Boston and NYC

Boston had a lot of snow when I was there.  This is a picture of my son by his car.  He was lucky--he had a nice parking spot right in front of his house.  Parking can be frustrating when it snows in Boston because they have extra rules drivers have to follow.  I guess there are designated parking lots set aside for winter weather.  If your car isn't parked in one of the lots,  parking is limited because Bostonians can only park on the side of the street the city says they can park on or it's 'boo hoo' a tow.  They have to be able to plow the streets you see.  Another interesting Bostonian fact I learned is everyone must shovel their sidewalk.  If a person doesn't shovel, they could get a ticket.  Walking is pretty important to the folks out there (a lot of people use the public transportation and walk to get there).  Their snowbanks just keep getting higher and higher.

Matthew was a wonderful host.  He gave me his nice cozy bed and took the couch.  He even made me meals.  Below is a picture of a breakfast he served!  My plate has the two eggs.  A pancake joined them shortly after this was taken.

To make my Boston experience even more exciting, I was able to connect with an early childhood friend who just happened to live close by.  Matthew and I met her and her husband at a little bar & grill in Harvard Square.  I don't know about you all, but I really bonded with my early childhood friends!  I lived in Heron Lake, MN until I was ten.

In New York I stayed at a hotel called the Mayfair located near Time Square and Broadway.  It was a tiny, but comfortable place and the price was right!  My husband met me at the train station since he was there for a night on his way to Russia.  We walked around had some good food and went to the musical Mamma Mia on Broadway.  A wonderful time!

The reason I wandered off to New York City is because of The Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators was having a conference at the Grand Central Hyatt.  I actually got to see Lois Lowry and listen to her speak about her writing!  Lois Lowry wrote The Giver and Number the Stars and a whole lot more, but those two books have been favorites of mine and my kids too.  The Giver is incredibly creative and if you've never read it, you should give it a try.  It would be a great book to use for discussion.  Another big speaker was R.L. Stine.  He's accomplished a lot, but is probably most famous for his Goosebump books.  I have to say I really enjoyed listening to him talk.  He has a sense of humor!!  Too bad I didn't get a picture of him.