The wheels of the “Desperately Seeking Boston” (The Spin-off-Knock-off) have been set in motion after getting myself all giddy in my last blog entry. Dagnabit, but I need to get to know Boston again. This time in the 21st century and this time as a responsible adult (smirking not welcome, thanks) and a parent.
I decided to test out my new membership on Couchsurfing. As they eloquently describe it, “Couchsurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.” While I signed up to offer travelers some guidance if they come through Stockholm (we can’t really offer the couch just yet,) I figured I could look for Bostonians who could give me insight into Boston from a fresh perspective.
As it turns out there are quite a number of active members in my home town where my parents still live and my late 80s/early 90s wardrobe is still preserved (I technically never moved out since when I left for Europe in 1991 I thought I would be back in 1 year. School friends call my room the time-capsule.)
Now that would be a twist: seeing your home town from someone you’ve never met’s perspective. So messages have been sent and so far 2 of 3 have responded and arrangements for meet-ups have been arranged.
Thanks to Facebook (Yes, I am grateful to Facebook; Got a problem with that?) I am getting great advice about kid-friendly roadtrips. New Hampshire has always only been a winter destination for ski trips for me and now 3 different people have been going on about Story Land.
It’s embarassing that I have never been in a car which climbed Mt. Washington. In fact, in looking it up, I realize I have no clue what someone in one of those cars would find once having climbed Mt. Washington.
And why didn’t anyone tell me that the Old Man of the Mountain fell off the mountain in 2003?!
I had no idea the old man fell off. Has Canada become a US state now too?
What has started out as more of an amusing experiment has now become real. I must (re)discover Boston and its surroundings.
Your suggestions, thoughts and advice: All welcome. Keep ‘em coming.
Oh, and we’re landing next Wednesday evening, Logan Terminal E.
Have the sign read: Boston Blatte.
Tags: couch surfing, couchsurfing, mt. washington, old man of the mountain, story land NH
A Bostonian who loves Couchsurfing. Having spent many years in Sweden, I love hosting Swedes.
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Although i am in travel business, it took a while until the news reached me. Quite unconventional way of traveling, skeptics might say.
Having browsed through several member profiles and reading through testimonials of people who have chosen to travel this way, I am convinced unconventional is not bad at all.
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