Our trip to Boston was almost a month ago and I have been meaning to write about since we got back. I honestly didn't think I would miss Boston after we left, but going back made me realize how much I DO miss it and how great of a city Boston really is. If it weren't for the eternal winters and the price of living up there, I don't think I'd mind living there again. I also don't think I could do without in-house laundry facilities and readily available parking spaces, but that's just me being particular.
Anyway, going back for two days was such an odd experience. It felt so weird to be walking around and going to all the places we used to go to as tourists instead of residents. We walked by our old apartment building and were both tempted to try to get into the building to knock on the door of our old apartment. It's so hard to believe we lived in 250 sq ft for four years! Now that we have a house, I can barely remember how we managed it.
The city has changed so much. My brain could not wrap itself around the changes that have occurred over the last two years. I know things changed while we were there but it all seemed so gradual. When we went back, our favorite restaurants had moved around and, even more shockingly, the street that we walked nearly every day of our Boston lives was redone, remodeled, and full of lively and approachable new businesses. We used to always say that particular area needed some updating so it was a shock to see how much was updated in two years when not much was done in the four years we had lived there.
Also, amazingly different to me was how child-friendly the city has become. The city has definitely shifted gears toward catering to families with small children. I kept telling Alex that I didn't know if it was me going back to Boston as a mother, but I noticed more families and more children. So this is part of the reason I could imagine us living there again because I could picture us living there with our kids.
Not only were we worried about leaving Cati for a weekend, but we were worried about making the right dining choices. We flew in Saturday morning for a wedding Saturday night and then we flew out Sunday afternoon so we only had two meals to figure out. I know it seems silly to worry about two meals, but with so many favorite places to revisit it was hard for us to narrow it down to places that would truly capture why we loved Boston's dining scene so much. In the end we kept it simple and went with two of our go to places.
For lunch Saturday we went to the first place we fell in love with. The place that made us believe in the greatness of burgers: Abe & Louie's. Alex and I only went there for burgers on special occasions because they were pricey, but those burgers are, in my opinion, the best burgers in the city. Because this was a special trip, there was no doubt we should go back to our dining roots and back to the place that held a special place in our hearts. I can still remember the first time we went to Abe & Louie's and how we walked through the aftermath of the season's first winter storm to eat there. Memories.
On Sunday we headed into the North End, bought cannolis from Modern Bakery (I prefer them over Mike's), and then ate prosciutto and mozzarella paninis at Express. The North End is a part of the city that has barely seen any change. Hanover looks almost exactly the same as two years ago and it made me wish we had more time to eat!
One thing that put me to shame was how much my legs hurt on Sunday. We spent a good chunk of Saturday walking across the entire city. This is a walk that we did every weekend. I dressed comfortably and wore sneakers (the same I wore two years ago!) and while I didn't feel tired during our walk, my legs hurt like a mother the next day. I'd like to think it's because of the added pregnancy weight, but I know better.
And now the reason we were in Boston in the first place: Edgar and Sarah's wedding. Edgar was my boss for three years while I worked in property management. He was my closest friend in Boston and is still a close friend today. He started dating Sarah our last year in Boston and we got to meet here before moving down and I was beyond thrilled when he told me he was engaged. Edgar is such a good guy and I'm so glad he found The One.
So that's our trip in long, drawn out nutshell. It's fun to think that Cati was conceived while we lived in Boston and we returned to Boston pregnant with Baby D.
