Last Week in Boston

View from the Top of the Hub, Boston's Prudential Center

Celebrate. Graduate. Move. 
Whew, what a week. I've been a bit tardy on the blog this week, but for a slew of excessively good reasons. We've been partying. Packing. Sometimes weeping. Laughing a good lot. Sleeping not a pinch. Eating and drinking with friends and family and taking in the last wonderful moments of our time here in Cambridge.

HBS Prom. For 30-year olds.

Dreams Come True, People.
This week something wondrous happened. My husband graduated from Harvard Business School with his MBA. I can brag on him because this is no small feat. I've been there to witness his journey every step of the way, watching his determination and discipline in utter amazement. Stevie spent years dreaming of going to Harvard for business. When we were dating, we would lay under the sun-soaked trees by the Sacramento River in Redding and dream about what it would be like if he actually got the chance to go to such a school; who we would meet, where we would live, and how we could possibly survive the cold winters in such a shivery, unknown city. It was a big dream. Some might think, "near impossible!" And yet this week, after two years of studying, learning about new industries, reflecting on societal conundrums, expanding his world view and rearranging his life, he walked across that stage at Baker Lawn, shook Dean Nitin Nhoria's hand and received that piece of paper he worked so hard for. Dream: Accomplished.

Our wonderful families came to visit, including my extra-special Auntie Shirley. She's an academic queen, she actually went to speak at another graduation the following day! She's too legit.

Ceremonies in Harvard Yard. You can't park you car in here. Too many fancy tufts of grass.

Congrats, Grad.
Stevie is a living example that dreams can absolutely come true. A dream just has to be paired with an enormous amount of self discipline, a drive to learn and a really encouraging support system. He is my absolute hero, because he didn't just show me that he can do something amazing. He taught me how I can do something equally as amazing, too, because when you work hard and keep a positive attitude, the world awaits your victory. There is much more I could share about his experience, about our time here in Boston, our love for this community and our fierce loyalty to this wonderful school that has changed our lives, but I'll stop short of becoming emotional and move on. Because with his graduation comes the other part: we are moving.

Last View out of our 4-story Window // Me: "Where did all our stuff go? And how did we fit it into this 9x9 space?? // Stevie: "I can fit inside our closet now... cool!" // Goodbye to 923 Mass Ave.

Move If You Wanna.
We spent yesterday moving out of our beloved TINY Boston abode. We loved our little place, where we often made late night cups of tea while he studied and watched TONS of movies during snow storms. We can only hope wherever we live next feels just as cozy and delicious to our homebody hearts. We moved everything we own (haha, it's not much) into a storage space for the summer because we are spending the next two months essentially goofing off and enjoying our last hurrah before the real world (read: WORK) starts. Most of you know what that means: On Tuesday, we leave this country for a month-long backpacking trip throughout Europe! Oh my we have bitten off more than we may be able to chew.

All I've got for the next 35 days. Is on my front and on my back. Gonna have to work on that posture under pressure.

Backpackers, On Balet!
So now, dear friends, I am writing to you from a very nice seat on a Greyhound bus, bound for New York City. Stevie is next to me, headphones in, and finally resting after our insane week. I hope he's dreaming of gelato. We will spend the next few days in the New York, meeting with brokers and checking out different potential neighborhoods to live. Fingers crossed that we are able to find an apartment, though all conventional wisdom has told us that is it too early to secure a rental for August. We shall see. August 1 is our move date. Did I mention to you that we are living out of our backpacks? For the next two months I have like, 7 shirts. I feel sort of like a hippie vagabond, homeless, void of stuff and armed with an insatiable travel bug. Ready to learn about the world's testimonial history of classical culture.

Thanks for being a boss reader! This adventure is about to heat up!
Love love love.

Boston in 48 Hours

This weekend was a joyful whirlwind.

