Hahvahd and The Green Monstah

We made a second trip back to Boston on Saturday to see a few things we didn't have time for on our first go round.

We started the day at Harvard Square where we took the Unofficial Hahvahd Tour. The story of how the unofficial tours got started is interesting. The company is student founded and student run. The students had to jump through some hoops to be able to give their own tours, which is what led to the name, "Hahvahd." The students had to give their tour a name that didn't infringe upon the copy write the University has on its name.

The tour uses a two person team to lead you around campus. In the top picture here, Jon and I are near the new yard with Memorial Hall behind us. There is also a picture of Memorial Hall without us. The Science Center is the crazy looking building made to look like a Polaroid camera.

There is also a shot of Memorial Church where the names of every person associated with Harvard who died while serving his country is memorialized.

After the tour, one of our guides, Megan, recommended B. Good as a good place to grab lunch. The restaurant is a burger and fries joint that uses good, healthy ingredients. Jon's burger, El Guapo, had bacon, ranch, and only 486 calories. It was good, and not bad for us.

We then took the T to Fenway to take the afternoon tour. The 2 o'clock was leaving and the 3 o'clock was sold out, so we ended up on the 3:30 tour and the last tour of the day before the game. The last tour before a game is an abbreviated tour. Oh, no! You may be thinking, but it was actually, oh yes!, because we got to watch batting and fielding practice while we toured. The park is so small, third smallest in the majors. The tour takes you to sit in every section in the park and gives all types of insider info like what the hidden messages are in the green monster scoreboard. Did you know there is no air, heat, or plumbing in the scoreboard den behind the monster? Did you know the monster used to have advertisements all over it? The players complained about not being able to field the ball, so Mrs. Yawkey, (the owners wife), suggested they paint the wall to match the grass. The green color is now owned by the team as Fenway green.

We struggled, and I mean pained, over the decision to go to the game or not. Tickets are hard to get and those you can get are expensive. ($80 each for standing room, $125 each and up to sit far away). Jon read about all the ticket getting strategies and how to haggle with the scalpers, but in the end we decided to save our money for our NYC trip in August.

We went to Faneuil Hall in downtown to browse and enjoy the people. We ate dinner at a Panera Bread like place called, Au bon pain. We ate on the sidewalk in a very commercial area in downtown just off the Freedom Trail. We then walked back to Boston Common, the best place to park in town at $10 for all day on the weekends, and turned toward home.