Good Times Never Seemed So Good Part 2

This is a continuation of this blog entry: Good Times Never Seemed So Good Part 1  
May 6, 2012

It was an awesome sleep. Waking up at Massachusetts was better. I finally got a heavy meal for my complimentary buffet breakfast. I left early for my scheduled Harvard tour. It was my third time to walk in Berkeley Street but it was always a different experience. It must be the old (but clean) buildings in the I arrived 45 minutes early at Harvard Square and I got to take some pictures of Harvard University from the outside.

At Harvard Square

Harvard has very interesting structures. Their buildings were freaking old but were well-maintained. The only caveat was, a lot of those appeared the same. Strange, but I like how the Ateneo campus looked as compared to Harvard because it was mostly square structures and grass in the middle. There were some interesting structures though. With the history in the place, it had the aura (although it would have been cooler if they made it more exclusive to people). I was also fortunate to have a funny tour guide. He knows when to deliver the punchlines correctly and he convinced us to do the primal scream at the end of the tour.

Dustin Pedroia in the plate

After convincing some of the strangers to take my pictures in Harvard, I went to Fenway Park. This time, I have standing room only tickets. I got to have my best Fenway picture taken first though before I went to the First Base Standing Room Only area. It was not that bad at all. In fact, you could see everything properly. There is no sun to burn your skin as well because it is a covered area. The only problem (and this was a huge one) was the wind chill. I was wearing my thick jacket but I still have to stand in front of the post so that I could rest my back from getting the constant chills. I was shivering at noon time. I was wearing my hoodie and moving my feet all the time just to produce some heat.

The Red Sox fared better in the Sunday game. They were down deep early but they were able to tie it via a grand slam homerun. Fenway Park rocked after Middlebrooks hit the homer over the Green Monster. Boston was also able to tie the game in the eighth inning. But, that was the last of it. We went into a stressful extra innings. This overtime game would have been awesome if I did not purchase a pricey Boston Celtics playoffs ticket. I decided to wait for the Red Sox game to finish. Unfortunately, it just would not end. The sold out stadium became half empty when the scoreboard’s numbers were replaced to give way to the 11+ innings’ scores (with 1 = 11, 2 = 12, 3 = 13 and so on). I am superstitious in cheating my way to sitting on better seats than my ticket suggests, but because of the wind chills and my frustration (that I won’t be able to watch part of the Celtics game), I sat at some of the best seats of Fenway. In a baseball game, sitting very near does not make a huge difference because the action happens on a large stadium. Either way, that seat was worth something like 200 to 300 bucks.

The game was so long, the shadow crept up the whole field

The game was so long that they had to sing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” twice. I bet they sang “Sweet Caroline” twice as well, but I gave up when the clock struck seven (the time the NBA game started). I left the stadium with a heavy heart because I had to break one of my sports fan’s principles (Thou shall not leave in the middle of an ongoing game especially if your team is playing).

I was chasing time that I bought a pair of Dunkin’ Donuts for my dinner and I had to run/jog my way to 40 Berkeley Street. The biggest buzzkill was when I rode the wrong train (which went the other way around). I left at the next station, which was aptly named “Fenway.” It was like Fenway Park was luring me back to the baseball game. The next train took probably ten minutes to arrive but it seemed like centuries of waiting for me.

TD Garden’s corridors were empty when I arrived. All the fans were inside cheering for their Celtics. I got lost on where I should be sitting. The corridors were so empty, I ended up in the suite area. But the honest (and stupid) side of me took the better of me as I asked for directions to go to the balcony seats. By the time I arrived the Balcony Seats, I was sweating with adrenaline (how in the hell did I end up sweating in freaking cold Boston?!). I even took the wrong turn and went up to the wrong seats. It is frustrating to experience that especially while you are hearing the crowd cheering passionately. By the time I got to sit, it was halftime. It was halftime! If a video cam followed me that day, they could make it an unintentional comedy skit.

You know what’s funnier? By the time I sat, I needed to stand up because the people in my right needed to go down. OK, fine. It was just a matter of minutes. Halftime was picture taking time (my whole Boston trip was always picture taking time anyway). I made my best decision in that unintentional comedy night by having my picture taken. You know why it was the best? My camera flashed “Your camera battery is exhausted” by the time game resumed. Bloody hell.

