On Saturday, Your Survival Guy changed his boat shoes for loafers for a one-night celebration of our daughter’s 24th birthday. A recent Northeastern University graduate working at Mass General means a tight schedule, and as any parent knows, we’re happy to go to her if that makes life easier for her.
We met up at The Newbury Hotel for lunch in the old Oak Room, which is now The Street Bar. The turkey club is right up there with the Bristol’s in Paris, then we made our way along Newbury Street for a little shopping.
Your Survival Guy will note how heavy the traffic was getting into the city on a Saturday morning. Why aren’t they at the beach, I wondered. There was traffic, which is no surprise. There’s always traffic in Boston these days, even after the “Big Dig”.
And once you’re in the city, forget about getting anywhere fast in the car. Between the bike and bus lanes and long red lights for “pedestrian” traffic, where nobody ever looks to cross the road anymore, it’s touch and go. And you wonder why drivers are aggressive?
Your Survival Gals, not Guy, wanted to go to Valentino. It felt like we were back in Paris. Not the memory I was hoping for, as the prices were also Paris-like. And you wonder why “fake” luxury handbags are doing so well. And with dollar weakness, prices for similar goods at Valentino in Paris are sky high. Just look at gold to see the plight of the dollar.
When you want to splurge for a special birthday dinner, it’s hard to beat the location of Contessa on the top floor of The Newbury Hotel. The view alone is worth the trip. There were seven of us seated at a round table, making conversation easier since it can get loud in there. The place was packed. But in terms of loafers on the ground, Boston isn’t as busy as I’ve seen in other summers.
Action Line: There’s always a reason why you don’t want to spend money. But it’s the trips you make for the memories that don’t have a price. Actually, they do. I’ll add it up when I get my Amex bill. When you want to talk about the trips you plan to take in retirement, email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com. And click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
