beantown baby! day 1

 so.  we went to boston.  actually, we went for a friend's wedding in NH which is about an hour away from boston.  we took a red eye and walked all around the city on about an hour of sleep, which was a little rough at times, but so worth it.  boston was amazing!  it's not a huge city, similar to seattle.  here are some pics and descriptions of the most notable sights we saw on the first day of our trip:

the city has this freedom trail that winds all throughout the city taking its followers to all the wonderful historic sites.  it's basically a strip of red bricks laid into the sidewalk, so it's a self-guided, fool-proof way to see the city. 

red bricks of the freedom trail

we were advised by several people and the trusty food network to visit mike's pastry for a delicious canolli.  being major foodies, we had to oblige.  man oh man this place is phenomenal.  if you are in beantown, you must go here.

majorly satisfying and delicious canolli.  filled to the gills with custard.  mmmmmm.

there are many many churches in boston.  probably a new england thing.  seriously, there is a huge church on every corner.  

paul revere is huge in boston.  everything is paul revere-churches, streets, buildings, statues, etc.  this is a huge statue in front of the old north church, naturally.

walking through a little park area to get to the back of old north church.  brick brick everywhere.  it's so beautiful!

now, if you don't remember your american history, the old north church is the one that paul revere used as a signaling center during the american revolution.  he would hang lanterns in the steeple of the church for a brief moment to signal to the patriots how the british army would be arriving, "one if by land and two if by sea".  revere had told 3 boston patriots to hang two lanterns in the steeple to indicate that the british were coming by way of the charles river.  then he set out on his midnight ride.

inside the old north church.  i've never seen anything like it.

amazing.

 

 

history!

graveyard of a church---these were also everywhere.

the trail took across across the river from the north end to where the uss constitution sits.

uss constitution!  this thing was seriously cool.  dubbed 'old ironsides' she's the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat.  she's most famous for her role in the war of 1812 in which she defeated 5 british naval ships.

canons canons everywhere.  this ship is solid.

across the way in the dry dock sits the uss cassin young wwII destroyer being restored.

we walked back over to the north end and ate at neptune oyster, also highly recommended by several friends.  and boy, did this place deliver.  we ordered the hot lobster roll.  i'm not a huge lobster eater, but this roll topped with a mountain of fresh lobster and drizzled with drawn butter was AMAZING!  so buttery and delicious!  i also had their clam chowder, which was good but not the best i've had (half moon bay near san francisco has better) and hubs got some raw oysters---he was impressed.

walked around the corner to visit paul revere's house.  that was pretty cool.

went to a park in front of the state building to bask in the glorious sun for a moment.  may have taken a quick nap.  then went inside the mass. state building.

which was very beautiful and ornate

mosaic floors, no big deal

grand staircases

ironwork fanciness

just your typical interior design

then we headed over to beacon hill---one of my favorite places in boston by far...all brick rowhouses, cobblestone streets, black shutters and overflowing flower boxes.  so cute.

ivy everywhere...one of my favorite

ivy and black shutters...swoon

so beacon hill-ish

every, and i mean every, building had such beautifully decorated planter boxes and mini potted gardens along the sidewalks and entryways.

little piece of graffiti artwork---stegosaurus!!!!

we needed to take a rest, so got some coffee and sat by the charles river taking in the scenery.

seattle coffee beats boston by galaxies, but any caffeine at that point was much needed and appreciated

looking over to where MIT sits

gorgeous scenery, beautiful day

we decided to eat an early dinner and walked back over to the north end, little italy.  we waited outside this restaurant for about 25 minutes (it was completely packed before the place even opens) and then got a seat---these waitresses are no-nonsense-on-top-of-it-get-you-in-and-out-in-30-minutes type gals.

i ordered the beef ravioli with asparagus in wild mushroom sauce.  no lie---this was seriously one of the best plates of food i have ever eaten.  so tasty and perfectly cooked.  hubs got something that was also very good, but i was so obsessed with my own meal that i didn't really pay that much attention to what he got.  i gobbled up these ravioli and licked the plate clean. we were so full that we didn't even eat dessert.  shocking! 

so after this meal, we walked back to our car, passing through the downtown area again full of young professionals getting off work and starting their happy-hour filled night.  the city is so lively, full of history and old buildings but lots of young people.  we left boston and drove on to portsmouth, nh where we would stay for the next couple of days and witness the marriage of friends.  the next post will cover those days.