So, the most hectic part of my business trip was travelling to Waltham, just west of Boston. When I booked the travel flight and hotel, I chose a hotel in Boston, as the recommended hotel in Waltham was unavailable. Besides, the website said it was only 7 miles from the office, and I typically drive much farther than this on my daily drive to work. However, I had never been to Boston, and had no idea what to expect from driving in the old historic town. After I arrived and got the rental car, I was in for a shock, trying to navigate through the small one-way streets, through old downtown Boston.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite beautiful there, and so amazing to be able to walk through a historic town that I heard so much about. However, it was really frustrating as well. I ended up having to navigate by the GPS on my phone, restarting the directions every few blocks, as I would pass the street I needed, and had to back-track around a one-way street to get to where I wanted. Then, I finally found the hotel (nice old tall building in the theatre district) and had to circle it three times before I could finally figure out how to park, which ended up being valet parking. Once I got my hotel room sorted out, I took a walk down to the Boston Common park, and across the street to a pizza place to grab a bite to eat.
I realised that Boston was full of toll roads, and was short on cash to pay for them, so in the morning, I left extra early so I could take the free side-streets to get to Waltham. That drive took the better part of an hour, but at least I got to see what life was like for normal people attending the University and local schools, and going about life there. I really wonder what it would be like to live in Boston, and if the salaries for common people would pay enough for their living there. I found our office without major issue, and had a really good time meeting a lot of people I only knew over the phone or through email. I won’t go into many details on the meeting, but I felt it was helpful that I was there, as I had more experience with all aspects of the product than any other group individually.
That night, once I left the office, I noticed that the rental car had a toll road sensor on it, that allowed me to drive on the toll roads without spending cash, so I used it to quickly return to the hotel, and I decided to walk around Boston a bit to get to see the area. Unfortunately, it was already dark by the time I returned, but it was still pretty to see some of the old buildings, including an old church that seemed to be turned into some form of restaurant. I was surprised with how far I walked, according to the map, and suspect that if I had more time (and light), I could easily have crossed the city in less than an hour. I ended up eating at a Legal Sea Food, at the suggestion of a friend, and then returned to the hotel for the night.
The next day was much like the previous, only I took the highway to save some time. Traffic was crazier this day, much more than I expected, but at least I was still early. At the office, we focused on how we could improve the features that were brought up the previous day, and when the day was over, I quickly headed back to the airport to fly back to Rochester.
I think Boston would really be a fun place to visit, if I ever had the time and money. I’m sure Rebecca and I would love to see some of the shows together, and just to see the historic city would be beautiful.
It felt really relaxing to return to Rochester, which was not nearly as hectic as Boston was. Even though I was only there for a day, it felt more familiar and friendly, even though I wasn’t really willing to try a garbage plate again. 🙂 I found, in my exploring of the area, that there was an Aldi store (I shopped at one in England, and loved the place, and found lots of European chocolates in this one!) I was able to wrap up my training and learn a lot more about the product over the remaining two days that I had there, between the TOI and other training that I took part in. I rather hope I can go visit the place again, but am not sure if that would happen. Considering it was about 45 minutes from Palmyra, I would really love to get enough free time to go visit that historic site, instead of feeling more rushed to get the work things done, and quickly get back to the airport, like I had to do this time.