Boston Harbor sails

Boston Harbor sails Originally uploaded by shersteve There is something about seeing a vessel under sail power that gets to me. It is an impressive sight. The captain needs to master so much. The tides, the harbor, the crew, and the elusive wind. The wind is not something you see and experience directly, unless it is really being powerful. No, you need to be aware of the subtle sign. The ripples on the surface. The flight of the birds. Could you sail?

Why not South Station?

Assignment: Pick up my brother's mother-in-law at the bus terminal at South Station. She is arriving at 3:25 PM. Challenge: Find out what bus line she is arriving on and see if they provide an arrival status. Search and find the South Station Transportation Center web site. If you follow the link, you will see that it lists two bus lines (Greyhound and Peter Pan). Neither of these lines have a bus due into South Station at 3:25 PM. So some other bus company must be involved. Any other information on the web site about the full listing of bus lines? No. Nada. Turn to Google again, and search for buses from and low and behold, there it is. So why would South Station not list this or any of the other bus lines (I stopped looking after these 6) on their web site? Concord Trailways Chinatown Bus Lines Fun Wah Bus Lucky Star Plymouth & Brockton Vermont Transit Lines There are at least a few more based upon the logos of the buses in the transportation center. Why not list them all?

Felix Gerena and I

Steve Sherlock & me Originally uploaded by felix_gerena. Yes, as promised, Felix made his photo of us available (via Flickr) and hence I can now post it here. Thanks very much Felix! For other photos that Felix took while here in the Boston/Cambridge area, check out the link from Flickr.

Don't Get Cosi - South Station, Boston

Cosi opened in the South Station Food court about two weeks ago. It has been so busy I have avoided it. I figured, wait until the newness crowd wears away a little and then try it. But one day this week, I got there just before noon and as the line was the shortest amongst those in the court so I decided to give it a try. The sandwich was reasonably priced for a deli. Nice tasting, fresh bread. Not bad. So I decided to try it again today. Got there just at noon, again the line was not long but grew quickly while I waited. Now I think I understand some of the problem. The organization of the sandwich delivery process is a mess. There are several registers in front with no clear demarcation via sign above or lines on the floor as to where to stand to get in line for which register. Several seconds lost here trying to figure out who's next. Meanwhile the register person is waiting. Not very efficient. Place your order, pay at the register and they give you the bag. It has the napkin and utensil (if required) and either carrots or chips (whichever you choose with your sandwich). They also give you the receipt with your order#. But no sandwich. You'd think think the order# would be the biggest boldest thing on the slip but it is actually the same size as the change amount that the register person has already given to give you (and by the way, was prompted by the register to provide that amount). Opportunity here. Then you go around the side where you can wait with the others for the lottery (or bingo caller) to hear your number, claim your sandwich, put it into your own bag, and go off on your way. Now with all due respect to my fellow citizens, some cannot accomplish this task easily. This should be easily recognized. Some folks, elderly and others, are not going to be able to juggle their cane (or other packages) and use two hands to put the sandwich into the bag. Cosi makes an attempt to help this by positioning someone outside the counter to play match maker. Calling the numbers and assisting with placement of the sandwich in the bag. Is this really the most effective use of resources? I think not. Bottom line, I would have second thoughts about going to Cosi again. The sandwich is good but it is not that good to put up with the hassle of getting it in a timely fashion during the lunch period. There must be a better way to organize that delivery process. The process may work in a slow period but clearly does not work well in rush hour. PS - The bottom of the receipt offers $2 off the next meal if your fill out the survey at the link provided. Too many questions, too much information requested, some of it clearly inappropriate for this particular restaurant location. It is in a food court, there is no one to greet you and seat you like a normal sit down place. Too much work for too little gain, especially considering I probably won't be back there anytime soon.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

While in Boston allowing mother and daughter to visit on Sunday, we stopped into the Museum of Fine Arts. This allowed our other daughter (Allison) to visit with some of the paintings that she has been studying in her classes as an Art major. I loved the juxtaposition of the statute out front of the museum with the big exhibit banners. It was appropriate for the figure to have the arms outstretched to welcome the rain, water is life. We joined many others escaping the rain to duck inside and view the exhibits. We did not do the special Americans in Paris exhibit as that was a separate admission and we would not have had time to do it justice on this day (probably won't get back in time before it closes, Sep 24th). Carolyn will be fortunate as a Northeastern student to have free admission to the museum. I could envision taking a book over to read in a gallery some day. Note: this post was "lost" in the drafts and just found with the new Blogger. It should have been posted on 9/6/06. Oops!