Sunday, October 18, 2009

A Lovely Day in the Neighborhood

Today was one of those rare, near perfect fall days, with the temperature in the low to mid 60s; blue sky, and a light (OK, sometimes strong) breeze off the bay. By last Thursday, I was feeling almost back to normal, a week after my treatment. While it took longer than I expected, at least I have a better idea what to expect after the next treatment. With encouragement from Frank, I returned to the gym yesterday for some cardio and light weight work. It felt good. We then hit the Saturday Morning Market for lunch. Dinner was a wonderful fruit and arugula salad, followed by pan seared grouper with a lemon butter sauce and green beans and grape tomatoes. Today, feeling ready to venture out on a nice walk, considering the fall weather, I headed down toward the Vinoy Hotel, about a 15 block walk, listening to "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. I made my first visit to the recently opened 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House. I ordered a Shock Top on draught, not realizing that I was ordering a (heaven forbid) "domestic" beer. Well, my euro-snobbishness was minimized by this decent tasting Belgium style white beer by Michelob. For lunch, I ordered the New England Lobster Roll which was filled with a large quantity of lobster meat in a small amount of mayonnaise. The portion size, served with a side of plank fries (think steak fries), and celery root slaw, was more that adequate, although a little pricey at $14.95 (but it was fresh lobster). However, the sandwich was a little bland. I am not sure what it needed, but it lacked some zing. And it wasn't up to the Lobster roll at Legal Seafood. 400 Beach is owned by the same person who owns Parkshore Grill, just down the street. Parkshore is, in my opinion, one of the best overall dining experiences in downtown. I will return to 400 Beach sometime for dinner, to see how it compares at dinner to its sister restaurant. 
Next stop was the Museum of Fine Arts, to renew my membership and check out the latest special exhibit, "I Heard a Voice" by Leslie Dill. The exhibit was interesting, but far from a high point in my museum experiences. OK, let's be honest here, Simpson, I didn't like it all that much. Although, this is the first time I have been encouraged to use my cell phone in a museum. The special exhibit had a associated audio program available via cell phone, narrated by the artist. Just like the audio tours you pay for, you press a number and # on your cell phone when you arrive at designated works of art to hear more about the piece. 
Well, I think I have rambled on enough for one post. It was a good day; I felt good; the weather was lovely, and I spent a few hours enjoying my city
That's All I'm Saying.

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