Berkeley Residence Boston

We caught a bus to Boston from Saratoga Springs with the journey taking about 5 hours. The states are all fairly close together in this part of the USA. On arrival at the Boston bus station we walked for about a kilometre to the Berkley YWCA hostel. Previously for women only, it now takes couples as well in private rooms with shared shower and toilet facilities. Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the US for accommodation so we were pleased to have an affordable base right in the ci...

Boston. Well we have been here a week now and the pace of life has been a lot slower to that of NY. The people go slower, the traffic goes slower and unfortunately the service goes slower. The hostel we are now in is a step up from the past few (thank god. for info its the YWCA) you get a full breakfast and a morning that actually is delivered with a smile. We have been using Boston as a base to go up and down the Coast line, Salem being the first stop. Salem Home of the Salem witches. There ...

So I'm a bit behind on the blogging but now time to fill you in on a little of what I've been up to here. The journey down was fine, (if you don't count the brief hiatus when our bus driver suddenly pulled over and announced he had lost 50% of the air pressure for his brakes in the last 10 minutes and we would have to wait to be 'rescued') Fortunately, some drivers from another bus compnay, operating out of New York, saw us and pulled up and we were able to transfer, after only waiting 20 min...

After much deliberation and calculation with all the many things there are to do in and around Boston I decided to go and see my first whales, hopefully! I hopped on the commuter rail from North Station and had a lovely hour's train journey, passing along the coast for much of it, going through lovely fall scenery and what looked like very well-to-do seaside towns such as Manchester with beautiful wooden summer homes, very New England. Gloucester is the oldest seaport in the US, it was settle...

Sunday, and another deliberation as to what to do, but knowing I was spending the day with Mafe in Boston on Monday and thinknig I would like to see a bit of fall colour up close and get a bit of literary culture along the way I opted for Concord. Again it was a commuter rail trip from North Station, a bit of a longer wait at the station this time as I didn't know what time the trains went, but I've got very used to sitting in stations and bus terminals! But I got to Concord by midday and aga...

After the early starts, and long days of the weekend it was lovely to have a slightly lazier start and importantly to finally get to book my flight to LA, with the help of Mafe and her computer! With that done I could relax and we set off with Mathias, who is an architect from Argentina, for some bargain shopping. We first went to Filene's where they get all the designers at bargain prices, and then onto Macy's where we met up with Maria, also from Columbia and studying English with Mafe and ...