Our dear friends Elliot and Lena came in town to visit and we had a grand time showing off our favorite parts of Beantown. It was 48 hours of serious touring, and it was bittersweet to realize that this would be the last time that we show any of our friends around Boston while we still live here. With our move coming up at the end of the month, we will be bouncing around a few cities (and countries!) this summer and then finally landing in NYC in August. That realization made this weekend all the sweeter.

Spending this weekend with our friends made me realize that many people are weekend travelers. They want to see the best of a city in about 2 days. Since I've lived in Boston for about 2 years now, I thought I would share my favorite itinerary for Boston's sights. If you have an inkling to visit Boston for a weekend but aren't sure quite what to do or where to go, look no further. I've got your back. Here's a doable (haha, sort of) itinerary to give you the highest points of Boston:

Friday Eve.
8:00pm // Arrive Boston. It's dinnertime. Best spots in Harvard Square are Russell House (American-style pub), Park (delicious Northeastern vibe), Bertucci's (slammin' Italian pizza, I don't care that it's a chain), Wagamama (Japanese fusion with delicious fresh juices). Any of these will do. Note: If you're rolling in the benjamins, stay at the Charles Hotel. If you're not quite rollin', stay at The Inn at Harvard, or if you're lucky enough, crash on your friends' couch.

9:30pm // Whoopie Pies at Clover Food Lab. These are made fresh, only on Fridays, and GOOOOD. Don't miss this simple and satisfying dessert. 

10pm // Drinks at John Harvards. Order the sampler, it's always changing and always good. Look around the bar tables and get a feel for the college students in this joint. Pretend you're in a finals club (Harvard's version of a frat) and attempt to sneak into one of their parties. Obviously.

Midnight // Drinks and Live Music at the Plough and Stars, conveniently located within a super short walking distance to our apartment. Order the Dark and Stormy. You won't be disappointed.

Saturday.
8am // Coffee, my Mango Coconut Baked Oatmeal and H20. You will need it for the following:

8:30am // Freedom Trail Run. This 5k-length running tour of the 17 most historical spots in Boston gives you all the history you want, at a quickened pace (it would take hours to walk all the noteworthy touring spots) and this all happens before lunch. It might be hard to pull yourself out of bed after staying out until 2am the night before but it is totally worth it. You will feel so efficient, fit and like you learned a ton. But not too much. Note: I've done this run about 7-8 times by now and it is the best tour by far. Tell Eddie-O that the Hales sent you, he is such a doll.

11am // Harpoon Brewery Tour. After running for 2 hours straight, give yourself a bit of a break and cab it over to this brewery on the Harbor. We waited in line for a few minutes, devoured some of Harpoon's famous German-style hot pretzels and seasonal watermelon ale, and took a delightful tour of the brewery. So. Worth it.

1pm // Wipe the pretzel crumbs off your face. You will need a shower by now. So head back to your hotel/crash pad and take one. Bring a lightweight coat for the second half of your day.

2:30pm // Tour Harvard Business School. You don't have to do this, but since it's my husband's new Alma Mater, our friends wanted to see what it was all about. You could sub in this time and take a tour of Fenway Park or walk Newbury Street. But I'm not gonna lie, the school is impressively pretty. And if you're there in the spring time, you will probably get to see the hundreds of bunny rabbits frolicking all over the campus. I have a strong theory that the school places them there purposefully, because they really add to the precious vibe of the campus. Of course Harvard would have quaint bunny rabbits blanketing their green grasses.

5:30pm // Early dinner at Giacamo's in the South End. Delicious authentic Italian for affordable prices. Get the calamari. And the house pasta sauce is the best. You can make a reservation here (unlike a lot of spots in Boston), so DO IT.

7:30pm // Post dinner walk in the South End towards Back Bay. We walked towards Copley Plaza and saw the Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial. Couldn't stay too long because it was still really intense and a bit too fresh on all our minds.

8pm // Subway to the North End. This is the legit Italian district in Boston, and it is a thriving mini-metropolis of bakeries, restaurants, bars and street musicians. It's a must-see, especially since Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church are located here.

