On Friday we drove up and arrived in time for dinner; we walked over to a bar called 21st Amendment and ate John Kerry's favorite burger (a 21st Burger with caramelized onions, onion rings, applewood bacon and swiss cheese). For me bars are judged partially by their music selection, and we agreed that every song played was great including the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Gin Blossoms all set in the old New England style establishment.
Afterwards we headed over to TD Garden to see Dispatch which was one of my favorite bands as a teenager. I was never able to see them live, so for my birthday Rich bought me tickets. He even surprised me by hiding a tour tee shirt in my backpack to find while I was getting ready! After walking over there we met up with one of my friends and some other people seeing the show for a few beers at Harp.
Unfortunately they wouldn't allow a camera like mine into the venue, but luckily we bought a disposable camera that garnered no objections. We also found out the hard way that TD Garden won't sell beers to anyone under 25 with an out of state license, but we made the best of it with lots of newly made friends to dance with and to get our beers for us. I could go on for days about how wonderful the concert was, and will, when the pictures are developed.
Getting ready for the show
After the show it was drizzly and cool outside and we walked back the the hotel, well Rich walked and I hopped around like an over excited bunny talking about how great it was. We finished the night with a drink in our hotel bar.
Rich chose our hotel The Parker House because he knows I'm a history nerd, and its the oldest continuously running hotel in the country and has had many famous guests and employees. Its where JFK proposed to Jackie Bouvier. Malcolm X once worked in the hotel as a waiter. Plus, its a little bit haunted.
In the our first stop was the Mary Baker Eddy Library to see the Mapparium. No one is allowed to take pictures inside, but it is quite beautiful, strange and old with its outdated maps but modern like something from a science fiction movie with its magical blue glow and echo effects on the smooth glass.
Outside the Mapparium in the Hall of Ideas

We hopped on the T and headed back to Boston Common near our hotel and began walking the Freedom Trail, which is an excellent and inexpensive way to tour the historical sites of Boston. We walked from the Common to Faneuil Hall to Paul Revere's house and the old North Church with lots of other interesting stops along the way. A guide map only cost us $1!
Park Street Church
This guy...
Bruins pride was everywhere we turned>
Rich with Samuel Adams outside Faneuil Hall
In Teddy Roosevelt's seat at the old North Church, famous for being the place where the signal was sent up igniting the Revolutionary War. So much history.
My grandpa is a printer, so when we saw a print shop set up the way it would have been during the Revolution, I had to stop in
For lunch we headed to Quincy Market and met up with Rich's cousin at mexican restaurant where I picked up a few splinters in my hand from a wooden bathroom door. Luckily there was a nurse near the hostess stand that heard me, and spent 20 minutes doing a little surgery on my hand.
It was getting late so we hopped in a cab over to Harpoon Brewery. The last time I went it was for Oktoberfest and I had a fantastic time however, this time was very different. The staff was awful (it really takes a lot to get me to say something like that), they were totally insulting and I will never go back there or recommend their beer again. Rich was pretty upset by how poorly we were treated so we strolled along the water to Atlantic Beer Garden where we relaxed and recovered our good mood.

Rich chose our hotel The Parker House because he knows I'm a history nerd, and its the oldest continuously running hotel in the country and has had many famous guests and employees. Its where JFK proposed to Jackie Bouvier. Malcolm X once worked in the hotel as a waiter. Plus, its a little bit haunted.

