A day in Boston

It’s easy to take the train (MBTA) into Boston for a day trip. This time, I drove to one of the end-of-the-line stations near me; next time, I will try the commuter rail and compare the experiences. You can buy “T” tickets from kiosks for one ride or several.

 

Boston Public Garden

I walked around the North End, with a destination of “Mike’s Pastry”. I originally planned to get a cannoli, but when I saw that they were $5 each (probably worth it), I decided to get a “Napoleon”, which looked fabulous (and tasted marvelous) for the same price. I was going to get a cocoa at Caffé Vittoria and use the rest room there, but the plan changed a bit when the wait staff took the orders for a group of male customers who sat down next to me after I arrived, and completely ignored me. When more male friends of the neighboring table arrived, I gave them my table, used the rest room, and left. This ended up being a good thing, as you will shortly see.

 

Stephanie's Restaurant

I walked through the farmer’s market and wished I had a wheelie cart with me like many other shoppers did, because I was hesitant to lug around bags of affordable fruits and veggies for the rest of the day. Faneuil Hall has many name-brand shops now and fewer local places as in years past. The food stalls looked great but it was crowded and I decided to look for a restaurant with tables where I could relax a bit. I walked past Park Street Church and through the Boston Common, pausing to admire the trees and the State House.

 

Copley Square, Trinity Church

In the Boston Public Garden, I found a bench and decided to sample the pastry I got earlier. In the blink of an eye, a large squirrel climbed onto the bench near me and leaned against my bag in an effort to snag some dessert! My phone was in a zippered pocket so I didn’t get a photo of the squirrel, but it seemed to understand “no” (like my cats do!), and it lumbered off without any human snacks. 

 

I walked along Commonwealth Avenue, where crews were wrapping trees with sparkly lights. I didn’t do any shopping, but wanted to experience Newbury Street, and found a restaurant I’d been to many years ago. This resulted in a stupendous hot cocoa that was every bit worth the calories, along with a tasty sandwich in a comfortable place to warm up.

 

Boston Public Library

I walked along Boylston Street for a few blocks, then caught the T back to my car. FYI, train parking garages have a payment system by app, which is not the same app as other town parking apps, such as Salem. Of course not! Anyway, it was wonderful reconnecting with Boston, and I look forward to future visits to museums, a walk along the Charles River, Harvard Square and more.