A Few Days Up North: Part II of III

We got back on the road around eight in the morning, but made the mistake of taking the GW Bridge through New York (being the unsophisticated Southern travelers that we were). Because of that and the damp windy conditions in southern Massachusetts, we didn't get to Boston until three in the afternoon. Drivers in Boston are even worse than Tallahassee, with enough blatant red-light running and double parking for the whole family.

The New England Conservatory was even smaller in scope than Westminster -- two academic buildings on the edge of southern Boston, and a single dormitory. The quality of musicianship was obviously very high, judging from the sounds of practicing, and it was interesting to see a school that was truly in a downtime environment (VCU doesn't really count). After exploring the buildings and talking to a few admissions officers, we drove around southern Boston and the waterfront area. Things didn't get hairy until we tried to get back to the school and found that all roads funneled into the northbound interstate. After finally turning around in a suburb north of the airport, we attempted to avoid a toll tunnel and ended up driving circles around East Boston for nearly an hour. Of course, the toll tunnel was the only way back into the city proper.

After this arduous affair, we drove south to the town of Stoughton where we spent the night at Nikki's sister's boyfriend's parents' house. Luckily, all of the people in that possessive phrase were in town that night, so it wasn't just an awkward visit with unfamiliar faces. We also consumed the entire packet of Spellerberg fudge in Boston -- the kind that tastes great and melts in your mouth.

To be continued tomorrow...

Tonight, I'm going to a potluck dinner at a Tech friends, armed with nothing but two pies (apple and peach) and my wits.