fh_trips | Boston, MA [Monday Daytime]

We're spending the week at the five-star/five diamond Boston Harbor Hotel. Hotel luxuries include a private health-club style spa and fitness center, award-winning dining, and a full-service 34-slip marina.

Students' deluxe rooms have windows out over downtown Boston, and their chaperones' premier rooms have views out over the marina and into Boston Harbor. The rooms come equipped with all the amenities and two full beds or one king ~~depending on which is funnier~~.

[OOC: Room assignments are here, NSFW goes into private journals, yada yada.]

Edited 2021-10-11 04:56 (UTC)

Stark had been momentarily confused when he woke up in this lavish and unfamiliar hotel room. Only momentarily. He'd remembered where he was quickly enough and just shifted closer to his companion, maybe reassuring himself she was still there, and stayed in bed. This was a vacation. He didn't have to be anywhere in particular, especially not so early.

He'd get up soon and look into what activities were available today. He did want to see this city.

Edited 2021-10-11 13:14 (UTC)

The chocolate tour had been a lot of fun and Dwight had enjoyed himself. After a little additional sightseeing around the area he had made his way back to the hotel. Stretching out on the bed in a quiet room (sans a snoring roommate), Dwight finally started to feel the effects of not sleeping the last few days. Closing his eyes, he figured he'd rest for a bit and then maybe order in something for dinner and enjoy an evening in the room. Who knew when he would have digs like this again, might as well enjoy it.

Well, you definitely won't starve this week, even if you never leave the hotel. Rowes Wharf Sea Grille offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner with both indoor and outdoor seating. Its afternoon tea is also extremely popular. You can also go for drinks and snacks at the Rowes Wharf Bar starting at 4pm. Or you can stay up in your room and order in.

Whether its the 60-foot lap pool, the Pelaton bikes and yoga classes you're all dying to try out, or the spa, the hotel has your fitness needs covered. The gym is open 24 hours, which is very helpful for you insomniac health nuts.

Edited 2021-10-11 04:57 (UTC)

Alara knew she was on vacation but she wanted to try out the gym before she started sightseeing today so she had got up early and was getting in a good workout with some of the strength training equipment and so far she had managed to avoid breaking it.

Go, run free throughout Boston! The hotel will provide a car if you choose to go out on your own, and the school has arranged a few different excursion choices every day.

Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston. Because you're on vacation and you might as well start by eating all the things.

Edited 2021-10-11 05:03 (UTC)

Jo saw there was a chocolate tour and immediately signed up for it, she was telling herself that it was for educational purposes and she was also on vacation and that made it okay if she was going to indulge in some chocolate.

She had her polaroid camera and was quite looking forward to taking part in the tour and seeing more of the city.

Amaya was absolutely in favor of anything that involved eating all the things, and, since she'd yet to find a Secret Meat-on-Sticks Tour of Boston, she supposed chocolate, in this case, will just have to do. She was hoping it would be over in time for her to still catch some of that marathon, though, ideally just as people were starting to really bring it home, because that's when those sorts of things got to be the most exciting, if you asked her. She was hardly going to complain about chocolate for a distraction, either, though!

"Amaya, you are the only person I know who would consider a chocolate tour to be a second choice to anything" Dwight said with a smirk as he joined his roomie for the tour.

"Well, now," said Amaya staunchly, "that's categorically untrue, as there's plenty of people I'm sure out pursuing their first choices who would be here instead if the firsts weren't options! But what can I say? I like what I like."

And what she liked tended to be meats on sticks!

"So, what?" she then asked with a grin in kind. "You're telling me you wouldn't rather be out there, running through the streets for glory?"

If only she were more the running type...

"If I was in better shape I'd be in the race in a heart beat. Right now I'm so out of shape I think the sergeant from my boot camp would kick me out if I was there right now" Dwight said with a chuckle. "I will gladly stay with watching the others run this time. Though maybe next year..."

Troy was definitely thinking that, if he was going to be sucked into any activities for the day, he might as well go with the one that involved getting chocolate.

Now, if that Columbus Day parade had been a puppy parade instead? He'd be all over it, but for now? Bring on the chocolate!

He just hoped going through all the boring, informative, historical stuff was worth it...

A tour about chocolate? It was possible that Clare would do this every single day.

New England Aquarium. Sharks! Rays! Penguins! Alllll the fish. Heck yeah, aquariums are awesome.

Edited 2021-10-11 05:03 (UTC)

Even if she had been tempted to take Mr. Amicitia up on his offer for extra credit in his class by participating in that marathon, especially since she didn't mind running and was actually quite good at it, Sakaki couldn't turn down an opportunity to visit the aquarium that day, instead. The penguins and the fur seals were obviously her favorites, and she could watch them all day, but she loved all the wide array of fish and other sea creatures and devoured all the information she possibly could about them, pleased whenever she came across something she knew, and figured maybe the fish back at the shelter would be pleased to hear of her visit when she got back to the island!

The staff was also wonderfully helpful and informative and it really got Sakaki thinking: maybe there really was many benefits to being a marine biologist!

