Day Four: Sushi, and Church Doings

It seems that my days increasing later as my vacation continued . . . whether because I had some loose ends to tie up at work in the mornings or because I simply slept in. So, after dragging myself back into the albatross that is known as the Boston public transportation system, I found myself at a sushi place I had learned about called Gyuhama:

It was good, but not great, probably the only Boston meal I would do differently if I could. I did enjoy the “Rock and Roll” sushi roll, which included jalapenos. That isn’t an easy find!

I agonized during lunch about what to do with my day, and finally settled on trying to squeeze in tours of both the Christian Science World Headquarters and Fenway Park (there’s a combo for you!). But I found the Christian Science HQ so interesting that I blew off the Fenway Park tour and explored the entire HQ and accompanying museum. I especially liked the Hall of Ideas, with a fountain in which quotes swirl around:

And then flow onto the floor and up the wall:

I also enjoyed the Mapparium, a 3-D colored glass globe in which you can stand:

After emerging from the Mapparium, I ducked into what was the nicest semi-public restroom I have ever seen:

In case you’re wondering how I snapped this photo, that is a funny story all by itself. I was stalling as I washed my hands, waiting for a lady to leave because I was too embarrassed to photograph a bathroom in front of her. She was taking a really long time and I nearly gave up. But then, she took out a camera and snapped a photo. I laughed and told her I had been waiting for her to leave so I could do the same thing; she laughed and said she thought I would never leave! Turns out that she is an art teacher and loved the mosaic work; she wanted a photo so she could show it to her students. She lamented the lack of light and I suggested that she try this shot near the window, which turned out well:

Another woman entered the restroom while we were both taking pictures, and we just laughed and laughed.

The Quest Gallery, the Christian Scientists’ pseudo-museum, was also very interesting:

There were many interactive displays, in which you could hear “regular folk” and also Val Kilmer talk about their spirituality:

Perhaps my favorite part of the place was this view of the Christian Science Monitor newsroom, accompanied by a great interactive display that gave an excellent tutorial concerning all that goes on in a day in the life of a newspaper:

I stayed there for a long time, but had to leave when the gallery closed. I'm closing down shop on this entry for the moment, but will return tomorrow to write about the rest of my day four!