Boston Part One

Welcome to a recap of my first part of my trip to Boston! This is due to the fact that apparently Boston wasn’t ready for my arrival this time around.

The first day of my trip consisted of an unprecedented, nearly-three-mile trek in jeans and 80% humidity. Then, my second day was dedicated to exploring downtown Boston, but cut short around 2:00 p.m. by an extreme downpour that eventually canceled my flight for Thursday morning. All and all, I left Boston with not nearly as many photos and sadly without my souvenir shot glass for my collection., but this is all the more reason that I will need to visit again very soon!

Where I stayed: Somerville, MA.
My friend Brad courteously hosted me for my two-day stay on the border of Somerville and Cambridge. Somerville is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Boston (without traffic), or 20-minute subway ride from Harvard Square Station to Government Center.

If you are looking to stay outside of the city, are visiting Harvard, or just want a cheaper alternative to the inner-city prices, I recommend this neighborhood. The subway system is extremely efficient and inexpensive and Boston is up-to-date offering uberpool and LyftLine.

What I did:
1.  Mount Auburn Cemetery
You read that correctly! I went to a cemetery on Tuesday. Mount Auburn Cemetery is about a mile away from Harvard’s campus and in the middle, there is a tower that allows you to get a complete view of downtown Boston. It is beautiful, but the walk on a hot day is brutal. I suggest driving to the cemetery v. walking as there are only two entrances to the cemetery.

2. Hanover Street
This one is for my Italian food lovers; Hanover Street is complete with Italian restaurants up and down both sides. And if don’t believe me, you’ll believe it when you get closer and smell the beautiful scent of garlic. We settled on one restaurant that I can’t remember the name of because it wasn’t that great (especially not for the price), but I know now how many options I have for when I return.

3. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Now I know museums aren’t for everyone, but this one was pretty cool. This is a museum designed and donated by Isabella Stewart Gardner, an avid art collector and world traveler. She and her husband designed the museum with the intent of showcasing the art they collected from all over the world following the years after they lost their infant son.

After her husband’s sudden passing, she saw the project through to the end and donated it to the city of Boston under one condition: everything must stay as-is. It basically looks like a giant house with sculptures, paintings, and tapestries in no particular order, but put together by a common theme in each room.

It is a truly amazing thing to see, in my opinion; not to mention, it’s only $5 for students with a vaild ID.

4. Wahlburgers
As a courtesy to my mom, I walked in the rain to Wahlburgers to try out their food. I ordered the “Our Burger” which is just your classic cheeseburger. The burger was about the size of an In-n-Out burger, but for $7.95, I’ll take that to a similar-sized, $14 Umami burger. What makes their burgers distinct is the type of buns they use–they are more of a roll-type texture so it is much softer.

5. Boston Public Garden
I took the subway from Fenway to Arlington to get closer to the Boston Common area. When I got to the street, I decided to stop in the Garden to take a breather. I was able to take pictures of the park until I heard a crack of thunder and it started pouring down. It genuinely felt like something out of a cartoon.

6. Cheers bar
I power-walked through the storm to the original Cheers bar (from the show) as another courtesy to my mom. I had to wait about 30 minutes for a seat at the bar as you can imagine a downpour would bring everyone to the nearest indoor spot.

7. Legal Sea Foods
When the rain came to a drizzle, we walked over to Legal Sea Foods so I could finally have a seafood meal. I was overwhelmed with options, so I opted for the seafood casserole which contained lobster, shrimp, scallops, whitefish, and cheese. So good!

Final thoughts: I managed to do enough to have a full trip, but not nearly as many of the things I wanted to do/see like Quincy Market, Newberry Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Fenway Park, and all the places to eat! Oh well. Until next time, Boston…

xx, AE