Since Tuesday, Ellie and I have been in Boston for an optometry conference. So while she goes to conference events during the day, I entertain myself however I can. Wednesday I chose to loop the peninsula on foot. Twas north of 95 degrees and 40% humidity when I departed. An hour and a half later when I returned, my clothes were soaked through with sweat, and my tongue had turned to sandpaper.

Bostonians like to refer to theirs as the walking city, when what they really mean is the geographically small city, or perhaps the hellish for drivers city. In half a dozen hours, I’ve already zigged and zagged through everything interesting downtown. Historic buildings, cemeteries, and shopping districts all clump together in a few square miles. Today, amidst a tangled mess of roads–many original, I’m sure–I hunt for postcards.