Boston Strong

Anniversary Trip to Boston

We survived our first year of marriage!! PAPER is the suggestion for the 1st Anniversary Gift. What a wonderful excuse to buy plane tickets and take a trip. Tickets definitely count as paper, right? We got plane tickets to Boston, Red Sox / Yankees Baseball Tickets, Fenway Park Tour Tickets, Blue Man Group Tickets, and Hop on Hop off Trolley Tickets. I think we succeeded in the paper gift department. Just know that if you buy your tickets to any events ahead of time then you should double check to make sure your spouse packed the tickets. :)

WEDNESDAY, Day 1 – If you think Chicago is the only ‘Windy City’ then you are definitely wrong. Our first and second days in Boston, the wind was up to 29 MPH and that makes for a very cold April day when you are from Alabama (the great state of heat and humidity). We flew in and took the T (the Subway in Boston) from the airport to the Prudential Center stop and then walked two short blocks to our Hotel (The Hilton – Back Bay). Back Bay is such a neat area and we enjoyed being so close to Newbury Street, Fenway Park, and some really great restaurants. After checking in and changing, our first stop was the Boston Marathon Finish Line. Since we arrived two days after the 2014 Marathon, the finish line was still partially painted on the pavement. So many stores had windows displaying their support for the marathon.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Night one, we headed to the Theatre District and had dinner at the Intermission Tavern before going to see the Blue Man Group. We passed through Boston Commons and the Public Gardens on our way and we were able to see the swan boats. After the Blue Man Group Show, we stopped at Cheers before heading back to the hotel. No one knew our name, but Cheers is definitely a must see for Boston. We were having problems understanding some of the Boston accents on our first day, but I assume they
were having issues with our accents too considering a worker at Dunkin Donuts asked us if we spoke English. I knew our Southern accents were heavy, but wow.

THURSDAY, Day 2 – We woke up early on Thursday and bought two day passes for the Old Town Trolley Hop on Hop off Bus. This is a great way to get transportation and find out more about the city. NOTE: The trolley does stop running around 6 PM so you do have to make other travel plans at night. We stopped at the first trolley stop and purchased tickets for a guided tour of Fenway Park. The tour lasts approximately an hour and the tickets are only $16 per person (well worth it). 

After the Fenway Tour we jumped back on the trolley to head for lunch at Legal Harborside. The Legal Seafood Restaurants are everywhere in Boston and Legal Harborside is part of that chain. The Legal Harborside Restaurant is right on the water and the views are amazing. NOTE: The rooftop sushi bar opens after 4 PM and is not open at lunch. When in Boston, you have to try a lobster roll. Even though we aren’t lobster fans and definitely aren’t mayo people, we ordered one. 

 After lunch we headed back to the Fenway Park area for the pre-game atmosphere. The Bleacher Bar is located just on the other side of Fenway Park’s Outfield. Before the game the outfield mats are removed and you can see the players on the field warming up. Cameras are prohibited inside the bar and the mats go up once the game starts. We had tickets in right field for the Red Sox vs. Yankees game, but unfortunately the Red Sox lost. We are Braves fans, but wanted the Red Sox to win while we were in Boston. We were so layered up for the weather that I could barely move! I had on three jackets and Chad’s vest, seriously.

FRIDAY, Day 3 – The sun was out and it was not nearly as windy on Friday! We spent the entire day doing everything we possibly could outside. We took the trolley to Cambridge and made our first stop at MIT. From there we began our walk to Harvard. We were originally told this was just a mile walk, just so you know it is not a mile walk and I highly recommend taking the T. Luckily, I only had on two layers that day. After taking a coffee and breakfast break, we finally made it to Harvard! The campus is breathtaking and full of history. We headed back to Boston on the T and stopped at Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market. I couldn’t believe the cheap prices of the fresh produce. There are tons of places to eat in that area so go with an appetite. 

