Cheers to Jarek and Evelyn!

Just as we were leaving New York, Johnny was treated to a true Big Apple experience: the man loading his (let's face it, overstuffed) suitcase on to the bus called him back to tell him it was too heavy, and he'd have to take it back into the terminal to get weighed and pay an additional $20. The man then helpfully pointed out that we'd probably miss the bus if we went back inside... so alternatively we could just give him the $20 right there and then and no more would be said. Given that we'd only paid $15 each for the bus trip, we think he did pretty well out of us. An expensive but amusing lesson of how things work in New York.

4 hours later we arrived in Boston, and were greeted warmly by our friends Jarek and Evelyn. They've been living in Vancouver for the past few years but happened to be staying in Boston for 3 months, in a lovely, spacious, Agilent-funded studio apartment downtown which, luckily for us, had a sofa bed! Another plus for us was that they've adopted a crazy kitten named Dot, who provided much entertainment and reminded us just how much we miss our own cat Tuesday (we'll see you soon Tuesy!)

Fortunately our visit fell on a weekend, and Jarek and Evelyn were both free to show us the sights of Boston, several of which involved drinking! One of our first stops was the Cheers bar, where the exterior shots were filmed for the long-running TV show.

Naturally we stopped for a beer, downing a few pints of the local Samuel Adams ale. We downed a few more the next day at the "authentic replica" of the Cheers bar, which is in a totally different location in the historic Faneuil hall marketplace, and has absolutely no connection whatsoever with the TV show. It doesn't even look like the Cheers bar!

Boston is really well set out for walking so on Sunday we took a stroll along the Freedom Trail, which starts out in the lovely Boston Common and follows a red bricked line through the city, passing many places of historical significance along the way. Boston was the site of the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and many of the patriots involved are buried in the cemeteries.

Samuel Adams' Grave:


Tribute to Paul Revere and his famous ride to warn his compatriots of the approaching British army:

The Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed:


Midshipwoman Bec on board the USS Constitution:


Taking a well-earned break from sight-seeing in the USS Constitution Museum:


We finished up our visit with a true taste of New England: clam chowder in a bread bowl, seriously yummy stuff. Thanks Jarek and Evelyn for your warm hospitality and great conversation, it was great to see you guys and we hope to repay the favour when you visit England.