Fall Getaway to Boston, New England’s Largest City
By: Valerie Jones & Kim Floyd
It’s not every day us Southern girls get to travel to the East Coast, so our getaway to Boston was a welcome trip! Major shout out to the City of Boston for hosting 2 Girls Who Travel. We had a blast. Let’s get down to the fun stuff …
After catching an uber from Boston Logan Airport, we enjoyed the scenic ride to Cambridge, Mass. – home to Harvard University. It was about a 20-minute drive to Cambridge, which is where our hotel was located.
After catching an uber from Boston Logan Airport, we enjoyed the scenic ride to Cambridge, Mass. – home to Harvard University. It was about a 20-minute drive to Cambridge, which is where our hotel was located.
The AC Hotel Marriott Boston Cambridge Hotel was nestled right next to a beautiful walking trail. Lush landscapes in the beautiful fall colors New England is known for were just seconds away from our hotel. And did we mention the hotel was brand spanking new? They had literally only been open two weeks prior to our stay!
We checked in to the hotel, freshened up and took an uber to Somerville, Mass., just two miles northwest of Boston. We had reservations at Southern Kin Cookhouse, and as soon as we walked into the Southern-inspired eatery, we were in love.
We checked in to the hotel, freshened up and took an uber to Somerville, Mass., just two miles northwest of Boston. We had reservations at Southern Kin Cookhouse, and as soon as we walked into the Southern-inspired eatery, we were in love.
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The restaurant was located in Assembly Row, a trendy stretch of shopping and restaurants. The atmosphere at Southern Kin was open, rustic and inviting. While we waited for our table, the host provided us with complimentary drinks of our choice.
The kitchen took care of us and let us sample some of their best appetizers, including pimento cheese fritters and devilish eggs.
And here’s the best part – they let us sample their different bourbon flavors … good thing we had plenty of food to coat our stomachs!
The kitchen took care of us and let us sample some of their best appetizers, including pimento cheese fritters and devilish eggs.
And here’s the best part – they let us sample their different bourbon flavors … good thing we had plenty of food to coat our stomachs!
And now, the entrees … bourbon brined chicken and Kansas City ribs. We left so full and satisfied. Southern Kin had the hospitable charm we love from the South and the food to match. We definitely recommend it … and be sure to try the house bourbon!
After dinner, we high-tailed it to the Prudential Center to the 50th floor observation deck. We researched and learned that the Skywalk Observatory offers spectacular 360 views of Downtown Boston. It did not disappoint!
After dinner, we high-tailed it to the Prudential Center to the 50th floor observation deck. We researched and learned that the Skywalk Observatory offers spectacular 360 views of Downtown Boston. It did not disappoint!
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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
Day 2
We had a busy day that started with a walk to the Alewife train station (only 10 minutes from our hotel) where we traveled to Beacon Hill for the beginning of the Black Heritage Trail tour. Our tour guide Sentidra was great! She walked us up and down the historic neighborhoods of Beacon Hill and shared great insight along the way.
The tour ended at the Museum of African American History where we were able to walk through and look at the exhibits.
We had a busy day that started with a walk to the Alewife train station (only 10 minutes from our hotel) where we traveled to Beacon Hill for the beginning of the Black Heritage Trail tour. Our tour guide Sentidra was great! She walked us up and down the historic neighborhoods of Beacon Hill and shared great insight along the way.
The tour ended at the Museum of African American History where we were able to walk through and look at the exhibits.
After our tour, Sentidra was kind enough to walk us over to famed Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston. We had lunch at Quincy Market, poked around a few shops and enjoyed the pleasant weather.
That afternoon we had another tour planned – the Freedom Trail tour that departed from Boston Common. Tour guides on the Freedom Trail are some spirited characters. They dress up in full costume portraying individuals from the 1700s and share the history of events surrounding the American Revolution.
We refueled at a nearby Starbucks (and recharged all of our wireless devices) before heading out on foot again. There was just one last iconic stop we had to make in Beacon Hill. We’re sure you’ve heard of the TV show Cheers …
That afternoon we had another tour planned – the Freedom Trail tour that departed from Boston Common. Tour guides on the Freedom Trail are some spirited characters. They dress up in full costume portraying individuals from the 1700s and share the history of events surrounding the American Revolution.
We refueled at a nearby Starbucks (and recharged all of our wireless devices) before heading out on foot again. There was just one last iconic stop we had to make in Beacon Hill. We’re sure you’ve heard of the TV show Cheers …
After our nostalgic visit, we hopped on the train (Note: Boston’s train system is fairly simple to use. By the evening, we had it down!)
Our dinner reservations for the night were in Harvard Square at a restaurant called Beat Brasserie. It was a dimly-lit restaurant with a cool Bohemian vibe. They offer a huge bar and a seasonal menu. We even learned that some nights they have live music.
But before dinner, we spotted a cupcake shop right across the street. If you know anything about us, you know we live for a good cupcake, so it was a must we made a visit!
Now, back to Beat Brasserie. The food was delicious, especially our appetizer: nachos with slow roasted pork and black bean salsa.
After dinner, our dogs were barking (that means our feet were hurting for all you young folks), so we hopped back on the train and headed back to our hotel for the night.
Our dinner reservations for the night were in Harvard Square at a restaurant called Beat Brasserie. It was a dimly-lit restaurant with a cool Bohemian vibe. They offer a huge bar and a seasonal menu. We even learned that some nights they have live music.
But before dinner, we spotted a cupcake shop right across the street. If you know anything about us, you know we live for a good cupcake, so it was a must we made a visit!
Now, back to Beat Brasserie. The food was delicious, especially our appetizer: nachos with slow roasted pork and black bean salsa.
After dinner, our dogs were barking (that means our feet were hurting for all you young folks), so we hopped back on the train and headed back to our hotel for the night.
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Day 3
We woke up today with one goal in mind: conquer Boston’s North End, aka: their Italian community. Really good food awaited us. Our uber driver dropped us off at Neptune Oyster Bar – one place we absolutely refused to miss out on while in Boston. Here, we ate the best lobster rolls we ever had in our life. Seriously, just look at them. You could have warm with butter or cool with mayo. Both were exquisite. After all that deliciousness, we decided to keep the fun going and made the short walk to Mike’s Pastry around the corner. This was another must-visit for us. Mike’s Pastry is probably most known for its extensive variety of cannoli’s … you already know what happened next. After our foray into Boston’s North End, we decided it was one of our favorite parts of Beantown. People seemed happy, there were family-owned shops and good food on every corner and it had an all-around feel good vibe. We would’ve liked to spend more time there, but we had to get back to Cambridge to pick up our bags and head to the airport. But we didn’t leave the hotel without getting some pictures of that beautiful fall foliage we told you about. 2 Girls Who Travel thoroughly enjoyed our New England vacay and definitely want to make plans to go back soon – I mean, one can never have too many lobster rolls, right? |
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Meet, Kim Floyd and Valerie Jones of 2 Girls Who Travel! Avid travelers and self-proclaimed foodies, Val and Kim take pleasure in helping people feel like they are a part of their journey. Be sure to follow 2 Girls Who Travel on Facebook (@2GirlsWhoTravel), Twitter (@2GirlsWhoTravel) and Instagram (@whereintheworldarevalandkim) and visit the website 2girlswhotravel.com. . |
