Boston

It’s fun to take a business trip to my home city. Especially when that city can be enjoyed with someone who has never been there before. My week in Boston helped to remind me that the place I grew up is somewhere I would like to live again... Someday.... But for now, I am content visiting for short periods at a time and departing before the excitement starts to fade. 

My hotel was located in the financial district, but I forget just how easy it is to navigate the compact city center. From the historic Quincy Market to the upscale shopping on Newbury Street, Boston is a true American jewel.

View from my hotel room in Boston

The first evening, I went to dinner with my colleague at one of the many amazing Italian restaurants in the North End. I haven’t been to this area in over a decade and I am thrilled that it is more easily accessible, now that the highway dividing it from the rest of the city has been moved underground. We could have chosen from countless restaurants, but we ended up at Vinoteca di Monica. The tables were crammed in a tiny space and the semi-open kitchen made the experience feel like we were eating in the home of our Italian grandmother. 

After dinner, we couldn’t go back to our hotel without stopping for  cannoli from Mike’s Pastry. My mouth was salivating as I debated which of the flavors I wanted to try. The amaretto was incredible and I had to restrain myself from returning the next night to try the other flavors.
 

Mike's Pastry sign lights up the night

On our last afternoon in Boston, we had some time to go on a tour of the city. The tour guide was full of great information that I hope to retain some of it so that people don’t think I am lying when I tell them I spent 22 years of my life in the Boston area. Some of my favorite facts about Boston: 

- Fenway is more than just the home of the Boston Red Sox. This part of the city was once only marshland, until land reclamation projects began in the 1820's.

Exterior of Fenway Park - the oldest stadium in major league baseball

- Just a few blocks away from Fenway Park is the oldest remaining Victory Garden in the United States. Victory Gardens emerged during World War II as a way to reduce pressure on the public food supply. Today, it is mostly filled with flowers, but it serves as a living reminder of both the contributions and the sacrifices that Americans made as part of the war effort. 

- Beacon Hill is now one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city and its name came from an emergency beacon that once stood at the highest point in Boston. The narrow streets remain much of their historic character, including the most gas lamps of any city in the United States. Many of these lamps still burn for 24 hours per day - a tradition that began out of necessity, when the lamplighter union wages became prohibitively expensive for manually lighting and extinguishing the lamps each day. 

Beacon Hill is also home of the Massachusetts State House

- The Christian Science religion is headquartered in Boston, and the beautiful cathedral is certainly a focal point in the city. I'm still not sure how they can afford such prime real estate with only 100,000 members across the country, but it certainly adds to the overall beauty of the city. 

- Just a few blocks from the Christian Science headquarters is Trinity Church, which is honored as one of the "ten most significant buildings in the United States" by the American Institute of Architects. For me, this church is such a symbol of Boston and its reflection in the adjacent John Hancock tower adds to its appeal. 

Trinity Church reflects beautifully from the adjacent John Hancock Tower

- Harvard Bridge is 364.4 (and an ear) "smoots" long. This unit of measurement was developed in 1958 when an MIT student was laid down, end-over-end, to measure the length of the bridge. The markings are repainted each semester by the incoming class of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity). The unit of measurement was so widely accepted that bridge renovations in the 1980's actually incorporated scores in the pavement at every smoot (5'7''). 

While crossing the bridge, people are also treated to gorgeous views of the Boston skyline:

Boston skyline, as seen from the Harvard Bridge

Of all areas in the city, Downtown Crossing and the waterfront seem to be transforming the quickest. In Downtown Crossing, there are several new luxury condo buildings and a skyscraper in the early stages of construction. I remember this area to be a little seedy when I was first graduating college and I am glad to see that it has already improved substantially.

Modern touches in an otherwise historic building in Downtown Crossing

The waterfront – home to Boston’s new convention center – also feels like an entirely new city. There has been so much construction that it makes me wonder what existed there a decade ago. I can hardly imagine that such prime waterfront real estate remained undeveloped, but maybe it was more of an industrial area.

On Friday night, I attended the Boston College football game with my parents. In most parts of the country, attending a football game would be considered a popular local activity, but not in Boston. Here, college football is almost forgotten – even when BC enjoys a national ranking.

One of the reasons I chose to attend Boston College was the Division I athletics, which I feel brings such unity to the student body. This game was proof of that, as the student section was the most crowded and most lively area of the stadium. For little more than a price of a movie, everyone gets an impressive game-day experience, but the students bond in a way that simply cannot be replicated at schools without popular sports teams. The final score was a disappointment for my alma mater, but it was a lot of fun to relive all the great memories from my years as a student.

Boston College Football

Over the past week in Boston, I enjoyed seeing the city from the perspective of a visitor. Boston is so filled with history, yet it continues to transform with cutting-edge art and architecture. Learning so many interesting facts about Boston and hearing the glowing reviews from my colleague allowed me to gain a new appreciation of my home town.

I normally visit the Boston area purely to reconnect with family and friends. Occasionally, I will go into the city for dinner or drinks but most of my time is spent in the suburbs. My experience got me wondering: How many people fail to take advantage of the tourist activities in their home cities?  Sometimes, just a tour of the historic sites or slow walk with a camera in hand may be enough to renew their sense of pride in the place they live.

