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!
