I know. My trip to Boston (evidenced by my Instagram) was a long time ago (like almost two years ago, eek) and I am just now getting around to talking about it. Well, I really don’t have any excuses other than my life got real busy right after this trip and I put off writing about it. But I loved this trip so much so I am still going to write about it. As I started writing this post, everything came rushing back to me and I have so much to say. So… I am breaking up this post into three different posts or it would be WAY to long!
The thing that made this the most special was not a meal I had or attraction I saw, but getting to go on this trip with my mom. Every seven years my mom gets a sabbatical from work where she gets eight consecutive weeks off. It has always something I was so jealous of as a kid and even more now that I am adult. But these breaks have allow us to go on long vacations, do fun projects around the house and explore our own little town. This was her first sabbatical where I was an adult and we decided we wanted to go on a proper girls trip. My mom is normally a beach vacationer but has come around to my love for city vacations in recent years. We ultimately decided on Boston because it was a place I had visited and loved and she had always wanted to visit. It ended up being a fantastic trip!
Where we stayed.
This time around we decided to stay in a VBRO that my mom found. It ended up being perfect! We were about equal distant from the little downtown street of Beacon Hill and Boston Common. It made walking to different restaurants and things to do so easy! It was also the cutest little old Boston apartment you could think of. It had so much charm and made me feel like a real Bostonian for a week. It was also nice because we were able to get some basics like coffee, cereal, popcorn and a couple snacks so we wouldn’t have to eat out for every meal. I highly recommend the VBRO/AirBNB route when visiting the city. Just make sure to vet the location!
How we got around.
We decided not to rent a car for the trip, which I hadn’t done on my previous trip as well. Not having the rental car only reaffirmed my belief that you did not need a car to navigate Boston. We used a combination of public transportation, taxis, Ubers and walking to get around. We never encountered a problem or had any grovels with these options. Morale of the story, no cars needed when visiting Boston.
Breakfast.
The Paramount: This was my second time at The Paramount, but this time for breakfast. And let me tell you, it was delish. We were in town for Mother’s Day and decided to have out Mother’s Day brunch here. This was probably the busiest restaurant we went to the whole trip, but it was so worth it. The food is amazing and the staff is friendly. Just anticipate a wait really any time you visit.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe: On our last morning in town, we had run out of cereal at the VBRO and needed some breakfast. I decided to walk down and grab us something. I knew there were a couple of coffee shops and decided on this one. It ended up being a great choice. Their coffee was so delicious and they had a wide variety of food options. I was able to get us breakfast sandwiches and some pastries for later. It ended up being the perfect amount of breakfast to get us through!
Lunch.
State Street Provisions: This was a random find on a day we just needed some lunch! It ended up being a delicious meal and I was pretty happy about it. My mom and I both got sandwiches. They had the best flavors and textures and were so filling. It was a great midday treat to keep us sustained through all of our cheesy tourist activities.
Harvard Gardens: This was a random find on our way to visit the Harvard Natural History Museum, ironically. It is not located anywhere near the campus, but shares its namesake. It is your standard bar and grill that has pretty good food for a casual lunch. It looks like a lot of the business people in the area stop there for lunch, so it can get a bit busy. While this place was nothing special, it was still good for a casual lunch!
Dinner.
Figs by Todd English: We needed a quick dinner our first night in town because we were wiped from a long day of travel. Nothing satisfies travel hungries like pizza in my opinion. We were able to get in within about twenty minutes of putting our name in, which was nothing. The food was so delicious, but be warned the portions are huge. We ordered one pizza and one salad and still had left overs. But we did not mind because we were able to stock the fridge and have something to munch on at night.
Pier 6 Boston Waterfront: When we finished two and a half mile walk along the freedom trail, we were exhausted. It wasn’t that the trail itself was that bad, but we ended up doing a lot of activities along the trail and it ended up just being a lot. So we just needed a place close to where we ended up and this was the clear choice. The location was great and had the best view of the city and harbor you could ask for. The food was just okay, but the view made it well worth it!
Trattoria Il Panino: An oldie but a goodie in my opinion. After I had talked about the amazing food at this place for a couple years, my mom insisted that we go when we were in town. It did not disappoint and the second time may just have been better than the first time. The food was amazing. The wine was amazing. The service was amazing. It was just amazing. Go. If you have the chance, just go. You won’t regret it.
Desserts & Drinks.
The Cheer’s Bar: This bar is actually called Cheer’s and the inside looks nothing like what the TV show looks like. Lol. My mom really wanted to visit this one because she had watched the show. It is right across the street from Boston Common and Boston Public Gardens, so it was a nice little stop after walking around for a couple of hours there. We just grabbed a beer and that was perfect in my opinion. We were there randomly in the middle of the day, but I imagine it gets quite busy at times!
Magnolia Bakery: I had been hearing about Magnolia Bakery for two years by the time I made it to the one in Boston. We were half way through walking the Freedom Trail and needed a little pick me up. The cupcakes were delicious, but not my all time favorite. Maybe I didn’t get the right thing. Does anyone have any recommendations for next time? If I were to do it again, I would have held out for a cannoli from Mike’s Pastries.
[wpvideo Ur52myd6]
Mike’s Pastry: I would be remise if I didn’t mention Mike’s Pastry the second time around. A true staple of a trip to Boston for me. The pastries are amazing and the atmosphere was electric. The cannolis were just as delicious the second time around.
So. Part 1 of 3 complete. Next up is things to do in Boston. I cannot wait to share all of the activities that we did while in town! Until next time, friends…CBL