But amidst the misfortune I got then, one thing popped up in my mind: “Just enjoy the show.” Yup, that same song from “Moneyball” that reminded the problematic Brad Pitt to take it easy. Enjoy the show I did. It was a blowout game by the time I began watching, but the Celtic crowd were cheering heavily, you might end up thinking that the players made a crucial shot in a tightly contested match. Hearing the Boston crowd roar felt like they released all the stress from the horrible Red Sox season.

The crowd was so awesome that I felt like it did not matter if I just watched half of the game (and even the wrong half). The fans were partying all the time. They were dancing during timeouts in hopes of getting caught by the camera. One observation though was, the cameraman seemed to show the ladies in such a brief time. Then, I noticed that their fans’ dance was about shaking their chest. Mr. Cameraman was just being wholesome. Another hilarious shot during timeouts was whenever the camera zoomed on John Cena. Boston fans lustily boo Mister Cena. Poor John, even his hometown hates him intensely.

The Celtics fans continue cheering loudly up to the final minutes. That was easily the loudest stadium I have been in the United States. It somehow rivals the Ateneo-La Salle games but this Celtic crowd’s feat is slightly better because it’s harder to cheer without pep squad-driven cheers and chants.

I am not a Celtic fan but if I get a chance to watch again, I will surely watch at TD Garden. You have to love the crowd (even if I have the weird feeling that I am watching a stadium filled with Lasallians exploding in cheers). I got pumped up to the point that I cheered and clapped with them. They pretty much convinced me to root for them to beat Team LeBron in the Conference Finals.

The party did not end there. I made the wrong turn as I head outside TD Garden and I saw a crowd celebrating. There were two fans wearing large green hats. They are about to party. Armed with my backup camera (my iPhone), I took videos of the partying Boston fans.

Oh Boston. Good times never seemed so good.

May 7, 2012

Time flies fast when you are having fun. I lazily wake up for my final morning in Boston. I knew I was going to miss the place a lot. From the easy way to commute to the red bricked buildings. From the diehard sports fans to the numerous statues. From the beautiful parks to the safe streets. I left the hostel early in order for me to go to either Paul Revere’s House or MIT. I decided to go to Paul Revere’s House so I could buy souvenirs along the way.

I was ready to take the train to Boylston Station (from Arlington Station) when I suddenly remembered it took me twenty minutes to arrive to Boylston Station whereas it is just two big blocks away from Arlington. The Boston Public Garden was also enticing so I chose to walk instead of riding the squeaky, slow train. After all, I still had time.

This is nirvana!

Going to the Public Garden was the best gamble I took. The park was beautiful. There were statues all over the place and there was a pond as well. I have been looking for Hollywood-type of parks for quite a while and the Boston Public Garden look exactly like that. It is the type of park you would love jogging in and meeting random strangers while you rest. After the Public Garden, I got to stroll at the Boston Commons, which was equally gorgeous as well. If I decided to take the train, I might not have taken the most scenic spots of Boston.

Didn't expect Revere's House to be this small

At Boylston Station, I rode to Government Center Station. That was the last time (for the moment) I got to ride that old fashioned green train. I got to buy souvenirs and was able to visit Paul Revere’s house. It was not as large as I expected it to be. However, it was still realistic. I was supposed to tour it but because I already spent a lot of my money (yup, any time you can purchase a green “LeBron is a bitch” shirt over visiting a much cheaper Paul Revere Tour, you have got to do it), I skipped the tour.

Skipping the tour turned to be a blessing in disguise. I lost track of time after I ate a pair of Dunkin’ Donuts (yes, you guessed it – one was Boston Kreme). I was still at the Boston City Hall when I just had less than an hour until my boarding time. My heart was pounding heavily because I did not want to miss my flight. I hopped into the blue line train and hoped for the best. It was like how Tintin or the guy in ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ tried to beat a specific time just to reach their destination. Thank God for Boston’s efficient transportation system, I reached the boarding gate with twenty minutes before my boarding time!

My Boston vacation has got to be the most adventurous three days in my life. Ever since I first stepped out of the Philippines, I have appreciated travel. Because of this Boston experience, I have loved it even more. Nothing beats experiencing the unique culture and character of a place. Yes, the Red Sox lost both games and I did not get to take pictures of the game using my new digital camera (it’s very purpose), but it was alright. The fact that I got to be there at Fenway’s 100th anniversary, I got to witness TD Garden rock and get amazed by Boston’s bricked buildings made me so thankful. As Lenka’s song goes, “just enjoy the show.”

Good times never seemed so good.