Girls Weekend

Pausing to admire our new manicures and pint glasses in the warehouse

My best friend from grad school recently came into town for a long-overdue visit. She’s always up for adventure, and I was thrilled that she let me put together the weekend itinerary. I went for a mix of my favorite visitor-in-town standbys and threw in a unique destination new to me—Half Acre Beer Company. We were among the last few people let in to tour, and the day seemed meant to be. Unsurprisingly, food and drink played a fairly large role in our spree. 

Wishing a Happy Birthday to my favorite morning read before hitting the L to head down to Old Town

Getting excited for lots of laughs at the Second City show

Capping the night off with the best ribs in town (sans dancing)...

...and late night cupcakes, an incredibly thoughtful hostess gift brought all the way from Jilly's Cupcake Bar

Happy Veterans Day

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

-John F. Kennedy

Boston in 24 Hours

We took an early shuttle from the Cape into Boston on our final day, committed to squeezing in all of the city’s sites in 24 hours. Fortunately, that little red line marking the Freedom Trail can really take you places if you let it. Boston is a delightful mix of old and new, and there is a surprise around every corner.

After a full 8 hours of walking, interrupted only for a sandwich at Volle Nolle in the North End and a few Harpoons at the historic Bell in Hand Tavern, we gratefully settled into a restaurant booth at the legendary Omni Parker House hotel to sample their renowned rolls, scrod and Boston Cream Pie. Later, while walking through the lobby on the way up to our room, we paused long enough to hear a tour guide talk about the haunted room that happened to be located directly across from ours.

Eastham

Never ones to take it easy on vacation, we spent our final day on the Cape walking along the beach at low tide, hiking through a nearby Cedar swamp, visiting the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center and preparing a fantastic (and lively!) meal with family in the dark of night on the crushed shell driveway. 

On to Cape Cod

After packing up the car the next morning, we headed for Massachusetts, a trek that included a short stopover in Portland for a noteworthy lunch at Duckfat and a sampler pack of Cranberry Island Kitchen whoopie pies for the road. The oh-so-fitting Stephen King’s 11/22/63 kept me company on the long drive, and we rolled into Cape Cod as the sun began to go down. The next morning greeted us with cloudless skies, so we put the top down on my aunt’s Mini Cooper and headed for Provincetown, where there seemed to be no shortage of sand dunes, lighthouses, seafood, fresh air, expansive views, or steps (in the case of Pilgrim Monument).