Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park

Located right next to the Aquarium, this beautiful park is a great place to sit and hang out or to have have a picnic. The park looks out over the marina so you can see loads of awesome boats, the surrounding skyline and even watch the water taxi come and leave. We also found the Cookie Monstah food truck located just over the street so we grabbed some cookies and ice cream to eat as we hung out.

Jodie

Warehouse Bar and Grille

We found Warehouse Bar and Grille as we walked to Faneuil Hall. Located on Broadway at Milk St, it is a short walk away from Faneuil Hall and the surrounding Harbour, and provides a slightly quieter place to eat, but still has a lot of atmosphere. The interior had a cool warehouse type finish, with visible air ducts and pipes. Decorated in green and black with se matching outdoor furniture, it was a great place to stop at for lunch.

We ordered two "For the Table" plates, Alligator Bites, and Chips and Guacamole. These plates were a little more expensive considering that there weren't really enough Gator Bites to share, however, there were enough Chips and Guac to share. We also ordered the Tuna Tartare and the Tomato and Basil Pasta with chicken. Our meals came pretty quickly and were definitely well sized portions. Our meal was pretty affordable and was really enjoyable.

Jodie

The Barking Crab

After walking past the Barking Crab, we decided to stop in and have lunch. This super cute Crab shack had great food and an awesome atmosphere. Set up with long tables and overlooking the marina, there was a lot of chatter in the air as we sat down. We quickly looked over the menu and ordered our food. Whilst there were some pricier dishes, there were definitely some less expensive ones as well. Our food came pretty fast and we both dug in without anytime to waste, seeing as how we had missed breakfast in order to make it to the bus on time. Our food was delicious! We had ordered the Barking Burger and the Naked Lobster Roll.

Located just next to the Courthouse and right on the Marina it makes an awesome place to eat lunch!

Jodie

Monday, May 18, 2015

The Pucker Gallery

We found the Pucker Gallery tucked away on the third floor of a rather unremarkable building on Newbury street. The elevator leads right into the gorgeous, open gallery the showcases primarily African and Israeli Art through mediums ranging from sketch, to pottery to fabric painting. The Gallery is a great way to escape form all of the mainstream pop culture that is expected of Newbury and appreciate some really beautiful installations.

www.puckergallery.com

Sam


Street Entertainment

Even if you're not looking o shop, Newbury street is still a great place to hang out. While walking down the street we passed a ton of street performers and buskers. The first group of performers we ran into was a jazz band on the corner of Hereford street. They were fun and very receptive to my taking pictures of them. However, the performer who really seemed  to draw people in  was right in front of the Boston Public Library. His name was Snap Boogie and his dancing landed him in the finals of season six of America's Got Talent and a role in the film The Way Way Back. Throughout Snap Boogie's performance he was engaging, making jokes and for the finale, he flipped over five members of the crowd. So, if you ever fond your self bored in Boston, just walk around; entertainment is everywhere.

http://beautyinthestreets.com/
@beautyinthestreets

Sam




Beantown Pho&Grill

While walking down Newbury street, we found a little Vietnamese-Thai fusion restaurant called Beantown Pho&Grill. It is located on the lower level of a brownstone between Gloucester Street and Fairfeild Street, just across the street from Johnny's Cupcakes, however, there is also outdoor seating. For lunch, we ordered Pad Thai, Pho Tai (beef pho) and  Banh Xeo (Vietnamese pancake). Everything was authentic and pretty inexpensive. Overall, Beantown Pho&Grill is a great place to take some time off from shopping on Newbury, have some great food and even people watch a bit.

Sam


Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Greenway

After getting off the T at Courthouse, we walked over the bridge and found a cute little park called The Greenway. What immediately drew us in were the hammocks. There were three hammocks set up around the small grassy area so we hung out here for for a while just enjoying the sun. As well as the hammocks, there were also plastic

Above us hung a huge piece of outdoor installation art. One of The Greenway's projects is to make art more accessible to the public by having temporary outdoor exhibitions. On our visit we saw Janet Echelman's As If It Were Already Here (photographed below).

The Greeway is super close to the Waterfront so it makes a great place to stop and just hang out for a while, or even have a picnic. It is also within walking distance of the ICA so you could stop by there too.


Jodie

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Southwest Corridor Park

After getting off the T at Back Bay Station we realised that there wasn't really much there. We thought we might have been able to find a coffee shop or something to grab some breakfast but we had no such luck... We did, however, find a cute little path to walk along. With pretty flowers, a small park,  a separate dog park, and great skyline views of the city, the Southwest Corridor Park made for a great stroll. It would be an excellent place for a picnic or first date.

Jodie



The Boston Public Library

We stopped into the Boston Public Library to check out the cafe restaurant we knew was located there. Once we arrived we amazed by the beautiful artwork on the walls of the main staircase directly opposite the entrance. We walked around the various rooms in the library, wondering how we had been there sooner. Pretty much all of the rooms were airy and light, but there was one large room that resembled the library from Harry Potter. Inside the Library is a courtyard with a fountain. There are chairs and tables set up so you could work also outside if the weather is nice.

The Map room was one of my favorite areas in the library. The room displayed not only historical maps but also fictional ones. Detailed colored maps of places like Middle Earth, Narnia and the world of Alice in Wonderland. There was also a social exhibit called the Liberty Tree. Visitors were able to write what Liberty means to them on a leaf and then hang it on the tree. You are also able to take leaves home and then drop into a drop box in the Library Lobby to be hung on the tree.

However you like to study you could definitely find a quiet space to work or for a study date. You could also just wander around inside if you feel like stepping away from the busyness of the Back Bay area. With restaurants located down Newbury and in the Prudential Center, you could even grab a bite to eat.

Boston Public Library: http://www.bpl.org/
The Courtyard Restaurant: http://www.thecateredaffair.com/bpl/courtyard

Jodie





MBTA

For our first trip into Boston we planned on taking the 240 bus from the Milton Public Library to Ashmont Station, and then taking the Red Line to Downtown Crossing, and then the Orange Line to Back Bay.

We woke up early and left Millet at about 9:30am to make it to the bus stop in time to catch the 9:38 bus. We made it to the bus stop a couple of minutes before the bus was due to arrive so we sat and waited for it to pull up. By 10 am we realized that the bus was no where to be found and so we decided to walk to the Trolley Stop in Lower Mills. Once we made it to Lower Mills we had no problems. We jumped straight onto a Trolley, and then onto the Red Line train. When we arrived at Downtown Crossing we transferred to the Orange Line with out any problems and pulled into Back Bay a few minutes later. 

To come home, we took the Red Line from Park all the way to Ashmont, and then took the bus back to the Milton Public Library. We had to wait 25 minutes for the bus to come, during which time 3 trolleys cam and left again. We decided that we had done enough walking however, so we didn't mind the wait.

Our advice? Since the buses only come once every hour on a Sunday, plan ahead and be there at least 5-10 minutes early. Also if you don't mind the walk, sometimes the trolley can be faster, depending on when the next bus leaves.


Jodie