Outside the Mapparium in the Hall of Ideas





Bruins pride was everywhere we turned>




It was getting late so we hopped in a cab over to Harpoon Brewery. The last time I went it was for Oktoberfest and I had a fantastic time however, this time was very different. The staff was awful (it really takes a lot to get me to say something like that), they were totally insulting and I will never go back there or recommend their beer again. Rich was pretty upset by how poorly we were treated so we strolled along the water to Atlantic Beer Garden where we relaxed and recovered our good mood.
At the beer garden with the city in view
By then I was exhausted so we headed to the hotel for a nap before waking up just in time for the Haunted Boston tour. Our tour guide Matt was a riveting story teller, tying the places we were standing to the spooky and sometimes gruesome history of it. The end of the tour was even in our hotel which supposedly haunted by deceased guests as well as the founder of the hotel.
The Massachusetts State House at night
Matt also gave us a recommendation for Stoddard's where we went for dinner and drinks afterwards.
Sunday was relaxed with a nice walk around Somerville and breakfast at the Rosebud Diner. We found some thrift stores. the bike shop and a supermarket, which means we found all that we'd need to move there.
Dear Boston,
Thank you for being you. With your perfect early summer weather, cool enough for sweaters and warm enough for sandals being outdoors is heavenly. Your pigeons are aggressive, but your people aren't. You make small miracles happen by separating me and the Internet for three whole days. Boston, you make me so happy, relaxed and inspired. Thanks for one of the greatest weekends I've ever had.
Love,
Kal
PS-If you could help me find a job and a place to live, we could be together forever.

