Boston: The Walking City

I, as well as my blistered feet, can definitely attest that "the Walking City" is a fitting and accurate nickname for Boston.  My calves are tight and my body aches with the pains of a satisfying long weekend seeing the sights and checking off another destination on my must-see travel list. It's the best kind of hurt though, because along with the sore muscles, memories were made and experiences were added my travel repertoire. 

Enough of my post-travel woes, let's get to good stuff! Our trip began on an early, cloudy Friday morning. We arrived safely in Boston after a quick flight, and I was a bit disappointed by the immediate chill I felt as the outside doors opened. Oh well, as an experienced traveler, I just added another layer to my outfit! We easily navigated the T, Boston's metro transit subway system, and checked into our hotel. We had penciled out a general itinerary prior to our arrival and Harvard Square was first on the list. We grabbed a quick lunch at Felipe's Taqueria, in the midst of a bustling Harvard Square. It was sprinkling but that didn't seem to bother anyone as seemingly sophisticated students and distinguished professors scurried through the streets with their Hunter wellies and Burberry umbrellas. 

As a group of recent college grads, of course we had to check out the Harvard campus and Harvard yard. And of course, it was absolutely beautiful. Stemming from years as a design and horticulture student, I absolutely loved the picturesque campus with its classic brick buildings accented by abundant cherry blossoms and other spring blooms. 

Next up, Little Italy. Our group had one destination in mind: Mike's Pastry. Numerous travel blogs and "must-see" Boston lists boasted this as the destination for the "best" cannolis around. Well, I'm partial to Presti's Bakery in Cleveland's Little Italy and of course Italy itself, but I must say, Mike's did not disappoint. I had a chocolate mousse cannoli and also snagged a few tastes of Mitch's peanut butter cannoli, too. Yum! 

The North End, especially the Little Italy neighborhood proved to be on the top of my Boston favorites list.  The locals had the thickest and best Boston accents. We continued to wander the North End and portions of the Freedom Trail, leading us to Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, or as the locals pronounce it, Quinn-zey market. Similar to most open-air/ market halls I've been to, it was filled was a mixture of local eateries, modern shops and street vendors. We mosied through a few shops and continued onto the Inner Harbor and Charles River. It was a bit of the gloomy day and all of the sail boats were resting peacefully on the calm water.

That evening, we met up with a friend who now calls Boston home, and hopped back on the T in the direction of Brighton.  Mitch has some other friends in Boston that he met while studying abroad a few years back and they recommended we get together at Roggies, a beer and pizza joint near the Boston College campus. I think I've now had enough culinary experience to classify myself as a foodie, on the most elementary of levels I'm sure, but still I love food and I'm always willing to try something new while also critiquing my favorite takes on the classics. In my opinion, pizza is pretty hard to mess up but it is, however, difficult to stand out. With so many options, how can you differentiate the best of the best? Well, I certainly found a new contender for my best pizza joint list - the Sicilian at Roggies. It was a mix between authentic Italian flavors and Chicago- style deep dish with capicola, fresh mozzarella, spinach and prosciutto. Even better, served up with a cheap beer, a college atmosphere, and great friends both new and old. And did I mention we got to watch the MN Wild take a game 4 victory to tie up the series with Chicago, too?!

Saturday morning began with breakfast at an East Coast staple, Dunkin Donuts. I failed to get the true experience as I chose an OJ and breakfast sandwich over the normal donut and coffee. Oh well, I knew I needed a solid base for the Sam Adams Brewery tour up next. Settled in a hip, artsy area, the Sam Adams brewery was much smaller than expected. Rather than a tour, it felt more like a lesson on how beer was made, which I already knew from ample tours around MN and WI. Slightly disappointed, at least the tasting was fun and interactive. Leinekugel's still holds the too spot on my brewery tour list, and I hope to visit Chippewa Falls again this summer. Our next stop was Fenway Park because what better combination is there than beer and baseball?

As a die-hard hockey fan, I think of baseball as an excuse to day drink, eat hotdogs and get a good tan from the cheap seats while only maybe seeing one inning of the entire game. But, I'll admit learning more about the oldest ballpark in America was pretty cool. 

Morry, our enthusiastic tour guide, did a fantastic job. He kept my attention the whole time with fun facts and the intriguing history of Fenway. We got to tour the park, see the visiting locker room and have a seat in the press box.  

