Boston

November 30 - December 3
It's December, so of course Boston was cold. Brrr! And rainy. But I bundled up and took the "T" – Boston's efficient subway system – from Somerville, where we spent 2 nights with colleagues, into the city. First stop: the visitor's center at Boston Common. Armed with a map and a plan, I was ready to brave the chill (mid 40's) and begin the Freedom Trail. But first, a detour into the lovely Public Garden with its famous duck pond (Make Way for Ducklings?). 

Public Garden

Despite the bleakness of an early winter landscape, I stood on the pretty bridge across the pond and thought how lovely everything looked.

I followed the very well laid out red brick trail through the downtown area to famous historic sites. This very walkable city makes it easy to appreciate its eclectic mix of architectural styles spanning almost 400 years. Brushing up on the Revolutionary War wasn't too painful either. I'd taught this stuff to 5th graders in past years, so it was a lot of fun to actually see places like Paul Revere's House. Around noon my feet were numb despite warm socks and boots, and luckily I'd arrived at Faneuil Hall, Boston's "Cradle of liberty", and first food hall. 







Among the market buildings was bustling Quincy Hall which was packed with food stalls. Hungry and cold, I was so pleased to be surrounded by all kinds of exotic and tempting things to eat in a toasty interior.

A tasty spanakopita gave me a boost of energy to continue on the Freedom Trail which now led me to the North End. On a cobbled road I saw the old wooden house in which Paul Revere lived. 

Paul Revere House

After scanning the many high end Italian restaurants in this area, I spotted a cosy café. In this perfect resting spot I sipped cappuccino and read a few chapters of a book set in London. Darn! The last stretch of the Freedom Trail led me to the Old North Church, famous for the place where lanterns were hung to warn Paul Revere that British troops had arrived. Cops Hill Burying Ground was next, then over to the Charles River. I'd had enough of the brisk air so I decided not to cross the Charlestown Bridge to Bunker Hill where the trail ended.
My iPhone showed I'd covered 6.6 miles even though the Freedom Trail was 2.5 miles in total. So, yes, I'd seen a fair amount of the city. Must return in warmer weather.

I absorbed through all my senses, the scholarliness of the area. You sense you're surrounded by brainiacs almost as soon as you get off the train platform and take a seat on the "T". Everyone is serious, either poring over the pages of some important work of literature, or engaged in academic discourse. Even the subway buskers are unnervingly talented. At the Harvard Square station a young woman crooned chansons in such a haunting voice, we wished the wait for the next train would be longer. 

In Cambridge, after a brief stroll through Harvard Square, Peets Café lured us away from the chill and rain. Robust coffee (and yes, that Peets! They are all over now, and I'm finding it a bit disconcerting. Too Starbucks like! But their coffee is bloody good) allowed us to watch the action from a warm spot. Later, we ambled across Harvard University, silently, aware of the sacred air and solemnity of our surroundings. We had lunch at Clover, a contemporary vegan restaurant, where menus are displayed on all the walls and waiters walk up to you to take your order. They make everything from scratch, even the pita bread, so a simple falafel platter was particularly tasty. So was the butternut squash soup.

From our Cambridge hotel beside the Charles River on our third day, it was an easy hike to MIT and Kendal Square. This area had quite an urban feel with its high tech companies and splashy shops.

A sensational meal at Oleana in Cambridge was definitely a high point. Run by a local celebrity chef, Ana Sortun, the cuisine is Turkish in orientation, with a huge emphasis on creatively prepared vegetables. We each ordered the Vegetable tasting menu ($40 pp), which turned into an 8 course meal of shared mezes and dessert. Each well crafted course with interesting flavor and texture combinations was pure culinary joy. Some examples: spinach falafel with beet yogurt in a thin pita roll; spicy fideos with chickpeas and chard; apple fatoush featuring beets and pomegranate. A hoppy, local IPA went really well with this divine meal. We'd intended to take a taxi back to the hotel because we were exhausted. But I was so totally stuffed that despite the crisp night air, I begged to walk back. The half hour trudge through Cambridge helped hugely, but we didn't make it to the hotel lounge where we'd hoped to enjoy the terrific views of Boston and the Charles River over cocktails. Next time ... 

Yup! We had a good time in Boston.