January 2nd, 2009 - day two of Boston, MA

So today I felt like a dork waking around in 5 layers with under 20 degree weather with a fat ass smile spread across my face. >_<

Boston makes me feel smitten, ambivalent, yet crazy, hopeful, wonderful, felicitous, marvelous,
peaceful, beautiful, and not just one in a billion humans living in a taker society.
Ahhhhhhhh! i could live here if I wasn't just about to leave the country and not return very often.
Maybe i could live here before i leave..after school..who knows.
Its beautiful. This is the way i felt the first time i fell in love with San Francisco.
hopeful, with relentless compassion for a city that actually meant something more than just economy and police force.
These Bostonians grow on you, like ivy. Beautiful Ivy cascading over an ancient brick building.
These are the nicest people I've ever met. even nicer than SanFranciscans, if you can believe.
I always thought SF was the friendliest city.
Ok ok, maye im getting carried away, since i've only been here 24 hours, i will give the next 72 hours a chance to prove to me wrong. ;-)

Today, I got up and ate oatmeal. nummy, filling, hospitable.
I waited at the 101 bus stop for 20 minutes when i realized my toes were going to fall off if i dont buy some wool socks.
My "amazing" rainboots from Target, are a little less applicable for snow than I thought, just a little. And they seem to adapt to whatever degree it is outside, inside too.
My answer, more socks.

Then i went to Sullivan Square, transferred to the 86 to Harvard Square.
Oh, Harvard! What a beautiful and ginormous campus.
I took pictures. they will be up in a short while, check it out.
I found 47 palmer st. - Veggie Planet!
This restaurant also happens to be the Passim Folk Music Cultural Center.
AMAZING FOOD. GREAT PRICES. plus, a few vegan pizzas. Yum!
Then, off to Harvard Coop Bookstore/Cafe, a small market where I bought a couple postcards and talked to two old men who've lived in Boston their whole lives (50 + years).
One said he loved Sf,(and Seattle) and Boston..
(I JUST HAVE TO SAY I LOVE LOVE LOVE FACEBOOK! It saved My ENTIRE NOTE AS MY MACBOOK JUST COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN RIGHT NOW!! <333)
ok, so he said they were the friendliest cities he's ever seen in his life!

*sigh*. I love people. I love traveling.
Anyway,
Next I talked a street kid outside of B of A, damn i forgot her name already, but she said she's been sleeping outside some bookstore steps for awhile now and she's a senior in high school, just trying to finish school. She told me her parents kicked her out for being gay.
WTF?! She's from Belmont. who knew...so maybe not everyone is great, but u know this old country, isn;t that old and we make our own fricking morals. I'm not condoning prejudice, I'm just saying it's difficult to make people change/see in different way until they are in a situation where the must, and biologically they will, adapt.
We humans are very good at adapting, but only if we are made to do so.
So, yea, some people don't have their heads on straight (or too straight lol) everywhere. but!
There is not one right way for everyone to live, and i will repeat that to the day i die.
:)

Then I took the Red Line to Park st, got off and walked around. I saw a big park that looked similar to Central park in NYC, and a HUGE ice skating rink, it was very packed.
Nothing much else over, a lowes and some box stores. I wasn't interested.
So I hopped on the Green Line C train to Hynes Convention Center.
Got off and walked down Newbury st. Great shoppin area. kindof like the village, some big box fashion stores, but a few awesome places.
Like, Chemistry, The Hempest (all hemp clothing!), and I found a Zara with 50% sale. lol, Zara is the store i fell in love with in Rome, where i found all my snazzy stuff and the hot clothes i bought for Maxi also when we were there. So, i found a cute sweater for 10 bucks. I love Zara.
Anyway, the shops are all renovated town houses with large glass bays on the ground floor, some are below level, very east coast style.

Up a block on Boylston street, I found Berklee College of Music.
I talked to the security guy inside, he was really nice and talked to me about the school. I'm going to go back when they're open on monday to get a peek inside. :)
Then, walking up Newbury st. to Mass ave, I found the cafe i was looking for. It's open till 2am on fridays and midnight almost every other day.
Really good vegan and veggies options. I got the hummus wrap, but the vegan chocolate mint cake was tempting, also the burrito with soy cheese was very tempting as well.
Cute hipster boys and girls working there. But family friendly. Kickass beer selection.

I also found an amazing used vintage book store on Commonwealth, a block from newbury parallel, with huge selection of vinyl, sheet music vocal, instr, band, etc, plus cds and books on composers and music.
I am going back tomorrow to pick up my new Verdi collection - I'll be mailing it back to my house. :) If you are reading this and have anything in particular in mind that you've been looking for- they might have it. call me and i can pick it up for you. Baroque, classical, romantic, early renaissance, they have it all.
Except, i couldnt find any Jacopo Da Balogna :( tear. (cough, music nerd.)

Tomorrow, is downtown, paul revere, Old North Church,( History in a nutshell) Davis Square in Somervile and possibly JP (Jamaica Plains for a vegan bakery), Ruggles, Roxbury, UMass, Franklin Park, The aquarium, Theatre District, Vegan Ice cream, and if i have time, Malden.

YAY BOSTON!
Peace, love, clarity, light, balance, beauty to everyone!

B. J. Young



ps. I am truly Happy!


pps. TRULY!