Storm of Thoughts

A Tour of Boston

Having a visitor in town is a good excuse to get out and do things in Boston (even if the temperature happens to be stifling and the weather is humid). Which is exactly what happened this past weekend. I was lucky enough to have a house guest for a few days - my godparents’ daughter, Jen (or, as she likes to call herself, my “cousin.” With the air quotes.)

And what did we do? Nearly everything!

We ate sausage and pepper sandwiches and Italian ice as we walked through the Common and watched kids splashing in the Frog Pond.

We visited the Public Garden to see the swan boats and take pictures of flowers for a design project Jen is working on.

We went to Harpoon Brewery, but, unfortunately, missed out on a tour.

We went to the movies, walked around Boston, and shopped on Newbury Street, at the Pru, and in Copley Place.

We ate in the North End and at Top of the Hub. (Look at Fenway on the left!)

We also walked around, shopped, and ate in Cambridge.

And now, of course, we nap.

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Favorite Restaurants

As much as I like to cook, I also enjoy going out to eat. Growing up, we didn’t eat out that often, except for special occasions - and we didn’t need to, since my mom was always making some kind of restaurant-quality food at home. But being in Boston (and being busy) provides a good excuse to eat out more often than we used to. And, although I usually enjoy trying new favorites, there are some good ones we always end up at. Here are my recommendations:

La Galleria 33
As I mentioned last week, the North End is one of my favorite places in Boston. And for some reason, we usually end up here. Actually, there are a number of reasons - they have good service, reasonable prices, and really good food. Every time we go, Pete orders the Veal Paradiso. And, since it’s some of the best veal we’ve ever eaten, we also recommend it to everyone we take/send there. Plus, the restaurant is very cute, with brick walls, exposed beams, and little tables by the windows, looking out on the usually busy streets.

East Side Bar & Grill
For pizza on the weekend (like yesterday, actually) or a more casual Italian meal, we usually end up here. (Its convenient location helps.) At first, I was amused by all of the Rat Pack pictures and Sinatra music, determined to bring my dad (who has Sinatra CDs on replay at home all summer long) to eat here. But now, it’s really grown on us. Family-owned, you quickly start to recognize them and they start to recognize you. And the grilled meatloaf is oh so good (and a great idea!).

The Melting Pot
Some chains you hate just for being chains. But The Melting Pot is unhate-able. By now, most people have been there, but if you haven’t, you should go. It’s more for special occasions (not being inexpensive), but they usually have good coupons and deals. The atmosphere is also really nice, and the layout of the seats makes you feel more like you’re in a private area than a crowded restaurant. And, if you don’t want ALL of the food, just stick to cheese and chocolate fondue - what else do you want, really?

Cottonwood Cafe
This southwestern restaurant is in a good location and has good food and margaritas, all of which make it a staple on our list of favorite restaurants. We’ve eaten in the bar, at the restaurant, and even during special occasion prix fixe nights - and we’re always glad we went.

Parish Cafe
The Parish Cafe is all about the sandwiches. The recipes are created by chefs in local restaurants and many of them rotate on the menu - which is a good reason to keep coming back. You can usually count on a wait, unless you come at an off time, but you can also count on being impressed. Each time, there are several sandwiches we can’t choose between, and we often end up ordering two to split them just because we can’t decide. They’re all so good! This is another place we tend to bring our visitors. (Another great sandwich place we have noticed more recently is the All Star Sandwich Bar in Cambridge. Their sandwiches are also really good, they have a special sandwich for each day of the week, and they say that “A Good Sandwich is Like an Old Friend, which makes me like them.)

Top of the Hub
Okay, we’ve only been to this one once. It’s certainly not an everyday kind of place. But it was, hands-down, some of the best food we’ve eaten in Boston, if anywhere. It’s expensive, but not when you consider the quality of the food and the service, which were both incredible. And the views? Number one reason to go (see above).

What are your favorite restaurants? Do you stick to old favorites or try new ones?

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The Thing About Boston Is…

I’ve lived in the Boston area for five years, which is plenty of time to get to know a place. Having come from northern New Jersey, New York has always been “the city,” which made Boston a big change. Of course, I had also never actually lived right in/next to a big city, so everything from the constant consideration of where you can (and can’t) get using public transportation to the crowds everywhere you go was an adjustment. But, now that the adjustment has been made and I’ve spent time in and around Boston, I can share with you some of my favorite and least favorite things about this city.

