Snapshots of the Northeast // Days 1 & 2 // Boston // October 2018

Back in October we flew out to Boston to meet up with our friends Brittany and Tyler and their little one Ada. We spent an evening and a day in Boston before heading out on a Northeast road trip. Stay tuned for snapshots from Salem, MA, Portland, ME, The White Mountains, NH, Galusha Farms,VT, and a teeny tiny bit of time in Providence, RI.

Edward Cullen??

I was in love with this pretty green restroom. LOL

These are spools of thread!

Mermaid Spotted in Boston.

We ate hear back in 2013!

Eat: we definitely had as much lobster as possible on our trip...

• Giacomo's Ristorante - This place was SO GOOD. If you like pasta, you are set. I had the lobster ravioli (divine), KC had a seafood pasta (super good), Tyler had the Butternut Squash Ravioli (which he swears by), and Brittany tried something with prosciutto and peas. The dessert was also super good. This place is small so you might have a wait, it was worth it for us though. 
• James Hook & Co. - KC wanted a lobster roll after dreaming about the one he had in NYC for over a year. This place was just ok, but we might have caught them at a busy time. Super simple menu, fun outdoor seating. Wouldn't particularly recommend unless you are very near.
• Granary Tavern - We did not eat here on this trip, but we did get a little bit of nostalgia seeing this place on a walk. We loved eating here back in 2013. 
• Ghiradelli - We stopped for a milkshake at Ghiradelli. KC loved it. LOL
• Doyle's Pub - We were looking for an Irish Pub, and this was the closest that google got us. It was in a suburb of the city and had a cool vibe, but very little Irish or Irish American food. I had lobster mac and cheese that was just ok and KC got some pub nachos that he really enjoyed. 

See: Market Areas, Faneuil Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Shop: 

• Brattle Book Shop - Indoor/outdoor bookstore. Honestly it is a bit of a crapshoot on the collection outside, but it is fun to dig and to be in a big bookstore. Found a few things inside.

Do: 

• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - We always like to catch an art museum on our trips. Since we hadn't spent a lot of time in Boston before we chose the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum because it was smaller than the MFA. This home-turned-museum was fascinating and filled with sculptures, relics, and art. I wouldn't like to live there, but it was definitely fascinating. Worth the visit if you're in the city. So cool that ISG had a portrait of her and her daughter painted by John Singer Sargeant as well. Wow! The Common Threads exhibit was interesting as well. I particularly enjoyed the random green bathroom!
• Faneuil Marketplace - We visited South Market and had fun walking around the area. We saw an antique printing press where they were printing copies of the declaration of independence which was cool. This is mostly a shopping area, but a good place to stop for a snack or shopping.

Stay: We stayed with our friends in Boston on the days in the city.

Favorites: Lobster Ravioli, The Green Bathroom, and the Paintings at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

New Experiences: Lobster Ravioli. :) 

Have you been to Boston? What were some of your favorite things to do? 

Do you have any fun trips coming up?! We are heading somewhere really exciting in December! Any guesses?!

Other Northeast Posts: 

More Northeast travel posts coming soon!

Happy Travels!

XO,

Alexandra

Snapshots of NYC // Day 5 // LOTS OF BOOKSTORES! // October 2017

In the fall of 2017 we took a trip to NYC. We had never been, and honestly had more fun than we were expecting to! I'm finally getting my act together and getting these posted! :) If you missed my posts with Days 1 & 2, Day 3, and Day 4 check them out.

Day 5 was our last day in the city. We spent a lot of it rounding up things that we wanted to check off of our list. It ended up being a bit of a bookstore day! Not complaining!

Eat: We tended to eat several partial meals from time to time... It was a little sporadic! We only had one meal on this day, because the other was at the airport... and I'm betting we picked up a pastry for breakfast at Starbucks. :) 

• The Meatball Shop (West Village) -  I swear this place was just called Balls. Maybe they changed it...? Googling Balls NYC probably isn't going to get you great search results... I loved the atmosphere at this place, they also have 3 other locations in the city. KC tried the buffalo chicken meatballs and I tried something a bit more classic. This was a fun place, and nearby a bookstore that I needed to see. :) 

See: More of Central Park, Different Parts of the City, and lotsssss of bookstores!

Shop: I made it my personal mission to explore tons of book shops while in NYC. I'm sure you are shocked. Here are the ones we saw on day 3. I'll have to do a round up post in the end when I finish. 

• Books of Wonder (Uptown) - This is a children's and young adult used and new bookstore. It is a hot spot where a lot of authors do readings, and they have a lot of signed books as well. If you love children's or YA books. This is a super fun bookstore to visit! They do have another location Downtown.
• Idlewild Books (West Village) - this was probably my favorite bookstore that we visited because it was all based around travel, language, and culture books. I love to read travel fiction and memoirs! They even have fun cookbooks, etc. The person working on the day we went didn't say two words to us... but the book selection was awesome! They also teach language classes! They have another location in Brooklyn.
• Three Lives & Co. (Greenwich Village) - This was a really fun, manageable sized bookstore. It was in a fun area, and had a really well curated selection of popular and literary fiction and nonfiction.
• Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe (??) - This place was interesting, the layout was really cool... but it definitely wasn't my favorite of the stores we visited. I liked that they had a big social justice agenda, were very welcoming to all, and that the had used books for sale. It didn't feel very cozy to me, and it was a little hard to get around the upper balcony when there were other people there. It was ok but not our favorite. If you lived there, I could see it being a go-to.
• Book Culture (Columbus Ave. Location) - This small store is packed to the gills with both books and people. I wanted to love it, it had a very clean but not stark vibe... but it ended up being one of my least favorites...but that might be because it was hard to move around!
• Pink Olive (West Village) - This stationery store is cute as a button. I loved their selection of stationery, gifts, and prints. I found a few things to add to my paper collection. They have several locations across the city.

Do: while walking around the city itself is PLENTY to do, we did see some other great places as well! We enjoyed seeing more of the city, especially the village on this day. :) 

Stay: We stayed at Pod 51 hotel. It was very economical!!! It's bare bones, but very clean and in a safe area. Just make sure to check what type of room they are reserving. They do have shared rooms and shared bathroom situations.

Favorites: The Meatball Shop, Idlewild Books, and Pink Olive.

New Experiences: A travel themed bookstore, a children's books bookstore, and a meatball restaurant.

Have you been to NYC? What were some of your favorite things to do? 

Have you been to any of these places? 

Do you like to visit everyday spots like bookstores when you travel?!

Do you have any fun trips coming up?! We are heading to Memphis soon, and then somewhere really exciting in December! Any guesses?!

Other NYC Posts: Days 1 & 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Anastasia on Broadway.

More NYC travel day posts coming soon!

Happy Travels!

XO,

Alexandra

More NYC travel day posts coming soon!

Happy Travels!

XO,

Alexandra