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Post by hondobrode on Jan 31, 2018 22:09:48 GMT -5
Sometimes the old ways are the best
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 31, 2018 22:39:26 GMT -5
Now for something totally Random
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Feb 1, 2018 6:38:54 GMT -5
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,016
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Post by Confessor on Feb 1, 2018 11:49:17 GMT -5
As someone once said, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" You're going to have such a good time. Are you going to be driving a car? Have you driven before in countries where they drive on the right? Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post, Rob, and for providing so much good information. Yes, we're both really looking forward to coming over -- especially me! I can't wait. We booked our flights yesterday: we fly into JFK New York on Monday 28th May (so, Memorial Day, as you say), and then fly back from Boston Airport on Monday 11th June. So it's definitely happening! We plan to stay in NYC for four nights and then travel to Boston via train on 1st June and, from there, directly on to Marblehead, MA. We are thinking that we might hire a car in Boston to travel to Marblehead and then use it to explore New England during the rest of our stay. It depends on cost, really. I have driven in Europe a number of times, most recently last summer in Tuscany, Italy, so driving on the wrong side of the road is no problem for me. I don't know much about local accommodations, but I know that Newport (a neighborhood in Jersey City) and Hoboken have good connections to Manhattan via the PATH trains. Yeah, this is what I've begun to realise as I research stuff online. Good to have it corroborated by you though. Hoboken, in particular, looks like quite a nice neighbourhood. Some random stream-of-consciousness thoughts about things to do and see: - Dead & Co. are playing on May 31 in Mansfield MA (between Boston and Providence RI). They're also in Camden NJ (next to Philadelphia) on June 1 & 2 but that doesn't work if you're in Marblehead on the 2nd. This really made me chuckle. You old Deadhead, you! Personally, I wouldn't mind catching the band, although I'm not sure how my wife would feel about that (she's not a fan), but the dates don't really work for us anyway. - Actress/singer Kathleen Turner is at the Cafe Carlyle May 22 - June 2. We're thinking we might go see a Broadway show while we're in NYC (I think the Carole King musical is playing while we're there) or maybe see what's on in an off-Broadway venue like the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. -Turning to food, things to do at least once: in New York, eat at a Jewish deli and buy slices of pizza from a sidewalk window. In New England, have a lobster roll and some chowder. Well, I'm a vegetarian, but my wife's a pescatarian, so the lobster roll and chowder will be OK for her. Hopefully I can still get something good at a Jewish Deli even though I'm a veggie. I don't foresee being vegetarian as being a problem in NYC, but I wonder how easy it'll be in deepest, darkest New England. We'll see. - Other places in the region to visit: Newport RI; Mystic CT; Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard & Cape Cod, MA; and of course Salem right next to Marblehead. This is gold, Rob. Thanks for the suggestions. Salem is a definite for us and I'm wondering whether, as a Jack Kerouac fan, Lowell, MA might be worth visiting too. Cape Cod is another must, which I hadn't thought of, so thanks for that. Plymouth rock is another place we're considering. I'll look into the other suggestions you mention too -- Nantucket makes me immediately think of "Nantucket Sleighride" by Mountain. We should be in Marbelhead from the evening of 1st June, but I'm not sure how long we'll stay there. We'll definitely be there at least a couple of nights, spending our actually wedding anniversary there on June 2nd. We also want to spent a couple of nights in Boston before we head back (especially since we're flying home from there), but it's likely that we'll go somewhere else between Marbelehead and Boston...or maybe even a couple of different places. I'll add more when I think of them. Please do, Rob. This is all excellent info for us. BTW, am I right in thinking that you lived in New England or New York state once upon a time? I have a vague memory of reading something you posted about this one time, although I might be very much mistaken there.
