Beantown

I can't go to Boston without thinking about my knee surgery... and all that it entailed... as I walked around part of the city this week I was grateful to be able to have the ability to do so... And think Dr. Brick, again, for being my pvns superhero! 

I have been in Boston for a few days... for purposes nothing to do with my knee... but for a conference with other school folks,, some superintendents, principals, assistant principals, curriculum directors, teachers, and others who use educational techniques in their jobs.  I was very excited about the idea of coming and being with other professionals, outside of my normal circle.  I was also very much looking forward to being at a hotel and 'away' from the daily grind in a city I have not had many chances to explore, despite its proximity to Portland.  (The real Portland!) 

I am blogging from the bus on the way home... here I am ...

 

Amazing that we can be on a bus and access the internet and take a picture with the device on which I am typing... we are a technological dependent society!  

Anyway.. as I am finishing my trip... I suppose I will fill you in on my adventures... 

I began my journey to Beantown on the bus... because driving in Boston is unappealing to me and because the cost to park overnight is about $50 per day, no thanks.  I was happy to get to the bus station in Boston and looked forward to checking into my hotel room... I stayed at The Park Plaza Hotel and Towers... and had been told it was an old hotel with lots of charm... and that the rooms may be less modern than other hotels... I had signed up online, when I got my reservation confirmation for the e-upgrade option... (Why are things related to the internet referenced as e-things? Internet is I, but I suppose the iCult has the monopoly on everything i related... e...electronic? oh well.)  The e-upgrade option, if it would have been available upon check in, depending upon guest numbers and room availability, would have included: a queen bed (vs. the queen bed I had already signed up for), a larger room,  free wifi, with a newly renovated marble bathroom with a deep soaking tub... the part that appealed to me, not gonna lie, is the deep tub.  As many are aware I am tall... 6'6"... and the idea of being in a tub that was perhaps a bit longer than standard tubs, was exciting... because in most tubs, I cannot sit with legs straight... So I decided that would be worth the extra $25 dollars per night.. if it was available... When I checked into the hotel I was enamored with the lobby... very ... classic... picture 1920's elegance... it was nice... and I gave them my name at the desk, easy process, and was given my room key... 12th floor... As I was in the elevator and looking at the 12th floor button, noticing there really was not a 13th floor in this hotel... I was hopeful that I would get a room with a view of the city... When I walked into the room I was a little... surprised... there was a bed... looked to me like a double bed... there was a window, but looked at a neighboring building with no real view other than bricks... the phone was not even on the nightstand next to the bed because it was too large to fit on the tiny stand... instead it was in a separate part of the room, where one may expect a desk to be, (there wasn't) with no light source... making it difficult to see which numbers to dial to talk to someone at the front desk, which I needed later...  I rolled my new suitcase into the room and began looking around... and was disappointed... THIS is the room where I am going to spend the next few days/nights? Meh.  Upon closer inspection there was a stain on the carpet next to the bureau, the amount of dust in the heater vents would have sent some people into an asthma attack... there were wires hanging from beneath the heater alongside a dirty cup.  I debated in that moment about returning to the front desk and asking for a new room... but hesitated.. the kid at the desk had said all rooms were booked... so I began unpacking... and then noticed the sheets on the bed... were inside out... and then walked into the bathroom and realized I Was in a handicap accessible room.. which is not necessarily a bad thing... but... the mirrors in those rooms are low and are angled to point downward... so when  Itried to look at myself in the mirror... I saw the lower half of me... and it annoyed me... but I figured I could suck it up... I then tried to connect to the internet and saw that there needed to be a code... I called the front desk, (after fumbling to find the right button to push to call them)  and they told me that I should sign in with my name and room number and that I would be able to agree to the fee of $12.50 per day, for internet... e-What? E-xcuse me? That put me over the edge... I took pictures of all the annoyances and marched myself to the front desk... went to the same kid... showed him the pictures and explained I was willing to put up with a lot, but the internet fee put me over the edge... He shrugged and said there was nothing he could do... I asked about another room... nope... and then I asked for the manager.  The manger was attractive.. 6'4" I would say... The icon of tall, dark, and handsome!  He had been informed of my concerns and apologized for the condition of the room... and said something about housekeeping coming up to take care of things... and I asked if there was more he could do... went through the story above... and said that in some ways I felt discriminated against... that in that room my height was a discriminatory factor.. he didn't like the word disciminate... and then when I said the internet fee was the proverbial straw.. suddenly I was given free wifi, a code to use to access it... without having to pay... (really, hotel? Are you already not charging enough for the rooms that you also  need to charge for wifi?) And after some friendly banter the manager changed my room.. and of course I had to give a dramatic sigh about needing to repack my things and move... he offered concierge service, but no concierge guy is gonna help me pack my underwear and then expect a tip!  So I go, repack, and head down three floors to my new room... It was probably three times larger than my original room... KING size bed... Marble bathroom with.... you guessed it... a deep soaking tub!  The room I had agreed to pay $25 nights extra for with the e-upgrade!  the room had a great view... and the soaking tub, while not much longer than a standard tub... was enjoyable!  By the time I had unpacked, for the second time,  it was approaching 8:30.  I was not really in the mood for going too far to eat... I walked a bit to buy some water and snacks for my room then decided to eat at the hotel bar. 

