My First Visitor!!

I had another big week last week.  On Wednesday Debbie and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  The museum is free after 4pm on Wednesdays, so we took advantage.  Just like many of the Smithsonian Museums in DC, the Museum of Fine Arts was huge and overwhelming.  It seems to go on forever.  There's so many wings, we could have stayed all day and still not see everything.  After a few hours and highlights of seeing the works of Monet, Van Gogh our stomachs yearned for delicious bar food and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals, Bruins vs. Capitals.

Claude Monet- Water Lilies, 1907

We went to a bar close by for dinner and the beginning of the game, then decided when they started pulling out stuff for Trivia Night that we needed to find a different bar.  We found an Irish Pub that was perfect with a good crowd and seats in front of a TV.  I silently cheered for the Caps as the Bruins college age fans around us proceeded to become more and more drunk and obnoxious.  The game went into OT before the Caps scored the winning goal.  The whole bar went silent and I just smiled.  To be perfectly honest, if the Caps would have lost I would have then cheered for the Bruins for the rest of the tournament, but those kids were annoying so it made me happy to have them silenced.

Late Thursday night my good friend Stephani flew in from Omaha for the weekend.  It was great having a little bit of home here and to show her around.  Stephani is training for a half marathon, so Friday morning we started with a run around a lake a few miles from my apartment.  Afterwards, we drove up north to explore the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway.  It's a 85 mile route that takes travelers through "historic seaports, colonial era farms, village and city centers, and a wealth of period architecture".  We made it through about half of it.  We drove through Lynn, Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem (where we had lunch), Beverly, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Gloucester, and Rockport.  I've previously explored some of these areas when I was here in 2008, but it was fun to show Stephani this gorgeous part of the US.  I myself, could drive coastal roads/highways all day, everyday.

Steph and I in Gloucester

Rockport, MA- There was the cutest B&B right behind me.

Friday night we ventured into Boston and ate dinner at Dolce Vita in the North End.  The North End is famous for its amazing Italian restaurants.  Dolce Vita is one of the more authentic.  The owner is this big Italian guy who is very involved in everyone's dining experience.  He even turns down the lights and belts out Happy Birthday to celebrating patrons.  There's also a old man that serenades you while playing the accordion.  The food is also delicious!  After dinner we went to a bar nearby and probably had a little too much fun.

Saturday afternoon we walked the Freedom Trail while I educated Stephani about Boston's rich history out of my Frommer's Boston travel guide.  Just after we had passed Paul Revere's house in the North End we were stopped on the sidewalk by a woman saying she had written my book and wanted to know how I was liking it.  What???  I was so thrown off as I figured some big group of people worked together to write a Frommer's Guide.  She continued to ask if I had any suggestions for anything else to add to the book and if we wanted any tips for what to do and see.  I was totally confused and wished I had taken more advantage of running into her.  It wasn't until we walked away and I read inside the cover that the author, "Marie Morris lives in Boston, not far from Paul Revere".  Then I saw her picture.   I spent the next hour saying over and over again how I should have taken her picture with the book! LOL!  After we finished the trail I took Steph to Top of the Hub so she could get the best view of the city.  The pomegranate mojitos aren't bad either.  :)

Paul Revere statue with Old North Church behind it.  The church is where  two lanterns were held as signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. "One if by land, two if by sea."

Old State House- The Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians from this balcony.
Below where the group of people are standing is the spot of the Boston Massacre

Old Granary Burying Ground- Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried here.

View from Top of the Hub

Another view- if you look closely you can see Fenway Park... so small!

Saturday evening we went to Legal Seafood with one of Steph's good friends and her husband who happen to be in town for the weekend as well.  Dinner was amazing!!  I'm typically not a big seafood person, but I might be swayed.  I need to keep taking advantage of the fresh fish while I'm here!

Sunday morning we toured Harpoon Brewery.  It was a great tour with tons of sampling!  At the end the opened up the taps to us and we got to try as many as we wanted until our time was up. Steph and I were in no shape for driving afterwards!  We walked to a nearby little seafood place and then took a little walk around the waterfront before I drove her to the airport. We had a great time!  It was fun to show someone around "my" city.

Harpoon Brewery

I have about 4 1/2 weeks left here, and I am sure it's going to fly by.  My friend Samantha is going to be in the area visiting family in a couple weeks, so I'll get to hopefully meet up with her, and then my brother, Brian will be flying out for 4 days in a few weeks.  I'm super excited!!