I left a VERY crisp morning in Maine to board my bus to Boston. It was odd leaving there without Dave, but the bus trip is such an easy way to get there. Much better than air travel right now.
Beautiful blue skies and changing leaves provided a very pleasant ride. Riding into Portland, I see Maine Medical Center in the distance, where 20 years ago this week, I was fighting for my life after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm. I am blessed to live another day as a result of the hard work during that time and in subsequent years.
I have had some brief conversations with some of my fellow tea travelers via WhatsApp in the last couple of weeks prior to the trip and some kindness and generosity has already been shown.
Lorna Reeves, our hostess with the mostest and editor-in-chief of TeaTime Magazine, has been most helpful in answering some of my silly questions as well. I appreciate her kindness and patience.
My exit from South Station caused some confusion, but I was able to finally find my driver, Ateeb, who was very kind, even though he had to be over at Logan airport for another transport. I appreciated his patience and I gave him a five-star review afterwards.
We arrived at The Newbury Boston, my home for the next four nights. Although I arrived early, thankfully a room was available so I had some time to refresh and press some clothes for tonight’s opening afternoon tea.
The Newbury is a beautiful hotel in a fantastic location directly across from the park. The room is spacious and clean and they cater to your every need, although I am not high maintenance, so they’ll find me an easy guest. Everyone has been warm and welcoming.
Tour guests gathered in the lobby around 3:40 and started small introductions, then a small touring bus delivered us to the Silver Dove Tearoom, a few blocks away.
Boston reminds me of London with its narrow streets and modern skyline with a mix of historically-significant buildings scattered about. Granted, it’s quite a young history compared to London.
Arriving at Silver Dove, we were shown to a side room for a private tea. We were given several opening drink options. I chose a glass of champagne. Once all were served, Bruce Richardson provided a lovely toast to begin the official festivities.
Teas were ordered and our first course was warm currant scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. I thought the sconces were excellent and the pu-erh tea I chose complimented them well. Teas were served in small tea-for-one sets.
Three-tiered serving trays were then delivered to our table where we shared some scrumptious savory bites that included cucumber sandwiches, carrot tarte tatin, duck confit, and a fabulous coronation chicken that was just the right amount of spice.
Although it was difficult to hear over everyone chattering, it was nice to get to know some of my fellow tea lovers. I was lucky to sit next to Bruce and was able to chat to him about the history of tea, Scotland, and tearooms he has run and visited over his extensive career.
By the time I got to the sweets tier, I’m afraid my tummy was full. I HAD to have a cranberry macaron, but that was all I could handle at this point.
After the service was complete, Lorna and Bruce gifted everyone with a tote bag adorned with Boston historical highlights and a tin of Abigail’s Blend tea which I will enjoy tomorrow morning with my travel electric tea kettle in my room.
Then an impromptu excursion was suggested by Bruce to walk up to the Granary Burying Ground graveyard, a short distance away to view some of the historical graves there. Everyone was up for the walk after such a filling tea. We set out on foot, but were disappointed upon arriving and finding the gate was already closed for the day. We did see Samual Adams’ grave from the street.
Bruce informed us there are about 5,000 souls buried in this graveyard, but only about 250 grave stones. At a distance you can tell the stones are very old.
As we waited for our transportation to show up, I enjoyed seeing the vibrant and diverse culture of Boston and experience the hive of activity on every city street.
Our jet-black travel van arrived and we made our way back to the hotel enjoying the city lights and getting fleeting glimpses inside the lives of some of the historical brownstones.
After ironing some clothes and figuring out how to work the darn light switches in the room, I’m writing this blog post while overlooking the city lights from my hotel room and drinking a glass of red wine and listening to Aaron Copland. Yes, I DID break open the mini bar.
I think this is a really fun group of people and sharing a love of tea is what has brought us all together.
Cheers!
About Lorna Reeves
Lorna Reeves was introduced to the pleasures of afternoon tea at the Williamsburg Inn in Virginia, and it wasn’t long before tea drinking became an essential part of her daily routine. She joined Hoffman Media, publisher of TeaTime, in 1991 and has been editor of the magazine for more than half of its 23-year history.
Lorna’s travels to tea estates around the world have given her a deep appreciation for the beverage and those who produce it. She served as editor of the award-winning book Jane Pettigrew’s World of Tea and speaks regularly at tea festivals throughout the United States and Canada.
About Bruce Richardson
Tea blender, writer, and historian Bruce Richardson has been one of the leading voices in America’s tea renaissance since founding Elmwood Inn Fine Teas more than 30 years ago. He serves as a contributing editor for TeaTime and is much in demand as a speaker across North America and Asia.
Named Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum in 2011, Bruce has designed signature teas for museums including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, and Yale Center for British Art. He co-wrote A Social History of Tea and edited Okakura Kakuzo’s classic The Book of Tea.
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