Wicked Faaaa
If you are just joining this blog in progress, first off: Welcome. It should come as no surprise to you that I have a tendency to let video games dictate my schedule at times. Post Game Report records Friday nights, because the cool kids spend their nights recording podcasts. I spend late nights obsessing over audio cues and RSS Feeds in my “editing booth”. I stress over my next editorial posted on Talking About Games. And believe it or not, I actually play video games too.
There have been mentions of the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) coming to the east coast, specifically Boston, in a few podcasts here and there. There was a brief mention of it at the end of this episode of Just Talking (with Kerri) and the Phoenix from PGR is constantly reminding our listeners of a “big announcement”. I’ll let him deal with the promotional side of things, as far as I’m concerned right now my task is to make it there then deal with the shenanigans.
And with that mild tease, yes, I will be going to PAX East. I purchased my tickets to PAX itself, made hotel reservations and bought some cheap train tickets. Since I’m heading up a day early, timing isn’t that big of a deal for me. I have no problem flying by myself, I’ve done it plenty for work and leisure. If I had to, I could drive up there, but I’d rather leave my car at home if possible. Since the Metro doesn’t count as a train, this will be a first for me. I’m hoping it’ll provide the relaxation before and after the weekend I need to balance out dealing with a convention center full of gamers. (I know).
The Expo itself will be March 26 – 28. As mentioned, I’ll be up there a day early to ensure I wont be rushed for anything. Aside from meeting Kerri (and BSparl), are there any other places of interest I should check out during my free time? I’ve never been to Boston so don’t hold back on the classic tourist attractions nor the places a local would appreciate.
I might come back to this topic as the event approaches. Diabetically speaking I know that weekend will be more of an adventure than PAX itself. But I can’t get too far ahead of myself …I have a meeting with Not House that I’m hoping occurs before this weekend is over.
Oh, and while I have your attention, you should check this out. Cupcake Savant Dana (@danamlewis) sent me a link to some pretty epic cupcakes. Assuming you would actually want to eat them and not put them on a mantle, they are definitely #bolusworthy. Being the geek that I am, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
My husband wants to go to PAX with our friend Bucky. I should go and meet you, too! I’m an avid reader and listener and T1D with extremely minor gaming experience!
Depends on what you’re interested in. The North End has lots of great Italian places to eat and you can combine that with the Old North Church and all the Paul Revere folderol. Mike’s Pastry is an institution – you must try the cannoli if you go. Ernestos’ Pizza is awesome – it’s on Salem Street in the North End. Bricco is also good but there are no lack of places to eat over there. It’s too early for a Sox game but you could take a tour of Fenway Park. The Museum of Fine Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum are both very cool places if you’re into art. There’s loads of antique stores on Charles Street and loads of swanky shopping on Newbury and Berkshire Streets. If you can get to Cambridge (take the Red Line from Government Center), there’s Harvard and the Harvard Coop (bookstore) and a lot of stores. It’s becoming a bit mall-ified, though. Skip Faneuil Hall unless you want lots of touristy crappe, although the Union Oyster House is close to there – they have excellent food. You could go to the top of the Pru or the Hancock tower for the views.
Definitely you should think about some of the points on the Freedom Trail. There used to be a tourist booth to pick up the map for it over at the Boston Commons. You may not be able to get to the whole trail in one day (I never got to everything even though I lived there for four years). Some key attractions: USS Constitution (ship and museum) – this is in Charleston, so it’s a bit off the beaten path. Expect lines. Bunker Hill monument is also in Charleston; there used to be a small, community-run museum just across the street from there. Also, the Old North Church and the Paul Revere House on the North End. When I was living there, this had become mainly an Italian neighborhood, so look for some of the little pastry shops and groceries for a snack.
Getting to the North End used to mean walking from Government Center. Also near this stop is Faneuil Hall (pronounced “FENnl” or “FENy’l” Hall), which I hear has undergone much renovation and repurposing since I lived in the area. Behind there are Quincy Market (mostly foodstuffs and little cafe-type shops) and the outlier buildings that are Faneuil Hall Marketplace. These are a mixture of boutiques and touristy shops. Beyond this group of buildings and across the main thoroughfare is Haymarket. On Fridays and Saturdays, the streets become an open-air farmer’s market; all week round, there used to be specialty food stores in the permanent locations. (There was a major fire there some years ago, and the last time I was through the area, it looked as if my favorite shop there, Al Capone’s Cheese, was no longer there.)
If you need to do some more mainstream shopping, along Washington Street, you might want to stop to see the Old South Meeting House (another Freedom Trail location). This, like the Old North Church, was a house of worship – but it was also a place where people gathered for discussion of community issues (kind of like today’s Town Hall).
I can’t talk about Boston without discussing my alma mater, MIT, which is just across the river in Cambridge. Inside the main building there is a small maritime museum in the Ocean Engineering department, and the MIT Museum (mostly avant-garde art) near admissions. You may also want to see if there’s a tour of the Media Labs. One also can sometimes get tours of the small research reactor our Nuclear Engineering department uses.
One route from Boston proper to Cambridge is across the Charles River Dam, on which rests the Museum of Science. I’ve never been to that museum, though I’ve been told it’s excellent. It probably pales next to the Smithsonian, though.
Of course there is also “the little school up-river”, which is how we used to refer to Harvard University. There a number of small, artsy places around Harvard Square. When I was living there, one small shopping center was located in a converted parking garage (it was called, “The Garage”). Another was in an old Victorian building on Mount Auburn Street — though sadly, that building was destroyed in a fire about a decade after I graduated.
Jordan Hall (Symphony Hall on the Green Line) is the home of the Boston Symphony and is near to the Prudential Center (large shopping mall) and the John Hancock tower (all glass, looks like a thermometer is running up its center when the sun hits it just-so).
Most of this should be accessible by either bus or “T” (Boston’s equivalent of the Metro). It’s much more than you could expect to visit in one day, and I’ve left out quite a bit (the Boston Tea Party ship and museum, the Museum of Transportation, Chinatown, and much more) but I hope I’ve given you a bunch of ideas.
Just reading this post and Major Bedhead’s comment is really making me miss Boston wicked bad!!! Have a great time on your visit and be sure to take lots of pictures.
I agree with the comments about the North End and the food up there – pretty damn good. Closer to the date, maybe we can find a place to grab some chow? (Here’s hoping I don’t go into labor while we’re dining!)
I’m excited to meet you!!