Wednesday Only Travel Back to Oregon

Some days are just travel, and Wednesday was one of those.

I rose, showered, shaved, and all of that. I dressed and managed to fit a few items into my luggage, then closed it up. Check-out is at noon at the Club Quarter Hotel in Boston’s Financial District. I headed next door to get breakfast at Elephant and Castle and spent about $20 on their Sunrise breakfast with poached eggs, bangers, bacon, and potato bits. I had that with lots of coffee. There, Benjamin, my waiter again for breakfast, kept filling my coffee while I wrote the rest of the blog that I had started in my room. He put me in the corner, with my permission, and I got a view of the whole war. It, and like the hotel lobby, seems a bit frayed at the edges. Light out, slipped panels, and water damage show that some basic repairs are not being done. My taxi driver commented that the Financial District was busy until the pandemic, and it has never returned to that level of activity. Corporations discovered the hidden cost of offices, and employees found they cannot do just as well, and often better, working from home. I think this explains the wear and tear.

Breakfast was good, and I said goodbye to Elephant and Castle (Benjamin brought me the room card that I left on the table) and returned to my room, checked again for anything missed, and left 408 and soon turned in my key, checked out, and waited for a taxi back to Logan Airport. My ride in was as fast as it was between rush hours (and unlike Portland and other American cities, there is no lunch traffic), and soon I was getting my bag tag. I did not realize you must leave your QR code on the screen while getting a bag tag (not wanting to forget my phone, I had flashed the code and put it back in my pocket); the station just locked up until I put the iPhone back.

With that interruption, the process was easy. The lines were short, but the maze of stanchions was in place, meaning I walked the whole thing to get to TSA. There was a special section for the US Military, and TSA pre-approved that someone had taped US flags to the retractable tape stanchions (I had to look up what they are called), which I thought looked like a strange-looking flag corridor and led to the same place I discovered. My ID, Oregon Driver’s License with the REAL ID star, was examined with great care and even put under a monocular to check it. I have never seen it checked like this.

I, my ID, my bag, and other items passed the remaining tests without incident or any further checks. I walked across Logan to my gate. I found a bar near my gate, sat there, and ordered a bowl of Clam Chowder with Ginger Ale (I was already tired). I had upgraded for 5K miles to comfort, as I knew I would be tired when I ordered the tickets. Zone 3 and 11A worked for me. Soon, I was watching the new Fantastic Four movie and on my way to my connection.

On landing, I took my time crossing the airport in Minneapolis, even stopping at a bookstore on the way. I had officially 90 minutes, but when I arrived, I had ten minutes until boarding?! Not quite sure what happened, but I found a turkey-and-cheese on a croissant and then boarded the plane.

I had my bottle of water I’d filled in Boston, and that helped, and soon I was watching another movie, Julie & Julia (I love movies about cooking). The plane needed to be de-iced, and we spent 30 minutes having stuff squirted all over it. Finally, we were in the air, and I enjoyed cooking more. I make the same Beef Bourguignon mentioned in the movie from a recipe revised by Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen in Detroit (here).

I read and nodded off a few times. I was in Comfort and thus got some complimentary chips to go with my sandwich (I could have bought a snack box on the plane, but my sandwich was excellent, as were the sea-salt, homemade-style chips). Just as I was getting tired of flying, the landing was announced.

The rest is the usual blur of trying not to forget something and walking PDX to baggage claim. I found my bag in a few minutes, and soon Joan S, who is driving now, picked me up. We chatted while she drove me home. Another blur, as I was tired and the time zones had changed.

(Yes, the Martini Glass is back!)

At home, I aired the house out, got the mail (which was delivered today after being on hold), and soon was in my PJs, resting in my comfortable bed. I seemed to sleep well and woke just before my 7 a.m. alarm.

Thanks for reading.