Kendall & Harvard Squares and sailing on the Charles River

Tom, Harry & I visited the hotel gym at 7.30am and did a round of Tabata – using a just downloaded app made the timing much simpler. Plus, as the gym had several bikes, we could all do it together. The gym in New York was pretty good but things just got better and better – all that equipment we could admire and not use! Nice views across Boston while you work out. They even had wet flannels in a fridge and free fruit/coffee. I took a complimentary New York Times back to my room not to read.

We made our way across the Public Garden to the Paramount Diner on Charles Street for breakfast. As we made our way there we noticed the queue was out onto the street. We stuck with it and after 45m we were seated with our breakfast. The Paramount has, since 1937, been making patrons queue and purchase there food before being seated saying it is more efficient. I’m not sure, but you talk to the chefs and watch them make your pancakes etc. It was the best breakfast so far and, other than at Cape Cod, all have been in diners. Marginally cheaper too at $80 and the atmosphere was buzzing since it was packed with middle class Beacon Hill residents & tourists. We didn’t eat again until 8.30pm

We took the T to Kendall Square and then again to Harvard Square. At Kendall we popped into the Coop where Helen worked as bookstore assistant for around 3 years. It had smartened up a fair amount.

Harvard and MIT both impressed Tom as cool places to study at University – who knows? We wondered through Harvard Yard university buildings and stopped at one of the tables for a drink. We also checked out The Border Café for lunch tomorrow and, still stuffed from breakfast, decided we’d have an ultra light snack tomorrow and then do lunch. There’s no queue for lunch but dinner here means upwards of an hour waiting for a table.

We took the T back to Copley Plaza for a short rest and changed for the sailing. I had already checked out the Community Boating Inc. before leaving England as I remembered it when we lived there. Dozens of dinghies for hire but they do check your experience out. We sailed for about 90m going as far upriver as the Mass Ave bridge (about ½ mile) and then back again. The wind was fairly light and the 16′ Mercury keel boat was pretty easy to sail. Good fun though and the views back onto the Boston skyline were stunning.

Helen met us at 7pm and we walked up Charles Street to collect a couple of 18″ pizzas to scoff back at the hotel (Tom & Harry went straight afterwards to the gym for a workout!) while watching the Redsox lose out to the Yankees 10-3. They’d better sharpen up by Sunday night – we haven’t come all this way to watch them lose.