Adventures in Boston

J and I just returned from the most fabulous little getaway to Boston.  We had talked about taking a trip for our 10 year anniversary which was last December, but with Haley's wedding the same weekend as our anniversary, we knew that it would just not be feasible. So, I had this idea months ago to surprise J with a trip to Boston to see the Red Sox play at Fenway Park. He grew up a Red Sox fan but had never had the chance to go see them play. So, I checked the schedule and found the weekend that the Mariners would be in town so that we would not only get to see the Red Sox, but would also be able to see our friend Seth play. I texted Seth's wife about the possibility of getting tickets through the team and the rest is history! I obviously had to fill J in on the plan a while back because hello youth ministry summer scheduling, but he was thrilled at the notion!

We arrived into town on Thursday, dropped our bags at the hotel and immediately hit the streets to start taking in all that Boston had to offer!  We started with the Freedom Trail and followed along all those amazing historical sites like Faneuil Hall, The North Church, Paul Revere's house and so on. 

We explored all over the North End of Boston and it quickly became our favorite place in the city! It was so amazing to stroll the streets and literally be walking through history! The harbor is beautiful, the architecture is incredible and the food is outstanding!!! And how about that green space in the middle of the city??? A giant highway used to be going through there until several years ago when they took on "the big dig" and moved that giant highway under ground. In the picture below, a group of people met for yoga in the park. J and I chose to sit on a bench nearby and people watch...and we may have eaten a yummy pastry while all those people exercised....vacation, y'all!

Some of our food stops in the North End included Regina's Pizzeria which we actually returned to for a second night because it was seriously that good and we also enjoyed Union Oyster House.  Union Oyster House is actually the oldest restaurant in America. It opened as a restaurant in 1826 but the building was there for at least 100 years before that! The interior looks much the same as it did so many years ago. I have NO idea how they pass any code inspections!

We also visited the Cheers restaurant. They built a replica of the TV set to serve as the restaurant in Quincy Market because the place that was used as the facade on the show looks absolutely nothing like the set on the inside. It was fun to sit on the patio and see all the hustle and bustle passing by us. 

Our most favorite stop in the North End was Modern Pastry. Lots of guide books suggested a different bakery that was down the street, but our waitress at Regina's suggested Modern and oh my goodness, she was so right!!! Listen to locals!!!  We went on our first day and then had to go back another day because it was ridiculously good!  J's favorite was the hostess cupcake and I loved the cannoli (which they fill right in front of you with a variety of fillings and toppings) 

We did some serious exploring and became pros at the public transportation!  Our hotel was a block  from the subway and bus station so it made for super easy access for us to get around town. We took a bus to check out Harvard Square. I feel smarter after walking around there...well maybe not so much.

We ate at a pretty famous spot in the Harvard area.  It was not my favorite but others swear by it.  Poor J, I made him take lots of food pictures and I even made him pose with a fire truck to send Walker a picture!

We spent a day in Boston 8 years ago and did a bus tour then, so we wanted to do something different this time as far as tours go. We took the recommendation of several people and went on a Duck Boat. I enjoyed getting to see the city from the Charles River as well as on land as we checked out all the historical sites. Our guide drove the boat with his feet for a while when we were on the river. Interesting fellow. 

The most anticipated part of our whole adventure was getting to experience Fenway Park. Wow! It is truly a special place. I kept saying that it was just so cute. I'm sure the hope of all baseball park designers is for people to say their stadiums are "cute," but it really is adorable!

As cute and vintage as these seats may be....they are FAR from comfortable!!! However, it was surely worth the discomfort to get to take in a couple games behind home plate!

Most awkward selfie ever, but we had to document all the angles!

The 7th inning stretch and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" were pretty awesome, but hearing "Sweet Caroline" belted out by all these folks in the 8th was my favorite! The fans also were ridiculous every time David Ortiz came to bat since this is his last year. In this picture, he had just hit a home run so it was insane!  I also loved the giant flag on the Green Monster for the National Anthem on Saturday!

Our friend Seth had quite the day on Saturday and went 3 for 3. It was so much fun to get to see him do his thing and it was so good to get to visit with him for a few minutes after the game!! 

The Smiths are some of my favorite people on the planet. They love the Lord, their family and their friends fiercely. I'm so thankful for their big hearts and their genuine care and concern for others. I have so much to learn from them!  They are amazing parents to the most precious children and I am so grateful that their big girl and my big girl have each other as best friends!  I could not ask for anyone better! Love this family so much! Sweet Lindsay, we missed you but our family is counting down the days until y'all are back in MS!

J and I could not have had a better time away. It was so wonderful to get to spend some time just hanging out together but we could not have done it without both sets of grandparents keeping the kids. We are so thankful for their willingness to help out so we could go. Thank y'all!! My next post will be the highlights of what all they got in to while we were gone. Needless to say, they were busy!!!