Boston Harbor Cruise

Here are pictures from the Boston Harbor Cruise that Granny, Virginia, and I took yesterday. I could commentate but I will just give you an ID on the pics and leave it at that.

- Bunker Hill monument with Cassin Young ship in the foreground



- Virginia, Granny, and me on the ship








- View from the boat; looking at Boston's waterfront




- "Old Ironsides:" The U.S.S. Constitution








- Granny with skyline in the background

Senior Citizen Discount

"I never knew there were so many benefits to being old."As spoken by Granny (my dad's mother) after we got on the T to go to dinner tonight and the driver let them on for free and then two 20 year olds gave them their seats on the subway.

Granny and her friend Virginia Cooke have come up for the weekend. They are staying more in the suburbs, in an area called Brookline that is very close to my apt. We did an "Old Town Trolley Tour" yesterday. One of those things where you pay for the whole day and then you can jump on and off as you please. I had seen most everything before but never all in a row like that so it helped me to put some of the pieces together mentally.

We ate at a Japanese restaurant for dinner on both Thursday and Friday, and not the same one. Dad says never in his life has he eaten at an Asian restaurant with his mother, so either she has branched out at age 80 or they wanted to dine at places that were within rock-throwing distances of the hotel and they just got unlucky. Tonight we ate at a "New England Grill" called Fireplaces which was even farther out into the suburbs, but seemed a little more their speed. They are both bragging that they are showing me new parts of my city I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I think the waitress has never gotten such a kick out of her customers. They asked her about everything in this deep Southern accents and went on and on about how they couldn't believe there were "hominy cheese grits" on the menu.

I haven't been feeling well since last night so I have been laying around most of the day, except for dinner tonight. I think it is just a bad head cold, but I am getting really bored by sitting in bed all day. Whether I am feeling better, or not, we have an early breakfast and a cruise on the Charles River planned for tomorrow, so I need to go to bed. In the picture of both of them, my grandmother is on the right.

The Green Monstah

I've always thought that the "Green Monster" was what you turned into when your friend got something you really wish you had for yourself. Apparently around here it's pronounced the "Green Monstah" and it's a huge wall on one side of Fenway Park. Well I have found myself green with envy every time I walk around my neighborhood, ride the subway, or leave my house just to get groceries on game day. Seems like everyone has tickets to this great, huge party called the Red Sox game and I can't figure out how to get an invitation. Sure scalpers have plenty of tickets but at anywhere from 100-300 bucks, I can't swing that. Even the worst bleacher seats are going at least twice face value. On Tuesday night I was determined to get in, no matter what it took. Eventually we had held out so long trying to find a ticket in our price range that there were none left period, so we gave up on buying them.

Plan B: We decided to wait until the 7th inning and walk in, which about 6 different people told us they allowed, especially if the game's score wasn't close. Well this is obviously not the case anymore, as I found out quickly. We badgered a security guy at the gate with our sob story on living right next to the park and never being able to watch a game. Finally he got so tired of us that he let us walk in. Five steps into the stadium and we were promptly encircled by five ear phoned security guards and escorted right back out. Well at this point I am so disappointed I am basically in tears, so imagine my excitement when yesterday someone at work offered Kelly and I free tickets. So I went to Wednesday's game between the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. I think the pictures tell the rest of the story.

The Family Comes to Town!

So the Eglestons descended on Boston last Thursday. That night we grabbed appetizers and drinks at a place called Stephanie's on Newbury, right around the corner from the Lenox Hotel where they were staying. Friday we walked around Fenway - my neighborhood, and had lunch with one of dad's friends at a place called Atlantic Fish Co. For dinner, we went to a great place called Vox Populi.

On Saturday, mom, Larken and I went on a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery. Once you get the 15 min. promotional video and the 30 min explanation of how beer is made and theirs is this best because yada, yada, yada... they lead you into the brewery bar for free samples and a tasting lesson! The tour was even free, complete with Sam Adams souvenir glass. I guess it's their way of rewarding people who make the trek to Roxbury/Jamaica Plain to find the brewery. Even cooler, they let us try a new beer they are experimenting with that you can't get anywhere else. It was a Red Oak that will compete with one other flavor to get a spot on the shelves next year.














