Bahston

The idea of visiting to Boston has always been intriguing. Jarrett and I have both always wanted to visit, so naturally this city was at the top of our list of US destinations to see. We have mastered the 3 day, 2 night extended weekend concept and took on the feat of experiencing this incredible city for our first anniversary. Let's just say that Boston delivered with flying colors.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon, just in time to check into our hotel, perfectly situated in the heart of Back Bay. Despite the steady rainfall, we threw on our weather gear and ventured out to explore our neighborhood. Our first stop was the famous Newbury Street, where a stretch of brownstone buildings featured festive window displays and trees lit with Christmas lights. Our anniversary weekend is such a magical time of year, just on the brink of autumn and winter. Somehow this seems to culminate into an overwhelming sense of excitement. As we walked around, we stumbled upon Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library across Copley Square. The architectural design and artistic magnificence were equally impressive and memorable.

A couple hours later, two chilly Dineens were ready to head indoors. We made our way to the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower for cocktails at the "Top of the Hub." The lounge provided a panoramic view of the city below, featuring rush hour traffic and Bostonians carrying about with business as usual. After a few beverages, we returned downstairs to enjoy a delicious dinner at "Legal Seafood." We sampled the New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and an appetizer platter with crabcakes, tuna, shrimp, and wontons. Each bite was delectable and savored as such. Jarrett made the executive decision to go to "Finale" for dessert, and so our taste of Boston continued. We strolled home to our hotel for a solid night's sleep after a perfect first day.

I was so excited to wake up Friday morning because our first destination was going to be the Feneuil Hall Marketplace downtown. A short "T" ride dropped us off at the front door and we hustled inside. We strolled up and down the market, window shopping and admiring the various food stands. Oddly enough, a pumpkin spice latte and ginormous asiago bagel to split was what struck our fancy. We headed back outdoors with our treats in hand to explore downtown Boston and the financial district. We saw the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read. We also wandered around Downtown Crossing and the Ladder District. Somewhere in the midst of all that we spotted a patch of green trees and decided to head in that direction to grab a picture. Much to our excitement, we had stumbled upon Boston Common, a quiet hiatus in our day.

On our way back to our hotel, we made our way through Beacon Hill for an uppity taste of the town. The cobblestone streets and exclusive patch of real estate were both impressive and beautiful. We queried a sweet lady who was walking her dog about the cost of getting into the neighborhood. She was pretty certain that you could buy your way into a 700 square foot one bedroom condo for roughly $450,000. She kindly told us that we should strongly consider it, to which Jarrett and I shared a subtle wink.

Our exploration of the city continued in the North End and Waterfront, the historical jackpot in our humble opinion. We toured Paul Revere's home and I got a private American history lesson from my husband. I'm pretty sure I learned more history in one weekend that in my entire formal education, thanks to his engaging approach. We followed Hanover Street back to Faneuil Hall where we returned for another round of chowda and bisque. Holy moly, best soup in the world!!

After a brief siesta, we were ready for some dinner and some night life. What better place to go than to Cambridge! When we got off the "T" at Harvard Square we were stunned in our tracks. What an exciting place to be! We wanted to save Harvard for the next day, when we could appreciate its beauty in full daylight. We went to Davis Square in Somerville, where our guidebook correctly called it that we would be guaranteed a good time. We met some really nice people and ate some delicious Italian food. The scene was perfect and exactly what we had in mind.

Saturday morning before heading back to Harvard, we made a pit stop to Fenway to see the "Green Monster." There was an eerie off-season silence to the area, so we made a quick lap around the stadium before hopping back on the "T." When we arrived to Harvard, we joined a tour group to see the campus and learn more about the history. Unfortunately, due to "Occupy Harvard", we weren't allowed to walk through Harvard Yard. We did get to see alot of the campus through the gates and got to witness history in the making! We couldn't have planned that any better!

Our trip to Boston made our first anniversary so memorable and stayed true to our spirit of adventure and travel. We love you Bahstan and can't wait to return!