Boston! — The Blonde Mule

If this was a back-to-school report on my summer vacation, it would be titled, "Boston Is So Boston." My trip to Boston was a comedy of errors and cannoli. My very first act as a visitor to one of America's oldest cities was to get on the Back Bay Shuttle going to Hynes Convention Center. I got on a bus, but I went to Woburn. Because when the driver said "WOBURN!", I heard "Newbury" and thought that sounded right. Alone at the Woburn bus station with no cell service, my friend sent me an Uber that delivered me to her door approximately 4 hours after I landed. Hashtag: Woburn.

I should back up and mention that I flew to Boston on the day Southwest Airlines' entire system crashed. It was a real fun day to fly, and partially explains why I was so tired that I accidentally rode a bus to Woburn.

For dinner that first night, we walked to The Salty Pig and had the best charcuterie plate I've ever had. We also had too many beers and even though we were full on meat and cheese, ordered two pizzas. I have no memory of walking home. I'm pretty sure I was asleep.

We woke up the next day to basically the earth being on fire. It was 100 degrees before lunch and I was wearing black jeans and my super awesome, but super hot, Elizabeth Suzann tunic. Also, a block into our day of walking, I fell in a hole and sprained my ankle. I was a limping, hot, tunic monster. Julie kept trying to get me to go back to her place and change, but I couldn't let the outfit win. I was also mildly interested in how much water weight I was losing.

We had brunch at Trident Booksellers, shopped Newbury (not to be confused with Woburn) Street, and saw Copley Square and the Boston Public Library. For dinner, we went to the North End for Italian food and cannoli from Mike's Pastry. I also had my first real Boston cream pie. You guys, dessert in Boston is REAL. I think I ate a cannoli every day I was there. I even ate one for breakfast the day I flew home. I miss you, cannoli!

Luckily I had packed workout outfits because Julie told me we would run while I was there (ha!). We didn't run, but because I packed no clothes that could withstand being outside all day in 100 degree temps, I spent the rest of my trip in workout clothes and an obscene amount of sunscreen.

Decked out in my finest running capris and tech tank, the second day went a lot better. We walked Commonwealth Ave from Mass Ave to Boston Common. I got to see Cheers, the swan boats, and Beacon Hill! Also, Commonwealth Ave is gorgeous! For lunch, we popped into Flour Bakery and I had a DELICIOUS breakfast sandwich, while also eating half of Julie's arugula and farro salad.

For dinner, we met John's aunt and uncle at Legal Sea Foods. They live in New Hampshire and John was in Rhode Island for the Newport Folk Festival, so we all met in Boston. After dinner, we parted ways and Julie and I sheltered-in-place in her air-conditioned apartment watching Straight Outta Compton and eating cannoli.

On the third day, still going strong in my workout gear, we walked to Chinatown for dim sum. I think dim sum changed my life, you guys. I've never had it and whatever version of it I can get in Nashville won't compare. Dim sum! We shopped around some of the Chinatown grocery stores and then walked to South End for SoWa, which is kind of like an outdoor, monthly Porter Flea. My body couldn't acclimate to the heat and direct sun, so Julie made me get a frozen grapefruit bubble tea and it brought me back to life. So now I'm addicted to cannoli and bubble tea.

That afternoon we went to Cambridge and I got to see MIT and Harvard. Whoa! I mean, I knew they would be pretty campuses, but holy moly. We walked and shopped around Harvard Square and I bought a "Wicked Smaht" t-shirt and ate a lobster roll (finally). We also found a second Mike's Pastry and bought another box of cannoli.

That last night, I wanted ramen, so we walked to a new place off Newbury Street and had really great ramen. We also went back to a few shops on Newbury Street that I had been too hot to go into the first day. To walk off our ramen, we walked to Fenway Park, which is so much bigger than I expected. A game had finished earlier, so all the lights were still on.

And then I woke up and flew home! Well, not exactly. I spent six hours losing my mind in the Boston airport due to a mechanical failure with my plane, but I eventually made it home. The only restaurant in my terminal was a Friendly's. When I finally broke and couldn't eat any more Kind bars, I went to Friendly's where the most Boston girl I've ever seen was yelling from the behind the counter, "We're out of everything but chowda and tendas!". It was amazing and the perfect end to my trip. P.S. I got the tenders and they were disgusting.