Anyone need a Lyft?

April 21, 2018October 5, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 8 Comments

MEET JESUS, our first Lyft driver in Boston.

This guy alone sold me on Lyft! When he pulled up to pick us up, he got out of the car with a big smile on his face. He immediately offered to load our luggage in his car, listened intently as I told him this was my first experience with Lyft, and even opened the car doors for us. He was more than willing to answer my never ending questions about how he started driving, AND he let me dust off my spanish speaking skills.

Sidenote, but I still think it’s an interesting story…

When we were talking I said “despacio por favor, soy gringa” (which can be translated as slower please, English is my first language) That got the desired response and he laughed. He went on to ask if I knew why I would be referred to as gringa or gringo. Honestly, I had no clue, it was something my spanish professor told me to say, when I couldn’t keep up and I went with it. So I asked, “No, why?” He said, “Well it goes back to the Mexican American War, when the American troops (dressed in green) were returning to the states. The Mexican people were saying “Green….GO home”, thereby Gringo…. I did spend some time googling this, and did find this listed as ONE reason (among others). I don’t know if it’s true or not but like I said still a good story, and fun conversation. I Did I mention Uber can kiss my ass?!??!

Our plans for the day

Figuring I would be wiped out after our exploring and knowing that my dumbass had booked another “at the crack of dawn” flight for our return to Chicago the next day, the only thing we actually confirmed for Saturday was staying at the Hampton Inn by the airport. The hotel had a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, and offered a free shuttle to the airport. DEAL! So we had Jesus, drop us off at the hotel.

When the whale watch cruise was cancelled for Thursday, they offered us tickets to come back on Saturday for a 2:30 pm cruise. After seeing these pictures on their website, how could you NOT want to see them?…plus we could stop at Legal sea food again, and grab some more chowdda….

Another trip with Lyft

While this guy wasn’t as talkative as Jesus, he did have a really Sexy Car and I told him so. I also said, “I will give you a really good tip if you can put it on TWO WHEELS”. He punched it, and it was AWESOME!… He also surrendered control of the radio and the best part…. was the light show on the floor….

Of course I took his picture too. AND gave him a good tip.

To be honest after that ride I didn’t really care if we saw the whales anymore…THIS was definitely the preferred method of transportation.

We stopped in at Legal seafood, grabbed some chowdda to go, and waited on the wharf to board our “cruise”.

This is the best video I was able to get of the whales (which to be honest isn’t saying much)

Part of the reason I wasn’t able to get many pictures is because the whales were free, not captive and on display somewhere. I guess they didn’t “feel like performing”.

The other reason I wasn’t able to get many pictures is because “pink coat lady” couldn’t keep her arms down. I get that she was excited, but I was getting angry that she was EVERYWHERE, well at least her pink arms were. I am still not sure if the thought of pushing her overboard was only in my mind or if it snuck out of my mouth, but either way I needed to get away from her.

Living in Illinois (surrounded by corn), I don’t have much experience with boating or being around water in general so although I was disappointed about having higher expectations, I am still glad I went. Before I surrendered to the warmth of the cabin, I was able to capture a video of this dolphin swimming alongside the boat.

By the time we docked, I was done. Boston was definitely beautiful and I had a great time, but if we are keeping score….it kicked my ass. I really am a country girl at heart.

We had a really delicious meal at La Famiglia Giorgio’s , headed back to the hotel, and pretty much went right to sleep, never enjoying the pool or bar. I know that we took a Lyft back to the hotel, but I couldn’t even tell you if it was a man or woman driving.

This is what was still on our plates AFTER we had finished eating. Basta Pasta!

Will I ever go to Boston again? MAYBE in warmer weather, with MORE time, and on someone else’s dime. ( I was able to cover my entire trip, excluding food, with all the points I have accumulated from using travel cards)

The guide books call Boston the “walking city” and with MS my walking isn’t going to improve so for now I will just be grateful for the things I WAS able to do….oh and next time I would take a map…. I relied way to much on Google Maps, which if you look at the bottom of this picture, was very unreliable for me. Can’t find a way there?!?!?! SMH

Boston Day Two…a day of hurdles

April 17, 2018April 16, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 17 Comments

I probably don’t need to say that I CRASHED HARD our first night in Boston… YAH adventure? … Getting moving in the morning was a bit of a challenge….. BUT we had reservations for A whale watch cruise and had to be there at 9:30 am to check in..so time to suck it up.

First hurdle

What the fuck is this? Ok ok I KNOW that it is a Keurig. I HAVE heard of them, but since I drink Coffee by the VAT (the way it was intended), I have no idea how to use one…

It’s gotta be basic right?