As I approached the bar, there was one end wide open, nobody sitting there... and at the other end... two men with three barstools between them.  Since I had promised myself I would try to be social on this trip.... and 'look up' more...as a friend has reminded me to do... I sat between the two men... both of whom were on their devices and didn't acknowledge me... is this really where we are in society? So tied to our e-devices that we cannot say hello to each other... I was not deterred... when I got my beverage and squeezed the lime, I apologized to said gentlemen in case my lime had squirted them... One of them responded with, Oh you didn't get me... and back to his smartphone... Hmph... social attempt Number one ... complete bust! 

Thursday I got up, after sleeping in my king bed... and attended the conference... In my head I was going to be surrounded by other school administrators, similar in age, mostly male, some  downright sexy... that was in my head... Reality? I am in the younger age bracket compared to most of the people there.... I think there were more women than men... and the men who were there... most were married... and the one man I saw wthout a gold ring... was falling asleep during the session...
The session was good... about the common Core... and through some collaboration at our table I got to know a couple of the women a bit.... and in one of the exercises we did, requiring us to leave our table group, I met another woman... from Vermont... and we ended up having lunch together.  She seems like a nice woman... working with adult learners and with companies to help them learn about better ways to train their workers... interesting... we returned to the session in the afternoon and it was not as good as the morning had been... but we finished around 3:00, so I had some time to explore... I was happy about this... again, not having spent much time in Boston I am not a confident traveler when I am there... I had my map of course and had studied it prior to leaving the hotel... not wanting to appear as being from away... Bosotn confuses me... the way the streets are... I just don't get it... so I tried to align myself with the map, in my mind, figure out a few major streets... Arlington, Charles, Boyleston... and away I went... just walking.. with no real purpose in mind... though I knew there was a Five Napkin Burger Restaurant not too far away, on Huntington Ave., and had loved the one in NYC... so contemplated visiting it for dinner... I walked through Boston Common... it was pretty, Christmas lights looked nice... and it was fun to be out and about in a large city... though I didn't see as much diversity as I hoped for... one of the things  I love so much about NYC...
I didn't end up going to the burger restaurant, because I decided to try something new... I went to The Cheesecake Factory... I had heard good things about it... and who can go wrong with Cheesecake? I was disappointed... it was... generic... comparable to Applebees or Ruby Tuesdays... the cheesecake was good... but overpriced... and the service wasn't stellar... but while I was there... my waiter's lack of punctuality gave me the opportunity to ponder what the evening would hold... I decided to go see a show... I wish there had been something more 'Broadway-ish' playing, but there were a lot of holiday themed things... and I don't want to pay insane prices for A Christmas Story.. but opted to go see 'Shear Madness'.  Shear Madness is a play, a comedy/murder mystery... which includes some improv and at the end, audience participation.  I enjoyed it.  The audience that night was small, but the actors seemed to give it their all... and at times cracked each other up, causing them to take additional time to regroup and keep the show going.  I laughed a lot... and returned to my hotel...to soak in the tub...  Oh.. before the show I stopped at a bar... because I had time to kill... and found, perhaps, Boston's most generic dive bar... the highlight of that place was that I got carded... which has not happened in a long time. ... a LONG time...
(Getting bus sick... pausing until I get home...)