"Sakaki!"

Kiem approached his temporary roomie, waving cheerfully.

"Have you seen the penguins yet?"

"Hello, Kiem," Sakaki smiled back, not at all surprised to see that he had wound up here as well. "I have! I was actually thinking of going back to see them again, if you'd like to come with me."

She'd since realized she didn't have to feel bad about spending so much time with the penguins if she went to look at other things every once in a while and then just kept going back.

"I don't mind seeing them again," Kiem said. "I really wish we had them on Iskat. They might even like the climate. Candy?"

He held out a bag towards her.

"Oh!" The offer of candy hit Sakaki as a little bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one, and she gave a small nod before reaching out to take some from the bag. "Yes. Thank you."

So now there was candy, and there was going to be more penguins, and good company, so this really was a great beginning to their vacation!

"Is it a cooler climate, then?" she asked, as she moved easily on the path she'd already taken to find her way to the pengins. "On Iskat? Is there a lot of water for them to play in?"

Penguins playing in and diving in and out of the water was very important, Kiem.

"Hm?," Kiem said with candy in his mouth.

"Yes, it can get quite cold and there's a lot of snow in the winter. I've never been to the seas further to the poles, but they're supposed to be icy. With lots of fish."

"That does sound perfect for them," Sakaki agreed, with the confidence of someone who was clearly now a penguin expert. "There aren't many penguins in Japan, mostly in zoos, but there was one time when my friend Chiyo-chan dressed up as one for the school festival..."

It had been so cute that sometimes Sakaki wondered how she'd even survived.

"Now I want to dress up like one too," Kiem said as they headed back towards the penguins.

"What's Japan like?"

Well, if Sidon was going to help chaperone some of the exersions around the city, the Aquarium certainly seemed like an excellent fit! It also helped that these places tended to be quite spacious and easy for him to move around in, even though more than a few people thought he was actually some sort of costumed employee for the aquarium himself. He was quite used to that mistake, though, and was more than happy to ~~confuse~~ disillusion people of that notion! Still! It was thrilling and exciting to see all the different marine life and was certainly gearing him to get rather excited about a foray out into Bostonian waters later that day! He was working up quite the appetitite....for both fish and adventure!

Alara briefly considered wearing a hat to try and disguise her more alien features but she decided to chance it and see how she went today and decided to explore the aquarium.

She had never been in an Aquarium before and she found it fascinating as she looked at all the different Earth sea life.

Anakin was wandering around in a t-shirt he'd clearly bought at some touristy store, which would amuse the hell out of his New England-born wife. She knew he didn't actually care about the Patriots, but his luggage was still lost.

Watching sharks and fantasizing about feeling them gnomes was healthy, right? Right.

The aquarium had seemed a natural choice for Belle this morning. It was interesting, there were things there she would never see otherwise, and some of the animals were adorable. She might, in fact, have trouble getting past the penguins at the beginning. They were darling.

There were many things that were similar about the Otherworld and the First World. Enough so that Terra hadn't had cause to feel terribly out of place in the month and a half since she'd arrived.

One of the big differences, though, was the wildlife. An aquarium was the opportunity to see creatures up-close that she'd only ever heard about.

The marathon is being run today instead of in April for NO REASON AT ALL, lalala. You can watch anywhere along the route here, or you can run it because this is a fake vacation and we can do what we want.

Edited 2021-10-11 05:03 (UTC)

What's that you say? Run in it because this is a fake vacation and we can do what we want? Well, then! Don't mind Gladio if he did!

Because, he didn't know about anyone else, but a chance to run in a marathon was a great way to start a vacation if you asked him! The last thing he wanted was for anyone (*cough*Prompto*cough*) to fall back on their training, so you'd better believe he was doing what needed to be done to get himself, and the other two, in on this hot marathon action!

He was also going to make sure to let any of his students know that they'd definitely be earning "choco-credit" (Prompto's word, not his!) for their class if they decided to participate, and he made sure to get there bright and early so he had plenty of time to warm up and get pumped and ready to go.

Edited 2021-10-11 09:46 (UTC)

Well, this made it official. Gladio was insane. And yet, if he was honest with himself, Prompto could not actually be surprised that the big guy was actually making them run a marathon on their first full day of a vacation.

Honestly, Prompto half-wondered if he could somehow manage to ditch the whole thing once it got started. Boston had plenty of streets to just duck down and disappear, but then he'd have to deal with Gladio afterwards, and...no, he'd take his suffering now, he supposed, and, really, he was a runner and had been for years, so once it actually got started, he'd be surprisingly fine.

Not that you could tell from the complaints that would probably escape him, but still!

A marathon! On a vacation! Bringing Gladio on board with this teaching thing was a mistake.

Though there had been whispers of a chocolate tour that had certain pulled Ignis's ear, he supposed they had a whole week in this city, there was plenty of opportunity for him to explore the culinary side of things, and solidarity in these things was important. Plus, he knew Gladio well enough to know that once this marathon business was out of his system, he might actually...somewhat...consider embracing a more traditionally relaxed approach to vacationing. So, with the efforts of dispeling any wistful notions of chocolatiering from his mind for now, he warmed up and prepared himself and figured that if he managed to simply maintain his goal of keeping pace with the other two, his showing might not be so bad int he long run.

