A Boston Surprise

Hi there!

Active Harmony is returning from a relaxing (and really active) long weekend in Boston where C was able to coordinate a meet-up with G’s parents, and we toured several things including The Freedom Trail, Samuel Adams Brewery, Fenway Park, ate really delicious food, checked off a bucket list item for G (a Red Sox game at Fenway!) and stood near the finish line of the Boston Marathon where just a few feet away construction crews were still working to repair the road where one of the bombings occurred.

It was a busy, and educational weekend, and we had absolutely perfect weather for all of it! We’ve put together a little vacation recap for you in case you’re looking for inspiration to visit one of America’s oldest cities.

We landed in Boston around 5:30 Saturday evening after receiving a complimentary upgrade on a 4.5-hour flight across the country (hello, extra legroom and a real meal!), and headed to Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center in the Back Bay area of downtown to drop off our luggage and find something to eat. We honestly hadn’t planned anything about our first night in town, and decided to watch the end of a couple of football/baseball games at a nearby sports bar, eat dinner and try a few local beers.

Sunday morning we woke up and, after a quick check in with the front desk attendant to find a local brunch spot, headed to The Pour House Bar & Grill off of Boylston Street. C had the Philly Cheese Steak Omelette and G had a sampler that included pancakes, eggs, roasted potatoes and various types of meat. We each had one of the signature Bloody Mary’s – everything was delicious!

After that, we took the subway to Fenway Park for some pre-game fun and shopping. Fenway Park is home to the Boston Red Sox, and C managed to get tickets to the final, regular season home game – completing G’s dream of watching his favorite baseball team play live. He’ll write a separate post about that experience, but let’s just say he had a blast!

The view from our 1st base side seats!

After the game, we headed back to the hotel because G’s parents had arrived from Des Moines while we were at the game, and it was SO good to see them! We walked a few blocks to have a relaxing catch-up dinner at Back Bay Social Club. We all had different, delicious entrees, but we agreed that the house made ricotta crostini and meat candy appetizers were amazing. Following dinner, we walked about a mile to the original Boston pub that inspired the setting of the hit TV show “Cheers” on Beacon Street. While the bar area is smaller than it appeared on television, you could certainly picture Sam, Norm, Carla and the rest of the cast standing in that room.

The whole crew outside of Cheers bar.

We had two things planned for Monday: A tour of Fenway Park, and to hit all 16 official stops on The Freedom Trail that begins in Boston Common, winds its way through downtown, and ends at the Bunker Hill monument across the Charles River in Charlestown. Both events were educational and a lot of fun! At the end of the day, we calculated that we had probably walked about 10 miles and it was apparent by how hungry we were when we rolled into Uno’s Chicago Grill on Boylston Street for pizza that evening. We decided BEFORE dinner that we were saving room for dessert next door at Max Brenner Chocolate. All we can say is WOW! Here’s a peek at what we attempted to eat:

Four of us attempted to eat these two and one other equally impressive dessert.

This morning we ate breakfast and then made our way to the Samuel Adams Brewery. G will follow up with a separate post on how much fun we (and G’s parents) had!

As we made our way back to the hotel to get our luggage and go to the airport, we looked right and found ourselves staring at the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon painted on Boylston by the Boston Public Library, and just beyond it an active construction site where crews are still working to repair the road and nearby running store five months after the Boston Bombings.

Boston Strong

As with all good things, they must come to an end. We enjoyed an amazing 72 hours in Boston, and decided it’s definitely one of our favorite cities. We’re back to the grind tomorrow, but wanted to leave with you with some of the beautiful pictures we took this weekend.

(Thanks to a burned out starter on our return flight to San Diego – and an hours-long delay to repair it – we’re schedule to land back home around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Hence the late-night, same-day post; just another fun adventure in our world!)

Take care,

GnC

This slideshow requires JavaScript.