The Massachusetts State House at night


Dear Boston,
Thank you for being you. With your perfect early summer weather, cool enough for sweaters and warm enough for sandals being outdoors is heavenly. Your pigeons are aggressive, but your people aren't. You make small miracles happen by separating me and the Internet for three whole days. Boston, you make me so happy, relaxed and inspired. Thanks for one of the greatest weekends I've ever had.
Love,
Kal
PS-If you could help me find a job and a place to live, we could be together forever.
Boston sounds great! Especially the bit about the awesome weather. It's so so hot here! Great pictures. That print shop looks really interesting.
ReplyDeletegreat pictures :)
ReplyDeletechocolatefashioncoffee.blogspot.com
Looks like such a fun weekend! :)
ReplyDelete-Jaz
http://www.fluffyfashioncents.blogspot.com
Awww , you guys look adorable together! Glad to heard you had a wonderful time in Boston xx
ReplyDeletewww.christie86.blogspot.com
Sounds amazing! I admit I know nothing at all about Boston, and had no idea about any of the stuff you mentioned. But exploring new corners of the country is always great, especially with good company! Never heard of such draconian alcohol laws however!
ReplyDelete"Boston, you make me so happy, relaxed and inspired,"
ReplyDeleteWow! has been fantastic!
How I wish live in these places * __ * amazing photo!
have nice week! ;)
Great photos! It sounds like you had an amazing weekend away.
ReplyDeleteLaura - White Winters
Nice photos, Boston looks great and you both you look so happy!! As my mum is a librarian I have to stop and shot every library on my travels!
ReplyDeleteNice photos. Seem like Boston made you really happy.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. This looks and sounds like so much fun, I'm desperate to travel to America and explore places like Boston.
ReplyDeletexx
First I have to say that you look great with your new hair Kallie! And you're so lucky to have Rich doing all these nice things for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd how random is that law of serving no-one under 25? It's stupid huh? Lucky you had beer-getting friends :)
PS: I love the way you finished the post with a letter to Boston, how sweet!
Ahh, I'm so jealous! I love Boston and Cambridge, I'm desperate for a job that would allow me to live there. I'm so glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm so glad you had such a fun time. I used to listen to Dispatch all the time--- I actually have them on vinyl and I'll go listen to Headlights (my favorite) after I'm done getting ready! Ha!
ReplyDeleteHaunted hotels are the best, you are a peach.. am I leaving anything out?
xo
I think Boston is one of my all time favorite cities in the US - I'm lucky enough to make it there once every 6 months or so to hang out with friends or do a little sight seeing and I have an insane time!
ReplyDeletexoxo ~ Courtney
http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com
My hometown! Yay! I'm so glad you liked it here, I feel like visitors often have negative opinions of us Massholes. ;)Of course, since I've lived here my whole life, I'm dying to move anywhere but here! So it goes, I guess!
ReplyDeletei love boston. such a great city full of amazing things.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing these pictures..i need to get back there sooner than later.
What a great travel-post! Boston is my favorite city in the world. I lived there for three years (during law school) and go back to visit often. Next time you go, try the Liberty Hotel -- which is a luxury hotel built out of the actual Charles Street Jail. They retain many of the old prison features and it's wicked decent (as they say up there).
ReplyDeleteAww Boston sounds gorgeous, my Oh's been once and he loved it x
ReplyDeleteI've been watching Dawson's Creek and Season 5, they are all in Boston. Love your photos, they make me want to go even more!
ReplyDeleteMy dad is from Boston, I love it there! It sounds like you had a great trip, and you looked adorable! :D
ReplyDeletehey kallie, I love Boston. My boyfriend is a print marker too. so glad you stopped in!
ReplyDeletehttp://lincolntaft.com
Looks like an amazing trip, and there's nothing better than a good concert!!
ReplyDeletegosh you're so adorable! this looks like a great day out, and I love your silly face when you're standing next to that euhm person thingy :D
ReplyDeleteOooh I heart you! This post is so cute. I'm glad you had such a great time! I'm in Boston a fair amount because two of my best friends live there & it's only 1.5 hours from here. I've never done the freedom trail, even though I've always wanted to. I knew a bunch of people going to that Dispatch concert btw! :)
ReplyDeletei went stopped in boston last summer on my back back down from maine, and i went on that haunted boston bus ride too!
ReplyDeleteI need to go to Boston again, and this time walk around! I went there for an anime convention in 05 for my sister-in-law who now goes to loads around the country (she was only about 17 though in '05 and I was married for a year already to her brother, goodness we feel old now). This post was so exciting to see all the information that you gave!!! I love all the history that is there. I'll probably go again when my boys are a little older for a little trip or something. You know what is so strange to me though about Boston? The handles on the toilets are on the opposite side than what they are in NJ and NY!!! I don't know if you noticed that? Yey for being away from the internet!! That is always a fun thing.
ReplyDeletehey kallie, I love Boston. My boyfriend is a print marker too. so glad you stopped in!
ReplyDeletehttp://lincolntaft.com
First, I'm so glad you had such a fun time. I used to listen to Dispatch all the time--- I actually have them on vinyl and I'll go listen to Headlights (my favorite) after I'm done getting ready! Ha!
ReplyDeleteHaunted hotels are the best, you are a peach.. am I leaving anything out?
xo
Aww Boston sounds gorgeous, my Oh's been once and he loved it x
ReplyDeleteNice photos, Boston looks great and you both you look so happy!! As my mum is a librarian I have to stop and shot every library on my travels!
ReplyDeleteLooks like such a fun weekend! :)
ReplyDelete-Jaz
http://www.fluffyfashioncents.blogspot.com
great pictures :)
ReplyDeletechocolatefashioncoffee.blogspot.com
First, I'm so glad you had such a fun time. I used to listen to Dispatch all the time--- I actually have them on vinyl and I'll go listen to Headlights (my favorite) after I'm done getting ready! Ha!
ReplyDeleteHaunted hotels are the best, you are a peach.. am I leaving anything out?
xo
I've been watching Dawson's Creek and Season 5, they are all in Boston. Love your photos, they make me want to go even more!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great travel-post! Boston is my favorite city in the world. I lived there for three years (during law school) and go back to visit often. Next time you go, try the Liberty Hotel -- which is a luxury hotel built out of the actual Charles Street Jail. They retain many of the old prison features and it's wicked decent (as they say up there).
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. This looks and sounds like so much fun, I'm desperate to travel to America and explore places like Boston.
ReplyDeletexx
Sounds amazing! I admit I know nothing at all about Boston, and had no idea about any of the stuff you mentioned. But exploring new corners of the country is always great, especially with good company! Never heard of such draconian alcohol laws however!
ReplyDeleteYou are really gorgeous! I Love your blog too!
ReplyDelete