Flight Report – AC 522 – YYZ to BOS

Since I was scheduled to be in Boston for a work trip that required me to fly in on Sunday, I decided to just fly in one day earlier and give myself 24 hours to explore as much as I could in this historic city.  Coincidentally, there was supposed to be a Stanley Cup Playoff game to be played between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.  So needless to say, it was a smart move on my part to book this Saturday morning flight.

Pearson International Airport - Terminal 1 Entrance

I was bit nervous to see what highway traffic would be like on the way to Pearson International Airport.  No matter what time of the day or week, Highway 401 always seems to be like a parking lot near the airport.  Fortunately, that was not the case today as I was able to get there within 20 minutes by cab.  That must be a record as it usually takes me 30 minutes on average to get to the airport.  Ironically, check-in took me twice as long only because I tried checking in the Air Canada domestic booth by mistake instead of going to their U.S. departures booth instead.  That ate up about 10 extra minutes.

I hope to visit over 180 destinations worldwide in my lifetime!

My Boston flight was departing from Gate F64, so with about an hour to spare before boarding, I walked around there for a bit looking for a different Pearson Airport restaurant to eat at this time.  Lo and behold, there was a Wahlburgers nearby.  Founded by native Bostonians and celebrities Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, it only seemed appropriate that I have my first Wahlburgers experience here at the airport.  What a great way to kick off my trip to Boston – or so I thought.  After the underwhelming service at Wahlburgers, I made it back to my gate just in the nick of time for boarding.  The flight was a 2 x 2 formation and pretty full.  You could tell there were a few people heading to Boston for the hockey game as I saw quite a few Leafs hats being worn.  As usual, I had a window seat to enjoy the view leaving Toronto and heading into Boston.

Boarding Air Canada Flight #522

Beside me sat a very friendly, yet talkative, 62 year old woman named Judy.  She told me she was a lawyer and worked for the Government.  There was a Board of Directors meeting at her Alma Mater that she needed to attend to in Boston, but just like me, she decided to fly in early to see a bit of the city and visit some friends of hers near the area.  Over the course of the 1 hour flight, Judy and I swapped stories about travel, family, and career.  Well, she mainly told me stories about her life, children, career, and travels, and I sat there and just listened.  I could have easily stopped the conversation at any point that I wanted, but she seemed eager to connect with someone – as if she hadn’t had the opportunity to have this type of conversation with another person in quite some time.  But hey, it helped to pass time and I got to learn a little more about Jewish culture and Tel Aviv as a result.

The Toronto skyline en route to Boston

The arrival into Boston Logan International Airport was absolutely stunning as we landed near the harbor.  Somehow we made up a bit of time, so instead of a 90 minute flight, we got there a little over an hour.  Judy and I made our separate ways on the way to the luggage carousel.  She told me that we can take a free shuttle from Boston Logan Airport to the nearest subway station so I could get to my hotel a lot cheaper.  Since I was staying near the Dorchester area instead of downtown Boston, I opted for an Uber instead.  Within a few minutes, I was on my way to the hotel and the start of a 24 hour world wind tour of Boston.  First stop – Dorchester Brewery!

Boston Logan International Airport

AC 522 – YYZ to BOS                                                                       

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft:  Embraer ERJ-190 (twin-jet); Seat: 31F

Cabin:  Business:  Breakfast / Economy:  Food for Sale

Depart: 10:57AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F64

Arrive:  12:03PM EST – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)  

Flight Time: 1:06; Non-Stop Flight – 488 Miles/785 Kilometers; Date:  April 21, 2018

Airport Eats – Wahlburgers

Founded in 2011 by Donnie, Mark, and Paul Wahlberg, Wahlburgers is a popular burger joint in Boston that has made its way across North America, including Toronto.  In fact, there is a Wahlburgers location inside Pearson International Airport.  With such a hype over this burger joint and also finding myself heading to Boston for my latest trip, it only seemed appropriate to eat here.  Spoiler Alert – I wasn’t overly impressed.

Wahlburgers Pearson International Airport

Located near Gate F67, Wahlburgers is easily recognizable with its bright lime green sign.  On this particular Saturday morning, it was relatively quiet with just a couple of tables sat near the front entrance, a few people at the bar, and just a handful of tables inside the main dining room section of the restaurant.  With about an hour before boarding, I figured I had enough time to enjoy a decent breakfast while watching some English Premiere League matches on television.  After sitting at the bar for at least five minutes, a waitress finally came by to take my order.

Paul's Crispy Haddock

I decided to order Paul’s Crispy Haddock with my choice of style of two eggs with Rye toast and a cup of coffee.  While the haddock was light and juicy, the scrambled eggs were average – no different from any other restaurant or diner that I’ve ever ordered scrambled eggs from.  The panko breaded portion of the haddock was perfect – slightly crisp, but not overdone.  I also killed some time by checking StubHub for last minute tickets to the Boston Bruins game that night.  The Boston Bruins were hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game #5 of their Opening Round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The thought crossed my mind about going as I have never been to TD Garden nor a Stanley Cup playoff game for that matter.

Watching the English Premiere League to pass the time

After I had finished my meal, I just sat at the bar patiently waiting for my waitress to return.  Five minutes passed.  Then ten.  Then fifteen.  Where the Hell was she?  Over the course of the one hour that I was here, my waitress only checked up on me once to see how my meal was.  With it now being close to 10am and my flight boarding at any minute, I had to search for my waitress.  Finally, another waitress had to call her out on this terrible service.  To make matters worse, as I tried to pay for my meal, the credit card machine froze.  So my waitress had to search for another one.

The Wahlbergs - Mark, Paul, Alma Elaine & Donnie

Needless to say, when I got to my gate for my flight to Boston, Air Canada had already started boarding passengers.  Luckily, I made it in the nick of time for that or else I would have been royally pissed had I missed my flight.  Honestly, I would not recommend this particular Wahlburgers location if this is how the service is.  The food was fine, but the service can be – and should be – much better than this.  I am hoping this was just a one-off situation and may consider trying it out one more time the next time I am at Pearson Airport.

Wahlburgers - Pearson International Airport

Wahlburgers – Pearson International Airport

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA) – Level 2 Gates, Near Gate F67

Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 5am – Last Flight

Phone: (416) 776-2576