This year for our anniversary Meredith decided to try something that normally she's not too good at- keeping a surprise. She loves to try and attempt this, but it's just her personality to not let a good thing go unsaid. So a month ago when she informed me that she had a surprise for our anniversary, I figured it would be a matter of days before I knew exactly what we'd be doing. To my surprise, however, Meredith kept this one quiet all the way down to the end, and on the Sunday after our anniversary (once Meredith got back from a trip to NC) we found ourselves on our way to Boston to celebrate our third year together.
Meredith had been to Boston on a number of occasions, but I had not made the two hour trip south to check the big city out for myself, so Meredith thought that our anniversary would be a great time to do so. Taking advantage of off-season prices, Meredith booked us a reservation at The Taj, an absolutely amazing hotel overlooking Boston Common. And in trying to do as many Bostonian things in the short time we had in the city, Meredith and I immediately hit the town after checking in.
At first, our sightseeing expedition took us down brownstone-clad Newbury Street, where we grabbed a quick snack from one of many restaurants and shops before heading across the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common to find the Freedom Trail. The public garden and common were gorgeous spots of green in an otherwise sprawling concrete big city. Being a wildly historic town, there were numerous statues and landmarks lacing the common and garden, giving a magnificently historic feel, to an already beautiful city.
On the other end of the Common, the Freedom Trail only magnified this historic feeling, as you're given the opportunity to stroll the same streets and see many of the same buildings, as many of the original leaders of our nation. Since we had dinner plans with an old friend from UNC, we set our bearings on Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market, with the intention of returning to see the rest of the trail the next morning. Getting to our destination shortly after sunset, we were lucky enough to see the awesome sights of Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market in a lit-up display over the brick-laid streets. We even popped in to the Orvis store to pay homage to our furry friend back home!
For dinner, we met our old friend, Lauren, and our new friend, Ryan (her boyfriend), at Addis Red Sea for a new dining experience of Ethiopian cuisine. The food was delicious, our company was delightful, and on our way back into the city from Cambridge we even got to see the extraordinary Boston skyline.
Possibly the greatest gem of our excursion was our journey to Flour Bakery the following morning. Rumored to have the best sticky buns in New England, Meredith and I decided to test them out for ourselves. So far, they're right! Don't let word get back to Orvis, but there was even an exceptionally cute Bernese Mountain Dog waiting outside for some of Flour's homemade dog treats. Good news: Flour allows you to order its sticky buns online.
After breakfast, Meredith and I headed back up Dartmouth street past the public library and Trinity Church to explore Commonwealth Ave. and the rest of the back bay. Commonwealth is a grassy pathway lined with historic brownstones and beautiful trees. Next, our walk took us briefly through Beacon Hill, past the Massachusetts state house (John Hancock's old residence), and then back through the Public Garden on our way to check out from our Hotel.
After checkout, Meredith and I found parking in the North End, where we picked the Freedom Trail back up and eventually found our way to the Old North Church - where Paul Revere warned the city of the impending British Troop invasion over 230 years ago. Heading through the predominately Italian neighborhoods of the North End, Meredith felt taken back to her time in Florence, as we passed numerous Italian restaurants and stores, and even people speaking Italian in the streets. Luckily, our trip through the Italian neighborhoods coincided with lunchtime, and we were lucky enough to enjoy an excellent Italian lunch, gelato, and even a little bakery trip for the trip home. The almond cookies from the bakery were so delicious, that Meredith and I quickly returned after trying them to triple the original order!
Unfortunately, I don't believe that even blogspot.com has enough server space to hold all of the sights, stories, tastes, and adventure of our quick expedition, but Meredith and I will certainly cherish those memories for years to come - and hopefully return to Boston soon to see all that we missed our first time. I just want to say thank you to Meredith for keeping her first surprise, and making it an absolutely perfect one!
Breathe Easy!
Equipped with a pair of scissors, a hair dryer, a few window kits (plastic and double-sided tape), and 3 weeks time, I made semi-quick work of this daunting task for anyone from away.
