Visit to Beantown

I'm about a week behind in posting this item - we were in Boston a week ago, but I'm hopeful that late is better than never.

Sam and I flew into Boston on a cold and rainy Friday without any difficulty - quick, easy flight. After checking into the hotel, we walked to the nearby "T" station and made our way to Boston University (BU). We were greeting, upon exiting the T, by a car that drove through a huge puddle and splashed us with a huge wave of water. We didn't let it get to us, and just forged ahead in the driving rain. Despite the weather, we had a great visit to BU and Sam and I both really liked it. It's a cool place even in the worst of circumstances, so it's got to be even better when the weather cooperates. We did something called "The Experience Room," which is a "surround" type of video presentation about the school - very well done - showing famous people who have taught at or attended BU (i.e., Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King, Jr.) Next came the information session, and then a tour. Fortunately, the rain let up a bit for the tour so I was able to take a few photos. About 4pm, we headed back to our hotel via the T, stopping in the middle of the city to get a bite to eat at an Irish pub-type restaurant. We were so happy to be warm and dry.

The next morning we rented a car and set off for UMass Amherst, about a two-hour drive from the city. We got a little lost, but made it in plenty of time for the Info Session. We walked on campus to get some food and were immediately assaulted by the FREEZING wind - Amherst felt much colder, despite the sun. We had lunch in a sad little "basement" with virtually no students around. All day long we wondered where the students were - probably inside hiding from the elements. Later we sat through the info session, run by a guy who started every sentence with, "Ummm..." After only about an hour and a half on campus, we knew there was no way Sam (or I) were going to like this school. So we ditched the tour and went straight to her uncle's for an early dinner. Had a great visit with him and then drove back to the city. No problems.

The trip seemed very productive in that one school moved up on Sam's list while another moved entirely OFF the list. Every little bit helps!