 
We had lunch at the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the United States. I had salmon and Chad had an oyster po’boy. Both were delicious, but I would highly recommend their oyster po’boy. After lunch we walked the Freedom Trail and saw Paul Revere’s House. Side note: his house sneaks up on you; we completely passed it...TWICE. Late Friday afternoon we took the T to the Sam Adams Brewery for the last brewery tour that day. Several of the restaurants in Boston have their own unique Sam Adams Brew on tap. The brewery tour lasted around an hour and we were able to taste the Sam Adams Black and Gold. This beer is only sold at the Bruins games. Chad loved the brewery! 

Friday night was our last night. We were able to see all of Boston when we went up to the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center to the Top of the Hub Restaurant for a drink before heading to dinner on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is known for its high end shops and restaurants. Stephanie’s Restaurant on Newbury was the perfect spot for dinner on our last night in Boston.

SATURDAY, Day 4 – We woke up to rain on Saturday so that meant we got to go SHOPPING! We spent a few hours shopping before having lunch at Haru Sushi and heading back to the airport. We have scratched another city off of our list. San Diego is still my favorite U.S. city, but nothing beats New York at Christmas.

Charleston - Part 2

Charleston
…Continued from Part 1

Day 3 – Since Chad and I are both runners, Chris recommended that we run over the Arthur Ravenal Jr. Bridge. Saturday morning we drove over the bridge, parked, ran 2.5 miles down one side, and then ran another 2.5 miles back. The bridge has a concrete wall separating runners and bikers from vehicles.

views on, of, and from the bridge

 I wanted to see one plantation while we were in Charleston. Since Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds recently got married at the Boone Hall Plantation and part of the movie The Notebook was filmed there, it was my first choice! On the way to the plantation, we had to stop and get Chad a "Saban Cake" (oatmeal pie) for his Alabama Game Day Tradition. We couldn't take a chance on Alabama losing due to him not eating an oatmeal pie.

Boone Hall Plantation

Once inside the plantation entrance, Chad and I stopped to take a picture on the Avenue of the Oaks. This is the road from The Notebook that (in the movie) leads to the old house Noah refinished for Allie.

The page of People Magazine showing how Blake and Ryan had the plantation decorated for their Wedding Day.

The Plantation House

Blake and Ryan's Reception Site -- I can definitely see why they wanted to use this venue. Too bad I wasn't invited.

We had a late lunch at Red’s Ice House in Mount Pleasant. This is a great, casual spot for an outside meal and/or place to watch football. We watched part of the Alabama game during lunch and then drove through Isle of the Palms. I enjoyed seeing some of the massive beach houses. I think this one was my favorite.

The back of Red’s Ice House

After taking a small break, we went into some of the local boutiques on King Street and then got ready for our last dinner in Charleston.

some of the King Street Shops

We were still stuffed from lunch and decided on sushi at O-Ku for dinner. We sat at the sushi bar, had Japanese beer, edamame and both smoked and Scottish salmon sashimi. The smoked was my top pick.

Our waitress gave us some recommendations on places nearby to grab a drink. We walked to a bar called Closed for Business. I loved the name and it was a small bar with a relaxed atmosphere but do not attempt to order a girlie drink there. The bar has lots of unique beers on tap and I actually ordered whisky! I tried some fireball whisky and oddly enough, I enjoyed it.

Day 4 – We woke up our last morning to run back through The Battery and along the coast. It was the same run from our first morning but I wanted pictures. It took everything in me to wake up that early, but I promise it was worth it!

The Battery

The sunrise on the coast

Rainbow Row

Five Unique and Random Things I Learned in Charleston:

1.     The difference between a graveyard and a cemetery. If it’s part of a church, then it is a graveyard; if it is out on its own, it is considered a cemetery.

2.     In Charleston, real estate located slightly north of Broad Street is referred to as SNOB and real estate south of broad is referred to as SOB. I believe this makes you a SNOB or a SOB. The houses slightly north of Broad are the houses towards The Battery and on the coast. They are all stunning!!

