Boston, Massachusettes

I just got home from Boston! Due to the TAKS test and the swine flu, AJ and I both had the past couple of weeks off from work. Of course we didn't know we were going to have all this time off, so we couldn't plan a trip, instead, over the weekend, we made an impromptu trip to Boston! It was between Boston and Chicago (AJ had never been to Boston and I had never been to Chicago. I went to Boston only briefly in the summer of 2000 with my family) and Boston had the better deal. Priceline is amazing! We got our flight and 3 nights in a really nice Hilton for less than $400!

The only funny thing about this Priceline deal was that they wouldn't tell us the times of our flights until after we booked the trip. Our flights could have been anytime between 6 AM and 10 PM. Our flight Monday morning was at 6:50 AM, which was early, but was also good because it meant we got into Boston at 1 (Eastern time). Our very first interesting experience in Boston was on the shuttle bus from the airport to the T (subway). Their was a homeless guy talking to the shuttle driver and the homeless guy apparently spends all his time at Logan Airport trying to make money off the travelers. He was talking in a very loud, very Boston accented voice and he was telling the driver all his problems and how much he hated his life, but didn't know how to change it. After he had been talking for a while about all his problems he said he felt like crying and he just didn't know what to do. It made me really sad. There weren't that many people on the bus and we were all looking at each other kind of awkwardly. It was also a perfect opportunity to share the gospel, I mean it was an evangelist dream. Then, somewhat to my surprise, the shuttle driver told the homeless guy that he should go to church. I was impressed. You always hear that the North East is so secular and cold. 

After we checked in out hotel we were starving for lunch and we had no idea where to go, so we went to Au Bon Pain, which reminded me of Panera. Then we cruised down Boylston street, went into Whole Foods to browse, and made our way to The Boston Public Gardens and Boston Common (which made me think of that sitcom, remember that show?). The gardens were BEAUTIFUL! Then we walked to Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall where we saw Cheers stuff and other touristy stuff. In this area I also recognized where my family went in 2000.

For dinner we walked to the north end of town where all the yummy Italian food is, even the air there smelled divine, like garlic and wine! We ate at Giacomo's, which is incidentally, where Rachel Ray went when she did Boston on $40 a Day. Giacomo's was tiny, tiny, tiny, like one room and it was packed. We ate at the bar, which was cozy, we were the only ones at the bar and I could watch the cooks making all the food. The owner was our waiter and he joked with us all night. The food was unbelievably good and not too expensive either! For dessert we went to Lulu's - which was odd because I had read about Lulu's in a magazine several months ago and when we went in there I realized I had read about it - it was a weird connection. I got raspberry cheesecake was was A-mazing. I want to try to remake it myself. We had walked forever that day. It took us over 40 minutes to walk back to our hotel, where we ate our dessert and made coffee in our room. 

Tuesday was rainy and cold. In May! I'm such a Texan. We slept in because we were exhausted from the day before. We ate a late breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, there's a DD every few feet in Boston! Then we rode the T to Harvard where we walked around in the soaking rain, got drenched, and dried off in a bookstore, where we drank coffee and looked at books about Boston so we could decide what to do next. We decided to eat a big lunch so that we could spend the rainy evening in our hotel room. We ate seafood at a restaurant on the waterfront, which was nice. The food was kind of bland. AJ said I preferred "cajun" seafood. Just because I like a little seasoning. After lunch we shopped a little at Crate and Barrel and I saw measuring cups that I want more than anything at Anthropologie. Then we went to Trader Joe's which I was VERY excited about. I've always heard about TJ's, but I'd never been. It was tiny and underground and full of yummy stuff. AJ got mini peanut butter cups and I got yogurt covered raisins and turbinado sugar, sea salt covered dark chocolate almonds. I also want to recreate the latter. Soooo good! Later, for dinner, we got burritos from Boloco and ate them in our room while we watched The Biggest Loser and Law & Order. 

Wednesday we slept in accidentally because I turned off my alarm. We ate breakfast at Finagle a Bagel and then spent the rest of the morning/afternoon on the freaking Freedom Trail. I'm just kidding, the Freedom Trail was fun! Very informative. History really came to life. I liked the old graveyards - from the 16 and 17oo's! Crazy. Wednesday was much sunnier and warmer. At one point it was even hot!

 

Wednesday night was probably the highlight of the trip because we went to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play!!!! Since we starting planning our Boston trip only moments before we left, there were no Sox tickets to be had the legal way...we had to do business with scalpers! :) A couple of hours before the game we walked down to the park (with the hordes of other fans walking to the game) and began trying to get tickets. We tried to be shrewd, but really we just wanted tickets! We talked to a few scalpers before we gave into one and bought our tickets. We had set our limit at $3o each and we ended up spending $35 each, so that wasn't too bad. I was so excited! Our seats were in the "bleachers", but they were really seats. It was so fun! I couldn't believe we were really there. The Red Sox lost, but it was still a fun game. It made me want to go to an Astro's game! Before the game we ate pizza at this place where sat rightnextto this table full of young guys and if you've ever seen the movie Good Will Hunting...it was just like that. I felt like they were reading the script. I've never heard the f-word so many times in one conversation. Interesting. 

Thursday morning it was time to head back to the airport. We ate breakfast at a diner that was OK (I thought this meal was too bland too). Then it was time to begin the long trek back home to Texas.