We’re starting to settle down a bit on the travel front here in Canada. That’s a lie. We are officially starting now that Easter weekend has come and gone. This weekend we kept up with our hectic travel schedule and road tripped it to Boston!It’s the oldest city in the US. Home of Harvard University, the freedom trail, the Red Sox and some of the best seafood you can ever hope to enjoy!
We had big plans of getting up really early on Friday morning to head off for our 6-hour drive from Ottawa to Boston. Unfortunately Thursday night saw us boozing in sunny Ottawa (yes, you read that correctly … it is sunny here now!) with the gang from work to celebrate/commiserate the fact that el Phantomino is leaving us. Boo. A civilized dinner turned into groove shaking at the Heart & Crown and so, needless to say, our super early start was somewhat delayed. Worth it though!
Still, we managed to be on the road directly after breakfast and after a brief delay at the US border we made it to Boston by mid afternoon. Spring has arrived for sure now. Joep was convinced that he saw heaps of animals on the side of the road yawning and stretching as they came out of hibernation. He was even able to figure out what they were saying which apparently included such phrases as “**yawn** What day is it?” and “**stretch** Oh man is it really time to get up already?” … This kept him entertained for hours on end. I found it hilarious even though it doesn’t seem nearly as funny when I write it down.
Upon arrival in Boston we decided to enjoy our own de-hibernation and donned thongs (flip flops for the non Aussie’s reading this) and summer clothes for a wander through the city. Our hotel was right next to Fenway Park where the Red Sox play which was pretty cool to see. We didn’t get to see a match because season only started on Sunday evening and I had to work on Monday but we figure it’s a good excuse to go back some time.
After briefly checking out Fenway Park we had a leisurely stroll down Commonwealth Avenue, which runs into Boston Common. Boston Common is the oldest city centre park in the whole of North America and it is beeeeautiful! This may have been further exaggerated by the beautiful summer afternoon. Whatever it was, we were mesmerized by the park and strolled around it soaking up the atmosphere for a decent amount of time. We then headed toward the city centre to get a head start on our plans for the following day but cut it short when we decided that some good food and wine would be a nicer way to enjoy the evening.
On the stroll back to our hotel Joepinator spotted a small boutique restaurant so we thought we’d give it a shot. It. Was. Phenomenal. Seriously one of the best meals we have ever enjoyed. So good in fact, that we barely even spoke to each other throughout the entrée and main courses except to make random exclamations about how good the food was. This is a big deal for 2 people who don’t often stop talking. It is a testament to Petit Roberts. We ended up sitting there for the entire evening gorging ourselves in rich French food and drinking delicious wine and, once we had finished eating, making the most of a bit of QT to have a good old chin wag ☺
We decided that the night could not get any better than that and passed on the dancing for a good night of sleep in preparation for Saturday.
Saturday morning had us up early and out the door to soak up as much of Boston as possible during our brief visit. We began our day by walking the Freedom Trail; a 5km walk through the city marked by a red line (which is sometimes hard to spot so you have to pay attention). It takes you to 16 historic locations that played a party in the US Revolutionary history. That in itself was moderately interesting however, not being an American myself, I was more interested in the fact that the walk takes you the length and breadth of the city covering some beautiful neighborhoods and parks. Areas that we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of seeing if left to our own devices.
Boston really is a beautiful city with so much character and we happily soaked it up for the better park of the morning before the trail lead us back to Boston Common. At this point we felt we had earned a good break so we settled ourselves onto the lawn with lunch and spent the next little while soaking up the rays and watching all the Bostonians enjoy the sunshine. It was a little bit like being in the Vondelpark but no one was sunbathing topless. Or bottomless for that matter.
I could happily have stayed on the lawn for the remainder of the afternoon but the tourist guilt took over and we decided to continue making the most of the city by catching the subway to Harvard. I’ll be honest with you – I wasn’t too excited about heading out that way. I was wrong. The town itself is so cute and lively. It was chockers full of students and their parents visiting for the weekend so there was, once again, a great atmosphere on the streets. Harvard College itself was a picturesque maze of incredibly beautiful old buildings and gardens. On the train back from Harvard to Boston we were treated to a random busker on the train who referred to himself as ‘The Black Guy Dancing on a Train’. It was highly entertaining. Joep may take this up as a profession. I believe it was at this point that he decided to call me ‘Shorty’ (*pronounced Sho-tay*) for the remainder of the weekend. Shorty. Not because I am shorter than him but because he hears it on a lot of rap songs and thinks it is funny. Joep Dogg in da house.
Nicknames assigned, we had a brief rest at the hotel and got changed for dinner. Joepinator saw a restaurant called ‘The Barking Crab’ on a travel show during a business trip and immediately insisted we book a table. We were VERY excited about this meal because according to Joepinator it was going to be amazing. He did not lie. Upon arrival at the restaurant we were pleased to see that it was very laid back and that there was a jam-packed bar attached. We were slightly early for our reservation so hung out there for a while and, whilst doing so, befriended a couple from Boston. Bostonians seem to have the impression that all people from Boston are uptight. I did not get this impression at all and am very surprised that they feel this way. This couple was exceedingly entertaining and funny. They also remembered Joep’s and my name throughout the entire evening. Neither Joep, nor I, know his or her name. What does that say about us?
Either way, it didn’t stop us having a blast and we made an executive decision to have our dinner at the bar instead of moving to our assigned table. As promised, the menu was full of lobster and crab. Heaven!! We ordered a giant full lobster with a significant amount of crabs’ legs and started to get excited.
As an Australian, people always assume that I have eaten heaps of lobster. This is not the case. I have eaten a decent amount of lobster in my time but I have never ordered a full lobster and taken the initiative to break it apart. I do remember Stef teaching me how to break open a crab years ago and have carried that skill with me for life but lobster … that is a different story. When the food arrived Joepinator, who also had no clue, asked the waiter for tips on how to eat it. The waiter handed him a rock and told him to put the lobster between 2 paper plates and smash it with the rock. This is apparently one of the selling points of this restaurant. We were all set to do this when yet another friendly Bostonian appeared over my shoulder to assist us.
He spent the next 10 minutes walking me step by step through the lobster eating experience during which time a decent crowd gathered around to watch the entertainment. I didn’t mind. This is hilariously good fun! (Sheenz you could never do it, you would be ill) And this dude was the ultimate lobster connoisseur. Not to mention exceedingly nice!
We spent the rest of the night drinking at the bar and chatting with various Bostonians, none of whom were as uptight as they thought they were. After the Barking Crab we headed to a good old fashioned Irish bar for a bit of groove shaking before Joepinator declared that he was dying of starvation and needed something to eat. Apparently it was not possible to go to bed that hungry. And so, after enjoying an amazing lobster meal … Joepinator ate an entire pizza. It’s Boston. The pizza was amazing. Nuff said.
Sunday morning rolled around far too quickly and after enjoying a leisurely breakfast we had to hit the road to get back to Ottawa in time for Joep’s Sunday evening water polo game, which he remembered half way home had been cancelled. Naturally. The drive back was uneventful and full of discussions about how every time we go away for a weekend we say that it was the best weekend ever and whether or not this causes credibility issues. So at the risk of lacking credibility I must say that this was one of the best weekends away ever! Boston is a great city. I fear that I haven’t given it enough credit in this blog but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes this city so great … it’s a vibe. A feeling. Whatever it is, we loved it and can’t wait to head back there for a longer visit next time!!
