Boston

Hi Guys, I thought I would finish off our Boston trip today with the last highlights of the trip!! The Friday Matt and I were there it was the hottest day of the Summer plus the humidity combined with all the walking and it was too much for me! I wish we had been there in the Fall and I could have enjoyed it more! But you know us we are go getters and we walked the Freedom Trail in the heat of the afternoon! ha This is me smiling while knowing I am covered in a heat rash .......

 I did love seeing all the gravesides and imagining all the history that has taken place there but like with any popular place you are surrounded by 100s of people at all times!

 I loved how these historic places are just in the middle of the city, the city just built itself around them.

 This is the historic Park City Church from the Freedom trail but it also happens to be the building where Delta Delta Delta was founded a LOOOOONG time ago by Sara Ida Shaw. SO that was pretty neat seeing the history of something I am involved in!

 Heck ya we went to Cheers, I loved that show and it is a CAN'T miss! And the neighborhood it is in is just stunning, the brownstones are incredible. I like to picture what the people do who live there, what lives they lead.

 Sunday of our Trip Matt played golf with his Oklahoma friends and I took a bus tour of Lexington and Concord, historic American Revolution battle sites. This is minute men park, the statues and monuments are dedicated to the farmers and ordinary people who would lay down their lives in a "minute" for the cause of freedom.

 The park itself was stunning and I really feel in love with the suburb of Concord. I wish I could of spent more time there.... it is so charming and full of history.

 Outside our hotel is this stunning building.... this is the oldest Boston Fire house. It is still working today but in the old days the left part was the stables where the horses were kept. I loved seeing it everyday.

Monday while Matt was in workshops I did the last minute tourist things.... and in the middle of the North End, Little Italy is Paul Revere's home. I loved this, it's original and seeing how people lived in the 1600s was so neat for a history buff like me. 

I also went to the Tea Party Museum and even thought it was recreation and re-enactments I really enjoyed it. I also learned that after being on that ship I would NEVER survive a cross sea journey. NEVER EVER. 

 Now this my friends is REAL history.... this is the ONLY original Tea Party box left in the world. It blew my mind, being in the presence of something that has "seen" so much .... I love it. I would recommend this museum as a must see for sure!

Overall the trip was great, I love seeing new things and being places that have seen so much history. It was TOOOOO hot but it is what it is! Til' next time Boston!


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Boston Foodie!

I'm going to be honest here and this should come as no real shock to those who know me..... The FOOD was the BEST part of Boston! And we didn't just randomly pick places, I researched places, made reservations a month out and had a lot to look forward to! I have composed my list of .....

MY MUST EAT places in Boston for your viewing pleasure!

* Mikes Pastry

This place is the original Cannoli! And they come in every flavor you could possibly want and desire! You will most likely stand in line and when you get up to the counter you shout of what you want, pay in cash and they send you off on your way to enjoy your treats! Worth every moment! This is in the North End/Little Italy!

 * Clam Shack
This place has no website, no phone and is literally a shack BUT a shack FULL of fried GOODNESS! This in Salem right on the water and I can taste those salty fried clams right now! Funny thing is the very next day via their Facebook page the Patriots NFL players ate there the day AFTER we did! This place felt just full on authentic East Coast Dive!

 * B&G Oysters
I did a lot of research like I said and this place always popped up, it's newer....so hip and the location was so chic!

Look how cute the entrance is, you enter thru the courtyard which houses the cutest patio! This place is SMALL and you will NOT get in without a reservation might I add! You know my favorite memories of our trip are enjoying these wonderful meals at a table with just Matt and I .... or a counter shared with strangers but enjoying the food and the wine. 

 This is just SOME of what we had at B&G, we also had the Scallop Ceviche! And oh ya, everywhere we went we ate our weight in Oysters.... I think that is where all our money went!

* Sam Adams Morning Mash Tour

This was so fun for Matt and it was FREE!! On Saturday mornings you can get a free tour of the Boston original home of Sam Adams and a fun little history lesson!

 When the tour is over everyone gets these cute tasting pints as a souvenir and you get to taste test 5, yes 5 of their newest beers to leave the factory! It was super fun and the gift shop had some awesome things in it!

* Bricco Italian, North End Little Italy!

Of course we had to have Italian when in Boston.... in the North End... In Little Italy! This place was recommended by friends and I got our reso ahead of time and it was so lovely! That plate I am showcasing is called "Ricotta Pillows"... I know and they make ALL their pasta fresh in house and we loved this meal. Our Italian Pinot Nior was perfect and we even stuffed in dessert before rolling ourselves back to our room!

 * Neptune Oyster
I saved the best for last.... sooooo good I ate it TWICE! Food & Wine Magazine named this the BEST Lobsta Roll in the US and I cannot even explain to you how right there were!

Here is the thing, they do not do reservations so you need to arrive at this place NO later than 5pm to put your name on the list! They will call you when and IF you get a table. We only waited an hour but it is worth waiting MUCH much longer! This food below doesn't look that special, I get it... but it is. Even those fries. You guys, for real. Matt got the Fish and Chips and I swear we were so fat and happy at this meal that we talk about this ALL the time!

Do yourself a favor and eat at any of these places.... You will THANK ME!!!!!!!!

