An Eventful Trip to Boston
14 May 05
So the trip is over. It wasn't very long, but it seemed like Friday lingered on for days. I'd have to say that on every excursion I have ever been on, I learn some lessons. Here's some I've learned this time around:
Never, ever, forget your credit cards when going on a trip
It's amazing how much you can't do now without one. When the shuttle took me from the airport to pick up my car, the whole morning was going very smoothly. The flight landed early, I had a pleasant conversation with the person sitting next to me on the plane, and the shuttle to the car rental agency was very quick.
As soon as the young woman behind the counter asked for my credit card to secure the car I was renting, the nightmare began. Shuffling through my pockets and luggage, I realized the awful truth: I left my credit card in my car... in Ohio.
Well, sure enough, you can't rent a car without a credit card. I called home, but realized that wouldn't do anything, so my parents gave me the number to my bank in my hometown. The best the bank could tell me is that I can get cash from a Citizen's Bank branch, but that it didn't help my current situation anyway.
Finally, one of the managers had the idea of asking if Hiram College would pay for it. In a pinch, I called the College, and luckily they had an account with the company and was willing to secure the rental with their card.
The fun only continued. I couldn't get cash from an ATM. I had to write a check to myself to get cash out of my checking account. I couldn't pump gas for my rental car without prepaying with cash and getting any remaining change after my tank was full. I couldn't pay for my hotel room when I checked out, nor could I get anything extra with my room (Internet access was $10 for a full day), because I had to pay for the room all in advance before I even saw it. It was like punishment for using real money instead of the plastic.
Bottom line: just don't forget your credit card. The U.S. has stopped using cash.
Never attempt to drive down the streets of Boston
Yeah. While the city is beautiful, it is terribly confusing and with so much construction going on and a lack of available parking, you'd be better off walking. OK, OK, you should be able to take the "T", but I wish I would have known that earlier.
I spent nearly an hour and a half trying to find the MIT campus from the car rental place as well as circling my meeting place several times before I found a metered parking spot. Oh, and remember how I forgot my credit card? Yeah, well, I forgot my cash too, meaning I had no change. Luckily, my spot had some time left, but I had to walk into our meeting an hour late, then ask for change for the meter. Because it only went up to 2 hours, I had to run out and refill it a couple of times.
Then, I ended up going the wrong direction to my hotel in Lexington. Somehow, I managed to figure out the Mass. Turnpike connects with Highway 95 and I eventually made it.
Google Maps is labeled Beta for a reason
I thought I was being a good boy by printing out directions from one point to another using Google Maps (a lesson I learned from previous trips). Google Maps had the hardest directions to follow. I have always used Mapquest and have never had a difficult time understanding them, but I fell in love with Google's interface, and heck, they are the best search engine in the world, so why not try them?
What I hated the most about Google's directions were the scattered "bear left"s or "bear right"s on the same street as the previous direction with a distance of 0.0 miles. Ummm, yeah... that doesn't help me. Or when a turn or direction states to go northwest on a street. God bless those that carry a compass with them or have a digital one in their car, but I don't have one and it only made it more difficult. If only directions online were done so that at each turn, they showed a satellite photo of that turn (or perhaps a listing of buildings or other identifiable objects) so I have a rough idea of landmarks in that area. I've never tried those GPS units that come with rental cars now, but I wasn't about to stay any longer at the car rental place.
There are good people everywhere with a willingness to help others in need
I must have stopped 10 times to ask for directions around the Boston area, not to mention calling the MIT information center to guide me to them. Each time I asked, everyone was very kind and patient, and even though they might not have known the answer, they took extra measures to make sure I knew what the next turn would be before I left. Everyone had a smile on their face, and some even took time to crack a joke or two.
At the car rental, despite a very frustrating situation, the person working on my rental managed to think of everything possible to make sure I could get my car despite my little mishap. She smiled most of the time and always remained calm and collected. She genuinely felt terrible about the whole "lack of a credit card" ordeal.
Everyone I met at our meeting was incredibly nice. They all dumped change in my hand when I needed it for the meter and asked for nothing in return. Lunch was taken care of and everyone I spoke to was very friendly and were just as eager to listen to me as I was to listen to them. There was some real enthusiasm in that meeting and that is always appreciated.
And who could forget those brave souls who gave from their own pockets just to send me on their way. Now that's kindness!
On Saturday, I spent the day travelling to Connecticut. When I was very young, I used to live there with my family, but I hadn't seen it since I left almost 16 years ago. I stopped and talked to some people at a church my father used to preach in and they were so kind, offering food and a place to stay for free should I ever come to visit again.
The End Result
All in all, this was one of the most difficult trips for me with all the hurdles I had, but no doubt it will be the most memorable. I'll write more soon about our meeting on Lenya and where Lenya is heading (some exciting new stuff to share!). With a vacation all this week, I hope to pump out a couple of articles.