Quite a pleasant day today. Like every Monday so far, it has been a day off for the band; next concert is tomorrow (Tuesday) in Boston, so we had two full days to make it from Alexandria, VA to Boston, MA.
Started the day with a visit in downtown Washington DC. We recalled spotting a Potbelly’s Sandwiches store right next to the venue the previous night, and decided to have breakfast there. We arrived there about an hour before opening time so we used the time to stroll around and take pictures of famous locations.
Recalling the horrendous drive south the day before, we realized that driving north to Boston, taking the seemingly shortest route (that happens to be exactly the same route we took the day before, only to the other direction), will leave us in a mental state that requires hospitalization; so we decided to take things easy, and drive an alternate route. Instead of driving through the smog, we decided to drive north towards Lancaster, PA and basically arrive to Boston through the I‐84.
I would probably never desire to drive through Lancaster, if it wasn’t for a special occasion; without going too much into detail, I have some family there—an aunt and her two kids, whom I haven’t seen in 23 years and only recently re‐connected. As my cousins were away from home, I ended up meeting with my aunt. I felt a bit sorry for only giving a 3 hours notice for this visit—I visited her at work—but I couldn’t carry the thought of driving through Lancaster and not seeing someone I have long wished to see.
That meeting made me a happier man than I already was; a lengthier visit is in order, and will take place before long. Coffee break at Starbucks in a nearby plaza and we were on our way.
Lord, was that a wise decision to take this alternate route! Oh, what a pretty drive it is, through the country‐side of Pennsylvania, all the way up to the New‐York state‐line, then to Connecticut. High hills, trees everywhere; clear‐blue skies and perfect weather for a convertible ride. Smog no more; the scent of greenery, trees and lakes helped me regain some peace of mind after yesterday’s craziness.
What a beautiful ride.
Stopped at around 6:00pm in a tiny little town called Milford, in Pennsylvania. Nestled between green hills and perfect scenery, we ended up in a place called Milford Diner. Regrettably, it was the single most disgusting dinner I had since I left for the tour, and of the least enjoyable restaurant experiences ever.
Their menu resembled a book much better than a menu. About seven (!) pages written in small font, offering whatever type of food you can think of. A rule of thumb is that the bigger the selection in a menu—the lower quality food you end up getting. A restaurant cannot offer a huge selection and still offer good quality to all of its products. It just doesn’t work that way. Most of the food ends up in the fridge waiting to be used, sometimes for days, if not weeks (in the case of meats). Good restaurants have simple, short menus.
Garbage. I feel bad even writing about that meal.
Left Milford (to never return; at least not to eat) with a little bit of headache caused by the immense amount of fat in the sauce they dumped the chicken in (they claimed it was a Masala sauce. I know Masala sauce; that wasn’t it). Was my turn to drive, and man, did I enjoy that ride. It was around 7:00pm, when the sun just begins to set. Still very sunny, bit with an orange‐ish hue over clear blue skies. Perfect temperature; I wish for more drives like that.
Stopped for the night in Quality Inn in Sturbridge, MA, about 100km away from Boston. Third of the price of a Boston hotel, without really adding anything to the amount of driving we have to make. Very quiet environment in that tiny town; tomorrow, proceeding to Boston.
Isaac
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