9pm // Cannolis at Mike's Pastry. You will be ridiculed if you come to Boston and don't eat here. Bring cash. And bring your brute face; you've got to find a table in this cramped place and you won't get one by being syrupy sweet.

10pm // Stanza dei Sigari is a cigar parlor next to Mike's. Only if you're into that kind of thing.

Midnight // Sleeeeeeeeep.

Sunday.
10am // Brunch at Grafton Street. So delicious. Order the seasonal cocktail, it's out of this world. You could also try out Cafe Luna or Henrietta's Table, but make sure to make a reservation a few days in advanced.

11:30am // May Day Street Fair in Harvard Square completely distracted us, but it was a lot of fun. Vendors galore.

Noon // Subway to Park Street. Walk around the Boston Common (America's oldest established park) and the Boston Public Gardens (my personal favorite outdoor spot in Boston) because it's totally gorgeous. Feel free to stop by the Cheers bar along the side of the Garden.

2pm // Walk down Charles Street in Beacon Hill. This is the ritzier area of the city, lots of lovely brownstones and boutiques. Imagine that you're one of the fancy people who live here with a little dog. Walk towards the water and find your way on to the Esplanade, a peninsula that juts out into the Charles River.

3pm // Enjoy your last sweet treat in Boston at Berryline in Harvard Square. This is a local frozen yogurt place that has new flavors every week, like fruity pebbles and basil-blueberry. Out of this world. I probably live a bit too close to this place, in all honesty.

Wrap it Up.
I imagine you will be jumping on a flight back to your hometown on Sunday evening. Hopefully this weekend is chock-full of all the good stuff you would want to see in Boston. I think it's a comprehensive, but doable, itinerary. Boston is a resilient, proud and classy town and there is obviously so much more to do than can be accomplished in 48 hours. A few items that would be worthwhile add-ons (in my entirely biased opinion) are Berklee College of Music, the Boston Public Library, the Minuteman Biking Trail and the Haymarket. Anything historical that I haven't specifically mentioned is most likely covered in the Freedom Trail Running Tour.

Have you ever been to Boston? Anything you would add to this list?

City Musing: Ice Cold Cambridge

Is Anyone Else Cold?
It's bitter. Face-stinging, eye-watering, finger-snapping cold. It's the kind of cold that you swallow through your neck and immediately freezes your appendages. Suddenly fingers and toes no longer work. Oh, Cambridge. These are the kind of winters that make you infamous.

In an effort to get warm, I am continuously cranking up the heat and brewing coffee around the clock. I am layering my clothes and wishing that stores offered lifestyle handwarmers. You know, to keep inside the pockets of the sweatshirt that's under the second bathrobe. Ooh, and electric socks. When is someone going to engineer those? I'll buy stock.

So it snowed all day yesterday. It just snowed and snowed and snowed. And yet strangely, when I took my camera outside today to capture the snowy remnants left by the night's frost, there wasn't much to be captured. But there was still enough cold in the air to temporarily freeze my fingers so I could no longer click the button on my camera. Awesome. However, I wanted to capture my town while it's cold because, obviously, this is a big part of Boston's identity: COLD WEATHER. Call me sentimental, but I even want to remember this ridiculous weather. When I'm not here anymore. So snuggle up and enjoy. Your heater.

So in an effort to stay warm this evening, I will be snuggling up with my honey and watching last night's episode of Downton Abbey. Obviously, the Superbowl took priority last night (and Beyonce and Alicia Keys' performances totally made it worth it to me). My favorite new addition to a traditional Downton evening? Home-cooked kettle corn and La Croix. Yes oh yes. It's a good night to stay in.

