to Logan Airport by using GroundLink, a car service. I’ve never used a car service before independently, and it was more than perfect! After checking in, which was a painless process, I went to Legal Sea Foods in the terminal, as well as to Starbuck’s. The tuna burger and coffee were amazing, and the flight was full. The flight was on a turboprop plane, and I haven’t been[...]
West coast, here I come! This Learning Moment is brand-new, because this is the first time that I’ve been on the West Coast! Today, I left home at about 10:00 AM, enjoyed brunch at Beantown Pub, and arrived at South Station, where the Amtrak trains leave from, at 11:15 AM. I relaxed in the Metropolitan Lounge, which is formerly club Acela, and the Lake Shore Limited, the train that goes to Chicago, left at 12:50 PM. For the first segment, the train consisted of only two coaches and a café car. So, I enjoyed coach up until Albany, then I moved into my roomette! I’ve never [...]
Well, here I go again on another awesome adventure! This time, I’m off to both Washington, DC for Labor Day weekend, then to Raleigh, NC. Thursday night, I left home at about 7:30 PM and arrived at South Station at about 8:15 PM to wait for the overnight Amtrak train, which left at 9:30 PM. This time, I couldn’t relax at club Acela, which is the lounge that Amtrak has, because it was being renovated. I was in business class, which was very comfortable! I had some wine, chatted with some passengers, and slept for the majority of the ride, and arrived into Union Station Friday [...]
Well, today I embark on another awesome adventure! This time, it is to Syracuse, which is in upstate New York. I got up at 4:15 AM and got to South Station at about 6:00 AM, and the Greyhound bus left at 6:45 AM. It was full, and I had a seat mate from Boston to Springfield, then one from Springfield to Syracuse. The ride was very uncomfortable, and it felt like we were jammed in like sardines, similar to how subway systems usually are during rush hours. We had a break in Albany, however I just stayed on the bus. I arrived into Syracuse at 2:40 PM, Sam was right there to pick me up, and the [...]
Well, I’m off on another adventure, this time to Montreal, Quebec! I have not been here since my family lived in Vermont, and this is the first time that I’ve been outside of the country by myself! I took Greyhound from Boston to Montreal. The ride was fine, and we left at midnight and we got to Montreal at 6:45 AM. I was worried about crossing the border, but it was a very simple process. Another first activity during this Learning Moment is that I’m staying at a hostel, which is where younger travelers stay when they visit different cities. This hostel is the Samesun [...]
Well, another summer adventure has begun! However, unlike in the past, this adventure has a new twist: the concept of couchsurfing!! If you don’t know what couchsurfing is, it’s basically staying at someone’s house, on their couch, or in their spare bedroom, or wherever they have space. There’s a website called www.couchsurfing.com, and it’s possible to host people in your local city, be hosted by someone in a city where you travel, or even to hang out with locals or travelers from different cities. So, I find myself in Westerville, Ohio with the really wonderful [...]
Continued from Nation's Capital Learning Moment - Spring 2016To kick off today, we enjoyed the free breakfast, packed, and took a Lyft to Washington DC's Union Station. We are great travel partners, so packing and getting there was no problem! Union Station was busy, and our train to Raleigh was on time. Coach class was very comfortable, and the seats reclined very far back! The ride was relaxing, and I enjoyed a chicken parmesan panini from the café car. We left DC at about 11:00 AM, and arrived into Raleigh at about 5:00 PM. Upon arrival, Natalie, a friend that I made off of[...]
Yesterday, my friend Tyler and I embark on yet another new adventure, up to Old Orchard Beach, Maine on a small railroad called Amtrak! We departed Boston’s North Station at 9:00 AM, and the train was sold out! It was a great two-hour ride, and we arrived to Old Orchard Beach at about 11:15 AM. Upon arrival, since we have never been here before, we had no idea where to start, let alone where to go from the train station to get to the Palace Playland, the amusement park, the strip, or the peer. Fortunately, with some assistance from passengers, we were able to successfully navigate [...]
On September 5, 2011, Labor Day, a blind friend, Tyler Terrasi and I decided three hours beforehand to take a spontaneous trip to New York City. It was a pretty slow Labor Day weekend, and he has not been to New York City with anyone other than his family, so we decided to give it a try. After calling him and informing him that we were off to New York City, he came over to my apartment in Brighton, MA. It was about 10:00 PM on Sunday night, and the bus left at 1:00 AM. After trying, without success, to purchase his ticket on the Greyhound website in a pressed amount of time, he gave up and [...]
Here we go again! During the week between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, I’m off to enjoy another visit to Washington, DC, our Nation’s capital! I left home at about 5:30 AM, and took Uber to the Route 128 Amtrak station in Westwood. I took Northeast Regional train 195, which left on time at 6:50 AM, and it was a sold out train, even though it was the day right after Christmas! I was in business class, at a conference table, and I was sitting with a family who was traveling to Fredericksburg, Virginia for a few days. The Starbuck’s coffee was awesome [...]
