La Fin de Semaine...Boston Getaway for Labor Day

     I didn't swoon for Boston immediately like I did for New York. I guess that's the way it goes; you either love New York City or you love Boston. You can't have both.

     After spending Labor Day weekend in Bean-town, which was my third trip, I beg to differ. It is possible to love the City and Boston, but you may need to pick a side when it comes to baseball. Sorry, I still side with the Yanks.

     Everyone always talks about the rich historical past still present in Boston as one of its most charming aspects. I agree of course. Who doesn't love a good battle ground, colonial cemetery, and tracing Paul Rever and William Dawes's Midnight Ride to save our burgeoning young country from the threat of Redcoats? History majors, like myself, live for Boston's historically preserved patriotic side.

     This history major discovered a completely different side of Boston. The Big Dig rerouted Boston's main highway- Interstate 93- underground into a tunnel. What was left above ground in 2007 when the project finally closed? A lovely park, an unobstructed view of the city from Boston Harbor, Saturday afternoon markets, and awesome food trucks. The Cookie Monstah is worth tracking down for their chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Ugh too good. Pants too tight.

     Boston protects and loves its history, but its also full of energy and new growth/construction. If you want to see the city's history, walk the Freedom Trail, go to Bunker Hill and visit the free museum across the street-you can walk to the top for free as well, and visit the USS Constitution. Just not on Labor Day weekend because historical sights are super crowded.

Here are a few highlights from the weekend:

      Tapas! It happened to be the last night of Boston's Restaurant Week when I arrived, so of course we had to take advantage of the awesome meal deals. Toro is in Boston's South End neighborhood, and it's a happening spot. Try the bacon wrapped dates, charcuterie, and whatever sounds good because it all is. Usually seating is on a first come first serve basis, but for restaurant week we were able to make a reservation. It's worth a wait, in my opinion, and it happens to be right next door to my next highlight point...

      Mike's Diner- If you're in the South End, which you should visit to see blocks and blocks of beautiful old brown stones and quaint neighborhood parks, you need to go to Mike's. There's even a dog park if you need a puppy to make you happy. If you're not in the South End, find a way to get there. This diner was featured one of my favorite shows, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. The portions are more than generous, and the food is just plain good. Some of the dishes have medical themes since the Boston Medical Center is so close. A breakfast plate with "heart attack" in the title seems like a good idea with so many med students in your near vicinity, right? Get there early, though, because the lines get long.

      Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- Did we just visit Venice? You may think so after a visit to this woman's private collection of Renaissance art, Asian/Middle Eastern art, and scattering of mid-twentieth century American art within a palatial rendition of a fifteenth century Venetian palace and a courtyard worthy of mention among the best European cloisters. Each painting in the collection hangs exactly where the heiress hung them. There were even a number of thefts in the museum, and those paintings that were not recovered are easy to spot due to the blank wall space they left behind. We didn't got to the tea room, but the administrative offices, reading library, and restaurant look like a great place to spend a rainy afternoon.

     Wineaux weekend!!- Mike knows me well, so he booked a wine tour with City Wine Tours. The tour itself was pretty good, but the highlight was walking around the Italian North End and discovering the Wine Bottega. The Bottega carries wines from smaller vineyards around the world, and the descriptions are hilarious. Small hand-written cards sit under the wine bottles with headings like: You know you want me! and Saucy! You can sign up for their wine club, and they will deliver a basket to your door each month or you can pick it up in store. There are also free tastings on Fridays. Yes please.

      In the North End we also got to see lots of older Italian men playing bacci ball. There was Italian flying through the air along with bacci balls. Fists were shaken. Smiles and grumpy looks were exchanged. I loved watching and plan to return just to listen one day.

     Neptune- This restaurant was our last stop on our North End tour. Our wine tour ended around 5:30, and we headed straight to Neptune to reserve a spot thereafter. They don't take reservations until the day of, so get there early in the evening to leave your number. We got the call that our table was ready around 7:30. Within seconds of arriving we were seated at the bar of this small, cozy, swanky, and strikingly French oyster restaurant. I've never been a huge fan of oysters, but I love to watch the pros shuck 'em. I had an amazing dinner of scallops, brussel sprouts, and bacon. This place is awesome and worthy of the name- Neptune/Poseidon was the god of the seas, and thus seafood, afterall!

I now refer you back to my Provincetown post because we started off our weekend there.

This gem is actually from Provincetown, but it's too good to omit.

Boston Commons' famous pond and swan boats.

Some random guy who posed for a picture. He's pretty cute, though, so I kept him around. This is on the way to the Bunker Hill monument.

     I'm actually headed back to Boston in a week, I promised a certain someone a visit, so I should have more to share then. Until then, have a lovely weekend! Do something fun!