Boston NYC Trip 10/4/2022 – 10/20/2022

enter image description here Bunch of Apples - Maine Orchard

10/4/2022 – 10/12/2022 I embarked on my first trip east since spring of 2019, arriving in Boston on October 4th. Deb and I had a short one-day rest, walking around Jamaica Pond and enjoying her wonderful vegetarian delights! The next day we hit the road to go to Maine. First stop: Portsmouth, NH for an early lunch at Popovers. We proceeded on to Brunswick, ME to visit my friend Marti, who is in an assisted living facility there. It was a fun visit and I got to see her friend Dan also. It’s so nice that she has a friend there…the pandemic has been so isolating. After visiting Marti, we shopped at the great Wild Oats deli in Brunswick so we’d have some good soups for eating in our Airbnb. Belfast was our next destination for three days. We rented a whole 2-bedroom cottage overlooking the river and the shipyard. It was very nice with fully equipped kitchen, great deck with a view, and all of the necessary amenities. Colors in Maine were already excellent and I lucked out with the weather too…fall-like and in the 50s, sunny and crisp. Deb and I went apple-picking, walked along the river rail trail, went to the indoor farmer’s market, and spent the Saturday exploring Belfast’s downtown and riverfront. On our last day, we checked out a bit early and went to Crumbs for breakfast, which was delicious. I had an egg dish with cheesy grits and Deb had French toast. Then, we drove back to Boston. Next day, I drove up to NH to see Bootless and Fancy-free, my AT buddies. We had a nice time catching up and took a walk on Bootless’ country road. Fall colors were quite good here too even though I was not that far north (Canterbury, NH near Concord). I stayed overnight and headed back to Boston early. We returned the rental car and had a nice “tea” in a nearby café in Back Bay called Flour. Deb and I went to the Arnold Arboretum the following day and had a great walk; there were a smattering of red sugar maples there. That night, I had dinner with Lalla and Tom. Lalla is a college friend, and she lives in Roslindale, not too far from Deb’s.

enter image description here Melanie on Wall Street Ferry w Bridges

10/13/2022 – 10/20/2022 I took AMTRAK to New York this morning. I got an amazing fare, $31 for a one-way ticket. I couldn’t believe it; that’s cheaper than the horrid bus. It’s such a nice trip along the water much of the way. I had a seat to myself the entire trip. Arrived early afternoon and went down to Henry and Sarah’s apartment in Peter Cooper Village, where I stayed for the week. Great to see them…it’s been so long. I did a lot in the week in NYC and had good weather here also. There are many new ferry routes on the East River, so I went with Sarah to work down to Wall Street and then walked over to see the Battery. The new playground was finally finished! The plantings in the park, which are mostly perennials, were displaying fabulous fall colors. Henry and I had brunch and then we took a ferry ride up to the Bronx. It’s one of the best ways to see the City. On the return trip, I got off at 90th Street and walked past my old building. It was painted grey but looked like it already needed a new paint job. The streets looked messy, trash was set out and that causes many problems with vermin as well as aesthetics. On Friday, I went to see the “Small Island” park over by the Highline. It is great: small but the plantings and views are spectacular. I visited with Monica and friends at the LSBID and later had dinner with my friend Barbara at her house. Saturday was a fun day: a hike in Fahnestock State Park with Lewis, Christine, and Mary Theresa. It started on the AT and circled around on a rail trail. Even here, we saw some fall colors. Great day ending in supper in Peekskill, NY. There were crowds of people both in Cold Spring and Peekskill as it was such a lovely day and a weekend to boot! Luckily, Fahnestock was not that crowded, so the hike was pleasant. I had another get together with Christine in Brooklyn: bagels and Prospect Park! Dinner with Caitin and hung out more with Henry and Sarah. I decided to take the #60 bus to LaGuardia for my return flight, which was at 12:22pm, so I had time to do that. NYC has finally upgraded the airport, and it was very nice with better eateries. All flights went smoothly, and I got home on time at 9pm. Great Trip and good to be home too. Yeti survived!