Day 5: Saving the Best for Last

Day 5 of Mission 5 was definitely the highlight of the week. It started with a return to the Swan Boats and some urban hiking. With lots of rainy days projected for the next week we decided to give the Swan Boats again. We got there right after they opened but there was still such a long line. We didn't give up though, and a half hour later we were on the Swan Boats. I love, love, love how relaxed I feel when I'm on the Swan Boats.

After the Swan Boat ride we did some urban hiking back to our place in Cambridge. Of course, we made some stops on Newbury Street including a nice lunch at Scoozi. I can definitely picture myself going for this walk a lot this summer!

We had made dinner plans with our good friends at the Grotto in the Beacon Hill area. K and I worked out a rather great plan of stopping at Alibi at the The Liberty Hotel Boston on our way. I will definitely be going back this summer to enjoy the outside patio.

The Grotto is probably my favorite restaurant in Boston. We discovered it a few years ago during Restaurant Week and I'm so glad we did! The food is delectable and the atmosphere is really quintessential Beacon Hill. They have an appetizer of garlic soup with truffle oil that is out of this world! All of the entrees are delicious, especially the gnocci!

It was such a great "city" way to end vacation. There is so much to look forward to this summer! Eight short weeks and it will be summer!

Day 4: Tory Row

Day 4 of Mission 5 involved lunch and shopping in Harvard Square. Obviously, this is pretty much what I do every day but I think it still counts. I met up with a friend from work and had lunch at Tory Row. This is a great pub in the heart of the Square. I've really liked everything I've gotten there. After lunch we did a little shopping and even better I just beat the rain home. I just love the fact that the Square is so close!

Day 3: Afternoon in the Boston

For Day 3 of Mission 5, JO and I headed into Boston for a walk around the Public Gardens and lunch on Newbury St. The Public Gardens, and especially the Swan Boats, is my absolute favorite spot in Boston. I even did a project about the Swan Boats when I was in grad school. Apparently everyone had the same idea as us since the line for the boats was the longest I have ever seen it... and I go a lot!

I was slightly disappointed that we weren't going to be able to go for a relaxing ride but we took the opportunity to walk all around and see the beautiful flowers blooming. When I was in the Gardens on Monday for the marathon we saw Russell Brand surrounded by paparazzi...today was less eventful. We'll have to come back soon because spring doesn't officially start until I go for a ride on the boats.

We took a leisurely walk down Newbury St. scoping out our outdoor dining options. We had lots to pick from but we ended up at Piattini Wine Cafe. Even though I had eaten here on Monday I couldn't resist going back. It's so good... and the outdoor patio is great. I had the lobster ravioli and they were amazing!

After a delicious, relaxing lunch we decided to walk home. Normally I'm not up for this kind of urban hiking because it encourages walking into Boston when we go out, which forces me to wear sneakers too much, but it was so beautiful out and I had no where to be. It was a surprisingly nice walk up to Mass Ave. and then over the Charles River into Central Square. I'm thinking I might do a loop on Friday morning if the weather holds up.

Today made me long for my summer mornings in the Square and walks around the river!

Day 2: Roof Decks

Day 2 of Mission 5 involved one of my favorite spring, summer, and fall outings... eating at the roof deck of Daedalus.

No matter what season, Daedalus is definitely my favorite restaurant in Harvard Square, but my romance with the place goes to epic levels when the roof deck is open. There is nothing like sitting above the Square, on the beautifully designed roof deck, and enjoying a nice meal. Check out the website for pictures of the deck... my description wouldn't do it justice. I was laughing today, remembering back to when we discovered this place. My good friend and I had gone into the Square to do some shopping on a very casual Sunday morning. We were dressed in sweatpants and happened to stumble upon this restaurant. The menu looked great so we decided to give it a try. We were quite shocked when the hostess asked us if we would like to sit on the roof deck. We clearly didn't look like we belonged but they didn't seem to care. That's one of the things I love most about the restaurant. There is definitely an air of city sophistication but it's not over the top. You can get dressed up or wear sneakers and a hat!


Next up: Swan Boats!

Mission 5

I decided this morning that my vacation needed a little structure. It's so easy to stay home and relax during vacation but I don't want to waste these great city days. So, I decided to create a vacation mission: 5 city outings in 5 days!

Day 1: Marathon Monday in Boston. This was an easy one since I already had plans to head into Boston for the Marathon with a good friend of mine. It was a bit cloudy, but the sun fought it's way out, and it ended up being a great day in the city. We managed to get a pretty good spot at the finish line and watched the finishers for about two hours.

We headed over to Newbury St. for lunch. I was quite excited when we ended up at Piattini Wine Cafe and didn't have to wait for a table (that never happens.) Everyone was one street over cheering on the runners. I love Piattini! They have a great selection of salads, paninis, and pasta dishes. They also have a great house wine! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for delicious, affordable Italian food on Newbury St.