Well, here I go again, back to Washington, DC for yet another weekend of action and excitement. Thursday night, I left home at about 7:00, and this time, because the café car on Amtrak is awful, I enjoyed dinner at Beantown Pub, along with a beer. The chicken and the steak were awesome, as well as the garlic mashed potatoes. I then hung out in Club Acela, which is the Amtrak lounge at South Station, and we left on time at 9:30. I sat in business class, which as usual, was very comfortable. I enjoyed some wine in the café car, and it was awesome to socialize with other [...]
Well, here I go on another adventure, back to Washington, D.C.! As usual, I’m taking a small railroad called Amtrak, as well as staying at my usual hotel, the Embassy Suites! I left home at about 7:30 PM, and relaxed at Club Acela, which is the Amtrak lounge in South Station. It was great, I enjoyed a soda, and our train left on time at 9:30 PM. Unlike last time when I traveled in Business class on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional, they had leather seats, It was comfortable, and I also enjoyed some wine in the café car. It was also great to mingle with other passengers, and one [...]
Well, another Learning Moment has begun! I took a taxi to Boston’s South Station on Monday May 9, my 32nd birthday, and got to South Station at about 7:30 PM and hung out in Club Acela, Amtrak’s executive club, until my train for Washington, DC left at 9:30 PM. This time, I sat in coach class, and it was comfortable! While I hung out in the café car, because of my birthday, I was provided with several small bottles of wine, and the passengers sang Happy Birthday! Also, the passengers got a piece of pound cake and put 32 straws on it, which represented candles. The rest [...]
Well, the time has finally arrived for yet another awesome adventure to Washington, DC! I left home at about 7:30 PM and took a taxi to South Station to take the overnight Amtrak train to Washington, DC. Upon arrival at South Station, I enjoyed relaxing at Club Acela, Amtrak’s executive lounge, which is similar to lounges found in airports across the country. I preboarded the train at about 9:00 PM for a 9:30 PM departure, and sat in business class. However, a major difference from last time that I traveled business class is that the seats were cloth, not leather, just like in coach. The[...]
Well, the time has come again for yet another adventure in the Nation's Capital to celebrate both my graduate school graduation, and a friend’s college graduation! Similar to the last learning moment, we are staying at the same awesome hotel, the Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase Pavilion, located in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. Different from the last visit, we are flying this time, rather than going by train. We arrived at Boston’s Logan International Airport at about 1:00 PM yesterday afternoon. Believe it or not, getting through security went[...]
Well, here I go again, back to our Nations' Capital to see a great friend Emily from college! She had just moved down here from New Hampshire for a job, so I’m taking on the lofty task of showing her this wonderful city. So, at 7:00 PM, I left home bound for South Station to take a small railroad called Amtrak! Upon arrival at South Station, prior to the overnight train’s departure, I relaxed at an exclusive lounge called Club Acela. Club Acela is similar to the many clubs that airlines have at airports. Club Acela features free drinks, couches, and staff that can assist with [...]
Well, the day has finally arrived. After a month of planning and preparation, Tyler and I are off to our Nation’s Capital. We left home at around 7:00 PM, and were fortunate enough to relax at Club Acela, a VIP club for all Acela Amtrak passengers at South Station, prior to our departure. While we were on the Regional, not the Acela, it was relaxing to hang out there. When we were boarding our train, we were disappointed to find out that there was no business class! However, Amtrak was kind enough to give us our money back on that portion of the ticket, and the drinks were free in [...]
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of making a wonderful new friend here in Boston named Sarah! She is from Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is attending Emerson College here in Boston getting her Master’s in publishing. So yesterday, I really enjoyed showing her around the city. Our first stop was the Fire and Ice Improvisational Grill in the Copley Square neighborhood of the city. For those of [...]
A great friend, Rachel, came down to visit from Canada for two days prior to embarking on a great hike on a trail throughout Vermont. We were very fortunate to meet last year about this time and enjoyed an afternoon and an evening of drinking and of exploring around Boston. Rachel is, and will always be, one of my best friends!! She is out-going, laid back, positive, and is up for any kind of [...]
Today, my friend Tyler and I had another adventure, this time to enjoy the Boston Red Sox game and the Boston Marathon. We met up at around 7:00 AM, and took the T to Starbuck’s, located near Fenway Park. We left early so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the heavy crowds that would be on the Green Line later in the morning. It was a beautiful day outside, probably about 55-60 [...]
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting yet another new friend, and showing her around the great city of Boston! Chelsi moved here from California about a month ago, and had not really explored Boston in detail. So, yesterday morning, I met her at the Roxbury Crossing Orange Line station and another Boston adventure began! Our first stop was my former high school, the Perkins School for the [...]
Recounted by HolliI used to blog a lot about how I took my trip to Puerto Rico, and saw the sights. Now it's time to blog about what I saw yesterday around Boston, Massachusetts. Yesterday I was truly fortunate to meet a wonderful new friend. His name is Ian. He is completely blind and has been since birth. He is a sweet soul, really lovable, and so laid back. Like I said it was a true [...]