Friday's keynote was good...and then my first session was... well.. a  bit boring... I did however join a man (married)  sitting at a table alone and it was a nice pairing... we had some good conversation... he was close to my age I would guess...and working on his PhD... I met several people who had recently completed or were working to complete their doctorate programs... and yes.. it does make me contemplate going back, to get mine... At lunch I invited myself to join a group of people enjoying their lunch and enjoyed some conversation... (Proud of myself because I tend to sit at a table and then see if people join me... but decided to throw myself into conversations...)  The afternoon session was good... the presenter packed a lot into a short amount of time... and then there was a reception for the conference attendees... which more people attended than I anticipated... I only went because I had run into a woman with whom I had gone through my masters internship... she used to teach in the same district  in which I had been teaching ... and she too, is now an asst. principal... It was nice to see her and get caught up... then I ran into the Vermont lady and we spent more time talking and comparing notes on the conference... I had worn my boots yesterday, my boots that add a couple inches to my height no less, and while I love wearing those, my feet were tired at the end of that... so I went back to my room and soaked them for a bit... I debated on what I wanted to do ... I was tired and didn't feel like doing a whole lot... decided to take a walk.. not sure where I was going to end up... and just as it began to rain I realized I was close to Five Napkin Burger... and decided to go there for dinner... I sat at the bar and while the food was as good as I remember, the female bartenders failed in comparison to the one in NYC with whom I had great conversation!  On my way back to the hotel, I decided I would stop at a place a couple of people insisted I go while staying at the Park Plaza... a desert place called 'finale'... I stepped out of the rain to get something to go, and as I was perusing the dessert case I hear someone say my name... a woman from the conference I had met briefly... she was there, eating alone, and asked if I wanted to join her... I debated, because in my mind I had decided to go back to my spacious room and have a quiet night... but then I thought about my self talk, before the conference, about trying to be more social... so I accepted her invitation, and we st and talked... of course it was all work stuff at the beginning, but then we talked about life outside of work... She shared that it is hard for her to be social outside of work because she (an elementary principal) is exhausted at the end of her days and she often enjoys solitude on the weekends!  Wow could I relate!  She lives in CT... we have exchanged email addresses and phone numbers and have promised to stay in touch and if I get to NYC again, she would like to join me... as a recent divorcee, she finds it challenging to do things on her own, and despite LOVING the theater like I do... she has not gone by herself... and she gets nervous going to NYC solo... so if I go, I would definitely meet up with her there... also invited her to come to Maine at some point... She is smart, has her PhD, and is a go-getter... It was fun to chat with her and perhaps we will become friends.  She joined me this morning at the keynote speaker and said some very complimentary things... It was nice to meet someone new.  She too was disappointed about the lack of single attractive, late 30s-early 40s, men in attendance at the conference! 
Today's session, after the keynote, was good... very engaging..about media... and our need and responsibility to deconstruct it for our students... I think she is right on!  I will be thinking of ways to get my staff to do that! 
I am now home... sitting on my couch, looking at my Christmas tree and am glad to be home... I enjoy conferences and being away form home, but man is it good to return!  After getting a bit bus sick as I was typing... I put my computer away and just looked around.  There was a woman, older, maybe late 60s... alone on the bus... she had white hair, wavy, that framed her gentle face... every once in a while she would reach into her bag, pull out a journal or notebook, jot something down, grin, and return the book to her bag... It made me smile... maybe she is a writer and is observing other people and recording things/ideas that tickle her funny bone... maybe she was writing a grocery list, recording items as they came to mind... maybe she had been on an adventure and  was writing things down that she wanted to remember to share with others... I watched her and thought about her as a writer... and thought about my conference and its almost constant subtext of technology...and wonder if she is a storyteller.... if she would be a blogger if given the opportunity... and thought about my grandfather... he told wonderful stories and did record some of them using paper and pen... and wonder if he would be a blogger or a tweeter... and think about the gap between his school experience and the experience of the students in my school... and think how the responsibilities have changed so much... for students and for adults...
and I think... about my life... compared to the lives of the women in older generations in my family... specifically my grandmothers... and think about my Boston adventure... would either of my grandmothers taken a bus, solo, to Boston? Would they have been treated differently if they had? And I think how much their generation did for my generation... and I worry that we are losing many of their lessons and skills...
Technology is great... but I think we need to go back a bit... to social responsibility and etiquette... put devices away... look up... SEE the people who are around us... and... ENGAGE.. in conversation...
I am tired from the conference and in many ways want to stay home tonight... but this morning I had the idea of meeting a friend for dinner/drinks... and she excitedly accepted my invitation to do so... I thought about canceling... but... instead, I will put down my device... leave my phone in my pocket... look up...talk.. surely share some laughs... and I am sure it will be a lot of fun...
Thanks Boston... for a good 'getaway'... and to the Boston Park Plaza Hotel... I am glad you were able to get a room that was clean and had a mirror in which I could see my whole self...
Enjoy the weekend!