Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: festivals, home, closing)

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by builder24car

As of now the Worcester and Boston areas.

Edited to add... does anyone know the best location to get some photos of the
Providence and Worcester railroad in Worcester? I won't have the time to do
much chasing but some roster shots would be great!

Sounds like you may be best off looking along I-495. Should be plenty of hotels to choose from: Milford, Marlborough, Littleton, Westford for starters. Can't help you with the railroad question however.

[builder24car]

What are the prime vacation spots? This will be my first trip to Massachusetts
so I have no idea? I'll probably check out Yankee Candle in Deerfield and would
like to grab a meal at the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer. I don't have
to stay in a prime location, I'll be driving a lot as it is.

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Hotels are open, but prime vacation spots are booked solid and have been early.

[builder24car]

That's a great start, thank you very much!

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

Sounds like you may be best off looking along I-495. Should be plenty of hotels to choose from: Milford, Marlborough, Littleton, Westford for starters. Can't help you with the railroad question however.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by builder24car

What are the prime vacation spots? This will be my first trip to Massachusetts
so I have no idea? I'll probably check out Yankee Candle in Deerfield and would
like to grab a meal at the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer. I don't have
to stay in a prime location, I'll be driving a lot as it is.

If you go to Yankee Candle, be sure to also visit Historic Deerfield if you are at all interested in history. It is a gem and is close by. It's one of the best preserved historic sites in the state. There is a very interesting museum and one of the most gripping exhibits is the Indian Door--complete with hatchet mark left there in 1704. There's also a bookstore/gift shop and it's all located on The Street. The Street is like walking into another world--houses from the 1700s, restored and open to tour. You might not want to tour a house though as they are somewhat expensive and there's plenty else to see--I enjoy the little old school house. The area around Deerfield is drop dead gorgeous with green meadows as far as the eye can see.

You could stay at the Deerfield Inn, but I don't know much about it anymore. To get to the Steaming Tender, you'd head back down I-91 to the Mass Pike. I have a RR friend who drives up from CT to eat at the Steaming Tender and people say it's really good food besides the RR aspect.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by builder24car

What are the prime vacation spots? This will be my first trip to Massachusetts
so I have no idea? I'll probably check out Yankee Candle in Deerfield and would
like to grab a meal at the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer. I don't have
to stay in a prime location, I'll be driving a lot as it is.

Along the coast, Cape Cod, Plymouth, Boston/Cambridge, Salem, Gloucester/Rockport, and Newburyport would be some highlights and could easily use up a few days or a week depending on how fast you go. There's some good historical content there already but if you're a history buff, some people will also like to head inland and check out Lexington, Concord, Old Sturbridge Village and Historic Deerfield.

[yesmaybe]

Past 3.5 mill now. Between that and there being openings at CVS and Walgreens, I have a feeling that we will hear from Charlie next week if not Monday on the timing of going 100% open.

[builder24car]

Thank you in_newengland, I appreciate that! I have saved it to my trip info.

[builder24car]

I had no idea Deerfield was historic, that is cool! Good info, thanks OutdoorLover!

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by builder24car

As of now the Worcester and Boston areas.

Edited to add... does anyone know the best location to get some photos of the
Providence and Worcester railroad in Worcester? I won't have the time to do
much chasing but some roster shots would be great!

I assume you are asking about hotels near the railroad? As I remember, if you are facing the Union Station (which is also a fairly cool building), go to the right, and there is a short tunnel/overpass marked Providence and Worcester. Two hotels close to the Union Station (and the rest of the railroad in Worcester) are Holiday Inn Express and Hilton. I stayed at the present Holiday Inn Express when it was a different hotel chain (can't remember what it was called, they may not be in business any more... memory problems of senior age) when I worked on/off on contracts in Worcester in 2003-2005, and it was a very short walk from the Union Station. I have passed through Worcester on Amtrak more recently, and could see Holiday Inn Express from the train (that is how I know the building is now owned by Holiday Inn).

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

I wouldn't say no issues but could be signs that demand is starting to wean a bit.

They estimate that more than 90% of people in MA want the vaccine (the highest % in the nation), and only 33% are fully vaccinated, so I don't think the demand is weaning. But probably people just pre-register for mass sites, and stop looking around for other places when they realize it's too much hassle and time-consuming (the way I did myself). That may result in more open appointments going unfilled at smaller sites.


Btw, I had my second dose of Pfizer on Thurs at Hynes Convention Ctr in Boston, and had a really bad night after that with temp 103, as I described in more detail on Retirement forum where I tend to post more. I am entirely back to normal today, but am totally not looking forward to booster shots in the future. I dread the misery that I now expect afterwards, though I will of course take the boosters anyway (one night of misery still compares favorably with several weeks of it followed by death).