5 Things I Hate About Boston

1. The weather.
It’s a common complaint. After all, Boston winters are notoriously bad. Even if (like me!) you enjoy snow. (It’s pretty, after all.) Still, though, snow is complicated by actually having to shovel it to get to work. And once you’ve done that four or five days in a row, you’re ready to be done with snow forever. But, worse still, is the wind. Boston is always windy. Walking down the city streets? Windy. Taking a walk along the Charles River? Windy. Having a picnic in the Common? Windy. Furthermore, it’s windy in any kind of weather, from sunny days to drenching downpours. (For the record, rain and wind is the worst combination.) And that gets old fast. I don’t live in Chicago, after all.

2. “Yankees Suck” chants. (I’m sorry, Red Sox fans, but you know I’m from New Jersey.)
Now let me clarify this point. I am fine with a good “I hate your team” chant when appropriate. As a Yankees fan, I appreciate the rivalry between the teams. But the classic “Yankees Suck” chant started to grate on my nerves during baseball games when the Red Sox weren’t even playing the Yankees. And then when I started hearing it at Bruins games? Well, now, come on. Let’s at least be a bit more clever.

3. The crowds.
I like visiting tourist destinations. I like taking pictures, visiting well-known spots, and seeing what everyone else comes here to see. The problem with Boston is that the entire city is a tourist destination. Whether you’re shopping on Newbury Street, visiting Faneuil Hall, or even just happen to be anywhere in the city that crosses part of the Freedom Trail, there are bound to be large crowds of (often slow-moving) people. (Of course, this also has its benefits, like the novelty of running into an army of Revolutionary soldiers outside of Border’s.) When traveling by car, this also always means lots of traffic, even if you’re only going 5 miles away.

4. The construction.
I’m sure every city has its construction. But here, people don’t seem able to deal with it. Walking down the street to find scaffolding throws passersby into a panic. Four policeman are needed to direct traffic around 4 orange cones and a pothole. And something new is always being built somewhere it doesn’t seem like there’s enough space.

5. The drivers.
For more on this sore point, please read my Open Letter to Massachusetts Drivers.

5 Things I Love About Boston

1. The size.
Boston is no New York. It’s small, which makes it manageable. It’s easy to get around on the T and explore, spend a day wandering around without getting lost or exhausted (or having to resort to taking a cab!), and get to know favorite places. It’s full of families who have been here for generations and would never want to move anywhere else. Which, if nothing else, is just really nice.

2. The North End.
This little Italian district remains my favorite place to go for dinner. (Not to mention for dessert.) Pete and I have eaten out at a lot of different places, but all of our “usual restaurants” ended up being in the North End. It’s also where I always go to eat for special occasions or when my parents are visiting. It’s full of little Italian shops, narrow roads, parades practically every weekend, and little old Italian men sitting out on the sidewalk, talking and laughing. Plus, it has the best pizza, pasta, and cannolis. And, really, what more do you need?

3. The history.
I have always liked history, especially American history. And so much of it took place in Boston. Being able to visit the Old North Church, the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, graveyards full of American patriots, and so many other historical locations is one of the great things about being in Boston. Just walking down the streets and admiring buildings that have been here for centuries is pretty amazing.

4. The activities.
There is always something to do in Boston. While this is also true of New York, it wasn’t true where I grew up in New Jersey. Now, it’s just a quick trip to shop downtown, try out any number of restaurants, visit the aforementioned tourist locations, kayak on the river (or, you know, watch people on the river), or visit a comedy club. Some of my favorite events are concerts. While previously I was used to big concerts in even bigger arenas, I now know the fun of seeing bands (both new and unknown and big names) at small clubs where you can stand right next to the stage. (Note: This post’s photo is courtesy of Pete, one of those people who kayaks on the river.)

5. The Harbor.
I like being near the water. Whether dining outside at a restaurant, taking a boat trip, or simply walking by, being near the water always makes me happy. Plus, having fresh seafood nearby never hurt anyone.

What do you love and hate about your city or town? Leave a comment or write your own blog about it - I’d love to hear about some other locations!

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Wordless Wednesday: I Found a Lighthouse

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A Sandwich and Some History

On Sunday, the weather was really nice during the day in Boston. After off and on threats of a storm, the sun was out and the temperature hovered around 85 degrees. But there was nothing to do. So, hungry for lunch, Pete and I got in the car and headed for Revere Beach. As is tradition when you’re traveling anywhere in and around the Boston area (even when just going a few miles, as we were), we sat in traffic (and at numerous street lights, all spaced approximately 10 feet apart) and watched the ETA on the GPS slowly increase for a good 30 minutes before we made any progress. But, at least, by the time we made it to the (very crowded) beach and found a parking spot, we were good and hungry.

If you’ve been to Revere Beach, you know that it’s - well, an interesting place to spend the afternoon. Unless of course, the last time you were at Revere Beach was decades ago when it featured a bustling boardwalk, roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, and dance marathons.

