Cambridge, MA

It started like any other day...

Evan requested that I start this post with that sentence, which is actually quite abnormal. He rarely (never) makes requests or suggestions regarding what I write. We walked to a local grocery store for breakfast which initially I thought was a nursery. The outside was full of plants for sale, pots, and assorted gardening accoutrements. We each selected empenadas from the cold case, word was that these were made by a local legend empenada lady, I'm always in the mood for a meal like that. While breakfast heated up, we played a board game. I would have won were it not for Evan noticing that our food was warm suspiciously close to the time I pulled ahead. This was in no small part due to the fact that he allowed me to accidentally knock over blocks without losing points. Beginner's privilege.

After breakfast, which was phenomenal, I got into some planning. I am getting up to the next service interval on this bike which means that I have to estimate when I will get to that mileage and where I will be when I hit that. Right now it looks like I'll be around Erie for it. Unfortunately, there is no Moto Guzzi dealer there to perform the service. The next dealer is in Detroit which would have been fire were it not for the fact that I will be pulling in to the area for the fourth of July weekend. Dealers will be closed for it which is forcing me to scramble to secure garage space to service the bike on my own.

She would want me to point out how great the hummus is. I will.

After sorting out that mess Evan and I secured a lobster roll for lunch and I went to see my friend Emma. Emma is a friend from Elementary school who I reconnected with during my time in Santa Barbara. After a short motorcycle ride over, and a much longer water and salt break at her house, we walked from her place in Brookline to the North End, a mere four and a half miles in an easy ninety degree heat. It was a great way to see the city and catch up. By the end of it all, we were delirious and in need of cannoli. I had been instructed by Dave on yesterday's ferry to try Mike's, a local Italian bakery. We also grabbed a roll of sweet cheese from Bova's, another old Italian mainstay. I was asked to compare the two but was unable, they were simply too delicious and I was too dead.

Off to the most confusing train station I've ever been in and it was time to head home. The rear car was full of Red Sox fans on their way to Fenway Park, I steered clear of there as did most of the commuters. Safety is a priority. On my walk back to Emma's to pick up my bike I had a brief phone call with my father, a BU alum. These were his old stomping grounds back in the day. There was something special about wandering the mean streets of Coolidge Corner just as he once did. I popped back to Evan's to grab a water (it was REALLY hot today), a bite to eat, and a dehydrating beverage. It's a long day tomorrow. I feel like I'm getting back into the rhythm of road tripping again. I am excited.

Shameless plug...

Here is the song Jackson and I made in Philly.