2000-10 (OCTOBER, 2000)

Dallas, Texas (Again For Work) and Boston, Massachusetts - United States

Monday: Again flew out of London late morning. The weather upon arrival in Dallas was noticeably cooler than two weeks ago. Collected by Zarina, my compatriot on the user interface piece of the project.

Tuesday to Thursday: Worked at the Dallas office. On Thursday afternoon I flew to Boston to meet Andy for a long weekend of shopping and eating yummy food. Our hotel was across the harbour from the city and our room had the most fabulous view. Dinner was in the hotel restaurant.

Friday: We breakfasted in bed before catching the water shuttle over to the city. The 'BT Global Challenge' boats had arrived a few days before, and we had a good look around them all before heading into town. We shopped all day, each taking it in turns to lead the other to the shop(s) of their choice. I was after outdoor gear and Andy was after clothes and shoes. After several outdoors shops I had amassed one climbing rope; one one-person bivvy sack; one two-person, free-standing mosquito net; one small back pack (from Andy for Christmas); and one bed roll. Andy had had less luck on the clothes front, but had managed to obtain a great new pair of knee-high boots and a wind-proof, fleece jacket. We went to all Andy's old haunts from when she was here as a student, including her old rooms at Fisher College on Beacon Street. We dined at 'Pomadoro' on Hanover Street - gorgeous!

Saturday: Lots of shopping again today - mainly Christmas shopping this time. We also took in the Boston Art Museum, which was nice, but a little pricey. We did get to see a selection of Hopper pictures, which made Andy very happy. We dined at 'The Barking Crab', an open-air restaurant down by the water - best seafood I've had in ages!

Sunday: I wanted to pack my bag in the morning, but I broke the zip and had to retire my old bag from active service. We walked the Freedom Trail with one eye out for a luggage shop. Andy bought me another bag (for my birthday this time), which I proceeded to load with 63kg of luggage for my return journey that evening. Andy stayed on in Boston for work.