3 days in Boston- Highlights

Alright, I'm back from my mental vacation.

Day one

Flying out of LAX to BOS was seamless. Boyfriend and I barely had to wait to board our flight. Which means I got in about 2 matches of Draw Something before I boarded. Flying across the ol' USA really is something else- the geography of this nation is oh-so diverse from miles above.

When we finally arrived to Boston's Logan Airport, we went straight to the small apartment boyfriend found on AirBNB (we tried so hard to find a couch via Couchsurfing up until 2 days before departure, but it seems like those Bostonians are so busy!). Since our host was still at work, she had send a message to boyfriend explaining how we can find the keys to the apartment. This was the fun part- I felt like I was placed into a mini-detective story. The key was in the back yard, under a blue bucket. There were 3 blue buckets in a yard approximately 50'x50'. Third time's a charm, evidently; boyfriend found it under the blue bucket nearest the building. After we settled in, we went to downtown Boston and just walked around. Didn't know what quite to do. I had been to Boston 3 years before, so I had some bearings around the city. I had left the city guide and the map at the apartment, so I really had to use my memory. And when hunger stroke, I knew exactly where I wanted to go for dinner: Regina's Pizzeria!

North End is definitely a little gem in Boston, and my favorite place in the city. I definitely recommend going to Regina's (in North End's location!) to everyone and anyone! 10" pizzas are about $8-10 each, and definitely worth the taste. I have been to Italy and had gotten plenty of pizza-tasting experience there, and trust me when I say that this pizza at Regina's is pretty close- like a hair away- from Italy's. My favorite is the Formagio Bianco (their four-cheese pizza). Got it last time, got it this time. Will get it again and again!

Day two

Freedom Trail time! But before that, we paid a visit to Trinity Church. Back in architecture school, in the American architecture course, that building was studied. It was basically our duty as alumni to visit the site. We didn't go inside, but we took enough photographs. Our journey through the Freedom Trial began through the Boston Public Gardens, where  we found ourselves accidentally 'participating' in the Walk Off Hunger Walk. The charity walk actually ended at the Boston Common (the park adjacent to the Public Gardens), so cheerleaders welcomed us to the finish line. I felt like a local for a few minutes. We made our way to the official beginning of the Freedom Trail, finally. I had forgotten how many cemeteries there are in Boston. But I am not complaining, I could spend all day walking cemetery grounds. So on we went from historical monument to monument, taking pictures and admiring the city. At Faneuil Hall, a solicitor tried to win our favor, and confused me for boyfriend's wife. I can't complain there. In North End, we stopped by a little souvenir shop that I had visited 3 years before. I really wanted to revisit the shop because the store owner has such a Bostonian accent, and I wanted boyfriend to hear it. He actually didn't say much, almost nothing at all, until I was at the counter purchasing my 2 postcards and mentioned that I had visited his shop 3 years before. He chatted up a bit, telling me that it was great that I had remembered his shop. And boyfriend got to hear his accent. I told boyfriend that we had to make a stop at Mike's Pastry to get some cannolis. The cannolis there are giant, and we probably could have done with just one. But we got 2- a vanilla florentine cannoli and an amarato cannoli. We never got around to eating them until later that night, right before sleeping, and we didn't eat half of it.

We started to rush a bit to visit the USS Constitution because the ship closed admission at 5pm. We barely got there- 10 minutes shy of closing time. Although we missed the last ship tour, we got to board the ship and spend time on deck.
The Freedom Trail is about 3 miles long from beginning to end. I wan't looking forward to the walk back to central Boston.

Day three

Boyfriend had scheduled an information meeting about the GSD (Graduate School of Design) @ Harvard prior to arriving in Boston. We had a late start that morning, with boyfriend assuring me that we were going to make it to Harvard from the apartment in 10 minutes time. Where he got that time estimate, I have no idea. It was more like 45 minutes. But we got there, and getting there late was no biggie. After the info meeting, we took a quick tour of the GSD, and I fell in love with the giant mess that is the studio space. We walked through the main campus towards are lunch destination: Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage. My cousin wanted to go there last time years ago, but it was closed on the 4th of July. So I made it a point to go there this time. It's a rather old hole in the wall, and a bit quirky inside with their wall decor.

Their menu is fun to look at, too. Take for instance "The Barack Obama: (one and done?) with feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and french fries" and "iPhone: ("Siri"ously delicious, ask her) boursin cheese,grilled mushrooms & onions w/sweet potato fries."
Just go to the website and be entertained by their menu. Burgers from their gourmet menu run about $10-12,  with fries. Otherwise, look above their grill and you will find another menu with simpler choices that run from $7-10, with potato chips (they're local!).
From Harvard, we decided to walk to MIT via the riverside. It didn't seem too far away. Well, it might have been not too far (like 2ish miles), but it took so long to get there. We met up with a friend who is currently doing her graduate studies in architecture at MIT, and she showed us around the media room on campus. I think we played more ping pong than touring the media room.
2 hours worth of ping-pong.