A Week in Boston -- Part 1

Nothing turns out exactly the way you plan.

I'm just back from a week in Boston. Some of the things I did, I hadn't planned on, and I didn't do some of the things I was looking forward to, but it was an interesting and enjoyable time anyway.

For example, I hadn't planned on being hit by a cyclist while crossing the street (he was running a red light on the curb side of a van). No serious damage, just shaken up and a bruised forearm.

I didn't get to the Boston Brewing Company, home of Sam Adams Boston Lager. Sam Adams brews were available everywhere -- the Sam's Summer Ale was especially tasty as a lunch-time beer -- so a long subway ride to the brewery just didn't seem worth it. I've seen plenty of breweries. I didn't eat at Cheers either, but I did make it to the gift shop in the Quincy Market for a few souvenirs.

I did get to Watch City Brewing in Waltham, though. No bacon-flavoured beer, but plenty of other weird and wonderfully flavoured brews made on site and great food. Recommended. And everywhere we ate, there were locally brewed beers of high quality. I tried as many as I could.

For me, the most memorable parts of a holiday are often the things you didn't know about until you stumbled upon them. Most memorable taste was the scallops at Legal Seafood in Boston. Grilled simply, they were still the slightest bit translucent on the inside -- perfection. And most memorable meal was lunch on the rooftop deck at 7th Wave in Rockport on Cape Ann, an hour north of Boston. A breeze off the ocean on a hot day, a view of the harbour, and a new sandwich discovery -- how come no one thought of this before? -- the smoked salmon BLT.

Most over-rated restaurant was Giacomo's on Hanover Street in the North End's Little Italy. TripAdvisor rates it #4 of nearly 2,000 Boston restaurants and #1 for Italian food. It's small and crowded and the line forms before the doors open at 5:00. The prices are reasonable, especially for wine, and while the food is good (not great), the atmosphere is more fast food than fine dining. Cash only, no desserts. Go across the street to Mike's Pastries.

There was also a Red Sox game, a day-long bus tour of the city, the Common, Freedom Trail, the Aquarium, the Market, and Harvard. Probably my favourite day, the day spent touring the campus and some of the museums reminded me that learning and scholarship still do matter in a world that sometimes seems dominated by reality TV and Shakespalin.

Next post, I'll write about our accommodations, getting around Boston, and some ways we found to make our holiday more affordable.