New York and Boston May 2025 Part II Boston

On The MIT Campus

Friday May 16

Yesterday was a long, tiring day. Getting to the train was easy in retrospect, but I was nervous because it was an unfamiliar process and Dan and Kelsey had so much paraphernalia for Emi. But they knew what they were doing; I shouldn’t have worried. Even with two suitcases, backpacks, a diaper bag, a stroller, a pack and play and a car seat, they were only a couple of minutes behind us in their Uber.

We went to the Amtrak waiting room and just like the instructions said, our train was called a few minutes before departure. They told us our track and there we were. We found our car, our seats, and got settled. At first Emi was very busy. We walked up and down the aisle several times, read books, played with toys, ate some snacks. Finally she got fussy and tired and fell asleep off to the side in her stroller. She slept for over an hour, which was good.

We decided to get off at Back Bay instead of going all the way to South Station because it was a little closer to Cambridge. Lee and I were trying to remember the last time we were in Boston proper. We’ve been back to New Hampshire several times but we don’t think we’ve been in the city since we left.

By the time we got settled in our hotel it was close to 3 pm. The hotel is right by the MIT campus. Daniel was finished working for the day so we took a walk to find some coffee. We found a playground but it was kind of drizzly so we headed to the MIT campus instead. There Emi could run around, pick up rocks, and climb steps to burn off some energy.

That night Dan and Kelsey went out with friends, and we took Emi to Legal Seafood for dinner. We ordered a Sole to share with broccoli and rice pilaf. I thought the sole was inedible but Lee thought it was ok. I mainly ate rice, broccoli and bread, haha. We got Emi a kid's plate. The pasta was terrible but she ate all the rice and a lot of our rice pilaf and bread too. Then we went back to our room and listened to music and played until Dan and Kelsey came back.

I was in bed by 9, and asleep shortly after that. I woke up at 6. I wouldn’t have minded sleeping more but that’s actually plenty of sleep. We’re just relaxing and hanging out now until it’s time to start our day.

We bought a $4 self guided walking tour and strolled around the MIT campus. Lee and I have done this before but it’s been a long time. We love the Frank Gehry building that’s like a cartoon building. We saw the man statue made out of equations, the MIT chapel that is a round brick building surrounded by a moat. Emi liked the ducks on the green lawn a lot, and the small Adirondack chairs that she could climb on easily. 

We walked over to the MIT dome and then to the Charles. We walked across the Charles to Back Bay and Newbury street on the Smoot Bridge, and then strolled up Newbury to the Public Garden. The Smoot bridge is kind of a joke. A smoot is actually an official length of measurement, named after an MIT student that measured the bridge by laying down on it over and over. It's about 360 smooth long, by the way. They are even marked on the bridge! This was back in the 1890's so the smoot has been around for a while. Lee commented that he was kind of short.

We stopped several times along Newbury Street, once to get a burger for me, once to get chicken tenders at Shake Shack for Emi. There was a Beard Papa right next to the Shake Shack so of course we had to get cream puffs. I tried the green tea ones but I always like the plain ones with powdered sugar the best. And then there was a Levain cookie place. Dan says they’re better than Crumbi so I got one to try later with my afternoon coffee. Turns out a coconut-chocolate-caramel cookie is pretty great.

Right when we got to the Public Garden the sun came out and it suddenly got HOT! Lee and I were both tired so we said goodbye to Dan, Kelsey and Emi for the time being and proceeded to  wander all over the commons looking for the T Station for the Red Line. I was sweating like crazy; it was terrible. We finally found it. Boston has recently implemented transit  express just like New York so getting on the train was simple and pretty soon we were back in Cambridge, taking it easy until dinner time.

Sunday May 18

We are home now, but I’ll fill you in on the rest of Friday and Saturday.