It had turned into a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon so we took advice from our Boston dwelling  friend and walked from Fenway up to the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We strolled down Newbury Street, a bustling hub of window shoppers and big spenders alike. I admired the displays from afar and only stopped for scoop of Ben & Jerrys turtle cheesecake ice cream. I'll need to work a few more years before I can grace the doors of these boutique shops like Chanel, Vera Wang and Burberry! At the end of Newbury Street sits the Boston Public Garden, which was in full bloom.  Unfortunately, our wandering the streets caused us to miss the swan boats, but I still ogled at the pristine landscape, perfectly manicured with vibrant bulbs and flowering foliage. 

We only spent a few minutes in the garden, I didn't want to make the rest of the group suffer through my love of landscapes.  Instead, I happily joined them in moving along to the Beacon Hill area. If I were a Boston native, I'd dream of living in one of the perfectly kept hillside residences on Beacon Hill. The colorful blooming window boxes set on a backdrop of classic brick, black shutters and white trim with stately columns surrounding the entries had me rethinking my dream home. 

Besides the perfect facade, the cobblestone sidewalks shifting from deep rooted trees completed the look for me. They also accentuated the feel as my legs began to burn when we continued our climb up Beacon Hill.  After a busy day on our feet, it was back to the hotel to rest and freshen up. A sudden violent downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning kept us snuggled under the blankets until it cleared it up. Once the rain had passed, we headed into Boston towards the harbor.  We only had one thing in mind: seafood. After a bit of research, skimming through yelp reviews and asking the locals, we decided on the Barking Crab. Set on the waterfront, the Barking Crab's casual atmosphere complete with plasticware and picnic tables, was well worth the price for some of the freshest seafood in town. 

Mitch and I have mastered the art of sharing when it comes to dinner. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I like to try a variety of dishes at any new and noteworthy restaurants we check out and this was no different.  He ordered the clambake for one and I chose the Pacific Dungeness crab legs. We started out with a cup of chowder (pronunciation: chowdah) to share. Up next a platter filled with a 1.25 lb boiled lobster, steamed clams, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, chorizo and coleslaw, plus my plate with 1.5 lb. of crab legs. Not to mention, enough butter to clog an artery or two. 

After a delicious dinner, we strolled along the Harbor walk and took in the Boston night skyline and saw the site of the Boston Tea Party.  Heavy raindrops cut our walk short and sent us back to the T and up to Central Square for a couple drinks. We went to the People's Republic, a Russian pub, in Cambridge and sampled some East Coast brews. I had a Mayflower Stout, not sure if I liked the name or the beer more. We only stayed for a few, as the exhaustion was setting in and we had a big Sunday planned.  

We began Sunday morning with brunch at a little cafe just outside the public garden. It was tasty, but nothing to noteworthy to report. We then stepped out into the sunshine and embarked on our journey along the Freedom Trail. First stop, the Massachusetts State House followed by the Granary Burying Grounds, the site of Paul Revere's grave. Up next the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and the site of the Boston massacre. We moved along rather steadily through this area and the Faneuil Hall area, as we'd already seen most of it on Friday. 

Next, we crossed back over to the North End and Paul Revere's House onto the Old North Church. Which in the famous words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the site of the "one if by land, two if by sea" warning lantern. It was definitely interesting to be in an urban area so rich with our nation's history. Afterwards, we crossed the Charles River and headed towards the Charlestown Navy Yard. Here sits the USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides", which is the country's oldest commissioned warship afloat. We stepped aboard and checked it out, going down two levels below deck, and I quickly realized this definitely wasn't something I could have done. First off, I'm too tall and secondly I appreciate my wide open spaces. We also looked around the USS Cassis Young, a destroyer used during World War II. 

All of this military history made me miss home, dad would absolutely love the Freedom Trail and all of it's treasures. Out final destination was the Bunker Hill Monument which was created to commemorate the battle at Bunker Hill. At a total of 294 steps to the top, I regret to inform, I only made it up over half the way. My knee and my exhausted legs simply failed me and I turned back around and joined the part of our group back on the hill. The guys made it to the top though, and I heard it was an impressive view. By this time, my sun-soaked shoulders and tired feet were realizing the trip was drawing to an end. I was ready to head back to the airport. One last stop in Harvard Square for a quick sandwich at Grendel's Den, then off to Logan International. After a little airport excitement, a turbulent ride home, and a late night, it was finally back to MSP. 

Another destination is crossed off my list and for that I am thankful. But as always, it just creates an ever-growing thirst for more. It's a great big world and I can't wait to continue exploring it!