Text 10001, 118 rader
Skriven 2008-07-02 17:29:00 av Michael Loo
Ärende: trip 1 of 5 551
=======================
2V3449 BOS SPG 1200 1430 (bus)
was 2V 449 BOS SPG 1200 1415 (train)

I checked my Amtrak reservation and discovered that I'd been
double-booked on a train and a bus at the same time, owing
to their not knowing which was going to go. Amtrak was still
in the throes of the reconstruction of a bridge on the shore
route and some other kind of maintenance on the inland
route. Decided to show up a hair early to see what was what.
Mr. QuikTrak was unable to issue my ticket, so I had to get
into line (long) for a real agent. There was some confusion
- likely everyone in line had a sad story to tell - and it
took a while to settle things; meanwhile the line grew and
grew, and I was happy to have gotten there early. If I'd
showed up 15 later, I probably would have spent 45 more
in line. As it was, I had a chance to pick up a slice from
Pizzeria Regina, a name that holds fond memories for me from
when I used to live in the North End. The original place on
Thacher St. was once reputed to have the oldest or the best
or something pizza ... you could get it with extra cheese or
extra toppings (normal), or you could get it with extra oil
(abnormal). If you asked for it with extra oil and extra
cheese (quite abnormal), your pizza would come out in a big
bowl. Anyhow, sometime a few decades ago the company made a
huge expansion, now much scaled back; though the original is
said to continue to offer the historic pristine product, the
franchises, or whatever they are, serve standard mass-market
stuff. This, though a fifteen-minute walk from the original,
serves thoroughly mediocre pizza at pretty inflated prices.
One pepperoni slice plus a small soft drink cost me half
of the price of eight slices of equal size and much higher
quality plus a beer at Pepe's last week in New Haven.

Regina's, by the way, is reputed to have been a pioneer, if
not the pioneer, in American pizza: though one year younger
than The Spot (whose ovens, to complicate things, are said
to be from the 1880s but were not used to make pizza until
1925, when Frank Pepe started making garlic-tomato-parmesan
pies there; you've probably not heard of The Spot, as to
complicate things further, Pepe eventually moved next door
to start Pepe's; why is shrouded in the hists of mystery),
it may have been the first place to serve the canonic round
mozzarella-tomato pie with pepperoni on it.

I sat there with my salty and somewhat tasteless slice,
talking to a disserviced passenger on the shore route, when
I heard an announcement for my train. There was, in fact, to
be an equipment substitution, loading on Summer Street, so I
went out there to find a couple buses (an express to Albany
and a local), a couple bewildered bus drivers, and a couple
bewildered conductors.

The bus was most uncomfortable. It had about the seat pitch
of RyanAir and smelled faintly of outhouse. I believe that
this chartered bus is inferior to Trailways or Greyhound.

Amtrak tried to soften the blow by offering water and a
snack pack, the former being Premium Waters (source:
municipal supply, Greeneville TN, purified by reverse
osmosis); I didn't have the courage to try the snack pack.

There's a station stop in Worcester, where the bus driver got
lost in a mess of one-ways, do-not-enters, and no-left-turns;
as a result, we ended up 15 min late in Springfield, where 
Dave and Lynn were there to pick me up. Despite their coming
in a big old SUV, I didn't see them, and a passerby had to
point them out to me.

We picked up Maryanne and went on a field trip to the
Northampton Brewery, where between two samplers we had
(with one duplication) seven brews, none of which was
memorable, and all of which were served at cool room
temp, which warmth did most of them no favors.

Sandshovel ESB - decent: a little sweet, prominent hops;
I'd order it again perhaps, though it was a bit warm.

Hoover's porter - cola-like color, nice roasted coffee
notes, a fairly satisfying brew. The warmness became it,
too, and I got a pint of it.

Nonotuck IPA - good hops, citrusy, but there the good news
ended: the aroma and finish reminded me of toilet bowl
cleaner. Fairly nasty. Lynn chuckled as I chugged it down
holding my nose. No sense wasting good beer, or even bad.

Northampton pale ale - this was considered skunked by the
assembled, though I suspect that these flavor notes might
have been intentional. Underneath, cereally and harmless;
Dave said it was like the Ballantine of old.

Raspberry gold - lightly hopped, flavor of blue raspberry
soda pop; I wasn't thrilled.

Paradise City gold - okay, quite generic. The two golds
would have been better off served at 35F in frosted mugs.

Magic carpet rye - "German-style," light, with a distinct
rye taste; refreshing - would have been more so if cold.

The food was better than the beer and was temperature-
appropriate. Lynn and Maryanne both had the turkey ranch
BLT wrap, which was said to be good, with plenty of turkey
but not enough bacon. The ranch was undefinably peculiar.
Clean Dave's chowder was premade but apparently from a
respectable brand, as there was some nice clam flavor.
An order of onion rings was thick-cut (I prefer strings,
myself, but I am a string sort of guy) and a tad greasy
but quite palatable. I asked for a burger "as rare as the
city allows," which gave everyone a bit of a chortle. It
came quite red inside and in fact almost red enough, with
a blob of caramelized onion (50c extra) and some really
good sweet potato fries.

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- EzyQwk V2.15g1 00F90271
 * Origin: Nocturnal State BBS -- nsbbs.info (1:18/200)