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Post by Rob Allen on Feb 1, 2018 14:19:57 GMT -5
We plan to stay in NYC for four nights and then travel to Boston via train on 1st June and, from there, directly on to Marblehead, MA. We are thinking that we might hire a car in Boston to travel to Marblehead and then use it to explore New England during the rest of our stay. It depends on cost, really. Looks like Amtrak has two options for NY-to-Boston - the fast train takes 3 3/4 hours, and the slow train takes 4 1/4 hours. From Boston to Marblehead, this site seems to cover the options: newenglandtravelplanner.com/go/ma/northshore/marblehead/transport.htmlYes, Hoboken has become quite gentrified. It wasn't always so. If you do stay there, the PATH train will take you right to Penn Station in New York, where you get the train to Boston. There are always great theater options in NY. You might just wait and see what the TKTS booth has available: www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-boothsAlso try a jazz club - if not the Cafe Carlyle, then the Village Vanguard or Birdland, or any number of others. At the deli - blintzes, knishes, kugel, and bagels with cream cheese. She can add lox to hers. Plain cheese pizzas should be easy enough to find, and veggie pizzas are pretty common too. Looks like it is - www.nps.gov/lowe/learn/historyculture/kerouac.htm and www.lowellcelebrateskerouac.org/www.seeplymouth.com/things-to-do/plymouth-rockOn the island they focus more on the original Nantucket sleighride (whaling). Martha's Vineyard is where James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Maria Muldaur live, and it's where Ted Kennedy's Presidential ambitions died. Quite right - I lived in northern New Jersey from ages 2 to 31, then moved to Massachusetts for three years. I lived in Grafton and Shrewsbury and worked in Marlboro. My grandparents and aunt lived near Springfield MA from the 1960s on, and my first wife and I used to visit her grandparents on the coast of Maine. Are you thinking about going "down East" to Maine?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 18:23:11 GMT -5
Update on the House
Right now, I'm in a limbo state and may or may not get approved on building a house adjacent to my brother's property because of legal complications that might not let me build it. It's a mess that you've don't believe and it's going to take us (my brother and I) the rest of the month to figure it out. The final decision is scheduled on March 2nd and that day I can start going with my plan. The good news is that my pot-smoking neighbor is moving to Arizona in October and live there until end of March. They are planning on living in two states ... Washington and Arizona and they inform my Condo Manager that their son is living in their condo during the fall and winter months alone and when they move back ... their son will move back to his older brother so that they can work on their car repair business.
I have to wait until March 2nd for the decision on the sale of the land and whether I can start it or not.
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Post by hondobrode on Feb 1, 2018 18:32:53 GMT -5
Hoping for good news for you Mecha
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 1, 2018 21:49:49 GMT -5
As someone once said, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" You're going to have such a good time. Are you going to be driving a car? Have you driven before in countries where they drive on the right? Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post, Rob, and for providing so much good information. Yes, we're both really looking forward to coming over -- especially me! I can't wait. We booked our flights yesterday: we fly into JFK New York on Monday 28th May (so, Memorial Day, as you say), and then fly back from Boston Airport on Monday 11th June. So it's definitely happening! We plan to stay in NYC for four nights and then travel to Boston via train on 1st June and, from there, directly on to Marblehead, MA. We are thinking that we might hire a car in Boston to travel to Marblehead and then use it to explore New England during the rest of our stay. It depends on cost, really. I have driven in Europe a number of times, most recently last summer in Tuscany, Italy, so driving on the wrong side of the road is no problem for me. I don't know much about local accommodations, but I know that Newport (a neighborhood in Jersey City) and Hoboken have good connections to Manhattan via the PATH trains. Yeah, this is what I've begun to realise as I research stuff online. Good to have it corroborated by you though. Hoboken, in particular, looks like quite a nice