A little more Longfellow, and then off to Boston!

We spent most of the morning packing and arranging the contents of our luggage; our hope is that the check-thru will end up just under 50 pounds (it was a good bit heavier when we left the Pearl Mist on Tuesday), but we did manage to squeeze in a very short amble around the hotel.

I’d seen the rock-with-plaque every time we left the hotel, but this was the first time I’d stopped to look at it, only to discover that Longfellow had been born in my hotel (ignoring the temporal dimension, of course).

The hotel’s shuttle took us to the Portland Transportation Center (Amtrak and buses) for our Concord Coach ride to Logan Airport, followed a shuttle ride to the Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor. I’d used points for this stay, and the only rooms available were ADA rooms, but when we arrived, the desk clerk was happy to switch us to a regular room – she even gave us the choice of airport view or harbor view. We chose the harbor.

Our son and his girlfriend are coming to the hotel for dinner; we originally planned to meet them at a restaurant in East Boston, but by the time we got here, we decided we’d prefer not to leave until we’re ready to check in for our flight home tomorrow morning.

Better weather, more energy

I fell asleep around 9pm last night, though my sleep score was just 51. My watch was not happy with how often I’d woken my self up by coughing – and netiher was I.

Somewhat to my surprise, I had enough energy to go on the Portland Hidden Histories Small-Group Walking Tour that I’d booked yesterdy in a flurry of enthusiasm. The start point, Post Office Park, was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. There were about 18 people taking the tour and our guide (and owner of Portland by the Foot), Dugan.

Press Building (formerly the offices of the Portland Press Herald, now the Press Hotel)
First Parish (it and the congregation began as Puritans, then became Congregationalists, and finally became a Unitarian Universalist Church in the early 20th Century)
The cannonball in the chandelier of First Parish church was shot at the church by the British in 1775
There are symbols from seven world religions behind the pulpit
Oldest building in downtown Portland – 1785.

Peleg Wadsworth, who built it as a country retreat, was a Revolutionary War general who had a very low opinion of Paul Revere; ironically, his grandson Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”, and the house is now known as the Longfellow House.

In the Irish District
John Ford, formerly John Feinny.
I didn’t ask Dugan for the story behind this sign.
United States Custom House