The PingThing Wi-Fi travel blog dates back to almost 2003, known by a couple of names … but the song remains the same. In addition to covering some 70-odd cities, in many of the cities we are now on our second or third go around.
Such is the case with Boston. The first time I pinged about the place, I stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza and their PR team gave me a tour of the “Presidential Suite” where Ted Kennedy among others have stayed while in the city. I even go to see the “porcelain throne,” where Teddy probably made his most impactful contributions. (That was awful! I apologize, RIP.)
Anyway … all of this is to say we have done Boston before. And each time we repeat in a city, the challenge is to come up with new spin.
New Spin! That’s it. You see, in addition to the supposed glamour of being a travel writer, I also have the challenges of working another job on the road — my Dirty Gig in the catastrophe field — a job that is demanding physically and mentally but also is quite hygienically challenging.
Living out of a suitcase, there are days when I say to heck with it and just throw the dirty clothes away. Note to self — ALWAYS check to make sure the local stores have my sizes before I do that. On other days, I have been caught empty handed in regard to laundry detergent … IF the hotel even has a laundry. I am not ashamed to admit I have done laundry in the tub with shampoo. There was one hotel where I rode the elevators and shared the laundry with members of The Hell’s Angels. “Hey Spike, can I borrow some static cling-free sheets?”
I didn’t mean to turn this into a detergent diatribe, but another laundry saga from the road comes to mind, dating back to 2004 in New York/New Jersey. Wi-Fi wasn’t as prevalent then, so I was shocked when I found a laundromat in Jersey with Wi-Fi. I wrote about it at the time, after spending some coin there. Even more surprising, I met the owner, a PR pro who started the entrepreneurial venture to fund his kids’ college. Most surprising, a day later I ran into the laundry owner in NYC’s Grand Central Station. What are the odds?
Yes … for the traveler, laundry is a big thing and has led to some decent stories. So, with my collection of soiled PingWi-Fi t-shirts towering in the corner of my hotel room, I got online and Googled “Boston laundromat.” The first place that popped up looked pretty cool. The name: A New Spin — in Boston’s North End.
I stuffed my clothes into the rental car — which is about the size of the average laundry cart – and headed to New Spin. Did I mention I read New Spin has Wi-Fi? It do and I did. Great Wi-Fi. Ha! Everything else is also cool there. There is original modern art all over the walls, and the machines are high tech and clean. Everything was state of the art and contemporary …
Patti, New Spin
Except … except for the music. Faintly, above the flooding of washers and tumbling of dryers I could hear that bizarre song from the ’70s — the one where the girl can’t get no dates (and probably therefore no satisfaction) because she has acne. I am not making this up. Amidst the sound of whitening whites, I could hear Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” lament to the poorly “complected.” But wait … it sounded too good. This was no recording. Some angelic voice in New Spin was singing along with the washers a-sloshin. I looked around. It was not the other dude in the corner, busy updating his Facebook. Someone else was singing about the “porifically” challenged . Ha … it was the attendant singing. Man! I can’t say much for her choice of songs, but what a voice! Her rendition was much clearer and happier than the original … like an episode of Glee sponsored by Clearasil or something.
I had just met the lady earlier — Patti — because she had tutored me in the computerized, pay-carded, Wi-Fi enabled, ultra modern business model at New Spin. I was intrigued by her, even before I knew she could sing. In personality, she reminded me a bit of a female Woody Allen … and I mean that in a good, funny way. Very animated. Talkative. Whimsical. Pointing out irony in her own comments. A colorful, likable, entertaining person.
So, of course, I struck up a conversation and tried to get her to sing more. Surprisingly, she was stricken with stage fright, once I was onto her singing skills. Oh well … I had already heard her stuff. What a nice little treat as I tweeted away.
As cool as it is. New Spin has one issue. Just as with all its neighbors, New Spin caters more to the North End types who can just walk down the single-car streets and drop their loads so to speak. For a vagabond like me, complete with rental car, the area is a challenge. In fact, I parked for a moment in a restricted parking zone, jettisoned the wardrobe and started my laundry quickly. By the time I finally found a good parking space, and walked back over to Salem from Hanover, my washers were finished.
If you haven’t parked in the North End, especially with a few feet of snow covering sidewalks and residents’ cars, you have missed out. I circled and circled looking for a spot that wouldn’t get me ticketed or towed. The first two I found … well, I knew there had to be a catch. Somehow — in one try — I wedged my car into a parking space that, once parked, left about 10 inches on either end of the car. I whipped in and nailed the spot (and not the cars) in one brief moment of parallel parking glory. I killed! Then I saw the sign that said no dice. Figures.
Finally, I found a spot that was tourist friendly. I parked and quickly walked a few blocks back to New Spin. I finished my stuff and shot a few photos, and updated my status. I should have posted something meaningful on Facebook … like “a man is only as clean as his clothes …” But I din’t.
A laundromat that takes plastic and gives back free Wi-Fi … in a historic setting, with built-in entertainment … a perfect set up and a perfect score — 7 pings for A New Spin.
Before I loaded my new-smelling garb, I did take a quick time out to cross the street for a cup of joe over at Boston Common Coffee Company. At first as I opened my laptop, which was still running, I thought it was still on “Spin cycle.” … I thought the New Spin Wi-Fi signal was covering all the way across the street. At the suggestion of the barista, I refreshed my Wi-Fi list and whisked away the old hotspots. At my suggestion, she refreshed my cup … and we were all happy!
Good coffee and adequate pastries at Boston Common Coffee, nice Wi-Fi set up that is forgiving even for absent-minded bloggers and it has decent seating. But something was just lacking … I can’t put my finger on it. Hmmm … it may have been something cold about the patrons. No … not the fault of the management … but “birds of a feather” and “guilt by association” clauses may apply. Just my opinion anyway – 5 pings.
Old South Meeting Hall
Before leaving the area, I showed some touristy fortitude, snapping photos in the freezing cold — digitally capturing Old North Church — the hot spot used to signal Paul Revere on his famous ride … you know, that whole “One ping if by land, two pings if by sea” update on the approaching British army during the American Revolution.
Poor Richard
And of course, I would have been remiss had I not clicked a few shots of the Ben Franklin statue at the Old City Hall … Ben … “Poor Richard” … the original blogger. Did you know the statue is almost 20 years older than the building? Interesting …
Know what I sayin?
