Wheelchair Travel Newsletter: Night at The Garden, Restaurant Week and Monet's Series
Wheelchair Travel Newsletter: Night at The Garden, Restaurant Week and Monet's Series
Three good things in accessible travel following a hectic few weeks.
Hey, everyone!
There was no newsletter last week and, while I have only committed to two emails per month, I have done a very good job of sending one or two emails a week. The truth is, I have been dealing with some personal struggles and responsibilities for the past month or so, but have finally come up for air!
What better way to celebrate my reemergence than with a thrilling night at TD Garden, or “The Gahhden” as native Bostonians say? My favorite hockey team, the St. Louis Blues, came to town to face off against the Boston Bruins. My friends and I bought cheap seats on the resale market, then swapped them for accessible ones on the lower level. My friend told me it was the best seats he had ever had. Hopefully that was consolation enough, as the Blues dominated the game, 5 goals to 1.
If you’d like to learn how to buy standard tickets, oftentimes below face value, and exchange them for accessible ones, read my article on the Trick to Save Money on ADA Accessible Tickets at Concerts and Sporting Events.
Another treat has just arrived, and that’s Dine Out Boston, my New England hometown’s version of Restaurant Week. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, since we celebrate the city’s best restaurants for not one, but two weeks — from March 10 to 23 this winter. I’ve hit up some of my favorite restaurants already, including the iconic Chart House on Long Wharf and the Seaport neighborhood’s delightful Serafina. Next up is Boqueria, an amazing tapas restaurant that I first discovered just a few weeks ago!
On Sunday afternoon, I followed up lunch with a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one of the best wheelchair accessible attractions in Boston. The museum has a vast collection of early American art, fitting due to the city’s revolutionary history, however I focused in on its European collection. The MFA boasts one of the largest Claude Monet collections outside of Paris, including pairs of paintings that illustrate the author’s tendency to paint a series of the same subject.
In one particular series, with the cathedral in Rouen, Normandy, France as the subject (a departure from his earlier focus on landscapes), Monet demonstrates the effect of changing light conditions on our perception of the structure. While only two pieces from the series are on display at the MFA, the artist painted more than 30 in all from 1892 to 1893. The cathedral still stands today, nearly a thousand years after its groundbreaking in 1030 — visitors and art enthusiasts flock there to capture a mental note (or photo!) of their own perspective in a rapidly changing world.
Watch my interview with the New England ADA Center
Thank you to all of those who joined my vibrant conversation with the Director and Information Specialists from the New England ADA Center. We were able to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act and how the 10 regional ADA Centers help people with disabilities and businesses both large and small.
If you’d like to watch the recording, you can find it at the following link: Watch the Accessible Travel Chat with the New England ADA Center.
In Case You Missed It
I recently published two new accessible travel guides to destinations that are dear to my heart — Boston, Massachusetts and Richmond, Virginia. With spring just around the corner, these are two destinations you should definitely plan to visit!
Since I’m short on new content this week, here are a few stories from the archives that I highly recommend:
Reader Mailbag: Why are beds in ADA hotel rooms so high? — This is one of the most frequent questions that I have been asked over the years.
Trip Report: One Night in Wheelchair Accessible Spokane — This city in Washington state had been on my list for awhile and, although the trip was extremely short, I had a fun time!
Peeling Back The Layers of Gezelligheid, The Untranslatable Dutch Word That Means So Much — A reflection penned during the coronavirus pandemic, following my first trip after I emerged from quarantine and near-total seclusion.
Wheelchair Accessible Tour of the Palace of Versailles in France — Let them eat cake? Why don’t you have a slice at this UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Looking ahead
Though I’ve been “underground” for the past week, I’ve got more than a few irons in the fire! Here are some stories that will be published soon:
The Department of Transportation recently issued a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) for accessible air travel — While many advocates and news outlets have fawned over the news, I will provide a more critical viewpoint.
Artificial Intelligence is all the talk these days, but I’ll take a look at some of the benefits (and pitfalls) it could bring to the world of accessible travel.
In honor of Restaurant Week, I’m going to share a list of my favorite wheelchair accessible restaurants in Boston! And, unlike just about every other publication writing about the best restaurants, no one comped my meals or paid me to create the list.
There are some interesting and quirky stories also coming up, but to detail them here would send you to Google and spoil the surprise. Look out for these stories and more over the next couple weeks!
I also have more than a few trips on my schedule, with the biggest being a trip to London in April where I will attend an expert-led discussion on the laws and regulations impacting accessibility in air travel. If you’d like to support my work and ensure that I’m in the room for these important discussions, please consider upgrading to a paid newsletter subscription. Every subscriber matters, and I greatly appreciate your support!
Talk to you soon!
—John