Jane and Boston

08-14 May 2025

We launched the second half of our two-week trip with a comfortable train ride from New York to Boston. We headed there to see Jane (the “best man” at our wedding) and catch up with some of Robert’s friends from graduate school.

In Manhattan, a cab dropped us at the stunning, glass-roofed Moynihan Train Hall across from Penn Station. The speedy Acela to Boston sells out early, so we settled for a regional train, which was only thirty minutes slower. Seats are comfortable, but don’t count on robust WiFi. Amtrak offers Red Cap service to carry your bags on and off the train. Maybe next time we’ll indulge.

Wait a Minute on the Weather

New York was in the mid 80s when we arrived. A week later in Boston, it “felt like” 38 degrees with heavy rain and wind. We came prepared.

Hanging Out with Jane and
Seeing Bits of Boston

Robert and Jane have been friends since 1974 when Robert joined the staff at Roy Mann Associates in Cambridge.

Forty-eight Years of Catching Up

We booked a lunch with Alex Krieger and Larry Chan, classmates of Robert at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD, 1975-77). We did a lot of catching up, but just skimmed the surface! Alex treated us to lunch at the UMass Club, 32nd floor. Without the fog, the view over the Boston Common would have been spectacular.

Dinner with Mike, Audrey, and Jane

Jane treated us to seafood dinner at the Venezia Restaurant on the Neponset River waterfront, close to a dumping spot for victims of Whitey Bulger’s mob hits. Robert and Mike had a long conversation about Toyotas focusing on the 4Runner Trailhunter that is yet to hit the lots. Mike sells Toyotas. Good to have inside info.

Pastries Anyone?

Jane loaded up on pastries for a Mother’s Day bbq at Jane’s daughter Dorothy.

Market Basket

A highlight of our trip! This regional grocery chain carries an enormous selection of products at low prices, features excellent customer service, and offers terrific benefits to employees. Ten years ago, loyal customers fended off a private equity fund buyout with imaginative strikes. This episode is taught at Harvard Business School.

A Drive Through Franklin Park and Dinner on Savin Hill

Mother’s Day!

We drove a hour south to see Dorothy (Jane’s daughter and Robert’s godchild) and family—Arvonn; Eleanor, 14; and Claire, 10—at home in Barrington, Rhode Island. The weather was perfect for Arvonn’s BBQ, which was supplemented with a massive pasta salad assembled by Robert after a nudge from Jane. Dorothy, a master gardener, gave Robert a tour of her yard, which favors berries of every kind, flowering perennials, and fruit trees. She focuses on pollinating plants. An ever-developing experiment.

**Dorothy maintains an extensive garden where strawberries dominate!**

The pastries Jane brought were a major hit, especially with Dorothy and Eleanor. We played two rounds of the game Telestrations. It was so much fun that Bonnie wants one for her birthday. Think of the game Telephone but with drawings instead of whispers.

Cape Cod Anyone?

We drove ninety minutes to South Harwich on the Cape to see Jim, another urban planner (and lawyer) in Robert and Jane’s old gang. He recently completed an extension and remodel of his home with a beautiful outcome. He spent several hours driving us to ALL the view points in his section of the Cape: boat harbors, light houses, beaches, reclaimed cranberry bog, high-end resorts, new high school, small towns, cherry trees in bloom, and a baseball field, but with time running out we skipped the dump. He was a tireless and well-informed tour guide. We stopped in Chatham for lunch.

**Jim has a copy of one of Alex Krieger’s books!**

Each town on the Cape participates in the famous Cape League during the summer months. Players join from all over the country along with MLB scouts.

Cambridge and Tom

Robert took the Red Line on the T to Harvard Square, where he strolled a bit and then met another grad school friend, Tom Levi. We had lunch at the Harvest (been there forever) in the old Design Research building on Brattle Street. Tom and Robert walked to the GSD to see what was new. Not much. Although Robert and Tom were surprised by the large number of physical models built by students.

Harvard Yard getting spruced up for graduation

Last Dinner with Jane (For this trip!)

Jane took us to a great fish restaurant on Atlantic Avenue along the waterfront near the North End. The traffic through central Boston to the restaurant was barely moving so we had a great chance to quiz Jane about specific buildings we could see. So much development, mostly using air rights. Some very good. Many of the new buildings are enormous.