Arriving in Boston at 8:30am Friday morning to a snowy city, we made the worst mistake of the trip by choosing to take a taxi from the airport to the Museum of Fine Arts. Fifteen minutes and $48 later, we were at the museum doors only to find it didn't open till 10am. So we made do and found a place to grab a bite on the Northeastern University campus. Bellies full we went back to the museum and toured it for nearly two hours. The pictures we took can not do the art we saw justice I'm afraid, but they are worth a look all the same.
Following the museum we some how snaked a free ride on the subway north to the Freedom Trail and arrived just outside of a visitors center for a map. I mention the map briefly, as the travel apps I purchased for my iPod Touch were a colossal waste. I guess it is time for a real smart phone and a data plan later this Spring. Moving on, the trail was a great way to see a fairly concentrated portion of Boston's history and have a tasty seafood lunch near Faneuil Hall.
Our fill of history and our tired legs had us on the subway headed south to our hotel by 3pm. At our stop I took us on a two mile detour to the Sheraton. It wasn't fun getting kinda sorta lost, but we found a few options for dinner and saw the cast of the Joystiq Podcast in doing so. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were met with the news that they were overbooked, despite my booking the room two months in advance. Before we could get upset though, they were already describing the new arrangements they had made for us, all on their dime too.
We would be staying in a hotel just a hop skip and not even a jump from where we were. Slightly peeved and ready for a nap we cut through the mall that connects to the convention center and it's surrounding hotels and arrived at the Mandarin Oriental. Being unfamiliar with the company, were pleasantly surprised at the level of service and the incrediable room they put us in. It included a king sized bed, 42" LCD, office/living room area, a marble bathroom as big as the other areas combined and a great view of the city. A steak dinner and a trip to the Apple store later and we found out just how big an upgrade we had recieved. Where two nights at the Sheraton was going to cost us $400 the stay at the five star Mandarin Oriental was $1,250. I should say "would have been" as we paid zero dollars.
Tomorrow will be a retelling of our day at PAX, but I will leave you with pictures of the hotel rooms bathroom. Images Crystal wanted to capture for ideas for our next house. Note the rain forest shower head in the first picture, a pleasure I had never experienced before, but now demand as a matter of course. Picture 1 & Picture 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment