A Trip to Boston : Part 1

the (current) state house

Well it seems I have fallen off the grid a bit. Y'all traveling for the entire weekend is beautiful and rewarding but it can also make you fall a bit behind! Last week felt very busy and full but full of great things and quality time with people we love. I have so much to write about with two weekends traveling! First up - Boston!

the view from our hotel room

We flew into Boston Saturday evening because we found a great deal through Southwest ($41 one way). We have Southwest Rapid Rewards points plus Chase Sapphire points that convert to Southwest points so our plane tickets were covered! The flight from Baltimore to Boston is incredible aka very short. It's supposed to be 1 hour 50 minutes, but both our flights were closer to 1 hour 30 minutes. We arrived in Boston and Uber-ed to our hotel (I love Uber). We stayed at the Hyatt Regency, which was a great location where we could walk everywhere. I wanted a prime spot because our trip wasn't very long and I didn't want to waste any time commuting around. We were also blessed by a steep price discount because I cashed in "associate recognition" points for Hyatt gift cards (I told you where I work is awesome). The down side was no complimentary breakfast which I could have sworn I read on their website. They also had a feature where you could text the concierge questions which I loved. (My only question - where is breakfast served? The answer was very disappointing.)

my dinner: fettuccine with mushrooms and truffles

After checking in and relaxing briefly we went for a brief walk and were able to make our dinner reservations earlier. I booked tonight's dinner ahead through OpenTable because I assumed we would be hungry and tired. We ate at Teatro and it was amazing! They had homemade pasta which was delicious and we had a great bottle of wine. I love homemade pasta, it honestly tastes so different. If a restaurant has homemade pasta then my order is more or less decided! The service was a little slow at first, which our waitress explained was due to a rush to get to the shows (we were in the theatre district). But after the rush subsided she was so kind and apologetic it made up for it. I would highly recommend this restaurant, although I will say it was also a little loud.

After dinner we went to bed! I think one of our favorite things about vacation may be going to bed early... Haha

favorites from Beacon Hill

The next morning we woke up, grabbed breakfast at Boston Common Coffee (no coffee just bagels) and explored Boston Commons and some of Beacon Hill until our friends, Billy and Lauren, got out of church. We met them at their church then walked to Thinking Cup for coffee. Billy introduced me to it last year and I love it. They have a few locations around Boston and I love ordering their cafe au lait in a mug (plus macaroons on the side). We relaxed with Billy and Lauren, catching up on life with lots of conversation on marriage and babies (they are expecting a little girl in March!).

We then accompanied them to Newbury Street where they had to do some shopping and we wanted to explore Restoration Hardware. The store in Boston is amazing! I wanted to buy everything. The downstairs is somewhat hidden but especially sweet as it's decorated as a little girls and boys room.

Old South Meeting House

Afterwards we walked back to Park Street Church and began our afternoon on the Freedom Trail! We bought a pass so we could go into the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and Paul Revere's House. There is so much history in Boston and I love how easy the Freedom Trail is to follow and ensure you hit so many of the spots.

Red Brick Ale || Clam Chowder

When I visited Boston last year I bought Sam a magnet from Union Oyster House and a year later we got to go (It just so happened when I went to Boston last year it was also Halloween weekend! I guess it's a good weekend for cheap SW flights!). We both love oysters and I heard that the clam chowder there was one of the favorites of the Kennedy family.

A view of Marshall Street (I believe)

The setting is cozy and old. It's said to be the oldest restaurant in the nation. One of my favorite things about Europe is the history and how old everywhere feels (in a great way). Boston made me feel that way too, like I was surrounded by history! I loved that. We had oysters on the half shell. Sam Adams Red Brick Ale (only sold in restaurants only the freedom trail, which is unfortunate because I loved it), clam chowder and some lobster ravioli. It was definitely too much food for us but it was delicious so we ate it all! The street where the oyster house is is filled with other, old pubs and restaurants. I love the little section because it feels like you've been transported back in time. Also across the street is a Holocaust Memorial which is beautiful and filled with quotes from survivors. Every time I visit the stories take my breathe away.

I took these photos 5 years ago!

Tomorrow I will post about the second half of our trip because this is getting too long!