Boston // July 2019
I lived in Boston for a semester, during a university exchange program or what I now call “study abroad for sheltered kids.” No disrespect - even though now I have vague regrets about never having done a study abroad semester in college, I truly never had a desire to at the time. An exchange at another US university was perfect for me. We had to rank our choices for placements, and mine were: 1. Suffolk University (Boston), 2. Hunter College (NYC), 3. UMASS Boston, 4. University of Missouri, St. Louis - my primary concern that I get to be in an urban environment. I got placed at Suffolk and had the best semester ever. At 21, for the first time I was living away from home, navigating a city, and getting a taste of what it was like to live as an independent adult. I was sad to leave and had only been back once, the following summer, when my family flew in and out of Boston and drove into Canada, back before you needed a passport to drive to Canada.
The prospect of seeing the Dodgers play the Red Sox at Fenway this past July was very intriguing, and I’d always wanted to take Edward to Boston and show him my old stomping grounds. Even though Boston is best experienced in the fall, we felt like we could brave the weather for the game and see everything else at the same time. Here are some of the highlights:
The historical/tourist stuff
Because it was Edward’s first time in town, we had to go on the Freedom Trail, tour the State House, and spend time in the Common/Public Garden. We also explored Beacon Hill (where Suffolk’s campus is) and the downtown region, Back Bay, the North End (Mike’s Pastry), and the JFK Library.
The Frog Pond
The swan boats which move very very slowly along the pond at the Public Garden.
Acorn Street
The beautiful JFK library. It was my 3rd time there! (Over 18 years.)
It’s really a lovely space.
My old haunts
I lived in Allston, the student ghetto, which at the time boasted plenty of cheap eats, concert venues, and bars. (Here is a great Allston photo series I found years ago, by Bill T. Miller.) Since it was summer, it wasn’t as teeming with students as I remember, but man was it crazy to get off the B line at Harvard Ave and walk those streets again. I showed Edward the sights - my old apartment, Twin Donuts, the Model Cafe (which was unfortunately closed) - and we had a drink at a dope bar that wasn’t there when I lived there, Deep Ellum. I also wanted to show him places I hung out in Cambridge and by Suffolk. I can tell a thousand stories about my time in Boston, and every place we saw set off a memory, but I won’t get into most of them here.
The Allston pad
Why did Charlie’s Kitchen become my spot in Cambridge? It was always a great time.
The New England Aquarium has a sea lion tank outside the building, which you can view at no charge. I did that so much when I first moved and was homesick.
The Beer Gardens
One thing I really admire about cities that have awful winters - they know how to make the most of their summers. We went to FIVE seasonal beer gardens throughout our trip:
Boston Seasons, set up near City Hall
Trillium Beer Garden on the Greenway
Night Shift Brewing’s Owl’s Nest (in Allston, along the river)
Aeronaut Brewing Company (in Allston)
Cisco Seaport
They were all fantastic, but my personal fave was probably Owl’s Nest. It was remote and hard to find, and the humidity made it feel like New Orleans, but it was scenic and relaxing at that late afternoon golden hour. There’s another Owl’s Nest on the Esplanade, closer to town, but it was unfortunately rain-delayed when we tried to go. No worries - five beer gardens was more than sufficient.
Hazys on the Greenway
Aeronaut. Live music, pizza, and outdoor lights. ‘‘Twas a magical evening until the skies opened up and everyone had to go home!
Night Shift Owl’s Nest. Simply perfect scenery and great vibes.
Dodgers Cruise/Game at Fenway
The main reason for the trip was technically to see the Dodgers at Fenway which, for all you non-baseball folks out there, is a rare event. They were playing a three-game series over the weekend, and we were far from the only Angelenos who wanted in on the action - both flights were rife with other Dodger fans flying in for the event. It actually caused a bit of a disruption in the city and at the game we attended, because people were flummoxed that there were so many Dodger fans there. Luckily, they won the Saturday game we attended 11-2, and we were surrounded with other Dodger fans who I high-fived after each run. Our tickets also came with admission to a clubhouse called the Royal Rooters club, so we got to see artifacts and mementos from Red Sox and Fenway’s storied history. I LOVED being at Fenway, from the history to the surrounding area to singing Sweet Caroline.
Earlier in the day, we went on a harbor cruise organized by Pantone 294 and had a fantastic time taking in the sights! It was so fun to pre-game out on the sea.
Other notes
We stayed at an Airbnb downtown which was a pretty great. There are a bunch owned by the same property management company, and it’s significantly cheaper than a hotel - Boston hotels are NYC-level expensive.
It was jarring to have lost so much familiarity with the city! My life back then was pretty contained to Allston, the Suffolk campus, and wherever I could go on the T, and I’ve never been great at orienting where I am to the city at large (regardless of what city we’re talking about). And obviously, it’d been a while since I’d been there, so stuff had changed. But the T smelled the same, and I remembered how it works.
The humidity was no joke. Woof.
Boston is a great city and I was so glad to have an excuse to visit!
