Boston Exploring With Some Lovely Ladies

The weekend I was looking forward to all summer finally came! Marissa and Jess arrived Wednesday evening and our long weekend of adventures kicked off!

Laurissa met the three of us downtown and we headed over to Faneuil Hall for dinner with no particular destination in mind. After taking a quick walk around the Quincy Market area to see the sites, we settled on Mija's - a great Mexican restaurant that has a very authentic feel to it. Wednesday was a fairly quiet night since we were all tired from work and travelling and wanted to get an early start on Thursday.

(Post dinner by Faneuil Hall)

Thursday was my company's summer outing so I parted ways with Marissa and Jess for the beginning of the day. My outing was at Harpoon Brewery and Whiskey Priest, both in the Seaport District. Marissa and Jess spent the better part of the afternoon taking a Freedom Tour Trail before also heading over to Harpoon where I met up with them.

After Marissa and Jess finished their flights of beer and we headed next door to Legal Harborside for a couple of drinks and apps. We had already decided on the North End for dinner but I didn't want them to miss out on Legal's spectacular view of the water and their delicious strawberry sangria. Plus, while we were there we got to enjoy a beautiful double rainbow over the harbor!

(Photo thanks to Mar)

(Delicious strawberry sangria with a view)

(A double rainbow, you can almost see the second one if you look to the left of the big one)

Already full from the apps and wine we had consumed, we started walking towards the North End and met Laurissa along the way. The North End is the equivalent of Boston's Little Italy and I think it is one of its most endearing neighborhoods. Every street is lined with small shops and restaurants and you can find delicious gelatto or cannolis on just about every corner. We randomly chose a restaurant along the main strip and were definitely not let down with our meals - although, some of us had issues with the bathroom situations. *cough*Mar*cough*

Of course, I had to take them to Mike's Pastry. I still stand by what I said previously that it is better than Modern. Marissa and I shared a cannoli and it was sooo good.

(The four of us - all very full on pasta and dessert)

Friday is when the real fun began! I had taken the day off work so I could enjoy the day in the city with Marissa and Jess before catching the train to the Cape (more on that in my next post!).

I took them to the Back Bay area of Boston so we could enjoy the shopping the Newbury St. has to offer. We stopped for some phenomenal breakfast treats at the Thinking Cup (and some caffeine!) before kicking off our shopping spree. This place had a fun, hipster atmosphere with it being set partially underground, lots of great looking pastries, and fun little chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

(Awesome way to start the day!)

I was on the struggle bus hardcore when Marissa asked to go into the Finish store Marimekko and I asked what a "finish" store was - confusion/laughter was on the "what do you mean a black leotard" level. We popped into Barbour too and all tried on awesome jackets and unfortunately found none in our size (note to self: Barbour is not good at making clothes for small people).

A few stores later and we decided it was time to move on to our next destination. I took them through the Boston Gardens and Commons (it's important to note that these are different or else a random stranger may yell at you) which were both gorgeous in the full bloom of summer. And we hopped on the red line to explore Harvard Square.

(Photo courtesy of Jess)

We took a guided tour of Harvard, something I definitely recommend! I learned so many things about the campus that I didn't know before, such as:

• The statue of John Harvard, is not actually John Harvard because we have no idea what he looked like.
• Some Harvard students live in dorms that were once lived in by John Adams, Sam Adams, and John Hancock.
• The main Harvard library extends six stories underground.
• Until 1999, women who attended Harvard received a degree that said Harvard-Radcliffe. (I thought Mar might lose her sh!t here.)

After the tour ended, it was time to head back home so we could get ready to leave for the Cape!