GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES

We approached the congested but quickly moving ‘Turn-a-bout’ with a death grip of both hands tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, my heart in my mouth and my eyes searching for clues. I was heading into a 5-exit turn-a-bout for the first time.

There are many things I’m no good at, (OK everything), and one of the worst is driving while getting directions! The directions? They were coming from everywhere! First, there was my cell phone, the Google app that was giving me directions. A lovely woman I’m sure, but a little boss like whispering in my ears through my hearing aids, then there was the GPS that gave shouting curt orders, yes she was a boss too, and then there was the boss herself, TLW (The Little Woman) timing her instructions with the two electronic orders I was receiving all once, while waving her hands frantically, while praying she wasn’t going to die at the third turn-off! Now add on the stress of this very busy and crazy traffic circle and that night I had three Jack Daniel Manhattans!

This time, my visit was to Boston, we stayed outside of the city to visit the JFK Library, which was another sad story.

The city of Revere outside of Boston, a place they should think about leveling to the ground, and taking the rubble to fill in the turn-a-bouts as there seem to be so many all over the place. If you want to go south you need to go north first, or if you want to go north, you need to go south first.

When I arrived at the Four Points Sheraton, I stopped at the main desk to ask for directions to a restaurant that would preclude my having to entertain myself in the circle of whirl-wind traffic adventures. The young lady looked like she was going to panic, as she almost stepped from behind her desk.

“Well, you would have to go west, go through the traffic circle to come back to the eastern traffic circle, go through it and (pointing to nowhere but the back of her head) get on the road going south! There are some restaurants there that are more plentiful than the Blah, blah, blah.

You can beat the system, however only once. We did this by eating in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel, where we watched a rather lack-luster performance by the Hibachi chef, who as he plated food on your plate said: “Mangia!” His only trick was tossing a broken eggshell behind his back, which he missed catching!

TOMORROW WE DINE ON THE PRACTICE RUN!