Hello sports fans! I doubt that I have too many fans of the New England Patriots football team as followers, but you never know. I have been following the Patriots since before Bill Belichick joined the team as manager and Tom Brady as quarterback, but I had never watched a game in person at the stadium or been there. Today, my trip to Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots, was my first visit.
I left my house at 9:55am and arrived at about 11:05. It’s almost 60 miles from where I live, but with great weather and not much traffic, I arrived at the specific parking lot that I had to get to in about an hour and 10 minutes. Fortunately, I found a website online and Jeff sent me an article on the Boston Herald’s website that gave me a lot of useful information. Because the site is so huge, they are giving COVID shots at two different areas of the stadium, East and West. I had a few tense moments on Tuesday night when I was worried that I wouldn’t receive an email telling me which area I had to go to, but sure enough it arrived around 10pm.
Gillette Stadium at Patriots Place is basically one big mall with tons of stores and restaurants. In fact, it was so unremarkable from the outside that I didn’t even think to take a photo! I guess it’s a destination for people who live in the area, people who want to visit the stadium whether there are games being held or not, and lots of places for people attending the games to spend money. Since I am not shopping in stores right now, I didn’t check any of them out. I wonder if Patriots Place has a Sephora?
I arrived almost a half hour early. Because I wasn’t sure what the traffic situation would be and there’s a lot of highway construction going on, I didn’t want to take a chance of missing my appointment. So when I got to the correct parking lot, I had to wait inside my car till 10 minutes before my appointment. There was a big LED sign above the entrance to the facility that posted which appointment they were currently serving. My appointment was at 11:35am, so I headed toward the door at 11:25am. I had to wait outside in line for a couple of minutes. Once I got inside, I received a new mask, cleaned my hands with sanitizer, showed a staff member my appointment page and my phone screen showing that I had filled out a medical update online before my appointment. From there, the line moved so quickly that I just kept walking to an open desk where I presented my identification and then got my shot a few minutes before schedule. I could hardly feel it. Things sure have changed since I was a kid and used to hide in the bushes when my mother looked for me to go to the pediatrician to get a shot. Those really hurt.
Then I told another friendly staff member that I was “low risk” (for vaccine reactions), and he gave me a button and bracelet to mark the occasion and told me to have a seat for 15 minutes to make sure I was OK. While I was waiting, I scanned a QR code to make my second appointment in a month (I got the Moderna vaccine).
On my way out, we were allowed to go out onto a balcony and watch the grounds keepers taking care of the field. Looks like they took up the old grass and were preparing it to plant new grass in the spring. I snapped a few pics just in case I never get to a game (since the tickets cost a fortune).
Easy peasy. That was it. Although I certainly was unhappy with our governor when I tried to make an appointment last week because the websites kept crashing from all the online traffic, but I give him and his staff kudos for setting up an amazingly efficient mass vaccination site.
The drive home was equally fast, again about an hour and 10. After I left Gillette Stadium and hit the road, I had a mild asthma-like reaction where I had a little trouble breathing. I don’t have a rescue inhaler, but fortunately that sensation dissipated by the time I got home. The hardest part was that I was so sleepy, I almost fell asleep at the wheel. That was the only downside to having to make such a long drive. I opened the window to keep myself awake, and I got home in one piece.
Now a few hours later, I have a mild headache and soreness at the injection site. No biggie. But I am so happy and relieved.
I hope everyone who wants the COVID vaccine can get it within the next few months, actually I hope even sooner than that. Maybe our country will turn the corner and get back to a more normal state of affairs this autumn.
Thank you to all the medical workers and other folks who have been working so tirelessly for the past year! I hope that the end will be in sight for them in the not too distant future.
Take care. Be well! And thank you for all the good wishes you sent in the comments and via email 🙂 xoxo
15 Comments
One down one to go! I also got my shot yesterday short drive short time in there. Total time in there might’ve been 30 minutes. When they made the first appointment they made the second one so I was all set on that. I agree the shot didn’t hurt and I didn’t have any reaction to it. Arm is a little sore but so far so good hope the same goes for you today.
So happy that everything went well for you, Gloria! Did you get Pfizer or Moderna? Just think, in a month (or less maybe for you if Pfizer), we will be protected at least for a while. 🙏🏻👍🏻🤞🏻🍀❤️
I got the Pfizer and on 3/17 I will have the second one. I am so tired of my apartment ready to get out and do things again. I never realized the simple things that we did that I would miss so much. Have a good weekend we have sunshine, temp in the 50’s for the next week.
That’s great that on St. Patrick’s Day, you will be full vaccinated, Gloria! Yay! I know what you mean about missing the simple things. A friend of mine emailed me today to let me know that Trader Joe’s just got some burgundy red helleborus plants in, and she picked up another one or two. I hadn’t been to Trader Joe’s since Dec. 2019. That store is very small, and there is supposedly always a line to get in, so I have avoided it. But since I had my first shot yesterday, I decided to make a quick trip there, and I managed to get the last plant! I miss going grocery shopping, isn’t that weird? Plus, there are so many friends and relatives I haven’t seen in more than a year, boo. I’m sure it’s the same for you! I hope that you can get out and take a walk in your neighborhood this weekend since your weather sounds like it will be amenable to some outdoor time! We’re expecting rain, lol, but this week, we have had clear blue sky though it’s still chilly. Take care!
Most of the country is having trouble making appointments on line. Most citizens in Florida who qualify are just now able to get reservations. I’m glad you got your vaccination and was surprised to read that you had side effects on the drive home. It’s all worth it for the protection and peace of mind. I hope you continue this thread so we can read about your second experience.