Summer Vacation

“Welcome back to America”, I thought to myself, as I reached the new automated kiosks at passport control. Along with our customs declarations, a receipt now prints out with the most unflattering photo I have ever seen of myself.  Whose idea was it to take pictures of passengers just as they are disembarking from long, international flights?

The agent didn’t even ask a question when he looked at my list of countries that I had visited since leaving the United States in January. Despite lengthy periods in India, I still managed to log seven countries on this trip (India, Nepal, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Philippines).

As I stepped into the back seat of my parents’ car, it finally hit me: My American summer vacation has arrived!

The first day at home was filled with my favorite of all the American summertime activities: drum corps! I picked up Kristen and we drove up to the Boston Crusaders rehearsal site to get a first-hand look at the 2014 show. I am constantly in awe at the musical and physical demands that are required of each member and this year’s show takes the athleticism to another level. Several times during rehearsal, we looked at each other and agreed that we could never survive a drum corps tour at our age (and this is coming from two marathoners in great physical shape).

2014 Boston Crusaders in warm-up

After rehearsal ended, we went back to my parents’ house for a BBQ by the pool. We then piled back into the car to watch the show. It was great to see so many people from my drum corps days and to enjoy what may be my only live show of the season. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day back.

2014 Boston Crusaders - In Performance

As the week proceeded, I was mostly just excited to be completely out of the work environment. I can wear anything I want while I eat breakfast. I don’t have to say good morning to ten people and remind them that I still don’t drink coffee. Whenever I sit by the pool, there are no hotel staff members approaching me to ask questions about work while they are in uniform and I am in a swimsuit. And, best of all, I am not forced to choose every meal from a menu and ending up with way more food than I need.

One night, my family got together for a belated birthday celebration and I actually chose to skip all the fancy restaurants in favor of grilling seafood at home. After eating every meal in a restaurant for the past six months, things that make me happiest are basics like fat free salad dressing, meats that are prepared with cooking spray instead of oil, and appetizers that are not all deep-fried.

The evening before 4^th of July, Kristen and I did a 10k race that finished on the center of the field at Patriot Stadium. I hardly ever run at night, so my legs felt heavy and tired before the race even started. I knew that this would not be a personal best for me. The entire race, I was stuck behind the female champion who all spectators all cheered on with great enthusiasm (meanwhile ignoring that I existed).  She was running alongside an older guy with the nastiest, hairiest back I have ever seen. I wanted so badly to pass them, but my legs just wouldn’t cooperate.

pre-race

Race medal

After the race, we stuck around the adjacent outdoor mall and enjoyed some sushi and hibachi in suburban paradise. On the way back home, we drove past the fireworks in Boston. I felt so patriotic.

Fourth of July is always a fun time at my parents’ annual BBQ. It was raining this year, but we still made the most of the day inside. My contribution to the meal was a Pinterest-inspired dessert that would get people talking. “Bears on the beach” was definitely a hit.

Pinterest dessert - bears on the beach

Spending some time with my cousin on 4th of July

The next day was my Dad’s birthday and we celebrated at my brother’s lake house in New Hampshire. We basically just parked his boat at the sand bar and spent the entire afternoon drinking while we were waist-deep in water. If you are ever without a beer can in your hand, someone will inevitably ask: “why aren’t you drinkin’?” The environment is fun, but one visit each summer is enough for me. 

Afternoon at the sand bar

Afternoon on the lake

My all-American summer vacation continued with a baseball game to cheer on the Boston Red Sox with a friend of mine who scored a pair of great tickets. I haven’t been to Fenway Park in well over a decade and I can probably count the number of baseball games I have seen since college on one hand. It was fun to be in such a historic stadium, but damn - those seats are the most uncomfortable things I have ever sat in. If my knee wasn’t banging into the row in front of me, my spine was drilling against the wooden slab of the seatback. Also, the width of each seat can barely accommodate an 8-year-old, let alone a normal-sized adult.

If you ask me, every Red Sox ticket should come with a free yoga session afterwards.

One of the best parts about being at home is seeing all my good friends from the past. I was lucky enough to be around to celebrate the birthday of one of my best friends from high school (a birthday I haven’t celebrated with much more than a Facebook message in the past eight years).  A bunch of us got together for trivia at a nearby seafood restaurant / bar.  We split into groups for the trivia part and, of course, my group won the entire event. (This was little to do with my knowledge and entirely to do with a classmate from college, who can recite facts like an encyclopedia).

Another night, I went out to dinner with an ex from college, who still looks great (and is very much in a committed relationship). I was slightly jealous that I am not the other half of this relationship, but it’s nice to know that my good taste stands the test of time.

Speaking of college (and good taste), I spent one afternoon visiting my alma mater with my mom. The plan was to update my collegiate wardrobe, but the gift shop was not open so we just walked around campus. I have such a deep sense of pride when I think about all of the amazing schools I attended. That said, there is something truly special about Boston College. The architecture is undeniably gorgeous, but beyond that, the overall atmosphere reflects a collaborative learning environment that is both competitive and fun. In my completely biased opinion, BC is the epitome of an all-around aspirational American university.

Boston College, "The Dustbowl"

Burns Library at Boston College

By the end of my second week in Boston, I felt like I had fully reintegrated myself back into American society. And, that’s a good thing because I have been told that my entire summer will be spent in North America this year. The next stop for work will be Chicago, but before that, I get to close my New England vacation with a weekend trip to Maine.