June 18th 2015: Company Lunch Boat Cruise in Boston

I started out early this morning in Beverly, going for a hike at the Long Hill Estate. The gardens were pretty nice, especially the giant bullfrogs in the pond here.

There are also hiking trails here, and the path I took is shown below in pink.

Nothing much to see here though.

From here, it was on to the Beverly Commons Conservation Area, where the path I took is shown below in pink.

I got lost here a few times, picking up some mosquito bites as well, and had nothing to show for it at both supposed vista points. Oh well.

At least my next stop in town, West Beach, had pretty nice views.

From here, I headed into Boston, where I was to have a company lunch cruise on the Odyssey. Before that, I visited a few small cafes in the downtown area, getting the Food Artist (corned beef, turkey, swiss cheese, coleslaw and russian dressing) from Archie's New York Deli,

the Mango Mania Smoothie from Boston Brewin Coffee Company

and the Autumn Harvest Salad (turkey, craisins, corn, carrots and sunflower seeds, served on a bed of lettuce mix topped with crispy apple chips) from Saladworks.

The sandwich was just so-so, although the drink and the salad were not bad, especially the apple chips.

I was still early by the time I got to Rowes Wharf, although it did not take long before my colleagues arrived and we boarded the boat. I have been on this boat before in the past for a dinner cruise, but never for lunch, After leaving port, our orders for food were taken, namely for dishes like the Tasting Duo (Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad (asparagus, zucchini, caramelized onion, corn, tomatoes, arugula, herb vinaigrette) and Whipped goat cheese (candied pecan herb crust, balsamic strawberries, crostini),

the Crab and Mussel Gratin (lump crab, macaroni, gouda, fontina, monterey jack, asparagus),

the Romesco Crusted Salmon (white beans, carrots, artichokes and parsley stew)

and the Cauliflower Steak (Israeli couscous, red currants, crispy capers, parsley vinaigrette).

The appetizers were pretty good, although the cauliflower was a little salty at times. Overall, pretty small portions though.

Dessert was next, with the Mountain Berry Trifle (Fresh berries, lemon sponge cake, vanilla cream)

and the Duo of Sorbet (seasonal sorbet, fresh fruit),

both of which beautifully capped a good meal, though not very filling.

After lunch we went out on deck for a bit, where I took pictures of the scenery,

and of a plane flying directly overhead.

With that, we were done with our company lunch, and we headed our separate ways. With me still being a little hungry, I decided to head into the North End area for my second lunch at Gennaro's 5 North Square, a pretty small Italian restaurant.

The lunch menu was pretty simple looking, and I ended up going with the Fried Calamari,

the Mushrooms Bruschetta

and the Lobster Risotto, which was a special for today.

The calamari wasn't too bad, although I was expecting more from the bruschetta instead of being just mushrooms on bread. The risotto was a little bland as well. Overall, I've had better.

From here, I decided to go get some pizza takeout for tomorrow's lunch from Pizza Mia in Tewksbury, where I had a deal to use of course. I got the Ham and Broccoli Calzone,

the Hawaiian Pizza,

the Mozzarella Sticks,

the Buffalo Wings

and the Marinated Steak Tips Sub.

Everything was nothing to write home about though.

Next, it was on to North Andover to use another deal at Smolak Farms for 2 large Fudge Sundaes. I thought each would only have one scoop, but it turned out each had 3. I ended up getting the Black Raspberry Fudge, Pink Peppermint Stick, Green Monster,

Maple Walnut, Butter Pecan and Milky Way flavors.

Not bad ice cream, but way too much to finish.

After dessert, I decided to cap the day with some hikes in town, going first to the Farnsworth Reservation. The path I took to explore the area is shown below in pink.

Nothing much to see here though.

My next hike was at Bruin Hill. This place is so overgrown I could not even find the trailhead, only doing so after spotting the sign for the place. Still, I had to thrash through tall grass to get to it. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

The view from the powerlines was not bad, 

but the path I took to get here was so overgrown the only way I managed to not get lost was due to the few but sufficient signs stuck on trees. Definitely not worth the effort. With that, I headed home for the day, satisfied with my somewhat productive day.