Boston, You're My Home

This past weekend, Elle and I headed into Boston with my parents. We were there for two days, and I have rounded up a few of my favorite things to do, places to eat, and where to stay. If you haven't visited this beautiful city, YOU MUST! There are plenty of things to do with kids too {without stepping inside a Children's Museum full of sweaty kids running around.. although if that's your jam, that's cool too!}. Enjoy!

1. Where To Stay: While on this trip we didn't stay in Boston {my parents just moved 15 minutes outside the city, so it was an easy commute in for us right on the Red Line}, we did venture through the Boston Harbor Hotel {after we had lunch there.. more on this below} and it was absolutely beautiful and timeless.

Another favorite is the Boston Park Plaza, we stay there frequently since they are dog friendly, and right across from the Boston Public Garden, so their location is very central. I also love their new renovations, and the lobby bar has some yummy cocktails! Nine Zero is another swanky hotel that we have stayed at and love, as well as The Godfrey Hotel.

2. Where to Dine: I can write about 10 blog posts about all my favorite restaurants in Boston.... and maybe I will at some point, but I will stick to the two places we dined this past weekend. For lunch, my mom, Elle and I, went to Rowes Wharf Sea Grille which is located right inside the Boston Harbor Hotel. Unfortunately it began to rain... downpour actually, so we sat inside, but the ambiance was great.

Elle had "chicken finga and fwies" {yay to a place with a kids menu, that was reasonably priced, and actually had healthier options...although who can say 'no' to fries}.

I had the Tuna Nicoise salad, my mom had the Lemon Sole, and we split a side of truffle fries.. and some vino of course!

For dinner on our second day, we walked to the North End {the Italian neighborhood in Boston, that one MUST visit} and had dinner at Villa Francesca.

We did have to wait a while past our reservation {which isn't always easy with a toddler}, but the service was great, and our food was tasty.

I have to say though that there are SO many options of where to eat in the North End, that you pretty much can't go wrong. For desert, we headed to my favorite North End bakery, Bova's, although most people, especially those visiting for the first time, head to Mike's Pasty, or Modern Pastry Shop. All are good, but Bova's has that true Italian feel for me.

3. What to do: Oh there is SO much to do and see in Boston, but if you are visiting with kids, these are some of my favorite spots.

Boston Public Garden: There are so many beautiful spots to walk around, and take pictures.

If you have some time, do the Swan Boats {I went with Elle in May, so we skipped them this time around}. Walk over the picturesque bridge, smell the flowers, and just enjoy the beauty of it all!

And course head over to the famous Make Way for Ducklings statues. We could not get Elle to leave, or to stop talking about the "duckies". And clearly we went there both days!

Boston Common: While not as pretty as the Public Garden, Boston Common is right next to it, so you will most likely walk through it anyway. There is a playground {we steered clear}, and a pond turned ice skating rink in the winter, and if you're heading toward Faneuil Hall, there is a lovely fountain, and Elle loved running around it, and almost dove in a few times!

Faneuil Hall: This is where Elle insists on getting a balloon every dang time, and I cave in... choose my battles, right? There are a ton of restaurants, and shops in this marketplace, and the cobblestone, while not fun to walk on, is just so historic, and so Boston.

This is a great place to grab a drink, or ice cream {my favorite is the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop ...I know I know, that's not local, but I love their ice cream... black cherry chocolate chunk!}.

The Greenway Carousel: This is a Tiffany & Co. Foundation Carousel that features all the animals native to Boston in it, instead of horses, which Elle was super excited about.

Although, despite my encouragement to go on a lobster or turtle, she chose the bunny, two days in a row! Ha! It's $3 per ride, so a win-win!

New England Aquarium: If you have the time, it is definitely worth going inside {buy tickets online from your phone, to skip the long wait}. It's one of my most favorite aquariums ever... even as an adult.

But if you are short on time, still stop by, because they have an outdoor tank with the most adorable harbor seals, and they do a show every few hours. We happened to walk up when they started the show, and Elle {my mom and I too} loved every minute of it!

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