For dinner on Friday we took the T back to Back Bay and went to the Salty Pig. Not realizing that it was graduation weekend in Boston we didn’t try to make dinner reservations in time and the best places in the North End were already booked. Oh well! The Salty Pig was just fine, imo. We got a variety of things to share. We got a meatball appetizer that I think everyone else liked more than I did. We got a salad that had too much dressing on it, sigh. We got a pizza that Emi loved. We got two different pasta dishes, a bucatini which was ok, and a mushroom ragu that I thought was fabulous. Then we took the T back to Cambridge and called it a night. With each subsequent T experience we improved, lol.

We pretty much had Saturday to ourselves, while they went to a baby shower and hung out with friends. In the morning I went for a long run along the Charles, 8 miles. It went ok, but it was pretty humid. I gradually sped up, but only a little, and then slowed back down at the end.Then at noon we walked back over the Charles to eat lunch at an oyster bar called Select Oysters. Neptune has changed their policy. They still don’t take reservations but now they don’t take your phone number either so you have to stand in line. This place that we went to instead was really great. The oysters were awesome and so was the lobster roll. The lobster roll was crazy expensive though, $60!! We split it, but still. We also got white anchovies on toast. Lee has decided he likes fancy anchovies in his old age. Yay!

Running Along the Charles

We also used an app called InKind to pay for the restaurant. The restaurant gets free adversing through their app and we got $50 off a $160 bill! Not bad. Unfortunately not many restaurants in the Twin Cities use it so we probably won't have a chance to use it again unless we're on the east coast.

We walked from there back to Levain and I bought a lemon cookie this time. Also very good! Then we took the T back to Cambridge. This time we took the Green Line from Copley Square. I got us on the right train (there are multiple green line trains) but initially going the wrong direction. Fortunately I realized it after one stop so we got off and got back on going the right way. The train was very slow, stopping a lot, but that’s the Green line for you. Its old. Once we got back to Cambridge we basically laid around the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner we went to a chinese restaurant  nearby that Lee had found online. Very popular, and everyone there was Asian. We didn’t have to wait but it was very crowded and hot inside. Emi had kind of had it, so we took turns taking her outside to run around a little bit. When the food came she must have been starving. She ate 4 dumplings, fried rice and white rice too!

That was the end of the trip for everyone. We all had early flights on Sunday so we said goodnight. We’ll see them again in a little over a month when they come to Minnesota for the 4th of July. I wonder how Emi will have changed by then?

MIT Dome

New York and Boston May 2025 - Part I New York

On the Subway

Monday May 12

Yesterday was a very busy, long day. We got up at 3:30 AM to catch our flight to NYC. The flight was 2.5 hours and uneventful, which is always good. Then we had a 50 minute Uber ride into the city. When we arrived at the hotel our rooms weren’t quite ready so we stored our bags and went around the corner for very mediocre deli sandwiches. It wasn’t Jewish deli for sure! Oh well. I was the one that vetoed the very good Ramen place right next to the hotel. My bad.

Back to the hotel and our room was ready. The room was very nice, with a little bit of a view of Central Park. BUT!!! There was a low-pitched hum throughout the room, and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Very disturbing. We unpacked and then met up with Daniel, Kelsey and Emi. We decided to go ahead and go to Brooklyn, walk around, get a snack, maybe find a playground for Emi, and then head to our Mother's Day dinner reservation.

Oh has Emi changed since March! Her vocabulary is exploding - she says Emi happy, duckies for any bird, especially pigeons. Mama for Mama, and Dada for any man (sorry Daniel). She says Outside! And many other things that I forget. And she has become LOUD! She has discovered screaming, and thinks it’s great fun. NBD if we’re outside, but in a subway car, or a restaurant, not so great. And she’s only 17 months so too young to listen if we say SHHHH. The inter web says to ignore it so you don’t feed it. I’m not sure how good at that I’ll be!

We all used transit express to ride the subway, and google maps to figure out our route. We walked along some tree-lined esplanade in Brooklyn and then made our way to a restaurant with outside seating where we could order a snack for Emi and us to share. We got sweet potato fries and as long as there was ketchup to dip them in Emi was delighted. Also in the plethora of pigeons (aka duckies)!

