Shippin’ Up to Boston

The hardest part of coming back from studying abroad is realizing that you can’t just pick up and travel somewhere new every weekend. I told myself that, even though I can’t hop on a plane to a new country every Friday, I was going to travel more, even if it meant going on little day trips. 

This post also marks the first of a new weekly series I’m starting- Wanderlust Wednesday. I’ll be posting any trips, my remaining study abroad photos, as well as all the tips and tricks that I have for anyone who is studying abroad! 

So, in the spirit of traveling more, Z and I planned a weekend getaway to a city that had long been on my list: Boston.

I. Love. History. If I could study history and somehow make money off of it (clearly I’ve read too many Dan Brown novels), I would. And Boston’s main attraction is that it is rich in history.

I don’t know how I had never been to Boston before, especially since it is barely a 4 hour drive from New York. But, better late than never!

It did not start feeling like fall in New York until last week (and fall sure is here), but you could feel it in the air in Boston. Most of the weekend was cloudy and chilly, but I relished being able to pack my vests, cardigans, and rain boots. 

After wandering around the Newbury Street area and finding our dream townhouses, we headed over to South Boston to see Death Cab for Cutie! If you have never seen them live, DO IT. They were amazing, and put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

Also, if you are in Boston you MUST go to Stephanie’s on Newbury. Z and I went 3 times in 2 days. Their lobster rolls are some of the best I’ve had, and their brunch is excellent- pro tip, swing for the Executive Mimosa and change your life. 

Saturday perked up, and we used the warm, sunny weather to wander around and get all of our touristy things out of the way. Being a massive history nerd, I HAD to do the touristy things like the Freedom Trail and Paul Revere’s House. I know, I know…but even those are genuinely interesting to me and something that I wanted to see.

Sorry for the spam of pictures, but I was completely obsessed with Boston and all of the beautiful old buildings. But I was surprised by how modern it is. I sort of expected the entire city to look like the Revere house or all those Ben Affleck movies about Southie (because I love all of them).

But there are huge skyscrapers mixed in with all of the old, historic buildings. I ended up loving the mix of old and new, something that I saw a lot in Europe but in America, everything is almost always new.

Fun fact about the above building, Faneuil Hall (which I was pronouncing the French way but is apparently pronounced like ‘Daniel’ with an ‘f’) used to be a nuclear fallout shelter, and the sign still hangs on the front. Actually, it might still function as a shelter but lets hope not….

Probably….

This place was SO COOL. We stumbled upon it while heading to the Old North Church. The man inside recreates prints of old texts and etchings on an original printing press, and we happened to walk in as he was starting a demonstration. It was really amazing to see how old newspapers and books were printed- and how long it takes!

We followed the trail across the river to Charlestown, where we had to stop every four seconds to snap photos of the beautiful townhouses. Adding a few more to my list of dream houses….

 

Bunker Hill Memorial.

Sunday was the wettest and rainiest, so Z and I headed up to the neighborhood near Northeastern University to spend the rainy day inside a few museums.

 

Our first stop was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Any fans of Drunk History will recognize the museum from the Boston episode. The museum is famous because, in 1990, two thieves broke into the museum disguised as police officers and stole thirteen works of art. And guess what- no one knows who they were. The art work is all still missing, and empty frames hang throughout the museum to show the stolen pieces. They include several Dutch pieces, including 3 by Rembrandt, a Vermeer, and a Flinck, as well as a few sketches by Degas. 

Isabella was a pretty cool lady (as you can tell from her Drunk History episode). Basically, she had a lot of money and great taste in art and architecture. After her husband’s death, Isabella used her free time to build a replica of a Venetian palace in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, and filled it with her massive private collection. PRIVATE. This woman had pieces from all periods, including many from the Renaissance, from all over the world. And she put it all into a museum to make it accessible to the public. 

And how gorgeous is this place??!?

A perfect refuge from the rain. 

Next stop: a spot I had been wanting to visit for a long time- the JFK Presidential Library. Did I mention I love history and politics??

The museum is incredible and filled with all sorts of artifacts and information about JFK’s life, presidency, and legacy. After making your way through the museum you can walk down to the water behind the building where his prized sailboat is kept. 

Y’all. WHY did I not go to school in Boston??? I LOVED it. The city is beautiful and filled with such a rich history that seems to be much more celebrated than in New York. If you are anywhere on the East Coast, or anywhere for that matter, take a trip up to Boston. 

And don’t forget to go to Stephanie’s.