Adventure: Getting Air

Teeny Tiny Plane.
That's what I took a ride in. Do you see the smallness of that precious, tiny airplane?? Oliver, who is a dear friend and classmate of Stevie's, offered to take us (and our other good friend, the beautiful Andrea) up in the sky for a leisurely flight over the city. Because apparently some people fly planes as a hobby. I watch movies, bake treats and lick the cookie batter off the beater. Those are my hobbies. But Oliver, well, he flies planes. He spent his youthful years in Germany studying and training in order to get his pilots license, and now he's the guy that says, "Well, on Saturday I'm planning on flying over Boston. Wanna come?" I literally laugh everyday at the amazing people that I've met over the past year and a half. Oliver is one of those amazing, talented people. Coincidentally, so is the beautiful Andrea. (I like Andrea so much that I wrote an article about her. It's a real girl crush.)

Map.
Oliver chose to fly Sky Hawk on this particularly gorgeous day. Does that sound like a James Bond movie to anyone else? Apparently Sky Hawk is his favorite plane in the plane park (I clearly have no idea what you call a place that holds tiny planes for people like us to ride around in. 'Airport' seems too ordinary a word for this experience.) We flew over the downtown area of Boston and then headed over Cambridge, where we checked out their school (see below for the stadium photo!) and we even saw our apartment! All from the sky. Who are we. This is a once in a lifetime experience. Oh my gosh.

Mmm.

I mean, is it just me or do I look like I'm in an episode of "The Bachelor" right now? That's certainly what I felt like as I was climbing into this tiny (have I mentioned just how tiny this plane was? I mean, the size of a Fiat. Or smart car. Bitty baby plane.) Except that in "The Bachelor" those girls are never appropriately dressed for the elements, and I actually stayed quite toasty in my layers.

Moment.

I know that flying in a plane is no big deal. People do it everyday and its not any kind of magical experience. But on this day, our experience felt special because: A) Our friend was the pilot (duh, so cool) and B) I had this moment.

It sort of hit me as we were elevated 3000 feet above our city. There I was, seeing the Earth in a way I've never seen it. Having a bird's eye perspective gave me a little metaphysical perspective, too. Life can be strange and unexpected and sometimes, a friggin' bummer, but wow, when you see the whole picture... it's honestly breathtaking. And I wasn't realizing all of this just because my center of gravity was off and I was a little nauseous from sitting in the back. Seeing Cambridge, my town, from up above was a little overwhelming. This is a place that my husband and I used to talk about, used to dream of living in, and here we are 5 years later seeing it sprawl for miles and miles all around. It was captivating and complex and sort of intimidating. Because it was in that moment that I realized that I am living in the dream. This adventure was our dream for so many years, and now I am able to be a part of my beautiful man living in his dream and thriving in it. And, quite literally, flying over it. Is there anything better? I am so grateful. It hasn't been the easiest adventure, but I bet Frodo would have agreed that not all adventures go the way you plan. Yeah, I went all LOTR on you there (it had to happen.) But honestly, seeing the hugeness of our world from the window of a tiny prop plane got me excited for the future.

Here's to adventures, those dreamed and even those unplanned, coming together before your eyes and sprawling like a masterpiece. I hope you are able to take a moment and realize that some part of your current situation is due a dream you had a while ago. Maybe everything isn't perfect in your world, and maybe the sky is falling. But I bet there is something that was worth fighting for, and you won it, and now you are living in the middle of that dream. What a beautiful moment for gratitude.

Fave: My Girls

Girls, Girls Girls

Did I ever mention my family obsession? Yeah, I have that. Thankfully, I had the privilege of hosting both of my sisters and my cousin (who is literally like a sis) when they came up and visited good ol’ Boston. We ate, we drank and we laughed incessantly. It was food for my soul. And liver, teeth, esophagus… you get my point. It was righteous. And so long overdue.

Painting the Town

We visited a few of my favorite Cambridge spots, including dinner at Grafton Street Pub, whoopee pies at Clover and drinks at John Harvard’s. We got up early in the morning and did the Freedom Trail Run (one of my favorite Boston activities) and then enjoyed the best clam chowder in the world at Union Oyster House, which is only known as America’s oldest restaurant. We also spent a little time shopping at Anthropologie (the mother ship) and watched a very strange movie.  We were busy little betties, but we had so much fun.
 