Today was a great way to start off vacation! I'm hoping for some roof decks in my future :-)

Bukowski's and Victory Parades!

One of the great things about living in Inman Square is that Bukowski's Tavern is literally a 30 second walk away. I prefer our Bukowski's to the Boston one. I find the Boston Bukowski's to be a bit loud and cramped. Our Bukowski's is large, only a little loud, and offers full length garage doors that open on nice days. It's a great place to go to celebrate a great day or get a pick-me-up on a bad day. Thursday night we headed over there with friends because none of us wanted to cook dinner :-) Last night we headed over there to grab dinner after enjoying an event in town. It was the perfect way to gear up for today's events!




Today we got up bright and early so that we could be at the XL Center at 12:30 for the USA Women's Basketball scrimmage. As a Husky fan this was extra special because 2 past stand outs, Swin Cash and Renee Montgomery were playing along side current greats Maya Moore and Tina Charles. And of course, Geno Auriemma is the US Olympic coach. The game was great. We even got to see a buzzer beater by Maya.











After the game we sprinted across the city to get prime viewing spots for the Victory Parade. I'm not sure why there were so many Colonial bands. The real fun started when the team bus came by. We had so much fun cheering on our Huskies! We ended up following the bus all the way back to the Capitol before heading to the front of the building for the rally.

What an amazing day!!!!

Sunny Days by the River and New Restaurants

As I said before, I've been pretty preoccupied over the past few weeks due to extreme amounts of college basketball. Even though we watched a ton of basketball, we did manage to take advantage of the early spring in the city. And now that March Madness has come to an end, we have even more time to explore.

Last weekend it was about 85 degrees and sunny on Saturday. We knew there was no way we were going to get an outdoor table anywhere so we decided to enjoy a picnic in JFK Memorial Park. JFK Park is one of my favorite city parks. It is behind the Charles Hotel and overlooks the Charles River. Of course we weren't the only ones that wanted to enjoy the park but we were able to find a nice spot to enjoy our picnic burritos from Felipe's Taqueria. JO and I are what you would call burrito connoisseurs. Our favorites come from our local burrito shop Olecito but I love Felipe's too! I definitely felt like a "cool Cambridge couple" that afternoon. It was so relaxing we ended up spending about three hours there reading and people watching. The next day was gorgeous too and we couldn't resist going back to the Square for an early lunch at Tory Row. I love the city in the spring because there is so much energy! Everyone feels rejuvenated and ready to enjoy everything the city has to offer.

Last night we went out with our good friends to try out the newest restaurant in the Square Russell House Tavern. My friend and I have been following the restaurant's blog for a while now. It features some interesting qualities including: mostly locally grown ingredients, all domestic beer and wine menu, two floors with two distinct styles, wine on tap, and an instant messaging system for the hostess booth. It was only the second night the restaurant was open so there were some service mishaps that I'm going to forgive.

I really thought the instant messaging system was a nice touch. I liked how we were greeted on the first floor, directed downstairs, and then greeted by name at the bottom of the stairs. I also liked that the two floors had different vibes. Upstairs was a bit more energetic and downstairs was a bit more relaxing. The bar on the second floor was very large, and a great addition to the Square. I feel like we would be able to get seats there pretty easily. I also liked the variety in the menu- pizzas, small plates, and entrees. We really wanted to try the wine on tap because it was so intriguing but apparently it hadn't been installed yet. We ordered a merlot that was served to us in whisky glasses. I still can't decided if I liked that or not. I did like how the glass felt in my hand but I also missed the feel of a stemmed glass. We got the crab cakes as an appetizer which were really good. My only problem with it was that the sauce it was served with was delicious but there wasn't much of it. I got the steak frites for dinner and the steak was cooked perfectly and fries were delicious. I did not care for the "aioli" that was served with the fries... I thought it was very heavy tasting but the fries really didn't need a sauce so it was fine. It's not my favorite restaurant in the Square but I really enjoyed the experience and look forward to going back in a little while after they have everything straightened out.

We headed back to JFK Park today to enjoy the beautiful weather. I had a ton of work to catch up with since I've been putting a bunch of tasks on hold to watch basketball. Doing work on the weekends is a lot easier to deal with when your sitting in the Park looking at the Charles River!

I love the city!

Another March Madness Ends and Another April Reign Begins

I've been pretty busy over the past few weeks with March Madness. Last night March Madness came to an end with a game for the ages!

My UConn Huskies, winners of 77 games in a row, found themselves down by 8 at the half having only scored 12 points. They fought back though, in true UConn fashion, to win their second straight national championship. Back to back undefeated seasons, which has never been done before in the history of women's college basketball.

I'm certainly one proud Husky fan!

This is a great video about the historic run!
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5062454