3.     The front doors on the houses don’t actually open to the inside of the houses. I didn’t even notice until one of our tour guides pointed this out, but the front doors actually open to the porches.

4.     The houses are narrow because the British were used to paying property taxes based on the amount of width their houses took up on the roads. When the British came to Charleston, they built their houses narrow even though they were not being taxed the same way.

5.     Houses built before a certain year cannot be altered without receiving a permit. It takes a long time to receive permission to make any changes and certain things such as the color of the house cannot be altered. You can add on to houses, but you cannot tear down any part of the home. 

In Summary: 

Our trip was amazing! If you have never been to Charleston then I highly recommend adding it to your list and going with a full appetite.

Charleston - Part 1

Charleston
 Before visiting Charleston, I pictured it being a city on the water filled with tall houses, large porches, historic buildings, southern accents, and horse carriages. After visiting Charleston, the image that comes to mind is very similar to the image I had before my trip with a few additions/changes: amazing food, plenty of places to run, no high rise buildings, “ghost” tours, and LOTS of history.

Even though our trip flew by, I think three nights was the perfect length for our visit. 

Here is my mini recap of our first two days (day three and four will be on the next post):

 Day 1 – We woke up incredibly early to start our drive from Birmingham to Charleston. After passing through Atlanta, Augusta, and making a small stop in Columbia to see the University of South Carolina, we arrived in Charleston!! We stayed at the Hampton Inn in the Historic District (off of Meeting Street); shopping on King Street and great restaurants on East Bay Street were all within walking distance. Not to mention they had cornhole set up at the hotel. I am still terrible due to my complete lack of hand/eye coordination.  

After checking into the hotel we walked down Meeting Street and there were drink specials everywhere. We walked to Broad Street and decided on Slightly North ofBroad (SNOB) as the restaurant for our first meal in Charleston. While waiting on our table at SNOB we stopped in Social for a drink. They had champagne flights so my drink choice was easy.

After some really good smoked salmon, we walked to the Pavilion Bar on top of Grill 225 and the Market Pavilion Hotel on the corner of East Bay Street and Market Street. In my opinion, this is the best view in Charleston and it would be my top choice for a drink. The rooftop venue not only has a great view, but also heaters, a pool, and a bar. This was the perfect way to end our first night!

Day 2 – We ran from the hotel down King Street to The Battery and then ran along the water while the sun was rising. I was so mad at myself for not taking my camera that morning. Later that day we went to Hyman’s for lunch. The tables all name various celebrities that have sat at that particular table. Sarah Jessica Parker sat at our table! 
 
We did a carriage tour and learned some unique and interesting things about Charleston. You cannot go to Charleston without doing one of the carriage tours. 

Our tour started at the Palmetto Carriage Barn

We bought joint tickets for both a carriage and ferry tour through Palmetto Tours. After the carriage tour, we took the ferry to Fort Sumter. It was nice to relax, but the ferry tour was not my favorite. If you are a history person, then you will enjoy it. My favorite part of the ferry tour was probably seeing Jimmy Buffet’s yacht and that wasn’t really part of the tour. 

View of Fort Sumter from the ferry

Arthur Ravenal Jr Bridge

 

We saw some really beautiful houses on our tour and here are two of my favorites.

Chris (my cousin) and his wife live in Moncks Corner and met us for dinner Friday night at South End Brewery. The brewery/restaurant/bar is three stories, brick on the inside and outside, on East Bay Street with good pub food and little to no wait. We spent four hours at dinner catching up! It was so great to see some of my family and to introduce them to Chad. 

 South End Brewery

 

Flight of South End Brewery's Beers

 

with my cousin and his wife

After one drink at the Roof Top of Vendue Inn and Blind Tiger, we crashed! I have to say the rooftop bar on top of the Market Pavilion Hotel was 10x better than both of those.

I'll post on Days 3 and 4 tomorrow.

To be continued…