Hiking at Gunstock and Bukowski's

This year JO and I were super proactive about our spring hiking.  Last year our schedule filled up and we were left with only one day to go hiking.  This year we blocked out six different days back in the winter.  It started off great with our April Vacation hike in the White Mountains but then Mother Nature got involved and it either rained or was super hot on four of the days we had set aside.

Thankfully, we were able to get a hike in over Memorial Day.  We had chosen Gunstock, again, because I really wanted lake views and steamers afterwards at the Town Dock.  Well, we got a nice six mile hike in and a picnic in a cloud, but it was too cloudy to see anything and when we got done with the hike it didn't seem like Town Dock weather so we headed home.

The hike was awesome.  I'm aiming to do a nine miler in Yosemite this summer so I've been trying to up my distance.  I felt really good after the six mile hike so I'm getting there.

When we got home we met up with some friends at Bukowski's, because nothing says Memorial Day weekend like burgers!  I want to like this place, I really do, but I'm not into eccentric burgers (although everything we've tried has been super high quality) and I don't want to order hot dogs.  I wish they had just a few more "normal" things on the menu.  I love their open garage doors and I love the renovations they did.  I imagine it's a good place to grab a drink but I favor other neighborhood spots more for that.  The company was great, and in the end, that's all that matters.

Perfect Patio Weather- Take Two

The next weekend was Memorial Weekend and for the first time in a long time we weren't renting a house on the Cape with our friend.  It felt a bit weird to not have something to look forward to for the long weekend, but with the crazy schedule we had had it felt nice to get to stay in one place for three full days.

After a really long day at work I wanted to go out and celebrate the long weekend.  We ended up heading into Harvard Square because I figured it would be empty.  Graduation had already happened and lots of people leave the city for the holiday.  We were sorely wrong.  Sure the students are gone, but the alumni were out in full force, as it was reunion weekend.  Good thing we weren't looking to do anything sit down for dinner, instead opting for a Felipe's Burrito (so good) and an impromptu picnic in the park.  In my opinion, Felipe's has the best burritos around, and I love that you can get green salsa on it, even if said green salsa might make you cry.

It was just too beautiful not to stay out in the Square so we made our way over to the Charles Hotel,  our safest bet for an outdoor seat, where we could pick from the Legal's outdoor bar or Noir.  Legal's was jammed so we grabbed the last table at Noir.  I have to say the service isn't the best here and they allow smoking on their patio, which I actually think is a health code violation, but the drinks are yummy.  They make the second best Old Cuban in the city and minus the smoking (which is pretty infrequent...I'm just more annoyed that they allow it), their patio is adorable.

It was so nice to be able to just sit and be in the moment.  I knew the rest of the weekend was going to be filled with a lot of school work so I wanted to enjoy the calm as much as I could.  I don't think people realize just how crazy the end of the school year can be for a teacher.  There's reports to be written, report cards to be filled out, filing upon filing to be done, pounds of papers to corrected, data to be organized and submitted, class lists to make, and a classroom to pack up.  One of our friends kept saying to me, "What do you have, like 15 days left?  Just think about that."  That's like to worst thing you can say to a teacher in June.  It's an eternity and not enough time at the same time and that combination can cause a dizzying amount of stress, even for someone like me who is super organized.

Perfect Patio Weather

Towards the end of May, I got really busy.  Every weekend was booked solid and I was having a panic attack about how much school work I needed to get down and the lack of city fun I was having.  One Friday night, I found myself with a spare three hours before I had to leave for the weekend, and the weather was gorgeous, so JO and I headed towards Kendall to find a patio.

I wasn't really feeling Cambridge Brewing Company, and without Tommy Doyle's, our options were a bit limited, until we remembered Amelia's Trattoria was around the corner.  Note to self, we easily scored an outside table at 7:00 p.m. on a Friday.  (Sidebar-  If you go out in Cambridge anytime after 6:00 pm on the weekend without a reservation things can get very dicey.)  While I sipped my prosecco and feasted on antipasto I could feel all of my stress melt away.

After dinner, we found ourselves walking home past State Park and I couldn't resist stopping in for a cocktail (they make the best Old Cuban in the city- dark rum, mint, simple syrup, and bubbles~ perfection) and some pinball.  You can't help but be in a good mood after visiting State Park!

I ended up having a lovely night and my city meter got filled.  Just what I needed!

MayFair

May Fair is one of my favorite annual events that happens in Cambridge.  I thought I might have to miss it this year because of school work, but I rallied and was able to make it.  It was absolutely lovely out and it definitely made me long for summer in the Square.  I love checking out all of the vendors and the chalk art.  It was nice to just forget about school work for a little while and enjoy the city life.

Plus, who doesn't love Keytar Bear!

Hiking and Dining with the Family

For Mother's Day, JO's mom organized an outing to The Barn at Gibbet Hill for exploring the "castle" and dinner at Rapscallion's in Acton.  Typically I like my hiking more adventurous and my dining more urban but we had so much fun I just had to share them on my blog.

Back in the trails at The Barn at Gibbet Hill is the remnants of an old castle that was never completed.  It's a short walk to get to the structure and you can explore in and around it.  There happened to be a CosPlay shoot which made it even more fun.

We then headed to a nearby State Park to do a little more hiking.

We finished the day with dinner at Rapscallion's on their patio.  A lot of the patios I've experienced out of the city have views of the parking lot or malls, which is always a downer, but this patio is set back from the street.  It abuts the parking lot, but doesn't face it, and there aren't too many people so it's not a distraction.  Your surrounded by beautiful trees and a grassy field.  You can still see the street but it's definitely a little ways away.  Each table has an umbrella and the chairs are those wrought iron metal ones that look so lovely.

Rapscallion's is a brew pub and the beer certainly didn't disappoint.  The food was also very good, everyone enjoyed what they got.  The flavors were fresh and clean and the portions were a good size.  It was a little suburban oasis and a perfect place to enjoy the lovely weather.

Breakers Viewing Party at the Rising

I love, love, love that our newest bar is a big supporter of the Boston Breakers, Boston's Women's Professional Soccer Team.  The Rising hosts a viewing party for each Breakers game and offers food deals before and after the game if you show your game ticket.  Additionally, they've hosted some Breakers meet and greets during the Copa Americana.  It's so extremely vital that the women's professional soccer team is supported and allowed to grow.  Although our schedule has only worked out once to get to a viewing party I plan on going more now that it is summer.  They put the game on the 100 inch tv in the dining room.  It was really fun to watch with other fans.

Pig Roast at Citizens Pub

April Vacation went by so fast, so it was nice to have something to look forward to the weekend after vacation.  Our friend organized a Pig Roast at Citizen's Public House in Fenway.  I'm not really a pig roast kind of person but the whole thing was actually a lot of fun, even if I didn't eat that much pig.

We had a large table in the corner of the restaurant and the waitstaff was really friendly and attentive.  The chef came out a few times to present the whole roasted pig and to explain the side dishes to us.  Before the pig was served we had appetizers that included shrimp, clams, and oysters.  I was a bit disappointed in the oysters, the didn't really have much flavor.  Everything else we had all night was delicious though.  The pig is served with tons of side dishes, my favorite being the cornbread stuffing.

Half way through dinner they took the head to prepare this charcrutiere board

 I was also a big fan of the gin, mint, and soda water drink they have there.  It was perfectly refreshing and not overly sweet.  I kind of want to go back just to get that drink again.

After dinner, we went to our friends brother's roof deck to take in the city.  Even though it was pretty foggy it was a spectacular view.