Then we walked over to Fort Greene where there was a very nice playground. Of course Emi fell asleep right before we got there, but she woke up in enough time to play for about 15 minutes before we headed to the restaurant. The restaurant was VERY good, but it was very very warm where we were sitting. They had the windows open but still. I think our long day was catching up with me. We shared a salad, asparagus, some fried cheese balls, and 3 different pasta dishes, tortellini, lasagna and green ravioli with morels. They were all great.

We took the subway back to the hotel. It was supposed to be an express train but it stopped more than it was supposed to. Who knows. When we got back to the hotel I complained about the humming to the front desk and they offered to move us. A hassle but decided it was worth it. The new room did not hum except in the bathroom, but we could hear the TV in the room next door. I dunno, none of it bothered me; I was so tired. I slept pretty solidly from 9 pm to 6:30. Then I got up to have a cup of coffee and go for a run in Central Park.

It was a beautiful morning and there were so many runners and cyclists out! I ran for 2 miles and then turned around. I know I could do a loop but I hadn’t planned my route so I played it safe.

Central Park Running

Got back to the hotel, took a shower and met Lee for breakfast. Soon we’ll head out with the gang, maybe take Emi to the children’s museum and figure out something for lunch and dinner. Tomorrow and Wednesday we’re babysitting for Emi.

Tuesday May 13.

We ended up walking to a playground in Central Park. it was a great playground for toddlers, little slides, steps, sand, and small hills and valleys made with an artificial substance in different colors. Emi did a little of all of it and enjoyed it all. She is very into picking up trash and throwing it away. Another neatnic! Maybe.

Central Park Playground

It was getting sort of close to lunchtime for some of us. Dan had some work calls to make and Kelsey had a little work to do as well, so we took Emi to Chipolte’s. We got her a kid’s quesadilla but she only ate a bite of it. But she really liked the little bag of chips that came with it and slowly ate them all. I got a salad bowl and Lee got a taco to tide us over. 

When Dan and Kelsey were finished working we walked over to a New York style version of a Singaporean Hawker Stand! It wasn’t exactly the same but it had the same general idea. I got a fish curry that was really good. Dan got a chicken curry, Kelsey got some fried rice and Lee got a biryani bowl. I think we all enjoyed our late lunches! Emi ate some of Kelsey’s rice, a lot of it ending up in her stroller as we found out later! Then we walked back to Central Park and went to their little zoo. It was small but the few exhibits it had were done well, and it wasn’t very expensive by New York standards. We saw snow monkeys, seals, snow leopards and grizzly bears. Emi waved to a grizzly bear that was hanging out right on the other side of the glass. Lee caught it on video, very cute!

We also watched a heron having a fit because a squirrel was in his enclosure trying to steal his peanuts. I was watching him by the railing and he kind of flew at me as well! He definitely startled me! I stayed well away from him after that!

Then we went back to the hotel for a little while to rest before dinner. We both agree that we can’t keep up with the kids like we used to! We needed to stop walking and put our feet up for a while!

Dinner was at a nearby restaurant, I forget the name. I really wasn’t very hungry, so I ordered a charcuterie plate to share. The others got sliders and shared an entree of steak frites. I did have a delicious manhattan! Emi wasn’t hungry yet either. She ate some cheerios and that was about it. Later they got her a pizza and she ate a lot of that. Her stomach seems to be on Pacific Time still.

 

I didn’t run this morning. I’ll run tomorrow, but probably abbreviate it some. Hopefully it won’t be raining but if it is I’ll just tough it out. We’ve had breakfast and we’re just hanging out in the room until they are ready for us to start bbsitting. They’re going out tonight so it’s going to be a long day of Emi, but we have some plans up our sleeves!

Wednesday May 14, New York

First we went back to the playground in Central Park. She found some new places to explore and we picked a lot of dandelions and collected a lot of rocks. We walked to a salad place for lunch and she fell asleep on the way.

