Boston MA : Around The World In 80 Days – Days 76

Day 76 – Monday, June 3^rdAlbany NY to Boston MA, via Springfield MA & Charlton MA

Maggie phoned in sick, somehow she has acquired a blocked sinus with a constant stream from one nostril, sound familiar? The Toronto Bug has reached Albany NY. Marg would do the driving today, all of it. 270Km, a less than three hour drive east on Interstate 90, but there would be two crucial stops.

Maggie wanted to go to a Walmart, grandchildren would be impressed by anything purchased there, we were told. Walmart sell everything, allegedly. Tracy wanted Maggie to bring her back tinned tuna, not just any ordinary tuna – Brand X. The Hector thought he would investigate assault weapons, fully automatic ones of course. Hold luggage.

Walmart Supercenter in Springfield MA was the chosen venue. Taking Marg to Springfield, it had to be done.

What a letdown, OK, it was vast, but in terms of clothing, crap. The required brand of tuna was secured, Maggie bought very little otherwise. Meanwhile, the Hector stood in the shade at the doorway watching the handy Oppo. Gibraltar 0 v 2 Scotland, a warm-up match for the forthcoming Euros, and Scotland have qualified for the first time in a long time. What could possibly go wrong?

What should have been a forty five minute drive to Charlton MA was extended by missing a turn off, a lengthy diversion then roadworks. Unperturbed, we eventually reached Tree House Brewing Company, a much recommended venue by peeps back home. The counterpoint to Copper Pig, Lancaster NH, on our way west towards Burlington VT, Tree House proved to be another Bier Disneyland.

Having parked up in the huge car park, yes, US citizens are encouraged to drink & drive, the goldfish pond at the entrance was enough to keep Marg amused, until she found some greyhounds.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were wondering where to start, just the five NEIPAs to choose from. As with Northway Brewing Co., Queensbury NY, a couple of days back, we could have just stayed here. But having to navigate places, restrictions, – not this right – it’s unfair to Marg, especially when we would hit the rush hour traffic in Boston MA.

A huge premises, one bar and a formal queuing system, a sensible start was required.

Daze Peach at 6.9%, a NEIPA with the full milkshake haze had a decent body and tasted fruity. There was a bit of what I call the – Polish Aftertaste – when a possibly yeasty dryness is experienced on swallowing. A mark down, and no hops were declared.

Where to drink my Bier?

Drinking in the sunshine is a no-no. Almost nobody else was inside, Fortunately there was an extensive covered area just out from the bar, an ideal location this afternoon.

Food was required, Marg went off to the food truck to investigate. When offered the choice of pulled pork or a burger, the latter wins every time. The size of the bun and hence the burger was minuscule, a Scottish roll should set the standard. So hungry was the Hector, Dr. Stan came to the rescue with a top-up burger. American food, seriously awful, I should set up a chain serving – Mince & Tatties.

Rainbow at 8.1%, steady on, Hector, an Imperial IPA / NEIPA, this was a winner. The full milkshake haze, big body, an oh the mouthfeel, smooth as smooth can be. Juicy, fruity, no bitterness, this was similar to a tropical mango lassi, but with a kick.

Yes, I’ll have another. Imagine having this on one’s doorstep, being able to walk home, or be within Uber range. Marg, our designated driver, drove us back to Boston.

Found Hotel Boston Common on Charles Street was not chosen just for its Downtown location, we needed to park the car which we have for two more days. There is a car park across the street.

As with Seattle WA, hotel prices in Boston MA are absurd. Never have I paid so much for so little. On seeing his comparable room, Dr. Stan wondered how two people could fit in. We had a glorified cupboard, at least it was en suite. Some reportedly turn up to find they are sharing in a dorm.

Still, sleeping is all we were here for, time to get out and do more of Boston.

Somehow, people were hungry. Having decided to finish this trip on an Albany NY high, Curry-Heute in Boston MA was dismissed in favour of that other Asian cuisine. Chinatown was metres from Charles Street, at least the locus of Found Hotel is favourable. Some venues were packed, we chose a quieter, hence lesser venue – Dumpling Cafe. Lesser, a bit seedy. See what happens when Hector is not wearing his Curry-Heute hat. I’m not a fan of Chinese Dumplings.

