MIUTIM'S SALOON: November 2018

10/15 下午六點幾坐487 號巴士去Union Station 搭 FlyAway 去LAX. JetBlue flight was bumpy and a hissing sound the whole time mislead me to think that we were flying in the rain.

10/16 Arrived Boston Logan Airport. I was glad my duffel arrived in baggage claim. JetBlue had no frills, only offered soft drinks and small snacks, but the on board free Wi-Fi was special--I got to see my mother safely sleeping in her home. I slept about 2 hours which was good enough to get by. The 9:35 a.m. Concord Bus to Portland Maine was outside Terminal C Door 110. The air was icy cold at 48°F. 無驚無險巴士直到 Portland 嘅 Transportation Center, 行幾步就搵到酒店。三點鐘嘅 check-in 十二點鐘就畀房我。裏面唔豪華，但係好似努力整過容。沖個熱涼，瞓到三點幾。四點鐘坐酒店嘅 shuttle 去海邊。 Shuttle drop-off was at the Portland Lobster Company on Commercial Street。見兩隻 cruise ship 停泊，我靠海邊行到 Visitor Center. 附近都係海鮮酒吧餐廳，所有啲 menu, lobster roll 係 market price. 二三十蚊一個 lobster roll 唔知點解係遊客都爭著要食。行下行下又凍，開始肚餓想搵 clam chowder。後來原着巴士路線行到一間叫做 King Of The Roll 既日式餐館。Sushi 師傅好客隨和，一睇就知係廣東人。要咗幾件壽司，一個 bento 和小 sake，埋單都40幾蚊。食物普通但係餐廳都算舒服。出到街天漆黑， 1.3 miles 我索性行返酒店。

10/17 Awoke at 10 this morning. Got out at 11:15 to catch Bus #1 all the way to the end of the route at the other end of Portland. Congress Street cut across middle of Portland from west to east. It's the main street that hit most significant sights, including the Observatory Museum, City Hall, Art School, Art Museum, etc. I passed by the old cemetery. Most tombstones had been defaced by weather; the oldest one I saw was dated 1718. I enjoyed the flavor of history everywhere. This lovely seaport town's historic colonial homes and buildings looked as good as ever and were actively occupied. There was always a couple of big cruise ships parked at the port, so the economy of this town seemed good. I had the lobster roll in the late afternoon, as that was the thing to eat here. The chubby Italian docent at the Art Museum told me to go to Gilbert's Chowder House. There I sat at the counter when the place was not busy, but I was invisible to the two or three waitresses until I flagged one down. The lobster roll, slightly bigger than a Twinkie, was good for 3 bites.

10/18 Made it to the Maine State Port before 11 in the morning to take the hour and a half Diamond Pass Run cruise. This boat weaved through the mainland to a couple of islands. The experience was not particularly unique, but I thought it was fitting to be on the water in a port town. The deck was windy. In the cabin I met two lovely ladies, mother and daughter from Ohio. The morning weather was below 40°F, so after the boat ride I had to take it easy. Again I walked along Commercial Street along the port and spotted a seafood pub. The jukebox was playing and several men were at the bar in high spirits watching sports on TV . The waitress was friendly to everyone, including me sitting at a high table. It was a pleasant meal of lobster stew, garden salad, and a glass of Pinot Grigio. On this third and last day in Portland, I opted to visit the Victorian Mansion. The house exterior was perhaps purposely unassuming, enshrouded in dark brown bricks. The interior, however, was an explosion of glamour--a beautiful mix of Italian, French, Middle Eastern, and of course American, decors. I wondered how folks enjoyed living there. The docents were friendly and talkative, so I struck a few good chats. The weather was consistently cold; I wore my puffy jacket and pulled up a scarf over my nose as I strolled the town. I got familiar with the bus route by then. Bus 95A toward the hotel got me to stop by McDonald's, because I was told even Micky D had lobster rolls. The finding was that lobster roll only happened last year in the summer. I went to a nearby market and bought three bananas.

10/19 朝早九點鐘起身執嘢。昨日食淨既 meatball lasagna microwave 焗熱當早餐食了，味道還不錯。十二點鐘 check out 慢慢行去 Transportation Center 搭預定既 $1 Megabus/Concord 巴士。兩個鐘頭後去到 Boston South Station。一出嚟直望就望到天下為公唐人街嘅牌坊。行過去見到好多老人一群群嚮度玩鋤大弟，同埋捉棋。好熱鬧。咁嘅唐人街真係親切。直行見到好幾間餐廳可以出嚟食晚餐。又見到有艇仔粥。去到 hostel 要等到四點鐘先可以有房間。選擇呢間因為地點太好，附近最便宜既酒店都超貴。房間係兩張碌架床，我嘅係下架近窗比較正。放低啲嘢又落唐人街搵嘢食。因為週末，想試嗰啲餐廳就爆曬棚，終於去咗檳城餐廳。女企台介紹咖哩雞，又點咗抓餅同埋試咗椰子冰，非常好食好飲。返到 hostel 快快沖涼洗頭，呢個時候多數人出哂街食飯。剛才去車站買 Salem 嘅車票，明日可以早啲出發去睇 Peabody Essex Museum 。

10/20 Peabody Essex Museum

10/21 Boston Museum of Art

10/22 Isabella Gardner Museum

10/23 Harvard Art Museum

10/24 Freedom Trail