We also went to the Museum of Science... probably should have done that before we tasted yummy brews. They had an exhibit where you could walk through a room of live butterflies, which seemed really cool until they started flying at your face. There was a lot of "is it on me? where is it?! quick take a picture!" We also watched an IMAX on the Grand Canyon which only served to make mom nauseous... that is when she had her eyes open, which was rarely. It was sort of disconcerting, but dad loved it so that was a good enough reason to go. Saturday night we had dinner on the North End, so obviously it was Italian, as that is really the only option in the neighborhood. They loved the gelato, as you can see.
Sunday we had brunch at a place called Skip Jacks, complete with a jazz band. We also ran across another jazz trio that night at Top of the Hub. We decided to grab dessert after dinner as a last hoorah and I suggested we walk around the Prudential Center to find something still open. I then remembered that there was a fancy restaurant on the 52nd floor that has panoramic views of the city. It was gorgeous, and any restaurant that considers a dozen fresh baked cookies just one dessert, is okay with me.

That's all for now. Dad's mom "Granny" is coming to visit on Thursday so I will update around then. Remember you can click on the pictures to zoom in and see them better, I just post them smaller to keep the posts readable.

Cape Cod and DC

So it has been awhile since I posted but that’s because I have been away from Boston for most of the last 9 days. I went to Cape Cod for a couple of days around July 4th. We stayed in a small town called Cotuit. Think… weathered beach cottages scattered between cliff-side mansions, one main road, a general store, a tiny bar, and a Cape League baseball team that everyone comes out to watch.

We had an adorable cottage right across from Chip and Shauna’s house. The first night they made us an incredible dinner. Kelly and I went grocery shopping with Chip and Shauna’s two young boys to buy some last minute ingredients for dinner. I finally know what it feels like when the loud kids asking for toys in the store are your responsibility! We had fresh lobster and clams… you can’t get that kind of seafood in North Carolina! We sat on the beach the first night and watched the incredible fireworks show over the water. On the 4th, the town had a parade down Main Street with classic cars, floats, kids on their decorated bikes and all sorts of other cute stuff. We sat on the sidewalk and caught all the candy the people in the parade were throwing out.

When I got home from the Cape on Thursday I worked half a day and then hopped on a plane to Washington, DC to visit Alec. On Friday we rented kayaks and paddled up the Potomac River for an hour or so and then floated back down. Saturday we went to an outside area called Eastern Market with produce stands, crafts, artwork and jewelry. It reminded me a lot of the outdoor market in Charleston, SC. Since I had to fly out of Baltimore on Sunday, we decided to head up several hours early and explore the waterfront area there. We rented paddle boats in the harbor and shopped before he had to drop me off at the airport.


So that’s it… just at work this week. Mom, dad and Larken are coming to visit on Thursday so I am just resting up for that.

A Day at the Beach

On Friday night, Kelly and I went to a place called Whiskey's. Mostly college kids and completely packed... doubt I'll go back because I like to be able to breathe and talk occasionally.


Saturday we spontaneously decided to go to the beach. It's called Revere Beach and only took us about 25 min on the T. The strip of beach restaurants and most of the other people were a little Jersey Shore-esque, but the beach itself was great... big stretch of white sand and pretty water, and so close to home - who knew?

On Saturday night, Kelly, Katie and I went to the North End to have Italian with one of Katie's friends from South Carolina. We ate a place called Bella Vista. All the restaurants in the neighborhood seemed to be small, family-owned and dark so we just picked one. Good food, but way too much of it, which was not surprising for an Italian place. We went to Mike's Pastry afterwards and there were three different lines stretching out to the sidewalk. I had a bite of everyones desserts and it was all good, especially the gelato.



I went to a Japanese restaurant in the Fenway area for a late lunch today. A cute, family-owned place called Umi. Now that I found such delicious sushi and I am going to start getting take-out because it is actually cheap enough to be one of my regular places.

I just found out that I am going to Cape Cod for July 4th! I can't wait to get some more beach time and say pretentious things like, "I am just headed to my summer home on the Cape." I am staying in a cottage for free with Kelly because Chip's family has an extra one not being used for a couple of days. I am leaving on Tuesday afternoon and coming back Thursday. Then I am flying to D.C. on Thursday night so I have a busy and exciting week coming up.