If Fawlty Towers was ever remade for a Chinese audience, they could set it here. OK, our waitress’ English was way better than our Cantonese, or whatever, but how she could front a house remains a mystery. The barking-like delivery started to amuse. With Fish in mind for a main course, I thought a Soup could be a worthwhile starter. Apparently there are menu combinations which permit this, others not.

Sma’ Soup – I deduced, implied, that others were large. Needless to say, we ended up with way more food than we could manage and not presented in any logical order.

Chaos, but a filling meal.

A Bier, nearby, was the call. The Corner Pub proved to be a serendipitous choice.

The usual American sports were featured on the TV screens, how I look forward to seeing real sport, you know the ones the rest of the World compete in. There were no highlights from the Scotland match.

The problem of finding a Bier to match the quality enjoyed in the last few days was solved, a CAN.

Cloud Candy (Mighty Squirrel, Waltham MA) at 5.5%, a DDH-NEIPA had the full milkshake haze and a body to match the abv. Dry tasting with a sense of the hops coming through, this did the job. Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo hops featured, a tasty Bier.

It is always the ladies who tire first, just as we chaps are getting into – the zone.

Brewery, bar and restaurant visited today:

Tree House Brewing Company – 129 Sturbridge Rd, Charlton, MA 01507

Corner Pub Boston – 162 Lincoln St, Boston, MA 02111

Dumpling Cafe – 695 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

Day 77 – Tuesday, June 4^th Boston MA + Weymouth MA

The final Big Bier Day of RTW-80, Vitamin Sea, a short drive down to Weymouth, Greater Boston, was scheduled for the afternoon. Before that, Marg was keen to take me to a cafe she had found around the corner from our ridiculously expensive and decidedly bijou hotel.

En route, I appear to have started a Boston drain cover collection.

Cafe Darq was suitably bright, airy and served the Hector his morning coffee: Cafe-Freddo, a change from Americano with hot milk on the side. What cheesecake? Actually, this makes me wonder, arriving in Honolulu, we made a beeline to The Cheesecake Factory, a treat never repeated. The one here in Boston MA, totally ignored, but then that is not the purpose of our ten day tour of New England.

With Maggie still self certificating, Marg was on driving duty all day. Interstate 9, then MA – 3, was the simple route south out of Boston. That the Hector managed to get Dorchester Brewing into the Oppo as our end destination did not help. Around 14.00, all of Boston appeared to have finished work already, the roads were way busier than when we arrived back yesterday at supposedly the rush hour.

Once on the Interstate, all was fine, Vitamin Sea was easy to locate, though Marg would be asked to move The Beast as some were not happy with our chosen parking spot outside.

There was an office party being held on the far side of the Taproom, we chose our table as far away as possible. The girl behind the bar was excellent, very helpful, tasters all round.

I have have one Vitamin Sea Bier previously, Foil, a 7.2% NEIPA which made me write Brett in my tasting notes. There probably wasn’t but that’s how it reacted on the palate. That was back in 2021 at Northern Monk (Manchester, England).

Not encouraging.

Today, there was no holding back: The House Always Wins, a 6.8% NEIPA would be consumed by the pint. This was as good as it gets: no tartness, smooth, and the glorious Nelson Sauvin hops. I am again looking forward to being home and asking if anyone has actually been to Nelson? The office party dissipated, a more relaxed atmosphere ensued, now the Hector could examine the t-shirts at ease. Once again, no embroidered t-shirts, or better still – polo. The USA is years behind Europe. With the Hawaiian motif on the t-shirt, I had to have one despite it being a transfer. The cotton was oh so smooth. Not the jazziest t-shirt by any means but with this level of comfort, one I shall certainly wear.

Time to try a different Bier. Au Jus, a more challenging 7.9% ADIPA again had the full milkshake haze, smooth and juicy, like mango juice. With Galaxy and Simcoe hops, this was dangerously easy to drink. Sense prevailed, The House Always Wins would become the session Bier.

