We started the roadtrip off by heading Northeast up to Boston so that we could attend a birthday barbeque for Steve’s friend (and former boss) Randy.

Got into town a little later than we intended (hit lots of traffic on I-95 in CT) and didn’t get to see much of the town on the way through. Drove through the now “finished” Big Dig tunnel and popped out onto the new cable stayed bridge over the Charles- an interesting approach. It’s a nice bridge, but the effect is diminished by the fact that there is a shorter, simpler run-of-the-mill highway bridge right next to it making the same span.

We spent the evening at the party visiting with lots of people Steve worked and played volleyball with when he lived in Boston. It was good to see everyone again after 4 years or so. Randy’s wife Valda did a great job setting up the party (and earlier golf outing) at a nice WPA-era public golf course in Melrose.

That night, we drove back into the city where we stayed with Randy and Valda in their house in the back bay. Traffic on the way there seemed to be back to normal, even though the Democratic Convention had ended just the day before but a concert forced us on an unplanned late-night detour through Cambridge. One odd thing we saw on the way back was some sort of Blade Runner-esque projected signage on the side of the Prudential building- not the sort of thing you’d expect to see in Boston.