Days 3 Boston and Day 4 Boston to Stowe

Day 3:  Boston

Quote of the day: I think [the season] has been, you know, miserable, but I think it’s also been part of my life’s journey [if you don’t know the author of this quote, remember, we are in Boston

Weather:    Cool, overcast, breezy, light rain, clear, breezy, cold

Pics:    Bin 26 Enoteca, Gardner Musuem inside (DB on mat) and outside, Kaneko work, and another sideways view of an interesting building near the museums

After last night’s events (great, long dinner at O Ya; A’s going kerpflooey; Giants moving on) and the 10+ miles of walking, our legs were mush today. Breakfast at the hotel: granola and yogurt, hot breads, coffee, $28.

Given the weather, we’ve done well reserving the Gardner and MFA museums (a block apart) for today. Take the T (1 block from hotel) to right in front of the MFA and take in the contemporary craft and art collections (see pic of Kaneko pieces). Walk to Gardner, which is rather eclectic: a massive collection of 15^th to 19^th art in a faux Italian palazzo, with the lights dimmed so low you can barely see the art, furniture, walls, and ceilings. Sort of a Barnes view of life (in the arranging of work) without the “can’t touch this or move it” philosophy.

For those of you who like to keep track: ICA and Gardner $15 entry, MFA $25. Wait, the only one that likes to keep track of this stuff is THB….ah, that’s why it’s in here.

Lunch at the Gardner Museum café: farro salad, salmon rilletes, polenta with mushrooms and gravy, ginger ale, Arnold Palmer, $40.

T back for a walk along Newberry Street (full of brand name stores…), two  cookies to keep us motivated, $3, and then a rest in the room before dinner at Bin 26 Enoteca.  

Nine Zero was at least Four Zero: coffee maker didn’t work on Day 1, keys disabled days 2 and 3 (we think because we had two different reservations, one for two free nights and one paid night), and an i-home clock that needed resetting (clearly not an original Apple product), paper not delivered Day 2. On other hand: great location, terrific concierge service, and a nice room.

Bin 26 Enoteca just okay, and VERY loud: soup and salad to start, two pastas, bottle of wine, two biscotti, $138 (if you live in Bay Area, try Riva Cucina)

Day 4:  Boston to Stowe

Quote of the day: See above

Weather:    Clear, cool, wind chill taking the temp into the low 40s in morning

Pics:     FT, Fuller Museum, Concord, deCordova Sculpture Park, do not drink out of the urinal posting

Fitness center at Nine Zero probably a five zero. Breakfast at hotel, check out for $319: one night (two nights free from frequent stays at Kimptons) and two breakfasts.

Freeze on the way to Hertz pick-up, bright and sunny and very cold. First stop of the day is Fuller Museum south of town around 20 miles. A nice, small crafts museum (see duck, Bean, Bally, Musler pieces, and AJF attribution pics), where we also pick up some heavy napkin rings in the gift shop.

Take the ring road around Boston and go to the Lacoste Gallery in Concord (see pic) where we snap up work by a new artist, Ani Kasten, and a hard-to-find small piece by a renowned Japanese ceramicist, Masamichi Yoshikawa (we came to this gallery specifically to see Masamichi’s work, rare to find it in the US). We hope to visit him when we are in Japan next year (seems like an annual trip now, if only the yen would cooperate).

Lunch on great ultra-thin baguettes from a cheese/sandwich shop around the corner, with leftover cheese (Iggy’s?). Take it from THB: these loaves (of course THB bought TWO) are a true find (almost as hard as find Masamichi pieces).

In the Bonus Round category: just outside of Concord is the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (DB spies a sign on way into town) and it is a gem! Lots of relatively small scale work (see pics), some by artists we know or have done studio visits with, in a very easy-to-traverse circle with a museum in the middle. In the same category with Papajohns, Kendall (Pepsi headquarters), not near as big as Storm King (they did have sign up asking for contributions to having Goldsworthy do an installation).

Then we drive north for approximately 3.5 hours to Stowe, VT, as a way station on the route to Acadia NP. It is way out of the way, we are trying to stretch the drive through very pretty country (done) and see the fall colors (not done….the leaves have turned and fallen of many of the trees already). Tomorrow we head through the White Mountains to Bar Harbor (just outside Acadia NP), and even without fall colors we’re expecting a very pretty drive.

Tonight we’re staying at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, overpaying to make sure we have a place for one night (most only book two night minimums). Dinner at Pie in the Sky where we have spinach salad, pizza with olives and garlic cooked in the crust (a first for us…not bad), wine and beer, and warm apple crisp with Ben&Jerry’s ice cream (they have a plant just down the road), $66. THB tried to get them to heat the crisp in the pizza oven: no go. No problema, we still finish the puppy off.

And, finally, the bathroom sign of the year (see pic): don’t drink the water in the urinal (in the toilets, the water is green so you might be tempted to drink there?)