Three minutes away lay Barrel HouseZ, another brewery. There be no Hazy Bier at Barrel House Z, and so we were happy to stay at Vitamin Sea as long as Marg permitted. She did go for a walk, this prolonged our stay. Although we had a city centre brewery still to investigate this evening, leaving Vitamin Sea did mark the end of the trip in many ways. Our last Bier definitely at source.

Back to Boston MA and The Beast parked, a mere $30.00 a day, a pity we can’t sleep in the car.

We had passed Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery last night, again, just around the corner from our hotel. They claim it’s active, not just a taproom for the Denver CO based brewery. The Bier was nothing special, far too mainstream. We needed food more than Bier.

$18.00 for a piece of Sirloin could have been good value, we hadn’t seen the size of the steak. It was OK, but the accompanying Veg was a bit stingy. The Fish & Chips looked miserly.

Their so-called Kolsch at 4.8% was nothing like a Kölsch. Not clear, it just tasted like a Lager, a lesser one.

Following Dr. Stan’s lead, time to go dark: Black Lager at 4.0%, the House Stout, was little more than black water.

As poor as the final Bier of the trip was, I wasn’t caring much, we had had more than our usual quota at Vitamin Sea, that should become the lasting memory of the final full day… also Maggie in full handkerchief mode.

Breweries and cafe visited today:

Vitamin Sea Brewing – 30 Moore Rd, Weymouth, MA 02189

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – 115 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116

Cafe Darq – 38 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111

Day 78 – Wednesday, June 4^th, Boston MA to London

With an overnight flight back to Heathrow, we had a morning and afternoon to kill. Firstly, three of us bade farewell to Clive and Maggie who, not content with ten days touring New England, feel that whilst they’re here, they may as well visit The Big Apple. A train journey down the coast was their chosen route.

Not for the first time, we ended up at Boston Common. Finally, the Hector got to walk up the hill to see what was is at the top.

Marg had already nominated today’s eatery, little did she know what she had selected. Bakey, a Deli, so one way of avoiding the usual rubbish.

What Marg could not have picked up on, this was a Jewish Deli, the Shabbat Bread a dead giveaway. I’ve been trying for years to source both this and a Sweet & Sour loaf in Glasgow for decades. An elaborate tuna sandwich became the Hector choice.

As we ate, so a chap asked us if we were enjoying the fayre.

As our pleasure was being relayed so it was revealed that this was Graham, CEO of Bakey! A photo opperchancity not to be missed.

Back out in the sunshine, Hector’s collection of Boston MA drain covers reached its conclusion. Can three be called a set? Not wishing to stray far, we found ourselves back at Rock Bottom. Soft drinks all round, but nothing can be that simple.

We took bar stools in the near empty bar-restaurant. What a mistake to make…

I can’t serve you at the bar if you’re sitting.

We retired to an empty table, they all were.

I can’t serve you at at table if you’re not eating, you have to sit at the bar.

We returned to the bar and, ordered our drinks whilst standing, then took bar stools. Simples.

Eventually it was agreed, there was nothing else to do but go to the airport. Maggie had extended the car hire such that we would drop off The Beast at the Hertz depot. It turned out there was just one seemingly continuous drop-off facility.

The Beast was examined by the official, all was well. Farewell.

A British Airways flight, only our third on this trip, yet it was BA we had paid for our One World – Round The World ticket. Flight BA 212 departing at 19.10, due in at Heathrow at 06.50. Somehow, a seven hour flight would feel like no challenge at all.

Gain, there was no strain waiting in the departure lounge. At a rough estimate, on this trip, we have spent more than two days in departure lounges waiting for flights. These are the bits they don’t show in TV travelogues.

A final nibble before leaving the USA, Sal’s Pizza, not too shabby, and way better than that Original Deep Pan at Pizzeria Uno (Chicago IL) nonsense.

I feel I have seen the best of the crop of in-flight movies, fortunately, I have still had plenty of my own stuff to watch, then there’s the not too small matter of keeping up with this Blog.