"Where everybody knows your name..." - Cheers
This post lands us in the beautiful Boston, Massachusetts. Not only were Will and I here to explore this incredible, and iconic American city, we got to witness one of our best friends get married! Shout out to Eric & Lauren- congrats guys!
So, I am notorious for wanting to sleep in and take the 11AM flight to whatever our destination is. However, for this trip we took the 7AM flight which got us to Boston by 9:00AM. I actually LOVED this because we then had all day to explore. When you are traveling a distance just for the weekend, take the early flight. You won't regret it.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge and they actually had our room ready upon arrival around 10:00AM. Here's a tip: just because your hotel says the room won't be ready until 3 (or whatever time they give you), it doesn't hurt to get there and ask. You never know, it could be ready! At the very least, they will hold your luggage for you which is a tremendous help, especially if you plan to travel all weekend via hotel shuttle or taxi and don't have a rental car to stow your stuff while you explore.
Speaking of taxi, Uber is AMAZING in Boston! We have met the absolute NICEST people here! They have been quick, efficient, and so personable. Boston Uber drivers, you deserve a round of applause for making this trip stress free! Again, if you haven't tried Uber, or if you don't know what it is, it is an online taxi service (you buy the app on your phone). These folks are everyday people in their own personal vehicles. You "hail" the taxi via the app (it shows you who is the closest to you) and then they come and pick you up and drop you off, just like a normal taxi. Here is the awesome part, everything is done via the app, including pay AND tip. Our taxi fares (including tip) to travel up to 15-20 minutes away, were $11 and $14. We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel (most places Uber is unfortunately banned from airports because duh...everyone would be using that over the normal taxis), a 20 minute ride, and it cost us $50. Did I mention how awesome Uber is??
Ok so let me talk about the people of Boston. When you hear people from Boston talk about how awesome their city is and the people it's like ok everybody says that about where they are from. But no. These folks in Boston have it going on! They are SO nice! I literally was standing on the street in the North End (which reminded me of Little Italy in NYC), and I was all, "I wish I knew who was a local so they could tell us where to eat! and BAM this man walks up and was like, "So you wanna know where to eat?" It was AMAZING! He sent us to this incredible restaurant that had an open front so it was like we were on the street eating which was so cool, and this man walks by selling ROSES like you see in the movies. I've never been to Italy but I swear for those 2 hours we were there I felt like I was. This place is so awesome! But let me finish about the people before I jump into the North End because I could go on about that for hours.
So you walk around and everyone is just NICE. The street performers are awesome and funny, the folks running the shops are nice, the Uber guys were amazing, hotel staff was great, the waitress in the North End called me Bella, I can't get over this city. Seriously. Book your trip now because it's awesome!
The weather y'all. Like I am so done with this 100 degree mess and humidity we've been having in NC. Like I'm DONE with sweating all the time. We get here and there is ZERO humidity so 80 feels like 72. There's a BREEZE (like what is that, we never have that back home) and y'all...brace yourself...NO mosquitos. Can I get an Amen?!
We started the day at Boston College. Will had to do some business so we dropped him off and then I ventured off with my in-laws to check out the area. There is a Dunkin' Donuts on about every corner- more so than Starbucks and CVS. Bostonians LOVE their DD! Boston College is beautiful, but there isn't a ton to do in the immediate area. You will have to jump on the Green Line (more on this later) to get to a destination with plenty to do.
After Will finished his work, we headed over to Faneuil Hall. Faneuil Hall is full of restaurants, shopping, and street performers. There's also the actual Hall which you can learn about the history of Boston. We spent a few hours walking around and in and out of the different shops. One shop that I loved was called Make Way for Ducklings: A Storytime Store. For all the teachers out there, you MUST stop in this shop! It is precious! This store is based off the popular children's book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, which takes place in Boston. McCloskey also wrote Blueberries for Sal and Lentil. They have t-shirts with the ducklings on it (which were SO cute) amongst other cute gifts. It also has TONS of classic and new children's books as well as educational/classroom toys and games. It also had that wonderful book store smell (avid readers know what I'm talking about!) There is so much to see and EAT in Faneuil Hall! Here is a list of restaurants you can grab an awesome meal at, including Cheers! Look around that website for more info on shopping as well!
We also ventured over to the North End, which isn't too far from Faneuil Hall. The North End reminded me of Little Italy in NYC. It was awesome! More restaurants than you can imagine, bakeries, and shops. The famous bakery there is Mike's Pastry. The line was out the door. As we got in the long line, a local was standing near by and said, "Are you really standing in line for Mike's?" Will's step-dad said, "I'm afraid so!" and the guy said, "That's the biggest tourist trap down here. You should go to Modern Pastry- that's where the locals go." So off we went and boy am I glad we did. It wasn't even a block away and there was a line, but not out the door like Mike's. It was SO GOOD. So many treats to choose from! I chose the chocolate mousse and omg...y'all. SO SO GOOD! For dinner we ate at the wonderful Trattoria Il Panino. This was a straight up authentic Italian restaurant. Fresh ingredients, a menu where you can't pronounce any of the dishes, and an Italian waitstaff. It was fabulous! They also serve your food in a frying pan which was awesome. They have this wonderful outdoor seating area where you are right on the street so you have a view of the city and it makes for great people watching.
