Freedom Trail.... the untold story

Wow, what a week..... it's Saturday night and I am officially done with my first week of work (more to come on that later). I've racked up a total of 56 hours this week, and am setting aside tonight for some meeee time, along with my favorite man of course :)

And now let's get to it...... the Real-story of our Freedom Trail excursion.

 I don't think I've ever seen a living a breathing swan until this day. I feel so deprived....

A nice surprise on the Boston Common. A game of Qudditch anyone? I bet by the time I have kids this will a varsity sport. 

 We (and the other 10 people in line) were so excited to sit on the donkey we never actually looked to see what it was there for hehe

Us Lewis's love our British heritage ;)

Whoa Nelly!

Some graffiti on the bridge to Charlestown. After this, we were not sure exactly what we would find there....

Pucker Up

Mere at the Navy yard

I thought this was a pretty cool view of the sparkling, modern bridge from the inside of the former, antiquated one.


And finally, part of the Boston skyline...

Beeeeautiful :)

Freeeeeeeedom!!!!

Ok so not exactly a movie about American Freedom, but Mel also did the Patriot so that counts right?

Ohhhh why did you turn crazy on me Mel???

The Freedom Trail is one of the biggest attractions in Boston, mainly because it is an attraction made up of multiple attractions.  I'm not usually into all of the historical colonial stuff, but for some reason I was really pumped for the freedom trail.  Believe me, the Site of the Boston Massacre and the USS Constitution are waaaaaaay better than watching someone dip candles in a bonnet. Here's some of the highlights:

The  Soldiers and Sailors monument at the Boston Common was beautiful.

The frog at frog pond, reminds me of a Muppets' song :)

 John Hancock's tombstone.

 The Old State House was the seat of the British government before the Revolution.

 This is where Paul Revere lived when he set out on his famous ride.

Here we have the pipe organ in the Old North Church, the oldest church in Boston.

One if by land, two if by sea. The Old North Church's steeple is where the laterns were hung to warn that the British were coming.

Four hours later.... we finally made it to the last stop on the Trail, the USS Constitution.  It was dark and the museum was closed, but I am coming back to visit this place without a doubt.  If you look closely you can sort of make out the cannons, which are illuminated on the side of the ship.

As horribly touristy as the Freedom Trail is, I would most certainly recommend it as a must-see for anyone visiting Boston.

HONK!

No, I'm not obsessing over ducks again.  This honk refers to the annual HONK! Festival made up of activist street bands.  I knew this would be theee perrrfect thing to do with Merey in town.  Being a trumpeter herself, Merey loves the brass band scene, as do I.

Last Sunday, Merey, my roomie Amelia, and I headed to Harvard Square to see what HONK! had to offer.  In addition to the bands there were also several street merchants and some AMAZING mimes.

 When I first saw the Wicked Witch I thought she was a statue! Too bad I didn't have a spare dollar to make her move.


One of my favorite bands was Environmental Encroachment from Chicago. They were so much fun!

I love the green rabbit!

Reason #2 this band is awesome..... rubber chicken trombone hehe

However, the band that stole the show by far was the What Cheer? Brigade out of RI.  We stayed at their spot for 30 minutes or more listening to their New Orleans style jazz.

They put the HONK in HONK!

Everyone was having a good ole' time :)  There is no way to describe how much energy this band disseminated into the crowd without a video.

After the show, we grabbed some iHOP (a guilty pleasure) and walked around Harvard Yard for a while.  What a great day :)

Merey's Visit

How wonderful that my first visitor in my new home of Boston was my sister, Meredith.  I had been looking forward to her visit ever since we discussed a trip back in July, and after it was finalized (as in her plane ticket was bought) I was jumping for joy.  A lot has changed since I last saw my sister.  I moved to Boston.  She transferred to EKU.

We needed a weekend together; the kind that reminds you of movies like Little Women or The Parent Trap; the kind where you stay up until 3 in the morning each night laughing at each other's jokes, reminiscing through each other's old stories, and attentively listening to each other's new stories.  This weekend was just that and more. 

My next few blog posts are going to cover some of our adventures, but in no way can they capture the overall spirit of sisterhood we felt last weekend.

A Taste of Home

Being the foodie that I am, I subscribe to Bon Appetit.  It's always fun to see what the latest food craze is and how I can jump on the bandwagon.  Even more so, since Boston and DC are major US cities, sometimes local restaurants are highlighted.  Last month there was a feature on the Top 10 Best Places for Pie, of course they couldn't list my Nana's house because she is so transient now a days, but a local Boston restaurant Petsi Pies was listed.  Known for it's sweet potato pie and southern pecan pie, Petsi Pies is just a T ride away for me.

Then I started thinking... pecan pie...  when have I ever wanted a pecan pie other than Nana's?  NEVER!  Pecan pie is a staple at her house every fall and I know she would not want me to do without it up here in Boston.  Coincidentally, Nana called to catch up the next day, and I made sure to request her recipe.  She even figured out how to email it to me using her new email!

Go Nana!

WARNING: Don't try this at home unless you have someone around to take the pie away after your first piece.

Supplies ready

My first pie crust from scratch :)

It's goin in!

Success!!

Nana's Pecan Pie

1 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 c. white corn syrup

1/4 c. melted butter or margerine

3 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. pecans (halved or chopped, I liked chopped)

9 in. pie crust (I used a Basic Flaky Pie Crust recipe)

1. Mix sugar and flour together in a medium sized bowl.

2. Mix in corn syrup and butter.

3. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and pecans.

4. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is set when gently shaken.

5. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: Be careful not to overcook, it should turn out similar to a custard pie.

Thank you Nana! <3

Perfect Autumn Bike Ride

Yesterday was the epitome of a pleasant New England fall day, sunny, slightly breezy, ~68 degrees. The leaves have finally started to turn and are beginning to splash the sidewalks with their bright colors. I knew I had to be outdoors, and decided to go on a little bike ride along the Charles River, something I had been putting off waaaay too long.  Including a couple of missed turns, the ride was a leisurely 7 mi and an wonderful way to relax on a beautiful Saturday.



View Fall Bike Ride - Oct 2 in a larger map


The view was so quaint (as many things are in Boston).  There were almost as many geese out as there were people!

There were a couple of kayak boathouses along the way which were popular as well.

The park near the shore even had a little inlet complete with ducks and lily pads.

And apparently plenty of food....

Sweet Disposition

This past Wednesday I was finally able to partake of Boston's awesome music scene! Since Kavan was unable to go to Free Fest in DC this past weekend, we decided to try to see one of his favorite bands in Boston.  The House of Blues reminded me of my beloved 9:30 Club in DC, but seemed somewhat more intimate.  It was not a disappointment.....

Temper Trap melds together innocent vocals with powerful drum syncopation.

The lead singer, Dougy, puts his heart and soul into his soaring soprano melodies.

Enjoy