OK I put in a CUP of water, put the little itty bitty k cup thingy in, closed the lid, turned on the power and hit BREW…… NOTHING

OH COME ON!!!!!

I turned the machine off, reopened the lid…. (Coffee and water were in the right spots.) and turned it back on….while the little blue light kept flashing at me, it was still NOT making coffee!!!!! WTF?!?!?! So I hit the switch next to the outlet…(since I didn’t have any coffee in my body, it didn’t register that it wouldn’t have any lights on it if that was the problem) The switch was for the garbage disposal….smh…. Come on, I JUST WANT SOME COFFEE!!!!! I made enough noise cussing etc that my traveling companion surfaced and figured it out before I threw it out the door….

Next Hurdle

Coffee cup in hand, I opened the door to go outside and smoke a cigarette….and instantly FROZE. (not the anxiety kind), literally FROZE…HOLY shit, I THOUGHT I was in Boston, NOT Antarctica!!! Bitter cold and THE WIND!!!! SCREW THIS….smh..

I went inside and took a nice hot shower.

After my brain thawed and I realized I was OUT of coffee, my determination surfaced. I had not come to Boston to “hide out” inside. I put on two pairs of leggings under my jeans, a tshirt, two sweatshirts, and my leather bomber, and ventured out to start my day.

One thing I can say about Boston, is that it has no shortage of Dunkin Donuts (literally one on almost every block), and Dunkin Donuts has COFFEE!!!!

We made it to Dunkin Donuts, and found our way to the docks just in time for them to tell us that the Whale Watch Cruise had been cancelled because high winds and freezing temperatures made it unsafe to be out on the water.

ARGH!!!!!!

To be honest, I really didn’t want to be out in this weather anyway, but, but but……. MORE COFFEE….

I don’t know if coffee makes me smarter, or if it just helps me do stupid things quicker, but it definitely motivates my brain…..

After talking with Kevin from the whale watch cruises, we developed a new plan.

The 24 hour Charlie Card we purchased the day before was also valid on the Ferry, and we could use that to go to the Charleston Naval yard and see the U.S.S. Constitution and it’s museum… (YAH INSIDE STUFF)….When we were finished with that we were going to turn our planned Lobster Dinner into a Lobster Lunch and go on the Hop On and Off Trolley that was included with the Boston Go Card we purchased.

I know that I talk ALOT, to EVERYONE, but I didn’t realize just how many people I meet on a daily basis until my companions started taking pictures of me and my “new friends”.

This guy literally got the BOOT in boot camp

Gift Shop guy at the museum

fellow travelers from California

While on the U.S.S. Constitution and at the museum…

We made sure to explore everything that we could “hands on”

and while I was able to get into and out of the hammock “ALL BY MYSELF” with no injuries…. I apparently do not mast well…..

Thankfully the floor was “padded”, because I did try the whole 3 strikes and your out thing, and they all ended with me on my ass. (But the picture makes it look SO EASY)

Did I mention it was really really fricking cold?!?!? oh and windy…..

Next stop…. LOBSTER…..

We took the ferry back to Long Wharf and enjoyed the following: (caution lots of food pictures to follow)

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While we were eating, my niece (who had gone to college in Boston) texted me that her flight from Atlanta to Boston had landed safely, she was grabbing coffee’s for us, and would meet us by the trolley.

Although, I would recommend taking a trolley ride on your first day in Boston to get the “lay of the land”, I am glad we waited til our second day. I was cold, exhausted, and completely stuffed. Sitting down was about all I could do. If you stay on the Trolley from beginning to end, it takes about an hour and points out several historical landmarks, but you can also jump off at any of the stops and reboard just as easily.

BIGGEST HURDLE YET… Uneven surfaces

When you can’t feel your feet ( a normal ms symptom for me) uneven surfaces always create a challenge, but when you lose all muscle control in your leg (thankfully NOT a normal symptom for me) uneven surfaces and curbs like these look like 2 foot tall barriers.

After the trolley ride, we decided (more like my body decided) that we NEEDED to be done for the night. It’s times like these that I really really FUCKING HATE having MS!! I literally could NOT move my right leg when I attempted to get off the trolley. It was like a 200 lb bag of sand. Forget balance. I would have been in deep shit, without help. My companions, each gave me an arm and it took almost an hour to walk the 1/2 mile back to our apartment.

First order of business

Since she knows my struggles with technology, more specifically the UBER app on my phone, my niece handed me a beer, and took over the “troubleshooting”. When she handed the phone back to me, Uber was gone and LYFT was installed.

“The drivers are nicer, and it’s cheaper too”, she said.

As long as I didn’t have to go anywhere else for the night, I didn’t care.

Thank you kiddo for being my “Saving Grace”!!!!!