After dinner and dessert at Modern Pastry we headed back towards Faneuil Hall. We walked through a beautiful garden area where friends were enjoying a picnic dinner on the lush grass, surrounded by beautiful flowers and as the sun was starting to set. The weather was a perfect 70ish degrees. A beautiful night! The street performers were everywhere at this point. We deciding to watch the group 2 Steps Away. This dance crew consisted of 8 young men: Boo, Sham, SkiLLz, ChuBBz, NeL, Jolly, Leek, and Vincente. They were AMAZING. They did all of these crazy flips and tricks, right on the concrete! Their strength and moves were mind-blowing! At the end of the show they called out 8 TALL men from the audience. They lined these guys up and one of the performers ran and flipped over the line of guys. It was INSANE! They really drew in a large crowd and they kept us laughing and entertained the whole time. Check them out on Facebook for videos, pictures, and more!
The next day we ventured out to the beautiful Harvard Square. Harvard Square is (obviously) home to the prestigious Harvard University. You just feel smarter walking around that campus! They have tons of tours you can take of the University, or you can just walk around like we did. Unfortunately we got caught in a downpour so our walk around campus was short lived. However, we did get to see more of the campus when we returned later that evening for the wedding we were attending. The architecture is beautiful and it's pretty amazing to say that you've been to Harvard.
There are tons of shops and restaurants around Harvard. My favorite shop that we went to was Harvard Book Store. Again, that book store smell, takes you away as you enter this historic and beautiful book store. Rows and rows of books AND they have those awesome ladders on wheels (which I may have snuck a picture on one!). There's just something about an old, good book store. One thing I loved in particular about this store was that they had these tags hanging off the shelves that would tell you the review of an employees favorite books. I thought this was so unique of this store and it did give me some great suggestions for future reads! They also had great gifts (like a tote bag that looked like an old fashioned library check out card!) amongst other cool book accessories, stationary, and pens. If you are a fellow bookworm, you MUST stop in!
We also went to the Harvard Shirt Shop to get a Harvard sweatshirt. You have to get one if you are there! I also splurged and got a Harvard Rowing Team shirt which is super preppy and I love it. A local on the ride over told us to go to The COOP if we wanted Harvard or MIT apparel. Unfortunately we were unable to go in due to our tight schedule with the wedding that day, but when we go back I will definitely be stopping in!
For lunch we had the best pizza of our lives at Pinnochio's Pizza and Subs. It's located at 74 Winthrop Street and you HAVE to go. There is no question. If you go to Boston, you eat at Pinnochio's. They serve up Sicilian style pizza with tons of toppings to choose from. They also have huge list of subs that all sounded amazing. Reviewing the menu is making my mouth water. No matter what time of day you are in Harvard Square, Noch's is open. During the undergrad school year they are open until 2:30 AM on Friday's and Saturday's. They have a crazy awesome lunch special, so if you are in Harvard for lunch it's probably one of the cheapest deals you will be able to find. I want to say 2 slices and a drink was less than $5. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact price and it's not on their menu online. The guys running the shop can make a mean pizza and man, where they quick! The only downside to Noch's is that it is SMALL. Talk about a hole in the wall. If you are traveling with a crowd, get it to go and find a spot within Harvard's campus, or a nearby park to eat. Also, if you are traveling with someone that requires handicap assistance, there really isn't enough room for a wheelchair/power scooter. We ended up leaving Will's scooter parked outside while we ate. Same goes for strollers. There's literally no room to navigate that so like I said, get it to go and enjoy the beauty of Harvard Square and eat outside.
As some of you know, Will is a HUGE Apple fan. He found out there is a 3-story Apple Store in Boston so we HAD to go. We had to travel from Harvard Square to Boylston Street. The way to get from point A to point B was via the Red Line. The subway system in Boston is like the subway system in New York. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get from one place to the other while in Boston. There are 5 different lines all distinguished by colors. There is a CharlieCard kiosk where you can load up your card and then you ride. I was thankful that my step-father-in-law was there to help us navigate. He's a pilot so he has the whole direction thing down and I am directionally challenged so I was SO happy he knew what was going on. I HIGHLY suggest that if you are terrible with directions to research these lines and where they go PRIOR to going to Boston. Have it mapped out so you are not stressed and confused. It is all hustle and bustle and a hot, loud, and crowded subway station is not the place to be stressed and frazzled. Check out the MBTA's website here to help you get a grasp on how the public transportation works in Boston.
Boylston Street is beautiful and the place to go to shop and eat. Countless restaurants and shops (including a 3-story Crate & Barrel) are on this famous street. This is also the street where the Boston Marathon finish line is located where the Marathon bombings took place. We never made it to the finish line (again, tight schedule this day) but a local did tell us that there were still memorials where the finish line was on Boylston Street during the bombings. I really wish we could have made it down to the line. It is definitely in the plans for the next time we visit Boston.
Boylston Street was the last place that we toured of Boston. We had the wedding that night in the beautiful Harvard Square. The ceremony took place in Harvard Memorial Church. We were not allowed to take pictures within the church, but I can tell you that it was magnificently beautiful. The reception was at the Harvard Faculty Club which was the perfect reception venue. The Club had several rooms that the reception flowed into: dinner in one room, dancing in another, and cake in a third room. It was flawless, and pretty incredible to be a part of a wedding in Harvard. Who gets to say they did that? The experience was unreal and we were so grateful to witness such a beautiful wedding of such incredible, lifelong friends.
There is SO much more to see in do in Boston that we didn't get to because of it being such a short trip. You can easily do a week in Boston and not get bored of it! Here are even more options of famous places in Boston to see and do:
- Fenway Park: home of the Boston Red Sox
- Freedom Trail
- Duck Tours
- Museum of Fine Art
- Boston Museum of Science
- New England Aquarium
- Public Garden
- Boston Harbor
- Paul Revere's House
- Countless cemeteries where famous figures are buried
- Bunker Hill Monument
- Swan Boats
- Boston Harbor Walk
- Boston Navy Yard
- The list goes on and on!!!!
Book your trip. You'll LOVE it!
-Cassie