One of the more interesting days in Boston happened on the day that the four of us (Jane, Ralph, Dennis and I) decided to take a cruise down the river Charles. It's a great, informative, hour long trip that hits many of the highlights of what makes Boston so special.
We had decided, fairly early on in the day, to go to the to the top of the Pru (Prudential Building in Copley Square) to take in the view from the top. We were educated along the way about the stories of Boston from the beginnings until today. Most interesting fact learned? Much of Boston is built on Land Fill. That left me feeling a bit queasy about standing on the 50th floor of a building.
After the Pru, we began to make our way to the dock for our boat. We couldn't find a taxi that would take the four of us, plus a wheel chair, so Jane and Ralph took off in the first taxi that came along. Dennis and I were told to head to the Fairmont hotel, where taxis cued up on a regular basis. This was a short couple of blocks away, and even though we were a bit late, we charged over there with lots of hope of tagging a taxi. The first taxi in line was driven by one of the worst of the Boston lot of drivers.
As I asked him if he wanted a fare, the driver looked at Dennis with disdain. I should have turned to another driver, but I have been taught the rules of queuing taxis and knew that we were to take the first in line. He finally allowed me to work Dennis into the back seat, unpack the gear that we carry on the back of the chair, load the chair and the gear into the trunk, when he decided he would not take us. The chair wasn't a perfect fit.
I can swear like a sailor given the opportunity, and I am very defensive when it comes to Dennis. I told him he would take us, but I lost the battle. All of a sudden he did not know any English. So I asked him to help me and take the chair out of the trunk. He refused. I swore more at him, asked for his name and licence number, and swore a bit more. Then I moved to get Dennis out of the back seat and he started to fall. I yelled again for help, and finally the other driver came over and helped me get Dennis back into his chair.
In the meantime, Jane had been calling me on her cell telling me her driver was hopelessly lost. I had shown the driver the exact location on my Blackberry before they pulled out. When he got lost, Jane had used her IPhone to show him again. But he was still lost. It looked as though none of us would make it to the boat on time.
With the help of the Fairmont staff, we were able to snag a cab and finally met up with Jane and Ralph a few minutes after the boat pulled out. They were gracious and let us change our reservations to the next ride, which gave us an hour to settle down, chill out and enjoy the River Charles. This is a picture of my sister (on the left) and me overlooking the River Charles. Please note that I am smiling and no longer cussing like a madwoman being undone by a taxi driver.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
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