Blogging in Boston - Part Two

Day 2 of our journey!  After a rainy night in our terrible hotel room, we woke feeling… well, a little less than excited for this trip.  Driving hours in the Appalachian Mountains will do that to you.  And dealing with rude staff members five seconds after finally arriving at your hotel.  And not sleeping well because you can’t turn your AC on (obvious signs of mold in it) or open your windows (raining, spiders’ nest, literally would break a wall to open a window).

But, we’re making the most of it.  We ate some quick breakfast in our room before heading out in the morning to the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA.  The tickets were a little pricey considering the overall size of the zoo (much smaller than Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, more comparable to Henry Villas Zoo in Madison).  I liked the zoo overall though. 

Mostly because they had my favorite animal in the world: SNOW LEOPARDS.  And not just a singular snow leopard, but a mama and 2 BABY SNOW LEOPARDS.  BABIES!!  Needless to say, I freaked out.  But, just look at them!  How can you not?!  I can’t even.  I just can’t.  

I probably watched them for close to an hour.  If my bad back hadn’t started acting up, I could’ve stayed watching them all day.  (Lowell wouldn’t have liked that though.  He had a meeting in Boston to get to.)  But, I mean, can you blame me?  With their floofy tails, giant paws, and just general adorableness, they’re just so amazing and beautiful.  And they’re finally not endangered anymore!  They’re still on the Threatened Species list, but not being on the Endangered Species list anymore sounds like progress to me. 

Okay, no more snow leopard talk.  (But more pictures at the end of this post.) 

After visiting my preciouses at the zoo, we found some lunch.  Lowell loved the place we went to – Brothers Deli Restaurant – and I enjoyed it too.  It was clearly a Mom and Pop type of restaurant, and that made it all the better.  Lowell got a lamb dinner (lamb slices, some sort of really good potatoes, and some veggies) while I got a simple cheeseburger and fries.  It was a great choice.

Then, we needed to start heading into Boston to make sure we weren't late for Lowell’s podcast interview (he runs his own podcast on biotech and science things that are happening now).  We were able to hop on a commuter train in Wakefield that took us straight into Boston, then we jumped on the subway.  That was my first time on any subways, and I can tell you, not a fan.  But, if you ever visit the Boston region for several days and don’t want to drive, they offer a 7-day commuter pass for like $20.  It lets you go on the subways and buses as much as you want for those 7 days (and trains that are going to certain areas).  It’s a great deal – as long as you don’t lose your ticket in less than 10 minutes like I did.  Great freaking job there, Amy. 

My subway ride of sadness.

When we arrived, we had enough time to sit in Boston Commons for a little bit before Lowell’s interview (which was in a building overlooking the Commons – AMAZING).  It’s a beautiful park.  Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it.  I don’t know what it was, but just sitting there made me feel more cultured.  More historied. 

The park right next to Boston Commons.

We started getting tired after all that though, so we walked back to the train station (neither of us was really anxious about getting back on the subway).  While we waited for our train back to Wakefield, we ended up getting pizza from one of the kiosks inside the station.  Apparently, pizza is our go-to dinnertime meal when we don’t know what else to do! 

Once we made it back, we passed out again in our hotel.  All in all, a great day!  Also, here are more snow leopard pictures!!