Flying Solo + 12 Hours In Boston

The day after we went to the zoo, I had a trip scheduled to go and visit my sister Rachel in Vegas. My lovely friend Joanie works for JetBlue and had given me a buddy pass. Wasn't that sweet of her? The only catch with those lovely little passes is that you get the privelege of flying standby, so if there's no room, you have to wait for the next available flight. Since it was just me (Andy was home with the kids for a week playing Mr. Mom... sweetheart!) I didn't mind the risk.

I was exhausted from our zoo trip, but I had a lot to do to get ready to leave the next morning (at 4 AM... my flight out of DC left at 6. Uuuuugh) so I hopped to it when we got home. After I got the kids to bed, I decided to help Andy out and write up a schedule, and finish up some laundry, and make sure everything was ready to go. I lost track of the time and all of the sudden it was 3 AM and I hadn't packed yet. I rushed and rushed, and got ready to go really quick. I woke up Andy at 4 and we took off for the airport (oh don't freak out.... yes, we had a babysitter sleep over the night before :)

At this point I hadn't slept in about 22 hours or so and took a little nap in the car. Then we were there and it was time to say goodbye to my Other Half for the week (I'm cheesy like that). I made it onto my first flight easily, which would be stopping for a quick layover in Boston. Can I just tell you.... it was so weird flying alone. I had never had the pleasure. It was lovely not having to be helping a little person every other second!

While I went to wait for my second flight, I snoozed in the uncomfortable airport chairs. The terminal was filling up.... and up.... and up. And I started to worry that I wouldn't make it on the flight. Long story short, I didn't. They told me the next flight left that evening, 12 hours later. Oh my.

I thought about it for awhile and after letting my sister know that she would need to pick me up 12 hours later than planned, I decided to be a little daring and go on an adventure. You see, I had never been to Boston and had heard that it is only one of the most fabulous cities ever, so I decided it would be foolish not to check it out while I had the chance. I quickly e-mailed a blogging friend (what would we do without these fabulous modern-day conveniences like iPhones?!), Elizabeth, who used to live in Boston and asked her where I should go and what I should do. She quickly responded with step by step instructions on which transportation services to use, and where to go, and what to see. It was just so sweet of her. So I did it. Just me, and my purse, and my little carry-on bag.


My first stop was the Harvard campus which was simply lovely. Beautiful old buildings, busy students walking from here to there, and perfectly manicured landscaping to sit and relax upon. So I did. And I people watched.
After awhile I got hungry (my Einstein bagel and shmear from 6 hours ago was a distant memory) and found this food truck on campus. Gourmet grilled cheese sandwich? Hit the spot perfectly.

I sat and dined and watched more people and sipped.

After I finished, I shopped around in some bookstores and boutiques. It was fun to browse, but my lack of sleep already had me waning. I wandered around some more and found some lovely sights to see, like this old cemetary.After I'd had enough of the Harvard campus, I checked my instructions again and headed back to the subway to go over to Beacon Hill.
It was nice to rest for a bit. I headed out once I got there and walked my little heart out, all the while pulling along my red carry-on as it bump-bumped over the cobble-stone sidewalk. Even though I had been going on less than 2 hours of sleep in over 30 hours at this point, I couldn't help but be enthralled at the charm that surrounded me.

I made it to the Public Gardens and they pretty much took my breath away. I don't think I could have chosen a better (or prettier) time of year to get stuck in Boston.

Around 4 PM, I headed back to the subway to go back to the airport. I had a few more hours to kill, but I was just so exhausted, and I couldn't walk anymore.

Once I got back, I slept in an uncomfortable airport chair until my flight left (which I got on! Thank goodness).

Boston was fabulous, but I think it would have been even better had I gotten a proper night's sleep the day before, and also if I'd had some company. Which is why I'll just have to go back again someday! Either way though, I loved it and I'm glad I had the chance to see it.

However, even though I don't gamble, I don't think I've ever been so excited to step off a plane and see this:

Vegas baby. I was thrilled to be back, it had been too long.

More of my trip to come!