And it was, indeed, one of the very rare instances where someone would catch him dressed down for the occasion, although the thought of running it in something closer to his usual attire had still crossed his mind.

Goose was totally running the marathon, he had never actually run in a marathon before but that wasn’t stopping him from lining up and participating.

He had seemed to miss the part about this being a vacation but he figured it was still a good a way to keep up with his training.

Astrid was absolutely not participating in the marathon herself; she was here strictly as a spectator, and to take advantage of the fact that they'd somehow managed to land themselves here in the middle of such an iconic event that was absolutely ripe with the possibility of sketching humanity in a variety of athletic forms in motion, and she was eager start filling her vacation sketchbooks with running figures, trying to capture the thrill of the run, the agony of defeat, the exhaustion, the exhileration, all of it, with just a pencil and some paper.

She found a place on the route on a small hill where she could still sit and see the runners without being too caught up in the crowd of spectators.

Steve was absolutely running this marathon, hiding under a hat because people kept mistaking him for some actor.

He promised not to run so hard he ruined it for everyone!

Head to the North End for the parade ~~that is definitely happening shut up, real life, shut up~~, stay for the amazing Italian food that's everywhere.

Edited 2021-10-11 05:02 (UTC)

Do you have plans for the day that the school hasn't come up with? Tell us where you are here!

Not wasting any time getting to work, Rosa was spending her morning incognito in full autumn fashion...the big scarf, the oversized sweater, the boots, even a knit cap...to set up shop and a laptop, get herself a ridiculous seasonal muffin and a seasonal drink that she spent a good amount of time pretending to take pictures of for her social media feeds and pretending to write a blog about fall colors when she was actually taking pictures and writing notes for her case.

And sort of hoping the whole ~vibes~ she was putting out would helpher go unrecognized even among most fellow Fandomites that might wander their way in.

Miguel was in jeans and a t-shirt as promised. Hey, he wasn't about to go and get changed later.

He smirked as he came up to Rosa and looked her over. "Buy you a coffee?"

Hey, he figured if she wanted to stay incognito, she could always tell him to get lost.

But telling him to get lost might blow her cover, or at least the unassuming presence she was trying to project, so what you were getting instead, Miguel was a nice, dead-eyed, but undeniably cheery, "Ohmygaawsh, really? That would be so nice!"

Miguel very nearly blew it anyway, but he managed to hold back his laugh. "Sure! Another one of those, right?" He pointed at her awful, sugary seasonal drink. "I'll be right back."

A furtive conversation with the barista later, he was back with a hot drink with an absolute pile of whipped cream on it (which was, under that, a black coffee, because he wasn't a totally bad boyfriend).

Surprising no one, Seivarden had found tea shop with a small café, specialising in really exclusive teas, where she could spend a long time just deciding which one to have, and getting into a conversation with the owner about different types of Keemun teas, and learning about similar ones that were so special most people here hadn't even heard about them.

It was a nice distraction.

Jon had noted, in the hotel's book and the numerous pamphlets around, that there were quite a lot of food tours. But when what you really needed was a different sort of sustenance...well. He grimaced and signed up for a tour about ghosts and dying, and guiltily hoped it was enough to do some good and not so personal the tour guide ended up with nightmares.

Ah, it would seem that Jon's eyes weren't the only ones caught by this particular little tour, but what was it that caught Shunsui's attention as well? A morbid quirk in his sense of humor? A strictly professional interest? The fact that beautiful women on a tour of this nature were more susceptible to the whole 'death god/soul reaper' bit?

Or was it simply that this activity, out of any other he saw, felt more conducive to potential napping after his long first night on the town?

The answer could be any and all of the above. He was a very complex man, that Shunsui.

Jon didn't know who Shunsui was, but he'd seen him at the portal, so he offered up a nod of hello.

He himself was definitely not on this tour for any beautiful women, if there were any doubt. (Not intentionally for a nap, either, although chronic insomnia might play its part if the tour were, god forbid, that boring.)

Doot doot!

Boston, MA [Monday Daytime]

Hotel

ROOMS [10/11]

Room 703

Re: Room 711 Early Evening

FOOD [10/11]

AMENITIES [10/11]

Gym - Early Morning

Excursions

Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

Re: Secret Chocolate Tour of Boston [10/11]

New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Re: New England Aquarium [10/11]

Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Re: Boston Marathon [10/11]

Columbus Day Parade [10/11]

Go It Alone! [10/11]

Phin Coffee House [10/11]

Re: Phin Coffee House [10/11]

Re: Phin Coffee House [10/11]

Re: Phin Coffee House [10/11]

Re: Go It Alone! [10/11]

Death and Dying Ghost Tour

Re: Death and Dying Ghost Tour

Re: Death and Dying Ghost Tour

OOC [10/11]