USA Holiday 2, September 25 (The Green Monster)

Took the train (Amtrak) from New York up to Boston. Amtrak at Penn Station was just stupid. They leave you just waiting around in the foyer until about 10 minutes before the train is to depart, and only then they tell you which platform to RUN to. Because there's so much of a crowd around, you just have to be lucky to be near the one-person-at-a-time escalator to get down to the platform - which we weren't. As the time to depart is fast approaching, and the line is still not cleared, they finally announce a second escalator that can be used - great timing.

So I get down to the platform and ask which carriage to go on, and you can just go on anything except for the business class one. All good, except people across America on public transport (it might be the same in Australia and I just haven't noticed), both trains and buses, like to sit in the aisle seat with a vacant window seat, to prevent anyone from sitting next to them. Fantastic. Even better, the person usually doesn't move across to the window when asked, they just have you climb across them to get to the window.

I slept for a lot of the ride up to Boston again, through Connecticut and Rhode Island I think. About 4 hours in total, and a lot more comfortable than getting on a plane - plus all of the frustration associated with travelling to and from an airport, and getting to the gate.

Took the local transport (the T system varies, one line is a train and another is a tram - similar to the BART) out to Fenway. There was some food festival in the streets where everyone was wearing purple, but still got to walk around the outside of the stadium - it was a lot smaller than I was expecting.

The road to Fenway.

Lots of purple people.

Outside Fenway.

The other side of Fenway.

Then back to downtown Boston where there is the "common" garden and the start of the freedom trail, a trail of red bricks through the city, over to Faneuil Hall and then ending up in Charlestown - if you wanted to go that far, and I didn't.

Boston Common.

Freedom Trail.

The State House.

Navigating the streets of Boston isn't much fun, the streets aren't in a grid, not even close. Made it to Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market only because I had the freedom trail to guide me, the market had a crazy amount of food places, and some interesting local favourites like clam chowder and lobster.

I think this is the Old South Meeting House ?

I think this is Quincy Market.