anyone else been thinking of all the places they’re going to go when it’s safe to be outside again?
(oh man, can’t believe I just wrote “when it’s safe to be outside again”!)
topping off my list are:
- visiting my parents in michigan and giving my pup a big squeeze (after weighing all the options, I’ve committed to staying put after all). even though we’ve certainly been apart for months before, these past three weeks have felt especially long 😦
- seeing a movie at the alamo drafthouse (binging Scrubs reruns on my laptop with my fingers covered in bbq popchip dust just isn’t the same)
- eating at champs
but until that happens, I thought I’d share a little recap of a trip Matthias and I took to Boston in February to sort of celebrate valentine’s day–but mostly our anniversary–and because Boston is nice!
we decided to book tickets spontaneously (okay, a month before…) to get out of the city for the weekend. though neither of us are history heads, we chose beantown because it wasn’t too far, Matthias has never been, and I have been enough times to know what he might enjoy seeing and put together an enthusiastically detailed itinerary aka the best part about traveling. heh heh.
though the weekend started out with ultra freezing temps and slight bus delays, things picked up over hot cheesy pizza, messy-good cannoli, and a colorful trip to the aquarium.
after starring a dozen or so pizza places on Google Maps, we decided to kick off our first meal of the trip at Regina’s which has been around the North End since the 20s. (to my knowledge, out-of-towners often refer to the North End as “Little Italy” though I believe Bostonians despise this reference.)
there was hardly a line when we arrived (though a decent one appeared when we left). and while we were waiting to get a table, we heard two older Italian women tell the host that the rest of their party “was just pah-kin the cahh,” so we knew we had snagged a gem…and tried not to laugh. (look ma, real people who actually live here!)
we loved everything about Regina’s: the weathered wooden booths, logoed paper soda cups, and the no-frills menu. we ordered a margarita pie and a sausage one—and no crumbs were left behind.
after pizza for brunch (a must in life, really), we stopped by Polcari’s Coffee where I wanted to buy all the things and both Modern Pastry and Mike’s for a cannoli showdown. both had delicious ones, certainly worth the two Lactaids I took beforehand, but I think we enjoyed Mike’s a wee bit better, especially since we ate it first and fresh. crisp sturdy pastry, but not heavy…sweet and creamy ricotta…a fk ton of powdered sugar drenching our chins and the fronts of our coats (sorry for posting this excessively flattering photo of you, matthias). and while we would later enjoy the Modern Pastry one, we were particularly impressed with how well it held up after a day of touring.
but first, with full bellies, we swung by Faneuil Hall to buy postcards and then to the New England Aquarium!
I know Boston’s got a lot of great art museums and historical venues and one very entertaining children’s science center (always my favorite spots to visit on trips and yes, I know that sounds so CREEPY but children’s centers kick butt when it comes to interactive exhibits!). but in the end, seeing the cast of Finding Dory come to life was the clear choice. but seriously: you know the large cylindrical tank where dory is looking for her parents the whole time? (left, below) — that’s all I could think about.
right???
but more importantly, I. GOT. TO. SEE. A. LIVE. JELLYFISH. FOR. THE. FIRST. TIME. IN. MY. LIFE.
it was an out-of-body experience ya’ll. they move so majestically! I couldn’t stop staring.
pretty sure I was mesmerized for the rest of the trip.
but I suppose I do recall later eating some delightful chicken matzo ball soup and free bagel chips at the jewish deli we’d heard so much about, touring a great bookstore with an excellent novelty gift section (and dangerously close to our air BNB), and perusing a sweet little modern general store. oh, and eating that Modern Pastry cannoli you heard all about.
(who’s enjoying all these great pics of matthias?)
after a good sleep, we wandered out again the next morning to slightly warmer weather that was comfortable enough for walking to lunch (falafels), a highly-recommended bakery my friend Sabs used to work at in college, and across the Boston University Bridge. once in cambridge, we shared our fudgey bouchon while weaving through the MIT campus, into the MIT museum (where I learned about arthur ganson), and then to the harvard bookstore. #booksonbooksonbooks
despite getting a little hungry and tired, we squeezed in a trip to Boston Commons because why not and wound up with an okay meal in Chinatown (it was only okay when I’ve visited other times, too! if you have any spots you love, do share!). but despite a lackluster last supper, we had a splendid time wrapping up the evening with postcard-writing and snack-eating–and a splendid weekend overall.
xx
p.s. what are some of your favorite boston spots?
p.s.s. something fun if you also love jellyfish
(feature photo credit: Francisco De Legarreta C.)
minor conveniences 