It’s Christmas again, and Janet and I are developing some pretty strong traditions. Yearly we travel to NY to see the department store windows. We host a Christmas brunch for the Sheppard clan. We Facetime with the Dancy clan on Christmas Eve to be a part of the celebration. And this year we will repeat what we started last year by celebrating Christmas dinner at a Boston restaurant.

As much as we loved LaVoile last year, we chose Strega in the North End for our dining celebration this year.  Unlike last year, we drew on an old Oregon tradition of going to the movies on the holiday. The day was snowy and wet, but we persisted anyway. We debated on taking the subway to the North End or driving and parking. I decided to drive, remembering how easy it was to find a parking place last year. However, I was totally unprepared for the intricacies of parking in the North End.

Each parking space has a sign that includes no less than 5 conditions:

• Arrow to the right-
  • Tow Zone-no stopping 11AM-11PM
  • North End resident parking only 11 PM -8 AM
  • 15 minute parking only 8AM-11AM except Sunday
• Arrow to the left
  • 30 minute parking limit 8AM-6PM except Sundays
  • North end resident parking only 6PM-8AM

Janet and I drove around for 15 minutes searching for a space that we could read the sign that said it was legal to park for our 5:00 reservation. As it turned out, a spot was open across the street from our restaurant, what luck.  It indicated we had one hour to park freely.

Though there wasn’t a special holiday menu, Strega was a wonderful experience. We always enjoy the North End.  My favorite part was sharing the holiday with Janet. I do lots of adventures, sometimes solo, sometimes in groups, but mostly with Janet. She gets me, and enjoys the journey. Thanks for a wonderful day. You’re my favorite.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller