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  • Day 22

    Harvard and Fenway

    August 14, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Tashs birthday. We went down with cards from ourselves and also from friends etc who had sent them to us in advance o leaving. Tash was happy with the birthday shout outs she was gettomng from friends on social media who were ahead of us in time zones.
    We had slixe of their leftover room service poizza from the night before then ventured off on the T to Hardvard. Quite simple, 4 tops to Hardvard Square, we just boight slightly more expensive paper tickets as it was impler, only 2.75 each and Ed at 11 was free.
    Was rrally hot and sunny today in ontrast to warm but fogy days we had seen in Boston to date. Tash had wanted to go to the IHOP diner in Niagara but we didn’t have tiome, the one in Boston was catually in Canbridge near Harvard so we headed for that. Zoella has taled about them apparently. They do pancakes, onelettes in diner style, really a breakfast kind of place. The door was locked even tjough it opened at 7am and there seemed to be folks inside. Another family was puled. As I peered through the window the waitresses seemed perplexed what I was doung until one came to the door and relaised it was shut. She said she couldn’t uncerstand why we didn’t kist come in!
    I had cheese omelette which was huge and also came with a stack of pancakes on the side. Ed had Nutella crepe which was actually 4 crepes on the plate. Sam and Tash had the breakfast plates which also came with pancakes on the side. Crazy amount of food, it was alright but the amount was off putting. Coffee was goof though. It was inexpensive and we then headed back towards Harvard to the shop to get a seatchirt. Went into Urbak Outfitters as Tash wanted a dress and got a lovely one with sun flowers on it. She would have stayed in the shop forever but Ed was vert funny ushering her away fro racks of clothes toeards the door. The shop assistant told us the Coop shop across the road was an official Harvard shop and also that LA Berdicks around the corner did amaing hot chocolate. So we went to the Coop and got hoodie, bear and magent then on to the chocolate shop. It was cool inside so I had a milk hot choclate, kids ahd iced milk ones and Sam an expresso. They shaved real choclate into the cup then mixed with hot milk. It was very thick and vry sweet, very good. From here we walked to the university and took some pictures of the buildings and Tash of a tree featured in Gilmore Girls.
    Then ordered an Uber to take us to Fenway Park home of the Boston Red Sox for a tour. This was much quicker than the T which would have meant going bck to the centre then out again. Took maybe 20 minutes to get there. We found the booth selling tour tickets and got on the 2pm one, was about 120 now so we had tome to go in the shop, which was also the meeting place for the tour start. They had varios framed bits of soil, homeplate etc and we got one from first base that had been used on 14 August 2017, Tashs birthday last year. She also got s shirt with Betts on it – Mookie Betts apparently great name.
    The tour started, our guide was good fun, good sense of hunmour and tild some good stories about Boston baseball. Babe Ruth had played for the Red Sox first as a pitcher originally. In his final season with them he hit 29 home runs when most teams only hit 10 a season (bats and balls were less easy to hit home runs back then). For reasons not explained the Red Sox owner didn’t like Ruth and so sold him and most of the rest of the team to the Yankees for 125k. Must have been something behind the scenes of that deal I think. First stop on the tour had been the restrooms, then we had a photo taken, then sat in the seats on the wide left field near the green monster and got some history. Some folks on the tour thought fround lookd bigger than they were expecting, but most thought smaller. Certainly much smaller scale than Rogers Centre. Capacity about 32k. The wide angle lenses used on the tv made it look bigger on screen too.
    We then went to the seats on top of the green monster. This had been put up to stop people in buildings opposite watching the game for free. No seats on it until a few years back, when they were first installed and sold for $50 each. Now they sell for that for midweek games against poor teams in early season, but for a big game against the Yankees mioght be $600 each. Was a good view from up there and a unique place to be.
    Then moved round the back of the satdn toards the press box, passing a garden on the roof where vegetables were grown to be uised in the catering in the ground. Also passed a wall showing some of the music artists that had played there. Also had ice hockey there in winter and also ski jump trials for the Olympics earlier this year. Every bit of roof space was uised behind stands with bars and seats etc. Was a real old school ground (oldest in the league, opening was delayed by 6 days in 1912 due to the Titnic sinking). Like an old football ground in UK, turnstiles opening straight onto road, old brick building and old unpadded seats in stands which were much closer together than a modern stadium). The Red Sox had a bad run of no success for 86 years, but were doing well this year and had best record so far in season.
    The press box was high up behind home plate. Had windows which the senior journalists in the front row could decide whether they were open or not. The view actualy wasmnt that great as high up and the window panes blocked the view. A third row had been added at the back when demand from Japan rose whne Red SOx signed a Japoeanese pitcher. Were shown roughly where Brad Pitt sat in film Money ball for his interview with Red Sox. Also pointed out the retired jerseys on the stand opposite, including 42 which was in blue as it is retired everywhere in memory of the first black player in baseball. Wade Boggs who I had seen play in 1994 (for the Yanlees I think) but had had along career with the Red Sox.
    Final stop was round the right field where there was a red seat in amongst all the others. This was where Ted Williams hot a 502 feet home run in 1946, the longest ever. It hot a chap who was dozing in a straw hat and knocked him out briefly.
    Then downstairs to a museum with features on lots of ggreat Red Sox players. Also a ball from every Wolrd Series winner (except 1994 when a players strike had meant there was no world series, even though Paul and I had seen games that year).
    We got our photo then got an Uber back to Faneuil Hall. Started to really pour with rin so we ducked into a bar for a drink. Soon fined up, kids wanted food so we had some in Quincy Market, then headed to Hard Rock Café where Tash got a T Shirt – cooler than one saying Niagara apparently. Ed had promised her something from Sephoira for her birthday so we went in and she chose some lip gloss (taking forever again to do so!). Then headed back to hotel. We still needed another bag for stuff to get home, so Tash and I ent in search. Tried TJ Maxx (not sure wy not TK in US), but they were all expensive dsigner cases. Tash thought Primark might have something and they did, a $20 cricket bag like case, perfect size. We had intended to try Macys and Tash wanted to go in so we did. They had larger thn life sie cut outs of all the Kardashians which Tash introduced me too. Brief visist then we headed back to get ready for meal out at Top of the Hub on 52nd floor of Prudential Centre.
    Got the T accorss to there and had a little trouble finding the entrance, then despite the 52 light looking like it was pressed, we only went up to the 50th floor (dropping off a man with a sparkly coloured cuddly unicorn) then went back down. Pressed button and we made it and got our table near the window looking back towards Old Boston. The food was tasty. We saw another couple of tables set up a proposal, with a large flashing sign – the lady said yes. Tash got a sparkly candle in her cake dessert for her birthday.
    We got an Uber back to hotel, with the Red Sox commentary on the radio.
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