Day 8: October 6, 2015--Arrival in Boston, MA

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We left Chicago at 9:30 Monday night, Oct. 5; changed trains at Albany (Rensselaer)
around 3:00 PM Tuesday; and reached Boston at 8:00 that evening.

Short and sweet--I swear! Just rolling across the countryside from Chicago to Boston, changing trains (and thus using up an extra "leg") at Albany/Rensselaer, checking into our Boston digs, and getting a slice.

I will say a quick word about our digs at 40 Berkeley in Boston, though. It was cheap, minimal accommodation, walking distance from both our arrival point at the Amtrak Boston South Station (which is also the Back Bay "T" Station) and Boston Common. The room was spartan and clean--two beds, a desk, and a wardrobe (you can see photos here, at least for a while). The restroom was down the hall--which will lead to a story we still laugh about.

The staff was friendly, there were plenty of amenities--food, snacks, laundry, and so on--and a great common area. Alas, a look at their website tells us they're now closed to be "reimagined."

From the 40 Berkeley website

The place was once a YWCA, and seems to have gone through several "reimaginings." Here's the text from their "History" page:

40 Berkeley harnesses the unique history of its 1884 building, the country's first YWCA and residence providing safe and respectable housing for young women coming to Boston to work and study. Its elegant main lobby and public spaces, as well as its inviting private patio garden, reflect not only the building's rich history but also its premier location in the heart of Boston's fashionable South End.

So we had read something about that on the way in, and further got the impression that they were still providing shelter for some of the community's less fortunates, I believe on the 2nd floor. (I later learned it had only been women, through the former YWCA connections.) Anyway, upon arriving, I spotted an older guy with unkempt hair in the lobby and leaned over to Lila and said, "I wonder if that's one of the guys from the 2nd floor."

Later, in the middle of the night, I went down the hall from our room to use the toilet. I had thrown on whatever was handy, and probably hadn't done much to my longish hair. Going back to the room, I told Lila I had gotten some funny looks from guys in the restroom: "I think they thought I was on the wrong floor!"

She still thinks that's funny.

From the 40 Berkeley website

Anyway, after checking in, we headed around the corner to Emilio's Pizza on Tremont Street, which I see is also closed--permanently.

I guess the neighborhood is going through some changes.

The Gallery just has a few shots of upstate New York grabbed from the train windows. Enjoy.

Don't miss today's Gallery!