Recipe for happiness: snow at an angle, flat smooth object

In the latest installment of awesome things that kids love that adults should too, I cover the spontaneous decision of myself and a couple of friends to ditch work at 4p on tuesday and head over for some sledding. This is clearly on my top ten list of all-time favorite kid things to do (a list that I will actually compile someday soon).
Sledding is just absolutely awesome. It's simple, requires very little of you other than to acquire some sort of flat or softly curved plastic object, find a sloping hill with some snow (or ice if you want a real adventure), and then a little push to propel yourself forward and get the fun started. I truly feel sad for all of those who grow up in warm places without snow in their backyards for at least a few weeks each year.
And here in one of the flattest places ever, from the moment we decided we wanted--nay, needed--to sled (after the recent noreaster than rambled through here in early march, it's not clear we'll get any more big snow storms again before spring arrives) my friends and I would not be denied by the world's conspirators seeking to prevent us from achieving our dreams: as it turns out, here in cambridge
a) It is really flat, and finding a decent hill on public transport was not obvious
b) Target, along with nearly every other store that one would imagine sells sleds, apparently decided that Spring was already here and thus ceased to keep such products in their stores
c) Malls, the closest of which is the only place within walking distance that had a chance of selling sleds, apparently close early for snowstorms
d) Olympia sport, the only place we could find with "sleds", only had in stock snow rockets and inner tubes made for kids (the latter of which was specifically for "Beginners: ages 3-6", as opposed to the "Intermediate: ages 6-9" or "Advanced: ages 9 and up". Yep, we were actually two levels below our appropriate age range.)

Nonetheless, we were able to abandon our remaining work hours outside of class time to find a way to obtain sleds and get out to the only hill in the area, aobut a 20 minute walk from the Porter Square T stop (3 stops from our offices). And let me say, it fulfilled all expectations, including those of destroying our inner tubes on the spikey ice at the bottom of the hill (see left). Apparently 3-6 year olds don't quite have as much fun on them as 20-somethings do. But we didn't care, it was sooo worth the price of a couple of beers at the local pub....