I think I'll go to Boston...

I think I'll start a new life, I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name. I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather. I think I'll get a lover and fly 'im out to Spain... I think I'll go to Boston, I think that I'm just tired. I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind... I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset.

And the dream is alive again. The big move is back in my head with a vengeance. I had so much fun! My trip started with chatting with the many Angels fans on the plane. Strangers with a common interest, it's an amazing thing. You begin to feel like family. Bri picked me up at the airport and headed straight to the North End for dinner at Daily Catch and a famous cannoli from Mike's pastry. We both ordered the squid ink pasta. I definitely had my doubts, but it was seriously one of the best dishes I've ever eaten.

From the North end, we headed to Fenway Park for a surreal baseball experience! I was definitely torn between whether I should wear my Angels gear or not. I ended up only wearing my hat and the beloved red Angels Converse. Looking back I realize I could have went a little more blatant. The weather was cool and crisp, the stadium was full of excitement, and I was cheering on my team, in the oldest ballpark in the country, staring at the green monster. Perfect evening! 19 stadiums have been checked off the list.

The following morning, we hopped out of bed early to catch the commuter rail out to Cambridge. We walked around Harvard for a bit, but because Bri was on crutches still, it was maybe a little slower than I would've liked. I will have to go back.

I did overhear a funny piece of information when passing a tour guide. There is a statue of John Harvard in the square, but it isn't actually John Harvard. Every picture of Harvard burned in a fire, and so... they made him up. They just made him look scholarly, and sophisticated, and pretty much just how they thought he should look. Kinda like us westerners and Jesus? Right? :)

After leaving Harvard, we wandered around Cambridge for a bit. Peeked into some shops, had lunch at Wagamama (yum), then visited the Old Harvard Bookstore. I could have spent hours in there. We left Cambridge and headed out to Sommerville to try Kick Ass Cupcakes. This place had interesting flavors, but they were small, and not that good overall. It was no Sprinkles or Susie Cakes. Our cupcake of choice was The Green Monster: Chocolate cupcake with a chocolate beer ganache center and Sam Adams Cream Stout frosting. Perfectly Boston.

At this point, it was early afternoon, and we were heading back to Waltham to meet James and go to the Sam Adams brewery. As we headed back on the train it came to a sudden stop, all of the lights went out, and the entire train went silent. Nobody spoke. It was completely eerie. I was thinking of Knott's Berry farm and getting robbed. Luckily, it only took 5 minutes to get back on our route again. We picked up James, drove to the brewery... and discovered it closed early on week days! So I thought maybe we could try to catch the last duck tour instead of doing it the next day. Thanks to "Bruce" we quickly found our way and somehow found where we needed to buy tickets. Turned out it was starting about 1.5 blocks away, so Bri got a little head start while I bought tickets. James and I ran to get there on time, where we met Bri just as she was clacking up to the Quacker. We boarded & took off! The tour covered a lot, but I began to realize there was so much more history in this town then I had time to see. Our guide had loads of random facts, and our ride in the Charles river was beautiful! The sun was starting to set, and it the light was perfect.

After the tour, we decided the day had been crazy exhausting, and so, headed home to eat felafel's (hooray for James' amazing cooking) and watch Glee & The Office!

Friday morning, I braved the subway by myself, and headed off for a tour of Fenway Park. They were filming a movie in and around the park, so it was a little bit crazy. However, I was just walking down the street and yes, Ben Affleck definitely walked right past me! Before I even knew what was happening, he was gone. :) After lingering around the park a bit, I hopped back on the subway and made my way up to Boston Common. I did not have enough time there. I saw the beginning of the Freedom Trail, Frog Pond, the Swan boats, and glanced across the street at Cheers and the cemetery. Hopped back on the subway to meet up with Bri & James at the Sam Adams Brewery and to finally go on our tour! Our guide, Mike, was awesome, and everyone was pretty jealous of his current job, despite his recent passing of The Bar exam. We tasted 3 beers in the tasting room. The classic Boston Lager, Octoberfest, and Coastal Wheat (which wont be released to the public until Thanksgiving at the earliest). It was lemony and refreshing. Yum! Also found out about Utopias (check out Extreme Beers). It has the highest alcholol content of any beer, and is only distributed every 2 years. Even though it's illegal in some states and is a bit expensive, I seriously want to find me some. Maybe I can talk some friends into going in with me.

After the tour, we dropped off James and headed NW to Brattleboro, VT. A weird little town, that we later found out is the only town in the country where apparently public nudity is legal. We were staying at the Latchis Hotel & Theater, and dinner & a movie was kind of part of a package deal! We decided to watch In the Loop, and it was located in a bit of a smaller theater, 2 flights of stairs up. The screen was not much bigger then a projector screen that most churches/schools have, and the theater was creepy too. Just plain weird... there were chunks missing from some seats, the movie was slightly crooked, etc. We got led out the "easy" way because Bri was in still on the crutches. We went up some stairs into the projector room, and the employee kicked trash and buckets out of the way. He opened a kind of hidden door and all of a sudden we were in the hallway on the 2nd floor of the hotel. All we could do was laugh. The next morning we headed down by the river (bordering VT & NH) for a little Vermont breakfast, complete with Vermont Maple Syrup, and then hit the road again.

Our drive through New Hampshire to Maine was breath taking. The leaves were just beginning to turn Autumny with beauty around every curve, so the 3.5 hour drive flew by. I could've driven forever. We pulled into Portland around 3ish, picked up Bri's sister, Zoe, and headed to Beals. Yummy. Zoe then showed us one of her favorite shops, Abacus. I want one! I pretty much wanted everything in there. We stopped at the Promenade so I could put my feet in the Atlantic (even if it was just a Bay. Honestly, I think the Atlantic is a myth).

We headed back to the house to unpack a bit. I went for a walk along the Prom and took a lot of pictures. I love exploring by myself. I love the adventure. I headed back to the house for a home cooked meal (yummy cous cous) and a movie.

The next morning I awoke early to meet Brenda Piazza for breakfast down the street. Brenda works for the CBIZ San Diego office and she and I worked together a little over 3 years ago. Somehow we've kept in contact. I'm not sure how it happened, but I must have made an impression. It was one of the worst few months of my life when we met. Anyway, she happened to be in Maine for vacation, and decided to drive 2 hours to meet up with me for breakfast since I was leaving that day. :) It was lovely. Good to catch up a little bit. I haven't seen her in over 2 years and even though we both live in So. Cal, we were able to hang out in Maine. Kinda weird. As I was walking back to the house, I turned onto the street and heard a lady screaming and saw a bunch of people standing around in the street. What I saw next broke my heart. A beautiful Golden Retriever was hobbling around and whimpering, back legs obviously crushed. He finally just layed down, still breathing. It was awful. I felt helpless. And all I could do was keep walking.

Bri and I hung out with her fam for a bit longer, loaded up the car and headed back down to Boston. We made a stop for lunch in the town of Portsmouth, NH for fish & chips at a cute little pub. However, when we got there streets were blocked off, and the pub closed for the Bicycle Race that was going on. It was a sight to see. But alas, we didn't get the fish & chips.

We hopped back in the car, drove back to Boston, where we found Sake the sushi place. ;) There weren't that many people in the restaurant so we had 4 little Japanese ladies staring at Bri, and breathing down my neck the entire time we ate. I could seriously feel them hovering. The food was yummy though.

Bri then jumped in the driver's seat, and I was on my way back to California. It was one of the best trips ever. Too short, as all good trips are. I acquired all 4 shot glasses for the new states I visited. And can not believe I only have 5 states left. I'm going to have to get some new goals.