6/11/22
Yesterday was my last full day in the Boston area, and I spent it mostly in and around Brookline, enjoying leisurely time in natural spaces around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, then at old-time Boston vegan restaurant institution Grasshopper (vegan tempura!) and then back to Arne’s place in Newton. I got my fill of beautiful leafy trees and waterways in Boston, especially yesterday.
This morning, I said goodbye again to Arne and the cats (that’s Buddy on the bed) and headed downtown to the venerable South Station, where I caught my train to Springfield. The ride was relatively uneventful, if pleasant, and I dozed a bit. When I disembarked, a man standing at the platform greeted me and asked about my bike. We ended up chatting for at least half an hour about my journey as well as his own summertime nomad-like voyages around the US. He likes to travel in a variety of low-impact ways, meeting up with friends and environmental activists around the country. Very cool!
I then followed Google Maps’ directions from the station to the home of my new hosts, Julie and Ben, who are awesome. They live right near the large Forest Park; Google sent me on a dirt path through the woods there to reach them, which was actually pretty cool.
We had a dinner of homemade tacos and margaritas on their wonderful front porch, with some friends of theirs. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the ‘70s/’80s “soundtrack” made me feel right at home, and the conversation was good.
Tomorrow the forecast calls for rain, so I’m not sure whether I’ll make the 15-or-so-mile trek up to the Mt. Holyoke College campus, where my grandmother received her bachelor’s degree in economics in 1930, nearly 100 years ago.
This place feels good. I’ll see how things unfold.
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