The Americana Tour – Part 3

As reported in Part 2, the crew voted for the casino. As much as they loved the whole Americana experience, it was time to win a little money!

Unlike Monday, Tuesday was a Bluebird Day for the short run from Marblehead to Boston.

As mentioned earlier, Boston and Massachusetts Bay offer an excellent way to plan an interesting one-week cruise without burning much fuel or taking on significant weather risk.

One additional feature of the area is the Encore in Everett, which is highly accessible by boat.

Encore Boston

Encore is a first-class hotel and casino with a high-quality marina that is mostly open for free short-term dock-and-dine. Or should I say dock, gamble, and dine.

It’s a short 5-mile river run past the airport, under the Mystic Tobin, and eventually through the Alford Street Drawbridge.

The drawbridge is a total hoot, just be aware that it won’t open during rush hour and it must be scheduled in the winter.

Specifically: The draw does not open for the passage of vessel traffic from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., 9:10 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. From November 1 through March 31, between 3 p.m. and 7 a.m., at least an eight-hour advance notice is required for bridge openings by calling the number posted at the bridge. Source: Waterway Guide.

When the bridge isn’t closed, it is very simple to get through. Call Alford Street Bridge on channel 13 and request an opening.

One tip – speak up!

By FCC regulations, VHF channel 13 is limited to 1 Watt, which isn’t really enough.

We arrived at the casino around 11:15 and virtually the entire dock was wide open.

The last time we were here I was able to book 6-hours on dockwa for free. Dockwa was giving me error messages, so Mrs. Horne called and they confirmed us.

I’m not a casino guy, but Mrs. Horne loves them and she reports that Encore is a class act.

I do like most casino restaurants, but as you make expect, most of the Encore restaurants aren’t open for lunch on Tuesdays.

The only sit-down restaurant that was open was Giardino’s…

**Skinny Margarita – $21.95**
tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, salted rim

**Caesar Salad – $17.00**
crisp romaine lettuce, white anchovies, focaccia herb crostini, Parmesan, tomato confit, Caesar dressing

**Classic Burger – $22.00**
Pat LaFrieda custom blend beef patty, Vermont cheddar, pickle, lettuce, tomato, red onion, on brioche bun served with Seashore fries Add crispy bacon, fried egg or avocado for $3.00.

Jake and I shared the Cubano and it was excellent!

**CUBANO – $24.95**
Pulled pork, Black Forest ham, dill pickles, Swiss cheese, wholegrain mayo, pressed ciabatta

Marina Bay

Both Marina Bay and Sunset Bay had room for us on Tuesday night. I went with Marina Bay since it gave us more restaurant options and it was closer to the Encore and Waterboat Marina – our Wednesday night destination.

Jake was thrilled that Mrs. Horne promoted him to 3rd Mate which entitled him to wear a headset!

The Reelhouse

We have eaten at every restaurant in Marina Bay and the consistently best is the Reelhouse. My only issue is that their menu is somewhat limited.

**Clam and Corn Chowder – $17**
smoked bacon, croutons

**Mezze Plate – $17**
hummus, whipped feta, beet tzatziki, olives, harissa pita chips

**Grilled Flat Iron – $38**
Garlic mashed potatoes, broccolini, red wine sauce

**Blue Crab Fried Rice – $24**
diced vegetables, jalapeño, soy sauce, sesame oil

This may have been the best food I’ve ever had at the Reelhouse. Special kudos to the Mezze Plate and Flat Iron steak.

The Final Day – Wednesday Boston

Jake and Peggy had an early flight home on Thursday morning, so the Waterboat Marina off Long Wharf was a perfect destination.

It’s only about five miles from Marina Bay and Wednesday was flat calm in the harbor.

The first time we stayed at Waterboat we were in our 41’ Back Cove – Vigilant. We loved the location, but the smaller the boat, the deeper into the marina they stick you.

We were practically in the Marriott parking lot.

When we got our 60, I spoke to the Dockmaster and he assured me we’d always be out front with the big boats.

As they say, there is always someone with a bigger boat!

The Black Rose

Although the Americana portion of the tour was over, I thought I’d show our guests an iconic Boston landmark for lunch.

**SPINACH SALAD – $16**
roasted butternut squash, pecans, red onion, dried cranberries, goat cheese and Maple vinaigrette

**FISH AND CHIPS (half portion) – $26**
fresh local scrod, lightly fried with pub fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce

**BLACK ROSE CORNED BEEF** **– $19**
thinly sliced house cooked corned beef, honey mustard dressing, red onion and melted swiss on ciabatta bread

**REUBEN – $19**
boston brisket corned beef, sauerkraut,
swiss cheese, roisin dubh dressing

As you might expect, the corned beef was excellent!

By now, Boston had become what the townies call a Wicked Scorcha with temps in the high 80’s and 100% humidity.

I knew just the place to cool down the crew…

The Boston Aquarium

Who doesn’t love an aquarium, especially on a hot day? It was $37 each, but that also got us a 45-minute 3D movie.

It was too dark for good photos, so I made a 90-second video of my favorite parts.

Boston’s North End

One of the great things about Waterboat Marina is the short walk to the North End, so for our final dinner, we brought Jake and Peggy out for some authentic Italian food.

In Plan A, I had booked Momma Mia’s, but I couldn’t get in when the dates changed. With a little research, I came up with Arya.