Then we took Emi down to Chelsea to look at mattresses. We both want to replace the Temperpedic that weighs too much and I find uncomfortable. We went to a store that sells mattresses recommended by Wirecutter and tried out a few. It’s so subjective, and hard to tell really by just lying on one for a couple minutes. I really need to spend the night in a mattress store. But there was one we thought we really liked. We inquired about kings too but the cost would be prohibitive. We’d have to replace the headboard and all the sheets, and remove the cedar chest from the bedroom to make room, so I doubt that we will do it.

Then we walked over to the Highline and let Emi walk around a little. She smelled the flowers and picked up rocks again. But she was getting hungry and tired. We tried to find something she would like to eat but the place we tried was kind of gross. She did eat some french fries and ketchup, but that was about it.

By then it was time to go back to the hotel. Dan and Kelsey gave us a break before we took over again and took Emi out for pizza. That actually worked out really well. The pizza was good, the caesar salad was yummy (big pieces of anchovies which I love). Emi ate a LOT of pizza. It was impressive, but then she really hadn’t eaten that much earlier.

We went back to the hotel and hung out in our room until they got back. It was late for us, but not that bad, and it didn’t really matter since we’re going to be up late again tonight.

Wednesday May 14

I went for a run in Central Park again this morning, this time going up the east side instead of the west. I was going to shorten the run but lost track of my repeats and ended up doing most of the prescribed workout. It wasn't raining at the start but by the end it had started to come down pretty good.

We took Emi to the Museum of Natural History today since it was raining. We took the subway and got pretty wet in the process. Emi's stroller has a rain shield but we had trouble attaching it and she kept kicking it off. The subway exit we needed didn't have an elevator so Lee flexed his muscles and carried her stroller down the steps. After the first set of steps we got a little wiser and took Emi out of her stroller first. Then one of us would carry her and the other carry the stroller. Eventually we got even smarter and kept her in the stroller but carried the whole thing together. Whew!

Once we found the stroller entrance to the museum we had a great time. I had read that the dinosaur exhibit was the place to take toddlers and that was definitely the case. Emi was enchanted, pointed and cooing and ooing and ahhing, telling us all about them as we walked past. She was a little toddler dinosaur tour guide! 

Telling Us All About The Dinosaurs

When she got tired we put her in the stroller and went to look at more boring exhibits in South America and Africa until she fell asleep.

Dan met us at a nearby Mexican restaurant. Fortunately by then the rain had stopped. We were glad to sit down for a while and Emi woke up in time to eat.

We went back to the hotel for a while. We stopped babysitting around 4 pm because it was time for us to get ready to go out that evening. We took an Uber to our dinner reservations at Chalong, a southern Thai restaurant. It was good, but not as good as Seema, where Sarah and I ate when we were here in November. We got a whole fried fish, pork and shrimp dumplings, a pomelo salad. I liked the salad and my mango sticky rice dessert the best. Oh and the cocktail I got, a souped up Manhattan, was fabulous!

We strolled over to the theatre and were there early, before the doors opened in fact. our seats were fantastic. In the very back of the orchestra, but right in the center with an excellent view of the stage.

I've never actually seen Gipsy before. I hated Ethel Merman and her booming bombastic voice. But Audra McDonald as the stage mother to end all, was perfect. She has a huge voice, but it's beautiful and thrilling without being overbearing.

Gyspy is one of Stephen Sondheim's earliest hits. It came out in '59 right after West Side Story in '57.

There’s a lot of great music in Gypsy, more songs than I actually realized were from it, including "Let Me Entertain You" and "Small World". And McDonald managed to give the songs depth and meaning. For example, “Everything’s Coming up Roses” sounds like it should just be a happy optimistic song, but it actually comes at the end of the first Act when Rose’s heart is broken because one of her daughters, June, has run away. In reality it’s defiant and sad.

The end of the show, when her other daughter, Louise, has become the famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, and Rose sings “Rose’s Turn”, was unexpectedly moving. Most of Gypsy is either funny or almost horrifying but that last song brought everyone to tears. It was weird how suddenly the whole audience started crying. Then it was over and we all stood up and cheered. Wow.

It was definitely hard to get up this morning but we have a train to catch!