neighbourhood. Some random stream-of-consciousness thoughts about things to do and see: - Dead & Co. are playing on May 31 in Mansfield MA (between Boston and Providence RI). They're also in Camden NJ (next to Philadelphia) on June 1 & 2 but that doesn't work if you're in Marblehead on the 2nd. This really made me chuckle. You old Deadhead, you! Personally, I wouldn't mind catching the band, although I'm not sure how my wife would feel about that (she's not a fan), but the dates don't really work for us anyway. - Actress/singer Kathleen Turner is at the Cafe Carlyle May 22 - June 2. We're thinking we might go see a Broadway show while we're in NYC (I think the Carole King musical is playing while we're there) or maybe see what's on in an off-Broadway venue like the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. -Turning to food, things to do at least once: in New York, eat at a Jewish deli and buy slices of pizza from a sidewalk window. In New England, have a lobster roll and some chowder. Well, I'm a vegetarian, but my wife's a pescatarian, so the lobster roll and chowder will be OK for her. Hopefully I can still get something good at a Jewish Deli even though I'm a veggie. I don't foresee being vegetarian as being a problem in NYC, but I wonder how easy it'll be in deepest, darkest New England. We'll see. - Other places in the region to visit: Newport RI; Mystic CT; Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard & Cape Cod, MA; and of course Salem right next to Marblehead. This is gold, Rob. Thanks for the suggestions. Salem is a definite for us and I'm wondering whether, as a Jack Kerouac fan, Lowell, MA might be worth visiting too. Cape Cod is another must, which I hadn't thought of, so thanks for that. Plymouth rock is another place we're considering. I'll look into the other suggestions you mention too -- Nantucket makes me immediately think of "Nantucket Sleighride" by Mountain. We should be in Marbelhead from the evening of 1st June, but I'm not sure how long we'll stay there. We'll definitely be there at least a couple of nights, spending our actually wedding anniversary there on June 2nd. We also want to spent a couple of nights in Boston before we head back (especially since we're flying home from there), but it's likely that we'll go somewhere else between Marbelehead and Boston...or maybe even a couple of different places. I'll add more when I think of them. Please do, Rob. This is all excellent info for us. BTW, am I right in thinking that you lived in New England or New York state once upon a time? I have a vague memory of reading something you posted about this one time, although I might be very much mistaken there. Boston's right in my back yard, hope you and the Mrs. enjoy it! if you're looking for a day trip while in the area I highly suggest seeing the white mountains in New Hampshire; it's only a few hours north by car and well worth the drive and the flume gorge up there is the closest thing to a religious experience I've ever had. There's also tons to enjoy in Boston itself as well; definitely take one of the walking history tours and a duck boat ride!
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Post by DE Sinclair on Feb 2, 2018 0:09:23 GMT -5
It's been years since I lived there, but Newport, RI is a great tourist attraction town. Especially if you want to see how the super rich used to live and tour their huge mansions. Plus the seafood is pretty good.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,016
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Post by Confessor on Feb 2, 2018 7:31:53 GMT -5
A big "thank you" to Rob Allen, thwhtguardian, and DE Sinclair for all the great in-thread replies and travel advice, and thanks too to Prince Hal, who sent me a very informative PM. It's all really valuable advice. In reply to Rob's last post in particular, yeah...we'd already figured out that we can get from Penn Station NYC to Boston in about 3 3/4 hours, but the Marblehead transportation link you provided is very useful. We've already decided that visiting a Village jazz club is a must, and the deli info is useful too. Thanks too for the Kerouac links for Lowell, MA. As for Ted Kennedy, I also hadn't realised that Chappaquiddick was in MA and not too far from where we'll be...interesting. Anyway, thanks again for all the great links and advice. It really is all very helpful.
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bor
Full Member
Posts: 238
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Post by bor on Feb 2, 2018 8:17:59 GMT -5
Not sure if there are other metal heads here, but Slayer is doing a farewell tour. I'm all over that. What a lineup. Thats cool.