Yes, Mary, you are so right. Every state has a different plan, and some states’ plans work better than others. In Massachusetts, the sign up process online has been a complete nightmare. It’s a joke that our governor who was supposedly the CEO of a big MA HMO before he was elected completely botched the rollout process. After healthcare workers, the next group up were people 75+ the vast majority of whom were incapable of making their own appointments online, and not all of them had children, grandchildren or caretakers to do it for them. Plus the websites just do not work. The state hired a new company to make the website, and clearly that company didn’t do a great job. I am feeling better today, though my reactions were certainly not too big a deal. I didn’t expect to be short of breath (I have asthma and don’t use a rescue inhaler) especially when I had left the vaccination site and already started the long drive home. Then I started falling asleep at the wheel, but of course, last night, I couldn’t sleep at all, lol. Today, I feel pretty normal except for soreness at the vaccination site and a swollen lymph node under my arm on that side. I bet both will be gone by tomorrow. Because I probably won’t be able to get an appointment for my 2nd dose 3/24 closer to home, I hope Jeff will go with me and wait in the car so he can drive, at least back to his apartment near Boston, in case I am under the weather. I had a really bad reaction to the 2nd Shingrix shot, so I am slightly apprehensive, but it will certainly be worth it!
Allison, I am so happy everything went well with your first shot! Please keep us updated on how you are doing. I enjoy your non-beauty posts as much as the beauty-related posts. Although it’s so much fun to go back through your Project Pan and best of the year posts when I am looking for new products to try. Stay well:).
Thank you so much, Denise! Today, I am feeling better except for a very sore arm and an enlarged lymph node under my arm on that side. Hopefully, they’ll be gone tomorrow! Thank you also for telling me that you also enjoy the non-beauty posts! I know that most of us aren’t buying a lot of beauty products these days, so I really need a change from time to time to write about something different 😉 I’m hoping that after I get my second dose, I can get out more than I have been, and I can start doing more giveaways too. Stay well, too xo
Hi Allison,
Glad your weather was good and it was an easy drive. I got my first Moderna on Feb. 13th and my second on March 13th. I was upset that I didn’t get an appointment for my 2nd shot when I had my first. In fact I have been concerned but I got the text today telling me when my appointment would be. I got lucky and was able to go to Rite Aid for my shot. Was so glad as walking can be difficult if my balance is off that day. I understand that the 2nd shot can cause more side effects but I will plan ahead and have supplies on hand to see me through a couple of days IF I would not feel well.
Do you make the little plum filled pastry/hats for Purim?
Thank you, Sandy!. I’m glad that you got your second appointment so you don’t have to worry about it, and glad that it’s close to home. I had some side effects to the first dose, so like you, I am a bit concerned about the second one and will have to be prepared. I would like to try to get an appointment for the second dose much closer to home. In fact, I got an appointment to sign up for an appointment at a popup clinic about 5 minutes from my house. But it doesn’t say on the website or on the email which vaccine it is. So I have a feeling it’s Pfizer, and like you, I need Moderna. Ugh. But I have about 28 days to figure it out, or see if I can drive to Jeff’s and have him take me the rest of the way. But if I am feeling under the weather afterwards, I would rather be at my house than his 🙁
Sandy, this year I haven’t had a chance to make hamentaschen. I probably should have made some in advance and frozen them, but with getting my vaccine yesterday, I sort of forgot about Purim this year. Jeff attended a Zoom Megillah reading tonight because his older daughter was playing the part of Queen Esther!
Hi Allison,
Congrats on being fully vaccinated. I get dose #2 this Sunday. I really started reading your blog daily in 2021. It’s great! I’ve discovered some great skin treatments, firming, moisturizing, and today, for the first time ever, using a primer, Smashbox, Photo Finish. How did I ever do without it? Also got some colored under eye corrector, and an airbrush concealer. Love that too!
Hope you never have to go to Gillette Stadium again (my trips there were for Brigham medical appts). Thanks,
Nancy
Thank you, Nancy! I am happy to hear from you. Actually, I just got my first dose of Moderna at Gillette Stadium yesterday. I am scheduled to go back in a month, unfortunately. I am trying to find an appointment for a second Moderna shot closer to home, but I’m not sure it will be possible. I’m glad to hear that you will be fully vaccinated by end of day Sunday. Woo hoo! I’m glad you’ve been finding some fun and effective beauty products to try out. Because my skin has gotten drier over the years, I’ve been using more and more hydrating primers that are more like skincare. My current faves are Tatcha Liquid Silk and IT No. 50 Primer Serum, but I still have Smashbox Photofinish on hand especially when I am traveling (which is never these days). Take care! Good luck on Sunday, Nancy!
I was told to move my arm up and down during the day to help keep the pain lighter in my arm. I hope you can get Jeff to take you for the second vaccine in case you have another reaction then.
You know me, Marcia. I decided to go jogging this afternoon! Oddly enough, my joints hurt, but thankfully, they didn’t get to be too bad till I got near home. I have been using my arm, carrying the groceries up the stairs, doing chores around the house etc. I can tell that my arm is improving vs how it felt this morning. I think I will be 100% by tomorrow, I hope. Jeff said he would drive me next time. I did get another appointment 5 minutes from my house, but though the website and the emails don’t say which vaccine it is, I think it is Pfizer, not what I need. So back to Gillette it will most likely be. Nevertheless, I am grateful that I got an appointment somewhere.