Puritan and Co

I say it all the time, but one of the things I love most about our neighborhood is how the local restaurants really take the time to get to know their neighborhood regulars.  For example, after my Huskies won two national championships, Parlor Sports presented me with a signed bottle of Geno Auriemma wine.  Neighborhood love has also been on display at another of our favorites, Puritan and Co.

JO's parents came down for Easter and his brother's birthday.  We had lunch in Harvard Square but wanted to get dessert around Inman because we love showing off our neighborhood.  We headed over to Puritan and Co. and they were nice enough to seat us for dessert and drinks, even though it was super busy and they were in the middle of dinner service.  

And just last weekend, when I was having a serious case of the Sunday Blues/house hunting stress we headed over to Puritan for dessert and a drink only to find out that they were doing a Mother's Day dinner and closing earlier than usual.  They could have easily turned us away, but instead they opened up some seats at the bar for us because people were still finishing their meals.  They didn't have to do this, but they did, and it was really sweet.  We had fun catching up with the bartender, since we hadn't been in there for a while.  He even overheard us talking about paint colors and offered to find out the name of the paint they used on the walls of the restaurant.  

Inman is such a special neighborhood and I can't imagine living anywhere else!

State Park

After our lovely spring day in the city we decided to go out for dinner in Kendall Square.  It was still pretty nice out so we figured we could eat outside at Tommy Doyle's.  As I've said in the past, Tommy Doyle's is one of the few places in Cambridge that you can pretty much guarantee an outside table.   When we got there it was totally empty so we grabbed a table and placed our order.  Much to our demise, the temp dropped pretty quickly but we gutted it out.  We were both shivering when dinner was over so we decided to check out a new bar across the courtyard.

I had heard about State Park on a Boston blog and was intrigued.  The bar is underground and you enter through an old screen door that reminded me of what you would see at your grandparents' house.  The "vestibule," for lack of a better word, is covered in wooden shingles.

JO and I had trouble figuring out exactly how to describe this place to our friends.  The best we could do was to liken State Park to a "nouveau wilderness bar."  The interior looks like it's been around for ages.  The bar has action figures planted between the liquor bottles and the walls are adorned by tons of retro Budweiser neon signs.  There are a couple of pool tables, pinball machines, and a shuffle board table to keep you occupied.  The menu is eclectic and features lots of new spins on retro foods.

I give this place major props for pulling off the setting so perfectly.  Even though it's only been open for a few months, State Park has the feel of a bar that's been around for many years and has lots of stories to tell.

First Signs of Spring

April vacation started with the first really nice day of spring.  It also happened to be the opening day for the Swan Boats.  JO and I headed into the city for a "city morning."  We have this running joke that we aren't really a city couple since we don't walk around sipping coffee on the weekend mornings.  So on this day, I got a coffee and JO got a tea in Central Square, took the train to Charles MGH, and walked down Charles Street towards the Public Gardens.

Charles Street is such a beautiful street in the city and I'm remiss that we don't spend more time there.  I love the architecture and quaint shops.  We took our time, popping into some of the antique shops along the way.  After such a long, cold winter it was nice to be able to be outside without shivering.

Eventually, we made our way to the Public Gardens.  Across the way we could see the Commons being set up for the marathon on Monday.  It dawned on us that exactly a year ago we were stuck inside during the "Shelter in Place" order.  A year ago, we could only stare outside as a beautiful spring day passed us by.  It made the whole walk even that much better.

We were fortunate that there wasn't a long line at the Swan Boats.  The Swan Boats is one of my favorite places in the city.  No matter how stressed I feel, the 15 minute ride can melt it all away.

 Loved the Ducklings all ready for the Marathon.

After the boat ride we walked back up Charles Street and had lunch outside at a small cafe.  It really was a perfect way to start vacation!