I saw them in 08 here in Denmark at Roskilde festival. It was pretty great. Although my memory might be somewhat coloured by being 20 at the time, very drunk and a big fan.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 2, 2018 8:23:03 GMT -5
Boston also has some really good walking tours if you want some history stuff.. might be especially interesting to you learning about the revolution as a Brit...there are several companies that do them, but this one is one I have personally gone on and liked alot. They're a non-profit, so the tour guides are locals that just love telling people about weird historical stuff: www.bostonbyfoot.org/Sounds like you're coming in the spring, so catching a baseball game at Fenway Park is pretty awesome (or Yankee Stadium, but that's newer and not as interesting, IMO)... then there's the Swan Boats at Boston Common, which are kinda an institution. Newport is really cool, though perhaps less so for a Brit.. you have stuff way more interesting along those lines there... they also have alot of harbors and boats that are fun, and some really good walking trails along the ocean. If you're willing to drive a bit, Laconia, NH has Funspot, which is the best arcade in the free world. They have 3 floors of classic cabinet games, and give you plenty of tokens (for $20 most people can stay and play all day)... just make sure you use the token machine on the first floor near the desk . They also have alot of other outdoor stuff.... just make sure it's not bike week.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,016
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Post by Confessor on Feb 2, 2018 8:38:30 GMT -5
Boston also has some really good walking tours if you want some history stuff.. might be especially interesting to you learning about the revolution as a Brit...there are several companies that do them, but this one is one I have personally gone on and liked alot. They're a non-profit, so the tour guides are locals that just love telling people about weird historical stuff: www.bostonbyfoot.org/Great! That sounds awesome. Thanks for the link. Both my wife and I are pretty into our history, so this sounds like something we must do. Sounds like you're coming in the spring, so catching a baseball game at Fenway Park is pretty awesome (or Yankee Stadium, but that's newer and not as interesting, IMO)... then there's the Swan Boats at Boston Common, which are kinda an institution. Ha ha...I've just been looking at the Red Sox games schedule at Fenway Park about 10 minutes ago. We'll be coming into NYC on 28th May and flying out from Boston on June 11th. We plan to spend at least a couple of days in Boston before we fly home, and the Red Sox and playing the Chicago White Sox on June 9th and 10th at Fenway Park, and there are still plenty of tickets left. So, that looks like something we'll definitely do. Actually, I'm surprised how reasonable the ticket prices are for baseball, compared to, say, a football match here in the UK. Thanks for the recomendations and tips, Wildfire2099. It's really appreciated. Do you live in the Boston area?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 2, 2018 10:51:17 GMT -5
Boston also has some really good walking tours if you want some history stuff.. might be especially interesting to you learning about the revolution as a Brit...there are several companies that do them, but this one is one I have personally gone on and liked alot. They're a non-profit, so the tour guides are locals that just love telling people about weird historical stuff: www.bostonbyfoot.org/Great! That sounds awesome. Thanks for the link. Both my wife and I are pretty into our history, so this sounds like something we must do. Sounds like you're coming in the spring, so catching a baseball game at Fenway Park is pretty awesome (or Yankee Stadium, but that's newer and not as interesting, IMO)... then there's the Swan Boats at Boston Common, which are kinda an institution. Ha ha...I've just been looking at the Red Sox games schedule at Fenway Park about 10 minutes ago. We'll be coming into NYC on 28th May and flying out from Boston on June 11th. We plan to spend at least a couple of days in Boston before we fly home, and the Red Sox and playing the Chicago White Sox on June 9th and 10th at Fenway Park, and there are still plenty of tickets left. So, that looks like something we'll definitely do. Actually, I'm surprised how reasonable the ticket prices are for baseball, compared to, say, a football match here in the UK. Thanks for the recomendations and tips, Wildfire2099. It's really appreciated. Do you live in the Boston area? That's part of why baseball is my favorite sport, they really seem to care about the fans and try not to jack up the prices.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Feb 2, 2018 11:19:32 GMT -5
Red Sox tickets can be pricey, but it's very much a supply and demand thing... season ticket holders often sell on lousy opponents like the White Sox. Those are the sort of games I go to when I can (which is rarely), since it's cheap and less event-y. Don't worry though, everything inside it pretty expensive. I live about 30 miles outside Boston, almost into Rhode Island. I actually frequent the Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston's AAA affiliate, who play like 10 minutes from my house, and give away tickets all the time), you get to see guys rehabbing and the up and coming rookies, which is great fun. If you're into that sorta thing, there's also Plymouth PLantation (set as the 1630s town).. that's on Cape Cod.. heading toward where the beaches are. There's also Old Sturbridge Village, which is set up as an 1830s new England town.. it's probably a hour ride west of Boston, but pretty cool if you like history. The big city out in the western part of the state is Worchester (pronounced Wooster), which is mostly pretty run down, but has a great comic book store: www.thatse.com/ THey're basically a full old school comic book store with TONS of $1 boxes and back issues, AND a board game store... and a baseball card store all in one. The same guy also owns a used record/CD store that's right next door. I lived near there right after college, and for several years after I moved still made the weekly trek out there.
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