Boston Strong~ The Red Sox are World Series Champs!!!

I'll admit it.  I'm not a huge baseball fan.  The game is a bit too slow for me.  I love Fenway Park but I've never loved watching baseball live.  I'm always afraid I'm going to get hit by a foul pitch.  This all changes though when the Red Sox are in the playoffs.

This year's Red Sox were so inspirational.  I teach my kids about teamwork and how important it is to work together as a team.  I'm all about Together Everyone Achieves More.  Really, could this year's Red Sox have been any more about TEAM?  I don't think so.  Every night a different person stepped up.  Players were in slumps but their teammates didn't give up on them and eventually they were able to come through with clutch hits and plays.  Simply awesome!

I loved how the Red Sox embodied the spirit of "Boston Strong."  They helped heal our city after the bombings.  Who can forget Big Papi's, "This is our #$#%^ city" statement?  I honestly believe that was heartfelt and genuine.  It was our city and the Red Sox helped us reclaim it.  They played their hearts out this year and overachieved in the experts' eyes.  So many times during the playoffs they could've given up but they wanted to win for our city.  They wanted to win so that our city had something to celebrate!  I never felt like they were being cheesy with the "Boston Strong" stuff.  I think they genuinely wanted to help the city and this is how they could do it.

JO was in the Fenway area Wednesday night, at our friend's apartment that looks over Fenway.  I wasn't able to join him but I loved living vicariously through him.

With this gorgeous sunset how could they lose?

After the last out I called my dad.  He was so excited...like a little kid.  We decided to go to the parade together on Saturday and I'm so glad we did.  I now have such a special memory with my dad that will last a lifetime.  We watched the parade from the Longfellow Bridge and while we were waiting snippets of what was going on along the parade route spread through the crowd.  The Duck Boats had beards!  Awesome!  Dropkick Murphys had their own boats!  Awesome!  Officer Horgan on a boat!  Very awesome!  But the story that really got to the crowd was the special ceremony at the Marathon finish line.  We pulled up video of it on our phones and I seriously started crying right there on the bridge.  Chills!

We had a blast watching the boats go by the bridge and waving at the players.

So to the 2013 Boston Red Sox- thanks for lifting the spirits of this city when we were crushed and for giving us something to join together and celebrate on an absolutely gorgeous fall day in November!  You embody everything it means to be a Bostonian!

Upstairs on the Square and the Beat Hotel

A few weeks ago it was announced the iconic Harvard Square restaurant Upstairs on the Square would be closing at the end of the year.  We've been a few times over the last few years and each time we have had a great time.  It's such a unique restaurant and definitely a special spot in the Square.  I'm very sad to see it go and have decided we need to go here as much as possible before it closes.

On Tuesday it was apparent that it was going to be "one of those weeks" so I started planning a city outing for Friday to de-stress.  Luckily for us, one of our good friends was able to join us, since Harvard Square adventures are always funner with friends.

After delicious noodles for dinner we headed over to Upstairs on the Square for drinks.  Of course it was crowded but we lucked out by finding some space at the bar.  The ambiance at Upstairs should be studied by all future restauranteurs.  This is what a restaurant should feel like.  Our drinks were delicious and we had fun catching up with our friend who had jut gotten back from a trip to Seattle and Vancouver.  We had fun swapping stories about Mt. Rainier.

We were having a lot of fun so we didn't want the night to end.  We decided to check out the new restaurant/bar The Beat Hotel that had opened up a few weeks ago.  It's from the same people that run The Beehive in the South End and offers live music, dinner, and drinks. I love, love, love the decor.  It's rustic, modern with crystal chandeliers.  What's not to love?

Music lineup

I had heard online that it hadn't been very crowded but that was totally wrong.  We had trouble finding seats but lucked out with a couple seats off to the side.  We all agreed that it was a great spot to enjoy some drinks.  I would love to come back when there was live music playing.  We will definitely be adding it to the rotation, but not before we head back to Upstairs on the Square a few more times.

Inmanween

As I've said before, one of my favorite things about living in Inman Square is the neighborhood atmosphere.  We really are a close knit community and one of the big reasons is the Inman Square Business Association.  The ISBA puts on several annual events each year and one of our favorites is Inmanween.  Last year we won the pumpkin carving contest with this gem and we were determined to defend our victory again this year.

 We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to carve this year.  We thought about a Boston Strong pumpkin but we wanted to be able to reflect our neighborhood so we passed on that idea.  We also thought about a Red Sox pumpkin but ultimately we settled on a Zelda themed pumpkin... because JO is a little bit obsessed!

We proudly brought our pumpkin to the plaza and entered it in the contest before heading to Trina's Starlite Lounge for dinner.  This was the perfect place to celebrate an evening of neighborhood awesomeness since this place embodies everything that is great about our neighborhood.  One of the head bartenders stopped by our table to talk about how the Huskies are looking for the upcoming season.  I was in my glory!

After dinner we headed back to the plaza where we were informed that we had won again!

The next day we headed over to Boutique Fabulous to catch a glimpse of our pumpkin in the window! So much fun!

With each passing day in Inman (we are nearing almost five years now) I fall more in love with living here.  I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Fall City Traditions

 One of my favorite things about living in the city is all of the traditions I've created.  From May Fair to the tree lighting in Harvard Square my calendar fills up with traditions and I love it.  These outings have become a special part of my life and help shape my city life.  The fall is full of festivals including Oktoberfest and Smoke This!



Harvard Square's Oktoberfest is always a fun time!  The Honk parade is so much fun.  I love watching people who are just loving life.  The Square is usually packed and there are always a lot of vendors selling great items.  The weather was nice, have I mentioned how lucky we've been lately, so we spent a lot of time taking it all in.  I love how the Square is shut down to traffic.  Eventually we ended up at Grendel's Den before heading to the movies.

On Saturday we headed over to the Charles River Regatta.  The weather was perfect and we spent the day strolling up and down the banks of the river watching the races.  We were smart this year and stopped at Whole Foods for picnic supplies.  We found a great urban park at the corner of Western Ave. and Memorial.  The picnic tables had a great view of the river.  

I took a lot of pictures because I'm trying to capture the perfect shot to submit to the city's parking permit photo contest.  The Regatta always brings a lot of people into the city and I love sharing my city with tourists!

This weekend we headed down the street to the East Cambridge Business Association's Smoke This Rib Fest.  We stumbled on this event a few years ago and were sold immediately.  Some of the top restaurants in Cambridge competing for the title of rib champion.  The city closes down a large portion of Cambridge Street and there is live music.  It's basically a street party with amazing ribs.  We were lucky to get tickets before they sold out so we got to taste ten ribs and vote for our favorite.  There were three of us and we each had a different winner.  My vote went to Trina's Starlite Lounge.  Once again the weather was gorgeous and it was hard to leave knowing I had school work waiting for me at home. Work has been really stressful lately so I made it a point to boycott school work this weekend and focus on city living.  Judging from my current happy mood I think I did the right thing!