I went – I saw – I loved it! Boston in 72 hours!

How much can you do in 72 hours in a city you have never been to before?  A lot! @ZipSetRachel and I flew out of our home city bright and early Friday morning to get into Boston by 10:00 AM to be able to have a full day of touring and sightseeing before our event Friday night  - We hit the ground running! 

The following itinerary is what we planned while on the airplane with the help of an airline magazine and other “hot” spots the local Bostonians turned us on to!

First stop: Seaport District -- Amazing to see where all of the great seafood comes into Boston Habor.

We saw the new Legal Seafood concept restaurant under construction – should be very cool!  Legal Seafood it a local chain restaurant with classic and contemporary seafood.

Toured the Federal Courthouse – make sure if you go to have two forms of ID – one with a picture and one with your name on it that matches your photo ID – I used my driver license and a credit card.  It would  be a great space to hold an event - very stoic and during the cocktail hour you could tour the building and hear stories and history about the building and cases that have been tried there.

We then walked over to the Barking Crab and had a look around and met the staff.  Very fun lunch spot or a place where you could take it over and have a VERY casual event.  The building has a ton of character and the staff would have your attendees laughing out loud! It’s a seaside clam shuck in the middle of Boston. In the summer, they have a lobster tent outside but in the cooler seasons patrons hang out inside Boston’s version of  “waterfront dive.”

On to the NORTH END – Boston’s Little Italy

New England Aquaruim – Seals were barking in the West Wing where their enclosure was constructed to resemble fish scales – very cool.  You can also see sea otters, sharks  and the crowd favorite  the penguins.  They are always dress for a party. But my favorite was the Jelly fish exhibit. Little did I know many of their “Amazing Jellies” were grown in their lab.

We drove past the Rose Kennedy Greenway, took pictures at Paul Revere Park and visited  Holocaust Memorial.  The memorial is a the work of Stanley Saitowitz, the 50-foot high monument  is said to “glow like ghost.” Six million numbers are in random order symbolizing the Jewish victims of the Nazi horror. 

Rachel and I stopped in The Union Oyster House for an oyster shucking lesson and a great chat with the owner of 40 years, Joe.   The restaurant was established in 1826 and is Boston’s oldest continuing restaurant.  And is a must-see!

– ALL THIS TOURING AND HISTORY BEFORE LUNCH!

Then it was off to lunch at the Woodward at the Ames hotel – very trendy – hip and had a great vibe, but we were disappointed in the food.  BUMMER….

After lunch, we went to Back Bay . . .

We walk through the Boston’s Public Gardens and took pictures outside the restaurant “Cheers” where the TV show was filmed and where everyone was supposed to know your name – but for some reason they has know idea who Rachel and I were…. Weird and a little disappointing . . .

So we headed to the South End to see Copley Square and the famous Trinity Church.  This beautiful church was Henry Hobson Richardson’s masterpiece in 1877 and continues to be the crown jewel of Copley Square.  It’s MAGNIFICENT!

Copley Square is where old meet new – you have Trinity Church built in the 1800s reflecting off of Boston’s Hancock Tower.  By design right across the street is an all glass building reflecting PERFECTLY the awe-inspiring Trinity Church – it’s a very cool must-see if you are into architecture  

After touring Trinity, we drove through the South End to see where the Cyclorama and the restaurant the Beehive was (HAVE THEIR FRENCH FRIES) – they were recommended to Rachel and I by our friend Lauren and they didn’t disappoint!

A quick stop at Fenway Park in rain to see all of the Red Socks fans lining up to see their hometown team!! Unfortunately, this night they lost to the Rays 3 -1 – disappointing!

FINALLY, we headed to our hotel the Fairmont Battery Warf – NORTH END to get ready for the evenings event which was WINE RIOT at Cyclorama – see blog entry WINE RIOT PART ONE

DAY TWO – ADVENTURES IN BOSTON!

EVERYONE we ran into last night told Rachel and I we needed to get up and have Cannoli at Mike’s Pasty in Little Italy –North End.  That it whether your filled a takeout box or were lucky enough to get a table – it was the best in Boston!  Well, it did not disappoint!!!  Rachel and I not only got a Cannoli – we had two, a fruit tart and a lobster tail…..  All of them were amazing – Rachel’s favorite was the chocolate chip Canolli and mine was the Lobster tail. 

And TALE’s were flying @ Mike’s – it’s a morning hang out for many local Bostonians – discussing the tasks of the day or stories of late...    We met Tony DeMarko – who was the welterweight champion in Boxing in 1955 – his friend had a picture of him in 1955 posing in a boxing ring it was awesome to sit, hear their old stories and talk about how things have changed in Boston.   But after Rachel and I had given an valiant effort to finish all of the pastry – it was off to NEWBURY Street for some walking, girl talking and SHOPPING – our favorite topics!

Newbury Street

Newbury Street is the 5^th Ave of Boston shopping – tons of upscale shops and eateries. It’s eight blocks long and is some of the poshest shopping in Boston – hosting Chanel, Brooks Brothers, Armani, and Burberry just to name a few. We had a great time and did not leave empty handed.

After spending the afternoon shopping alas it was time to eat again and I wanted to have a “Red Brink”.  I had read about this special ale on the airplane and anyone that knows me – knows I LOVE ICE COLD BEER.  This particular Sam Adams Ale is this is never bottled and is only sold in Boston Pubs.  $4 of every keg sold in Boston pubs goes to their “American Dream” charity which supports local businesses.  So we set off to find a pub caring the recommended brew. First stop, Porters Pub – but unfortunately the brew was not on tap so we stayed for lunch.  Buffalo Chicken Pizza for me and a Veggie Gyro for Rachel.  The bartender recommend Sulley’s – to find the sought after brew – but to my disappointment it was not on tap their either. 

After a disappointing pub crawl . . . we decided to head over to the convention center to see everyone getting ready to run the Boston Marathon.  The only marathon in the world where runners have to qualify. 

Little know facts about the Boston Marathon:

1. Missed being the first U.S. marathon by one year – first went to Stamford, Connecticut to New York City in 1896.
2. It is however the world’s oldest continuously run marathons and has run on the same course since it has begun.
3. The first Marathon was organized by members of Boston’s Athletic Association who in 1896 attend the first modern Olympic games in Athens.
4. Women weren’t allowed in the race until 1972 – BOY, HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
5. After we chatted with some of the runners it was back to our hotel to get ready for Round Two Wine Riot

Boston has WON MY HEART! I would recommend this city to anyone looking for a fun – easy- get-away!  You can see and do a ton in Boston with our without a lot of time – Just ask Rachel and I!