A Long Weekend in Boston

A fun anniversary getaway with our friends!

My husband Kurt lived near Boston during his childhood (Franklin Mass. to be exact). The last time he visited, he was about 12, so he was excited to experience the area again. Our friends also relocated to the area, so it was a perfect reason to visit! What a beautiful city! We stayed in Beacon Hill at the Beacon Hill Hotel and the service was fabulous. The small, boutique hotel has 14 rooms and is a 19th century pair of townhomes-turned-hotel. Lovely! They gave us an early check-in and a corner king room for our stay. We also enjoyed the rooftop! Great place for breakfast or getting a drink from the bar and watching the sun set.

It’s a couple blocks to the Public Garden, so we grabbed lunch from Tatte Bakery (wonderful homemade sandwiches, salads, and pastries!) on Charles Street and enjoyed relaxing on a bench watching the ducks. The bartender at the hotel recommended the “Lobstah” at Legal Seafoods and it was indeed delicious, and we also tried out Sweet Cheeks Q (thanks Tiffani of Top Chef) before rooting on the Red Sox at Fenway! Sadly, the Astros were hot that night, but the biscuits and brisket from our dinner got us through the night.

Boston, of course, is teeming with history and we were here for it! Walking on the same soil as our country’s founders and acknowledging both the victories and losses was meaningful. Our favorite historical outings were walking on the Freedom Trail, the Granary graveyard (graves from the 1600s), climbing the Bunker Hill monument (295 steps!), and seeing the USS Constitution. We actually met the crew of the Constitution at Warren Tavern for lunch…what a treat to see them all come in and eat! Warren Tavern is the oldest tavern in Massachusetts (George Washington ate here) and has the best clam chowder we’ve ever had. It was a perfect warm and satisfying lunch during a rainstorm, plus we got to check clam chowder off the list of must-do’s!

We also loved our visit to Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church (sans Nicholas Cage) with a stop at Modern Pastry for goodies on the way home. Luckily, Kurt had cash with him and we were able to snag our favorites…eclair for me and pistachio creme for him. No guilt though, since we hiked the monument, ha! There is always a line for this place and once you try the food you know why.

Our last night in the city, we met our friends at Nightshift Brewing on the Esplanade. The beautiful setting on the Charles River gave us the chance to experience not one, but TWO marriage proposals. We ordered wood-fired pizza from the food truck (they have a food vender each night they are open) and settled down with our friends to enjoy the breeze and the Saturday night vibe of Boston. Sailboats in the river, friends meeting at tables and catching up at the end of the week, and a classical concert at the edge of the park…could I live here? I think yes. What a wonderful weekend. Thank you Boston!