Salem, Witchy Salem

On our first full day in Boston we checked off another destination on my Bucket List! This Bucket List is full of weird places I HAVE to see..... We did Alcatraz last year, The Ohio State Reformatory a few years back and Salem, MA is on this list. I love history, I LOVE haunted History and I feel this need to be in the places. I also love Historical Fiction set in Salem so the fact that we get to actually go there was incredible!

 One of the BEST parts was the journey there.... We took the Salem Ferry, a 55 minute cruise from Boston to Salem and it was lovely. Seeing Boston from the Harbor, the coast line to Salem filled with incredible homes and being out on the water was great.... well after 2 Dramamines! haha!

 I always thought I might be a East Coast girl and I think I could be the smaller towns built on a harbor, full of sail boats and beautiful homes on the water... I could get use to that. It is all so Americana! If you choose to go from Boston to Salem then you must do the Ferry and the website is HERE!!!

 Salem itself is a small historic town full of these old rich buildings but also oddly set right next to say a Walgreens. It's this weird mix of old and new, but I tried to imagine what it was like in the 1600s and take in what all has happened here while we walked around town.

 Here is the thing with Salem..... a town full of history has NO history. This my friends, the Salem Witch Museum has NO artifacts, no relics.... Just all recreations and actors. Think about it.... where did everything go? Where are the pews from the courthouse that sentenced these women to death? Where are the Bibles they prayed with, the clothing from the day? I really wanted to see and be among REAL things. And there is nothing real in Salem except the buildings.

 This was neat a very Salem-esk art installation by the Witch museum, I made a reluctant Matt pose for me! The main street is lined with Witch shops and I wanted to get my Tarot Cards read but Matt wouldn't let me... I regret that, that would of been neat.

 The best part of Salem is the old cemetery literally on a block next to a CVS, so weird. But walking amongst these headstones some go back to the early 1600s, that was cool..... that made the day. I mean think about it, how much they have seen.... who has been there?!

 There was also the Witch Memorial and each person hung or stoned to death got a stone set around this garden, I tried to take my time to walk around and really take it all in. We read about these people, watch movies based on them, read the books.... but this is real, it really happened and thats hard to wrap your head around.

 Now... this was the next best thing... The Witch House, an ORIGINAL house from the 1600s in the cemetery BUT sadly you couldn't go inside. I mean WHHHHHyyyyyyy???????????

Salem also has a history of Maritime and naval history that also make this little town special. Matt and I went to this famous little place called the Clam Shack for lunch that is on the water and that was fun, we ate our weight in fried clams!

Here is the thing....... I am SO glad I can say I have been there, I was actually there where this all happened. I check another place off my bucket list BUT honestly it was so very disappointing. Where did all the real history go? Thats what I would like to see.

Fenway

As soon as we found out this Spring that Matt had qualified for Farmers Insurance Championship and that it was going to be held in Boston we immediately booked our Fenway Tour! It's something we do when we go to a city with an MLB stadium! I am married to a former College baseball player and we both love sports so it's a win win for us both!

 Although neither of us are red Soxs fans that doesn't matter here... .I mean this place is the stuff dreams are made of. And in fact it is on the National Historical register and can never be torn down. And a bonus for me is thinking about all the movies that have been filmed here also!

 We knew Farmers Insurance was taking everyone to the game but us doing the tour ahead of time made it all the more special!

 It's pretty surreal sitting in the original seats wondering who all has sat there before, learning more about the curse of the bambino and watching them get the field ready for the game that night.

 Here is Matt on TOP of the famous Green Monsta!!!! The only score board in the MLB where people change out the score on 10 pound tiles instead of digital!

 Check this out.... this is on top of the stadium... Fenway Farms, this is used in the stadium and then also sold at local Farmers Markets, how neat?!

 This my friends is the FAMOUS Red Seat, this marks the longest Home Run in the park at 512 yards!

 Now fast forward a few days in Boston and we loaded up on a Tour Bus for Farmers Insurance to take us to the game and to tailgate. What we arrived to BLEW our minds!!! Farmers Insurance opened the stadium 2 hours early for us.... EVERYTHING inside was free to us and we got to watch the teams UP close and personal warm up for the night! It was the COOLEST thing ever.

 All the concessions had our logo on it and let me tell you.... walking up and getting anything you want for free is so weird and amazing!

 Me being the dork that I am was stoked and I had: 2 Pizzas, 1 Pretzel, 2 Pops, 1 Ice Cream cone and 1 Italian dog! I mean when in Fenway for Free right???????????

 Here is the starting Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers warming up for the night.....

 The Red Soxs taking batting practice, fielding, pitching... you name it! Matt and I were in Heaven but yes, it was like 95 outside so we were literally melting but it was worth it!

 The Red Soxs pitcher warming up......... I should of asked for a ball.

 Matt in his element, taking it all in. I am so proud of him for being 1 of the TOP 100 District Managers in the US and being rewarded with this amazing trip. And the fact that this.... Fenway, us, Free was on the agenda could not have been more perfect!

 The perfect way to end the day???? Watching BIG PAPI himself Mr Oztiz, #34 smash a 3 run Home Run on this last season!!!! This is him crossing home plate and celebrating! History right here folks!

I will have more Boston posts all week but this is the headliner for sure and yes, please feel free to be very jealous! It's like a dream come true!!!!!!!