My alarm went off at 5:00, and I got up and got started. I shaved and showered, and packed the final toiletries. Brian and Steve arrived right on time, at 6:20. We loaded Brian’s SUV, and set out.
On Wade Avenue, I realized that I had forgotten my pills. We took the 40 East exit, and went back to my place. On the way back out, we went through the McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered breakfast. Brian and Steve had been out late, and both hadn’t really gotten to bed until about 3:00. They were not in a good place.
We got to the airport at about 7:10. By the time we got through check-in, security, and to the gate, it was just about boarding time. Steve used the bathroom, called his momma, and we boarded.
Our flight was on a regional jet, quite cramped, but uneventful. We arrived at Logan on time, and took a taxi over to the World Trade Center, near where the Bay State Cruise Company is. We checked in, got our tickets, and checked our bags at the wharf, and then walked up to Fanieul Hall for some lunch. Once in the vicinity, Steve wanted to first shop for some shorts at the Gap, which he did. I stayed outside, hung over the rail, and boy-watched. He came out shortly, with a couple of articles of clothing, and a great bargain.
We walked once all the way through Quincy Market checking out the multitude of food establishments from which to choose lunch. I decided on an “Italian coldcut” calzone, and Steve got Chinese. My calzone was absolutely delicious. Steve enjoyed his “Orange Chicken” and fried rice.
After lunch, we walked back to the pier, retrieved our luggage, and got in line, which was quite long by then, for the ferry. While in line, I tried to reach Auntie Viv and Uncle Nib again, had to leave a message, and Steve checked in with his mom to let her know we’d arrived safely in Boston.
On the ferry, we sat with two women, straight I think, who worked together, though from different coasts. Their names were Natalie and Pauline. We spoke on and off with them, but just briefly, really. They, however, seemed to talk nonstop the entire way.
We met the guys sitting behind us, Peter and Brent. They said the were from Seattle, and I wrinkled my nose while asking them if they worked for Microsoft. Peter does. Brent has his own business as a healthcare consultant, and was just working in Chicago before meeting Peter here in Boston. They were nice guys, and before we disembarked, they gave us their cell phone numbers telling us to call them some time during the week to come visit them and have drinks.
We arrived in P-Town closer to 2:45 than the scheduled 2:30, with the intention of hailing us a cab to take us to The Shamrock. However, there were no cabs to hail, and we didn’t have any phone numbers to call one. We decided to start walking and to catch one on the way, if one passed.
That didn’t happen, and we ended up walking the entire way, which wasn’t bad at all. We thought about Will last year, though, and laughed while we walked.
The office of the Shamrock was in quite a shambles – papers in a huge messy pile on the desk, hot as Hades in the office, and we had to ring the doorbell and wait for “Bill” to saunter to the door. Not a good impression.
At first we were a little disappointed in the place, but eventually it came to grow on us. I said to Steve, “It just seems to me that everything is just on the verge of breaking down here.” That’s the impression I got. The bathroom door stuck like crazy, the bathroom sink had a slow drain, and the towel rack fell out of the wall when Steve hung his drag bag on it. After we were in for a half day or so, and stopped comparing it to last year’s place, which was twice the price, our expectations were adjusted and it was just fine.
Steve showered and a little after 4:00, we went over to the Boatslip for Tea Dance, which started at 4:00. There was a $10.00 cover charge. When we bought our first drinks, which were $4.75, Steve and I both left the quarter change on the bar, and as we walked away, the bar tender said rather loudly, “Thanks for the quarters, guys.” If I’d’ve thought fast enough, I would have said, “Thanks for the $10 cover charge, and a 6-ounce drink for almost 5 bucks.” Bitch. Needless to say, we didn’t return to that bar. Fortunately for us, there were at least five bars set up in the place.
We met “Kieth” here; well, of course, Steve met Keith. It’s always funny to hear Steve after he meets some folks. He will come over and tell me what “his story” is. This time it was that he was “the Director of Instructional Technology for the school district, and working on his PhD.” I decided right then and there, that some time during this trip, I was going to start taking on a new persona myself.
We left the Boatslip at 7:00 when Tea Dance was over. We stopped at Lagniappe, and had dinner. I had a delicious, surprisingly healthy, Turkey Wrap. Steve had the most delicious looking BBQ sandwich with some slaw on the side. I’m going to get that myself some time this week. We laughed about how the two, somewhat chubby, Lesbians really know how to cook.
From there, we returned to the room to “freshen up,” played some Catch Phrase, Steve ordered up some “fresh linen” for his bed because he found hair in his sheets, and we got ready to head out to “The Vault.”
All in all, a good first night on vacation.