We spent the rest of the night catching up, and talking about our plans for the next couple of days. (The best part was yet to come) The next day I would be meeting some fellow bloggers…. IN REAL LIFE!!!!!

Before going to bed for the night, I went out to my “cigarette corner” for one last smoke….and met this cute little guy…and his owner too. One cigarette turned into, well lets just say a few more…and a couple more beers.

I have to share this picture because his story amazed me. Cody is a 31 year old Russian translator in the peace core. When I asked him why he decided on the Peace Corps., he said, “Because I wanted to help!” We talked about backwards medical practices, debated about universal healthcare, and talked about the downfall of humanity in general.

While navigating Boston wasn’t easy for me, it was a beautiful city, and I met many fascinating people.

I went to sleep that night knowing that “Superman” would come “save me” in the morning. I will write about that soon…. I Promise!

Can you ride a horse on a subway?

January 16, 2018February 12, 2018 ~ msgracefulnot ~ 29 Comments

Planning My Next Adventure

I am going to Boston for 4 days in April…..You call that an adventure? YES I DO! But, The adventure I am speaking about now though is the PLANNING part. I am excited, nervous, and to be honest, a little bit scared. You see…. I know how to ride a horse, but not a subway, or even a bus for that matter….So there you have it….Country girl meets Big City? Not that I have never been to a Big City, but it is something I try to avoid since being diagnosed with MS. When I do go to Chicago now, it is only to see my “MS Specialist”, at the same place, taking the same route that I have taken numerous times a year for the last 7 years. I drive my own car, and use the valet parking at the hospital (yah discount because I have a handicap placard? …. If you call $13.25 for an hour a discount….smh) I have that routine down pat. But a new city where I don’t know my way around? The fact that I have continuously heard that Boston is the “Walking City” makes me a bit nervous.

Anyone up for a road trip?

On New Year’s Eve, Einstein and I had his best friend and his wife over to celebrate. Us girls, were making small talk in the kitchen while the guys played “Kung Fu Jenga” in the Living Room. “K” was telling me about a “you-tube” conference that her daughter wanted to go to in Boston during the month of April, but she was a bit nervous (also not liking big cities), and not knowing much about You-Tube. I told her, I thought it sounded like fun!!!! (I want to learn more about making videos for You-tube, I love meeting new people, and YAH ROAD TRIP!!!!) She asked me if I wanted to go……. UM HELL YAH!!!!!!!!!!!

As the excitement built in the kitchen, the guys came in to see what we were making such a fuss about. We told them that we were planning a road trip to Boston. Before the night was over, it was decided that we would take my car, they would pay for gas and the hotel. I just had to “get the girls there and back in one piece” .”D” (Einstein’s best friend even offered to throw in a lobster dinner) DEAL!!!!!!

Let the adventure begin.

I spent the next week trying to plan the best route and times to travel. If we drove 10 hours the first night, we could make it to Niagara Falls, New York, get a hotel, crash for the night, see the Falls in the morning, AND still make it to Boston Thursday evening in time to get rested for the big conference the next day. We could do the conference on Friday, lobster dinner that evening, and head home on Saturday morning. Easy peasy right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Who the hell was I kidding?

INTRODUCING LIFE WITH MS

Now the doubt, insecurity, and anxiety come in (another invisible symptom of MS). It’s NOT that I COULDN’T do it, it is more that I shouldn’t do it. I fucking HATE MS! If I spend that much time in a car, my body is going to be in SO much pain for at least a week afterwards. (How could I have forgotten this after last year’s 15 hour road trip to see my niece get married?!?!?) I ended up in the hospital on steroids for a flare up, and another new symptom…Sciatica.

Traveling with Multiple Sclerosis

What if the car breaks down? It’s not like I can WALK for help. What if I fall? Will my insurance cover me for an accident in Boston? and so on and so on…

Ok pity party over. Ok Grace you’re scared so what? MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Did I mention I am not Dead yet? I also am NOT going to let MS make me feel like I am. I may have to make some adjustments, but this is going to happen!!!

Back to the drawing board. Yah determination!!!! Just for the hell of it, I decided to see what it would cost to fly in comparison to driving. After adjusting our dates and times a bit, I was able to find round-trip airfare for $136.00 a person. NOT bad at all! Obviously it isn’t first class, but sitting uncomfortably for a couple hours on a flight sure as hell beats 17 hours of it. First hurdle handled!

I have no clue how I am going to navigate my way around Boston without my car, but I’m up for it. I still have a few months before we leave, so plenty of time to research and you guessed it…..BLOG about it….. Challenge Accepted!

If anyone has any tips or tricks, or must see things in Boston please let me know!!!