Friday 12th October 2018 (updated)

Autumn comes quickly. As soon as the sun stopped shining and the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped, the wind blew, and it was chilly. But should clear in the afternoon, but once out on the streets with the rain falling steadily, it seemed doubtful to be honest.

Again, we decided not to eat in the hotel, so into the rain and uptown we went. We went to find a place to have breakfast, and ended up at a bagel place opposite the Irish famine memorial; bagel, juice and coffee while we sit and watch the rain run in small rivers down the street outside, and the traffic line up at the traffic lights. There were all sorts n, avoiding the weather; people in suits, people with their belongings in a couple of large bags, all nursing a coffee.

Grim.

For the day we had planned a whale watching trip, I had booked online the afternoon before, so all we had to do was get us to the pier before departure time. With the internet this was easy enough, we walked back down towards the river and the piers.

And was cold.

I had on my rain jacket, which I hate as it doesn’t allow the body to breath, so slowly cook in it, so am nearly as wet with on it as without it. But we would need jackets out at seas for sure.

We walk down to Quincy Market again, but it is only opening up, with only a few people about. Shops are also just opening, and we are among a few braving the weather. We cross the main road to the docks, and begin to look for where we needed to be, even if there was an hour to go.

We walk to the aquarium, and look at the seal play whilst their keepers try to fish seal poo out of their tank. Its a living. The harbour is grey, and the sky has the promise of rain. The breeze blowing would make it an interesting sailing, for sure.

We find the pier, find the both that it was still selling tickets meaning the trip was going ahead, we ask for details and were told to go to gate 4 along the pier, which we do, and when we get there we find hundreds of people already waiting, so we join the back of the line and wait. More people join behind us, so by the time comes to board, I guess there was nearly five hundred of us waiting.

Jools and I go out on the back deck, thinking we would “bags” a good spot to watch the whales from when we get there.

It was cool enough waiting at the dock, but once we pulled out and were cruising along the river, it got cooler. Then when the engines were opened up fully, and we headed out to see, staying by the railings was impossible as waves of spray came crashing over and would have soaked us. And was downright cold. I had a seat in the middle of the back row of seats, just in range as the soacked stars and strips flag, glown about by the breeze and movement of the boat, swung round and slapped me in the face. Time and time again. How did a flag know I was a redcoat?

We took shelter in the lea of the cabin and sat there was the boat powered northwards along the coast, leaving the skyscrapers of Boston behind. They got smaller and smaller, until after an hour they were all showing above the horizon twenty miles or so away.

The engines were killed, and the boat slowed to a stop, people, and us, rushed to the railings, and began scouring the waves for signs of whales.

I saw the first ones, just a hundred yards off the port bow, lazily breaking the water and slowly going back under water. They did this once, twice three times before they all dived. This happened a few times, we saw others in the distance, breaching, creating huge splashes.

We got close to another family group, and behind there was another breach with huge splash. It is impossible to know where a whale will surface, you just have to be quick with the camera, so all I got was white water from the splash.

The captain announced he had been advised it was too dangerous to stay out being close to the whales, so he said we had to turn for home. He opened up the engines and we turned for Boston.

Above us the clouds cleared so by the time we were back in Boston it was a bright day and was warming up again. As we walked out through the main cabin, there was the smell of stale vomit from those that did not enjoy the trip as us. But we took shelter in the lage cabin below, just to try to keep warm, and others tried to keep their minds of the movement of the boat as we skipped from wave to wave back to Boston.

Back on land we go to Quincy Market which was nearby, and find a hot dog stall, order a Boston Growler, or something, each, and go to eat it outside. I have to say, I was underwhelmed.

We go back to the hotel to warm up some, before heading back out again just after sundown so I could snap the neon lights at the Paramount Theater.

Night-time brings all the freaks and geeks onto the streets, it makes a heady mix, especially on a Friday evening with families and shoppers mixing it with skateboarders and gangbangers all hanging around, not causing trouble, find it all seems a little intimidating to say the least.

The theatre is all lit up, so I get the shots I wanted, we then walk up alongside Boston Common, which I thought would be nice. Turned out was all lined with fast food joints and jammed with more gangbangers and students. We turn for the quieter parts of uptown where there was a couple of blocks with bars and bistros on each corner.

We find one which is lively, has multiple screens each tuned to a different sports channel, as is the American way. We get a table, order a beer and a bison burger, which come in double quick time. We eat, pay and are heading back to the hotel in little over half an hour, just in time to see the latest round of baseball post-season games begin. I watch that while Jools watches more Breaking Bad on the laptop until my eyes can’t keep open any more, and we call it a night at ten.

Phew.