My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. Since , the family was due for a nice restaurant, so we ventured into Boston and dined at Legal Harborside.
“There’s a spot!” Lainey yelled as I drove down Seaport Boulevard.
“Nope,” she groaned. “Hydrant.”
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We parked in a lot, which was cheap for Boston, and crossed the street to Legal for lunch.
The windows and floors of the restaurant sparkled, a fountain pond teemed with fish, the bar towered with wine and an elevator serviced three entire floors. Obviously, this was the flagship of the Legal Sea Food franchise.
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We were seated at a scenic ground-floor table beside a wall of windows, and soon the action in the harbor caught Lainey’s eye.
“A boat! A boat! Look!” she pointed.
The menu featured throwback items from the original Legal Sea Foods, est. 1968, as well as great kids' choices. Everyone’s food tasted wonderful including Lainey’s pasta, and between bites, she noticed another attraction.
“Can I go fishing?” Lainey exclaimed.
The fountain in the lobby doubled as a catch-and-release fishing pond. A restaurant employee, dressed in orange chest waders, stood by with two mini fishing poles. Once Lainey finished eating, she ran over, and the man baited her hook with a pellet. Lainey tapped the line-release button on her rod, and her hook plunked into the water.
“Here comes a fish!” I exclaimed.
A foot-long trout approached and avoided Lainey’s line. Then another fish passed by, and another.
“I don’t think they’re hungry,” I said.
“Let’s check out the retractable roof!” my wife suggested, knowing Joey could .
“No!” Lainey said. “I’m fishing!”
And so we waited.
“Catch anything lately?” I asked the employee.
“Caught two yesterday,” he said.
“Only two?” I exclaimed.
He explained how this batch of trout had been used for weeks and got wise.
Lainey held her pole and watched the fish swim by. her, but only fished a minute and quit.
“Come on, Lainey!” my wife said. “Let’s go see the view upstairs.”
Lainey looked up sadly and mumbled, “Fine.”
Unfortunately this story doesn’t end by catching the big one, but we had fun and ate some good food. Lainey impressed me with her patience and determination. Guess we're due for a fishing now.