Revere Beach actually goes back as far as 1896, at which time the miles of sandy beaches were a major tourist attraction. These days, though, the boardwalk is gone, the beach is sometimes littered with garbage, and there are some visitors here and there who look like they don’t have anywhere else to be. (Or, for the lucky few, like they have finally found a spot where they don’t seem so out of place with their usual shirtless style.)

Of course, there are still also plenty of couples strolling up and down the beach, families playing in the sand, great little beachside restaurants, beautiful views, and plenty of nostalgic charm. Which is, perhaps, why we went to Kelly’s Roast Beef, a famous destination since 1951.

The Revere Beach location is the original and, when we got there, I was immediately struck by the similarities to the Nathan’s hotdog stand in Coney Island. Big windows, a bigger crowd, and delicious food meant to be eaten outside with condiments dripping down your hand. As a new visitor to Kelly’s, I naturally ordered the roast beef, although they also have an impressive selective of other items (namely, fried seafood!). And we enjoyed our sandwiches and cheese fries the way they were meant to be eaten - in our laps on a bench in a little pavilion as we watched the waves and fended off seagulls. I have to imagine this is very similar to the way they were eaten in 1951. (Also, the food - and the experience - was certainly good enough to necessitate a recommendation. So, the next time you see a Kelly’s Roast beef, stop and eat. And make sure you order the fries.)

After enjoying our sandwiches and lamenting how incredibly full we were, we promptly headed to a soft-serve ice cream stand (which also claimed, though more dubiously, to be world famous) and got the perfect beach snack: a twist in a cone with sprinkles (or, as the Massachusetts natives around us said, jimmies), which we ate as we walked up and down what was once the famous Revere boardwalk. We never set foot on the sand, but the afternoon was filled with sunshine, good food, and stomach aches. (Again, just as they must have intended half a century ago.) And, as Pete pointed out, that relentless Massachusetts traffic just didn’t seem so bad on the ride home.

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My Day as a Tourist

When I first came to Boston, it was a big deal to visit all of the tourist destinations - check out Fenway Park, go to the top of the Prudential Building, skate on the Frog Pond, etc., etc. But, having lived here for several years now, I’m much less likely to head out and stand in crowds in Faneuil Hall, midday on a sunny Saturday, just to “see the sights.” (In fact, without a reason for being there, that’s downright crazy. It would take an act of God to get you through the food court crowds in under an hour.) But, occasionally, there is a reason to stand in a line two blocks long to visit one of Boston’s “must-see” spots. And, with my parents visiting, we had the perfect excuse to head downtown with the Memorial Day crowds and visit the New England Aquarium. The aquarium itself is not big, but it makes for a great day trip, especially if you pair it with a visit to the IMAX theater, which we did. (We saw Under the Sea, and the images were amazing. Granted, I still prefer Planet Earth, but the IMAX theater experience itself is worth the trip.)

One of the major exhibits at the aquarium is the penguin habitat, which we spent practically half of our time watching.

As you can see, Pete was especially mesmerized by the penguins.

We also walked through the pathways full of tanks, with sea dragons, crabs, a “petting zoo” area, and all kinds of fish. But the aquarium’s major draw is the huge, circular tank, which stretches up for several stories.

At the top, they give presentations while you watch fish, rays, sharks, and turtles swim by.

Here’s Myrtle the Turtle trying to eat a head of lettuce.

But watching the “show” from one of the windows down below is just as much fun.

Outside, they even had a tank full of seals.

Sure, we won’t need to go again for awhile. But it was certainly worth the visit. It’s usually fun when people take the time to act like tourists in their own city. (And with cameras constantly snapping, we always play the part well.)

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Wordless Wednesday: Patiently Waiting for Spring in Boston

I’m looking for to spending time outside in the city - from the Common and the Public Garden to shopping on Newbury Street. (Along with putting away my winter clothes, planting new flowers, leaving the windows open, taking day trips, and enjoying the sunshine.) Soon enough, yes?

What are you looking forward to?

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The Homecoming (aka Then and Now)

So, we’re back from the Turks and Caicos (otherwise known, I’m pretty sure, as Paradise). And as soon as all of my pictures are organized, I will have a lot of details to share! But while I’m still getting my bearings, I thought I would quickly share with you the view we were enjoying on Saturday in the Caribbean versus what I saw driving to work Monday morning:

Then

and Now

Good to be home? I’m not convinced.

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Wordless Wednesday: An Early Dinner in Boston

It’s unusual for us to go out to eat in the North End and see it looking like this! We should have early dinners more often.

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Wordless Wednesday: A Beautiful February Day in Boston

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