BAWWSTON baby, a place that had been on my list for quite some time and finally became a reality this past fall. Last year all I said was that I wanted go to Boston to see the leaves, so what did I do? I went to see the leaves! I booked a trip beginning of October, flew to Boston with my cousin and to my surprise……………………………………………. the leaves hadn’t turned yet.
***MOMENT OF SILENCE PLEASE***
I was pretty bummed considering this was the premise for my entire trip…. other than the small fact that I’d never even explored the city itself, so thankfully I somehow managed to fill my schedule *eye roll for the dramatics*. K, so what did we do and what do I recommend? Here we go! Plane landed around 7:00 P.M., quick change in the airport bathroom, and off we went.
Little Italy (North End) for starters.
Panza was our destination. We went based on recommendation since this was our first 
time and thankfully the place did not disappoint. It was quaint, authentic, absolutely delicious and hella crowded. We made a reservation ahead of time, but I’m pretty sure that was a big ole not needed task. There was no hostess nor a record of anyone’s reservation, you more or less told the server what time you scheduled for and they just kinda believed you? Great humans I tell ya.
I ordered the Chicken Panza, consisting of mushrooms, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and balsamic marsala sauce with a side of spaghetti aka holy YUM. Sammi order the Penne Amatricana–pancetta, onions, roasted eggplant, fontina cheese, and plum tomato sauce. That was my second choice and I should’ve went with it because although I loved mine I REALLY loved hers (I have the worst food FOMO sometimes). Overall, it appeared as if you couldn’t go wrong and the bonus–everything was decently priced!
Obviously dessert was next. I had heard about Mike’s Pastry from multiple people and knew it was a must try considering the line was a scene out of Black Friday. They had so many flavors it was almost overwhelming, but I did some quick research and went with my gut. I ordered the chocolate ricotta and Sammi picked the espresso flavor— go w/ the ricotta. (Side note, apparently it’s a thing to try the competitor down the street, Modern Pastry, and play food critic. We did not do that, however, the line comparison between the two didn’t have me too concerned).
Day 2: Everywhere and then some.
The next day was jam-packed, starting w/ putting in the wrong address and ending back up in Little Italy (thumbs up emoji appropriate). In all honesty, I could’ve spent the entire trip in the North End so I wasn’t overly upset.
This is quick shot of Little Italy on our way to grab coffee; the angle wasssaaa speaking to a me, capeesh? Look at the character on the green building to the left, OBSESSED.
Beacon Hill/Newbury/Fenway:
We roamed around the area for a little while, explored parts of the Freedom Trail and then decided it was time to check out another part of the city. We ubered to Beacon Hill where the storefronts were just as quaint and picturesque as their cobblestone roads. After some quick research, Paramount was rated pretty high for breakfast and their line
confirmed their popularity as well. The wait was about an hour, but it was beyond worth
it. We both ordered the Spanish omelet with the freshest pico de gallo I’ve ever tasted. The ambiance was chill, and I really liked the open garage door window feel going on.
Next on the list was to find a cobblestone, fall themed road like the image I had googled search a month prior. I was determined and resilient and wouldn’t settle for just any cobblestone road (plz tell everyone how dedicated I am, k thx). I’ll spare you the entire story of how I ended up finding the exact street that I randomly had as my phone background from a random google search, but just know it was a profound moment for me, k? Acorn street was our final destination; ours and just about every other tourist in Boston. It was beautiful as the day was long, so much character yet so much simplicity.
Acorn Street, Boston, Ma.
We then walked over to the famous Cheers bar, peeked our head in there, walked through the Boston Public Garden (Central Park feel for sure) and then browsed Newbury Street. If you’re looking for a cute area for lunch/shopping/dinner/happy hour, I highly recommend. The park also seemed awesome, a ton of people reading, picnicking or simply hanging out. We were blessed with good weather so we were able to see the area at it’s prime. We walked to the end of Newbury Street to connect to our next touristy 
spot–Fenway Park. I’m an Indians fan through and through but I mean, I felt like it was a necessary stop. The one alley was lined with bars and you could tell it would be a fun spot whether you were going to the game or not.
Harvard aka Hogwarts:
Next up was a quick uber to Harvard. I had heard from friends that this was their favorite part of Boston and at the time I didn’t really understand it. I knew it would be pretty cool, but I couldn’t conceptualize how touring a college campus would be one’s favorite part, CEPT I WAS BOUT TO FIND OUT. It’s magnificence was hard to explain, truly a world all it’s own. The coffee shops, restaurants, storefronts, classroom buildings were comprised of so much character it was hard not to love.
I couldn’t believe people actually went to school there. It felt more like of an attraction than a college campus considering the 19 tours happening all at once. I’m having a hard time describing it, but just the overall feel of the place was everything you think it would be and then some. Coming from the girl with her fair share of student loans, I was willing to double them just to spend one year there.
NEXT: Boston Burger Company
I saw this restaurant on Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives YEARS ago and it’s been a must ever since. There are multiple locations but since we had our walking shoes on (NOT, my feet were pissed as hell), we decided to walk to the one by Harvard. There was a 25 minute wait, and after a decent walk in shoes that needed to be pitched like 5 years ago and a stomach that had not been fed in hours, we decided the two seats at the bar were our best option. I always go for the cowboy-style burger even though it wasn’t the featured item.
It was one of the best burgers I’ve had for sure, but instead of fries they give you chips and that was disappointing to me. I kinda wrap my rating as a combo of the two, so yes the burger was well worth it, but the chips were sub par. They also served up these crazy milkshakes and like mature adults we decided after consuming 1500+ cals that another 1000 was only necessary. We ordered the oreo one w/ chocolate ice-cream with some insanely good whipped cream.
Our overall experience was perfect, but that was also because our bartender was friendly, personable and informative. After questioning how two humans ate as much as we did, he filled us in where he was from, where he currently lives etc etc. Turns out he lives in Salem, MA , which has also been on my bucket list but only to experience Halloween. Guess it was my lucky day because according to him it was Halloween the ENTIRE month of October. Welp, a 40 minute uber sounded long until I compared it to the 2 hour flight we took to get to Boston. Off we went, to experience this spooktactular place for ourselves. It was as eerie as you can imagine. We didn’t make it in time for any of the witch tours, but googling ourselves the most haunted places in Salem and standing right outside of them was cool enough for me. Afterwards we sat a local bar, people watched, listened to live music, and sipped on some pumpkin beer. Can you say festive AF? We had an early flight to catch in the AM so we finished our beers and then relaxed in our hour uber home.
The city’s Townhall. Salem, MA.
Overall, our Boston trip was a hit. We packed a ton into a short amount of time but it was worth it. I do believe our trip went so well because of the nice weather, which made walking easy and enjoyable. There was a ton we didn’t see (specifically the Seaport area) and stuff I’d like to re visit, so I do plan on going back. I would also like to go back when fall foliage is FOR SURE in full swing. Like, who should I call to double check? A restaurant? The mayor? That bartender? I don’t know, but I will line it up perfectly next time. Boston or bust, friends.
Till next time,
Lauren