Showing off my City

My cousins, one from Seattle and one from Pittsburgh (and who has a son going to Harvard) decided to visit last weekend.  It was one of those awesome, spontaneous things that just works out.  I was free, the weather cooperated, and it was the Regatta!

On Saturday, after fueling up on some totally New England Dunkin Donuts, we headed into Harvard Square to watch the Regatta.  We were really thrilled to be invited to watch from the Newell Boat House dock.  I've never seen the Regatta from this view and it was so neat to have a behind the scenes look at the race.

 Once we had our fill of the race, we toured the Harvard Square campus (again with some great behind the scenes vantage points), had the most delicious sandwiches at Al's (how have I never eaten here before), and did a little site seeing in Cambridge before getting dinner at Tanjore.  I'm not usually a big fan of Indian food, but Tanjore was really good and really well priced.

My college dorm was not this pretty!

After dinner I took my cousins to State Park for drinks. This was the perfect place.  The campy, "middle of nowhere" feel of the bar, is so different than a lot of the places in the city.  It was perfect for catching up and having not had a cocktail here before, they were delicious!  The Old Cuban is my new favorite drink- dark rum, simple syrup, lime, mint, and bubbles!

On Sunday we headed into Boston.  We visited the Skywalk, had lunch at Piattini, saw some snowflakes (gasp), and had dinner at Bukowski's before watching the Patriots game.

It was a crazy weekend filled with lots of love and laughter!  I was so happy to be able to show off my city to my cousins!  I love playing tour guide!

UConn First Night

Probably my favorite fall tradition is going to UConn's First Night!  What UConn super fan doesn't look forward to this!  I am so ready for the season to start!  Go Huskies!

A Much Needed City Day

I love Mondays off, especially when most people don't have the day off.  It gives me a chance to go out in the city without the crowds.  Columbus Day was absolutely gorgeous.  The sun was shining and the temps were closed to 75.  It was the perfect day to be in Boston so as soon as I could, I headed to Central to hop on the Red Line.

I got off the train at Park Street and walked up Newbury Street.  I did a little window shopping, which is one of my favorite things to do in Boston, before heading to Piattini Wine Bar to see if I could a table on the patio.  I thought for sure it would be crowded, but lucky for me, it was empty.  I savored every minute on that patio.  It was so relaxing and I had one of those moments  when I just couldn't believe that this was my life.

After lunch I wondered around some more, taking in how beautiful the city looked!

After such a relaxing day, I felt rested and rejuvenated heading back into school the next day.  It didn't hurt that JO and I had dinner on the roof deck at Daedalus!

Harvard Square's Oktoberfest

Harvard Square sure does know how to throw a party!  This year's Oktoberfest was awesome!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, the perfect mix of fall sun and just a slight breeze in the air.  Oktoberfest is always fun, with lots of vendors, shopping, and music.  We had a great day taking in all the sights and sounds around the Square.  We were even able to grab a table at Legal's Outdoor Patio.  We all agreed it was probably one of the last times we would be on a patio until next spring.

Looking Beautiful Inman Square

Sometimes Inman Square just looks so beautiful you have to snap a few pictures!

 I'm also loving all of the National Park postcards that someone put up around the Square!

I was excited when I figured out what the postcards was all about.  I'll definitely be checking this art show out.

Running and Ribs- A Perfect Combination

Our first 5k of the season really snuck up on us.  I had been fighting a sinus infection for almost three weeks so my training had been pretty limited.  Given that and the forecast of torrential downpours I was pretty sure I was going to skip the race but the forecast changed at the last minute and I decided to go for it.  The race route goes right by my house, so if I wasn't feeling great I could always just stop at our apartment instead of finishing.

Surprisingly, I did ok.  I finished in 31 minutes and had a great time celebrating with JO and our friends at the post race party.  With our VIP access we were able to skip the lines and hang out in the "cage" with our own drinks within reach.

After the race, we headed over to the East Cambridge Business Association's Smoke This Rib Fest.  About twenty area restaurants cook their best ribs and compete for title of "Best Rib."  The city shuts down a large portion of Cambridge Street and there is even some live music.  The event is always a great time, but especially fun when you're fueling up after a race.  My favorite was Ole's rib with quinoa.  I wish they served it on their regular menu.

It was a beautiful fall day and a great day to be outside.  We were having so much fun that we made a stop at Slumbrew Brewery for a quick Happy Sol before calling it a day.

A Portsmouth Outing

My favorite singer, Chad Stokes, announced a small show in Portsmouth so of course I bought tickets for it right away.  Luckily, we were able to combine the show with a quick visit with our friends who live in Portsmouth.

I love Portsmouth.  It's like a giant Harvard Square with great shopping and restaurants.  We met our friends at Flatbreads for some delicious pizza.  I have never been to a Flatbreads and I was totally impressed with the food.  The pizza had a delicious thin crust.  We got the taco pizza and it was scrumptious.  Our friends got the community pizza, featuring lots of mushrooms, and I've been wanting a slice ever since.  I was glad to find out there is a Flatbreads in Davis Square so we might need to head over there soon.  It was fun catching up with our friends.  I feel like our schedules have been so crazy lately that fitting in time with friends is so limited.

After dinner we headed over to the Music Hall Loft for the concert.  The Loft is a super small, intimate concert venue.  I think there were just around 75seats or so.  I was psyched to see Chad in such a small place.  The show was fabulous and featured three of my most favorite songs:  Keepsake, Mr. Larkin, and the Diner Song.

Even though I was exhausted, and I thought about bailing on the whole outing, I'm so glad I stuck with it.  We had so much fun that night.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Every year, for our anniversary, JO and I visit the Kendall Hotel for drinks and the Commander Hotel for dinner.  We got engaged at the Kendall and stayed there for our wedding and we got married at the Commander.  I think we can both agree that having our anniversary plans squared away for the rest of our life makes celebrating even more fun.  We never have to worry about what we're going to do.  Visiting both places makes all the memories of that special day rush back to us.

The Kendall is such a quirky, quaint hotel.  It's a renovated fire house that is on the Historical Building Registry.  The decor is a mix of old fashioned and modern and the hotel lobby is a great place to hang out and get a drink.  Each year, we talk about how we have to visit the hotel on a snowy night.  This year we made a promise to actually follow through with this idea.

The Commander is one of my favorite places.  I love the giant chandelier in the lobby and the history of the building.  The restaurant, NuBar, has beautifully high ceilings and a gas fireplace.  The food is always delicious.  I got the chicken with potatoes and roasted onions.  It was absolutely delicious.  The menu changes seasonally and I'm looking forward to seeing what makes the winter menu.

At the end of the night, we hopped in a cab and laughed about how we did the same thing at the end of our wedding.  Yes, we took a cab back to our hotel, much to the driver's delight.  When we got in he said, "Am I your limo?"

This year's tradition was absolutely perfect!  Next year will be our five year anniversary!