Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Visit Boston MA


Half a year ago I took a short trip to Boston and recently in my continual state or reorganization and moving I came across the itinerary that I had planned. I'd thought I'd write some of the things down so that if anyone is interested in a trip to Boston or has been and would like to discuss it would be helpful.

I was there for three days and four nights. And I packed a lot into that time. The first day began with a trip to the Boston Public Main Library. It's a famous historical landmark and it's free! Centrally located, it's easy to walk to or take the subway and it's worth the time because the building is so beautiful. And who doesn't like a vast room lined with old books and that old musty smell?

Then it was on to the Museum of Science. At the time I was there they had the Pompeii exhibit. Wow, was that amazing. If that exhibit comes near you I highly recommend going because it's very good. Otherwise, the museum was a bit lackluster. I much prefer other science museums I've been to over this one.

After the Science Museum, I opted for the Natural History Museum at Harvard. It had several interesting rooms and so very many animals inside. I couldn't stop taking pictures. It was well laid out and quite informative without being exhausting.

Just down the street was a thing some people may or may not find interesting, but I certainly did. In the Mary Baker Library was a 1611 King James Bible. Apparently it's on tour so if you hear about it nearby you should see it just for the historical worth. The pages and binding and print and language were so intriguing. Some of it was almost impossible to read and certainly reading it out loud like they used to would have been quite difficult because of the extreme elaborate font. But I guess you get used to it like you get used to everything else eventually. It was very cool to see such an important piece of old history.

And if I hadn't been to enough museums yet, I decided to go to the MIT campus museum. This was hands down my favorite museum of the whole vacation. They had a cool Robots exhibit as well as many other ones that were just super fascinating. I spent hours there and it's not that big of a museum, but you just can't take in enough. And some of the items on display are so interesting you just want to not move on to the next . And they have lots of hands on displays too which of course are always fun. Highly recommend this museum if you ever get to Boston. The campus is pretty cool too!

Now on to the topic of food. I like lots of ethnic variety so first I stopped at Lucy's Ethiopian Cafe. If you've have traditional Ethiopian before you will not enjoy this cafe. I didn't. The flavors weren't as good and the service style was too contemporary for me.

Kaze Shabu Shabu (Japanese Hot Pot) was excellent!! Went there for lunch on the second day and there was a big menu with lots of variety of noodles, meat, fish, and broths. It was super duper tasty but....the service was hideous. Our waitress actually left and we had to ask a couple times to different waitresses to get water and dessert and our check. It was absolutely terrible. However, I think it was just our waitress because all the other ones were running around serving guests and clearing tables. It was just ours that went missing in action. Sad. Good food though.

Skipped lunch one day to get as much museum time in as possible, but enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Oceanaire Seafood Room. Open design place with great service. Dressy place but they didn't turn us away for being slightly under dressed. Food was good. I wouldn't say to the level the service was, nor the price. But definitely not bad in any regard. It's a popular place on the tourist list and nicely located and not a waste of time to eat there, but if you have very refined taste like me, I'll tell you where you should go instead.

Menton French Restaurant!!!!!! Far and away the best food I've had in a while. Very knowledgeable and attentive staff. Definitely five star restaurant. It's the traditional pre fixe menu of three or four courses. I opted for three and was treated to a free cheese plate and amouse bouch. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted superb. The wine suggestion was spot on and to top it off, the check was not as much as I'd expected! You'll pay more in NY or Vegas for sure and the food and service here was cream de la cream. Make sure to make a reservation though because this place got packed! I arrived at the very beginning of the dinner hour with only one other couple and when I left there were no empty tables. This is definitely a place to eat while in Boston.

For an evening of enjoyment I started at Stoddard's Fine Food and Ale. It was dark and had a nice beer selection. Hard to view the tv's so watching the sports was difficult. It was an enjoyable way to duck out of the rain though and I would sit down again with some good company and a good beer.

Another of the nights found me at the Schullers Jazz Club. I'm a true lover of classic jazz. Unfortunately I was unaware that the trio for that evening was contemporary. A pricier place, I would not go back unless in generous company and with confirmation of a desired band.

Probably my most enjoyable night was spent at the Stanza Dei Sigari. A little cozy place with good drinks (I enjoyed tasty port), cigar and hookah selections, and an inviting environment.

All in all, the trip was awesome. If you get the chance to visit any of these fabulous venues do let me know, or if you already have, please share your stories. I can't wait to visit again and create more fun and fabulous memories!