Since Saturday, July 27 is this week, here are some further considerations about the weekend:
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
1) Additional bike rides
Besides the Official Bike Ride on Saturday, it has been a usual custom to have a shorter Friday afternoon ride, and perhaps a Sunday ride. Those previous Annual Ride weekends were usually in rural areas without much to do otherwise. So if there are other preferences to tour Boston, that's fine with me.
Two nice leisurely rides however that I might suggest are both on bike paths; the first, maybe best for Friday to introduce the City, is the Charles River (Dr. Paul Dudley White) Path through parkland along the river with nice views of the city, and passing by Harvard University in Cambridge. The other is the Minuteman Path, a sylvan ride in the nearby suburb of Arlington that goes to, and beyond Lexington MA.
2) Walking tour(s) of Boston
Boston is well-known as one of America's most walkable cities. I have taken many people on tours on a route up to about 6 miles long, that can be abbreviated by using the subway.
3) Sitdown dinners
There are many restaurants of all different price ranges and food selections in the areas worth visiting. Seafood and Italian restaurants are particularly good IMO. We can dine at a table, or stroll and eat.
4) Museums, etc.
Marc wants to visit an art museum (presumably the Museum of Fine Arts), Mr. Kenton wants to see Fenway Park, and there are numerous other cultural venues we can discuss as interested.
CONTINGENCIES
1) My work schedule
Unfortunately I was not able to get Friday off, but I may be able to leave early getting to Boston and meeting up around 2-3 PM. I don't want to tie anybody down waiting for me during their short time here, and I can suggest many activities to kick off your visit.
2) Arrival times
I look forward to hearing your travel plans. We'll exchange cell phone numbers if interested so we can pinpoint meeting times as they become evident. For the Kentons, I've driven to New Jersey from Boston via the Garden State Parkway, and that took about six hours on a Saturday afternoon. The trip from Detroit via Canada and the New York Thruway is about 12 hours, and Marc lives further west in Grand Rapids as I recall.
Of note to missjean, I'm not sure where you live, and what days you may decide to join us. Since our plans will be fluid, we could post when arrangements become more definite, or call by cell phone.
3) Weather
No definite predictions this far in advance. Rain is rain, and I myself have a rain bike. This past week was a record-setting, triple-H heat wave here in Boston. Yesterday I set out for an intended 60 - 70 mile ride, but started an hour later than planned. By 10:30 AM I cut it short to about 40 miles because it was so hot, my pace was slow, and I had a lot to do that day.
Registration for the Saturday AM ride is open to 10:00 PM on Friday, and I think can register on-site Saturday with an extra $5 late fee. So we may want to definitively plan our choice of routes late Friday depending on the weather.
4) Post-ride fatigue
We’ll only know about this on Saturday. Personally, I find I can recover from a long ride fairly quickly and I'm ready to go. Often my wife and I go out dancing on Saturday night after my long training ride. One further benefit is that I feel really good the next morning and often get up as early as 4 AM. Unfortunately on a Sunday morning, the town wakes up much later.
