shewhomust (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shewhomust) wrote2014-09-10 03:19 pm
shewhomust) wrote2014-09-10 03:19 pm
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Welcome to Woburn
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weegoddess and J. collected us from Logan airport, and carried us off through the rush hour traffic to their home in Woburn, where we have the honour of being the First Guests. The first of the sights they couldn't wait to show us was Trader Joe's, with its fun and colourful decor and its many exotic products, including the Great Wall of Puffin:After that, we needed food: good, straightforward American food. We went to b.good for burgers. Mine was a 'West Side' which means salsa and jalapenos, and you can ask to have your burger cooked medium rare. This wasn't my Platonic Burger: the centre was pink and tasty, but it didn't have the almost-charred crust, so the meat and the salsa were not quite as distinct as they might be. But it was fresh and zingy, and what I needed.
This morning
durham_rambler and I walked the mile into town to look around Woburn. As we drove in last night, I'd seen the sign that said the town was incorporated in 1642, so I knew it had to have some history (here, let Wikipedia tell you all about it). It was the birthplace of Count Rumford, a name I thought I recognised, and yes, it turns out he was an early scientist. His statue stands outside the Public Library, which is a magnificent building. Have just one little detail:Downtown Woburn is rich in cafés and restaurants, but after a full circuit and much deliberation we chose The Brickyard, because it gave us a chance to sit in the square by the little artificial waterfall and drink a seasonal beer from the Shipyard Brewery:
Our server told us that the glass is usually frosted with sugar and cinnamon, but we were allowed to skip that bit, and it was a very refreshing beer, with a distinct taste of pumpkin. Our server also told us "Mostly I'm a cook, they don't let me wait tables very often," and gave me the recipe for the pulled pork I had just enjoyed: "It's easy."
Back to the liquor store, to browse the wine selection, which was varied and multinational. It wasn't easy to pick out just two bottles, one red, one white, and there was a sound of ripping velcro as I dragged myself away from the fancy madeiras, but in the end I settled for two Spanish wines, an albarino that we've had before and an organic monastrell that's new to me. While I was waiting at the counter to pay, a voice to the left of me asked: "Can I get a nip for a buck fifteen?"
"What kind of nip?"
"Vodka?"
"I have a nip for a seventyfive cents."
So that makes two satisfied customers.
We struck off around the houses to loop back to Winn Street and home. I love the houses with their clapboard sidings, and their lawns, and the trees - so many trees, so very green, with the fall clours just beginning a break in, and the banners just beginning to appear: New England has two national flags, and while many houses fly the stars and stripes, others fly the flag of autumn. But the best photo of that set was these ornamental grasses:
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(And the beers look yummy.)
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The beer was great, if unexpected.
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I'm very amused about the puffin cereal. Even Trader Joe's knew you were coming!
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