Over-dramatic Emotions, You Are Welcome Here

You know when you just need girl time? You need to be able to vent, laugh, cry and get your head screwed on straight with truthful advice from those who love you most (and let you get away with things least.) It was such a beautiful time and was, unfortunately, cut short due to Hurricane Sandy. My sister and cousin flew out a little early to ensure they could make it home on time, which ended up being a very wise move. My big sis had a flight a few hours later in the day, so we avoided the rain storm together before she had to depart. All in all, it was a treasured weekend. Do you have a special band of women in your life that strengthen, encourage and just “get” you? Take a moment to reach out and thank them for their investment in your life. We are lucky ladies to have each other, and girls, we gotta stick together!

Cambridge. My Everest.

Well people. We went to Boston. Orientation happened. We are officially moving. (No turning back. We turned in a deposit.) The weekend was legit. We mixed. Mingled. We smiled, shook strangers' hands. We were walking resumes.

But.

We actually met cool people. And the school wasn't pretentious. Not like I imagined. People were REAL. Impressive, yes. Accomplished, sure. Pure-bred academics. But they were actually cool, normal, FUN people. Got me more excited about moving to New England.

Not gonna lie. The gorgeous blossoming trees helped make the whole Boston/Cambridge experience slightly more magical. We basked in this glory. I also took a nap on a heavenly bench during our lunch break. Meeting that many people can really wear a girl out.

We walked Cambridge for an entire day straight, exploring the neighborhoods and trying to narrow down where we wanted to live. We looked at some awesome apartments and houses, and although we didn't sign a lease on anything yet, we definitely got a feel. We vibed the neighborhoods.

This is one of the apartments we took at peek at. But it was on the 3rd floor of someone's house, and the altitude made Stevie a little woozy.

So one morning we woke up and took a jog on the Charles River. We stopped on the HBS campus and, what else, threw a frisbee. That day we proceeded to walk EIGHT MILES throughout Cambridge. It was my Everest. My feet needed rehab when we got home.

The nighttime came quickly with all that walking. We made some friends and hung out in the downtown Cambridge area, known as Harvard Square. Harvard Square, right next to Harvard University, is about a mile from the HBS campus, and this is the home of the local watering holes. Bars, restaurants, shopping, and the occasional drunken Red Sox fan can be found here. In excess. Along with about a zillion historic buildings that dozens of our founding fathers frequented, lived in, or sneezed on. This city makes me want to pull out all my old childhood history books.

All in all, the orientation weekend gave us a really good picture of the lifestyle led by these MBA students. We found out about financial aid (jaw drop), and housing ("HOW much is rent in this area??"), the social life, and the academic load. We definitely saw the ups and the downs (hello, 6 months of winter.) However, we are more excited now than we ever have been. I feel confident that Stevie is going to come out of this school even more amazing that he already is, and I am thrilled for him. And for me, because I get to use the fancy on-campus gym. I'll tell you later about all the perks I get to indulge in... It's mega.

Oh, and apparently Stevie will be in class with Tyra Banks this year. Google it and let me know your thoughts. I'm just cracking up at the thought of him discussing fashion with her in class. Maybe she'll throw me some free swim suits. I'm gonna have a talk with her about the wonders of pasta and see how she reacts.

In the next week or so, I will start posting my virtual garage sale. Clothes, furniture, and random odds and ends that we have to get rid of in order to move. Read: EVERYTHING MUST GO. We are keeping our bed and dishes, and that's about it. So if you're in the business of furnishing something, be it a living room, closet, or storage shed, we might be the people you are interested in. No, actually we are the people you are interested in.

We are applying for Harvard-affiliated housing this week. It's basically the same process you use to register for college classes, but we are registering for some of their off-campus apartments. They are close to the school and pretty sweet. Pray that we get an amazing pick!

And last, but certainly not least - Lena Hunt, congrats on graduating with two graduate degrees. You make us (and Georgia State) so freaking proud to know you.

More details to come!