Hello from Beantown!
Good morning Boston!
I could not be having a better time exploring this city, and even though I’m excited to go to the Cape, I’m actually sad to be leaving tomorrow. This edition of (What I Ate Wednesday) WIAW will feature all of my great eats from Boston, blending together Monday and Tuesday. We ate a couple of meals with the BF’s coworkers. Apparently, it’s not professional to snap pictures of your food at a business meal. So, though the meals were delicious, I decided to spare my BF the embarrassment and NOT take pictures.
Lots to cover, but first, just wanted to say thank you for all of the comments on Monday’s post. It’s always intimidating to share such a personal story, but it almost felt therapeutic to get in touch with my emotions on this difficult topic.
But, back to Beantown food.
Breakfast: All You Can Eat…You bet Ya!
I love staying at hotels, and this particular visit is very fun because I’m with the BF and dog. The location of the hotel, Boston Park Plaza, couldn’t be better. It’s an old historic hotel, located in the Back Bay area of Boston, right next to Newbury Street (Boston’s Rodeo Drive) and the Boston Commons, a park that Cole and I are currently obsessed with.
My favorite part of hotels is exploring their gyms and all-you-can eat buffets. I know, I’m weird. While the buffet at Boston Park Plaza was a bit pricey, I still enjoyed being able to fill my plate to the brim and then go back for seconds…and thirds.
All you can eat? I CAN eat a lot. Can you?
Turkey, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese, fruit, randomness, deliciousness. I was one full and happy Sometimes Healthy Girl.
Pre-Breakfast Run to Haaarvard
Before breakfast, Cole and I set out on an adventurous run on Charles River. We had done the run in Boston Commons every morning, so I decided to switch it up. Cole was one happy puppy running by the water with the breeze blowing in our faces.
Almost looks like our NYC runs on the east river.
He then spotted the bridge to Cambridge and asked me if we could go to Harvard to scope out the smart puppies. I don’t know why, but Harvard has always fascinated me. Maybe it’s because of movies like Good Will Hunting and Legally Blonde. (I’m a sucker for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck).
The run was a bit longer than we planned, but Cole was lovin’ the Cambridge life and happily posed for lots of pics. He’s such a city dog!
Scholastic Puppy. To quote Ben Affleck, “How do you like ‘dem Apples?!”
The grounds of Harvard were absolutely stunning: plush, green and full of character, just as I envisioned from seeing the movies.
But, back to the eats.
Lunch: An Old Time Favorite
When it came to lunch, I knew that I should do what everyone does when they are exploring a new town: sample the local cuisine. However, I am deprived of Whole Foods in upstate New York and had read about the Boston Whole Foods several time from one of my favorite healthy living bloggers (and Boston local!), Carrots n Cake.
Since lunch was on my own (while the BF was working), I decided to treat myself to my favorite lunch of all time: the Whole Foods salad bar. And let me tell ya, the Boston one is one of the best ones I’ve ever seen!
Oh, hello old friend!
Every time I thought I was done filling up the giant container, I found something else. The combo included everything from chana masala to roasted cauliflower and quinoa salad. By the time I was finished, I had a pretty substantial AND expensive salad. (It cost $15, but please don’t tell anyone, I’m SO embarrassed!)
I enjoyed my expensive salad in the park while watching the famous Boston Swan boats.
Picnic lunch with a view!
A little duckie got a bit too friendly for my liking.
Um, whoah there body. Let’s have a little personal space here.
Post-lunch, I roamed the streets of Boston searching for sweet treats to indulge my Sometimes Healthy self (I’m on vacation, after all!) I stumbled upon J.P. Licks, a funky looking ice cream joint that seemed right up my alley.
Looks like I just gotta go inside…
I ordered soft serve chocolate/peanut butter frozen yogurt in a sprinkled covered chocolate waffle cone.
I will never eat fro yo without a waffle cone again!
All I could think after scarfing down the cone was, “Why don’t I eat waffle cones alll the time?”
J.P. Licks is also famous for their puppy ice cream, and I promises Cole to take him there before we leave Bean Town.
At some point during the day, I nibbled on a peppermint chocolate cookie from J.P. Licks as well. I have been doing a lot of walking here in Boston, so that is why it is imperative that I eat as much sugar as possible. Don’t judge ;-).
Must eat more sweet treats.
Dinner: Nachos with a Side of Backstreet Boys
For dinner, I headed to a “hip” area of Boston, the Seaport, to meet a friend of mine that lives here. Michelle (who all loyal readers probably recognize) is from Boston, and all of her sisters have become friend of mine, including Rachel.
Work Hard, Party Harder.
You might recognize Rachel from the VH1 show, Wicked Single. She is probably one of the most entertaining people that I’ve ever met in my life, and there is never a dull moment when I hang out with her. This night was no different. We split a large salad and plate of nachos, while catching up over drinks.
Nachos on the harbor
Check out that view!
Sometimes it’s not about the food…
The food wasn’t anything too exciting, and the conversation was really the best part of the meal.
As we were eating, Rachel mentioned that the Backstreet Boys were playing in a pavillion down the street. We laughed about it and joked around about that it would be fun to see one of our favorite 90’s boy bands live in the flesh.
“You ARE my firrre.” Remember this album?!
Post-dinner, we wandered down the Seaport to find another bar and just happened to hear the opening number of the concert “Backstreet’s Back,” echoing from the pavilion. We stopped dead in our tracks and figured we might as well go to the ticket window to see if we could get discounted tickets since the show already started.
Somehow, we ended up in the third row, screaming the lyrics to “I Want it That Way.” It was actually pretty surreal to be so close to these guys that I had worshipped back in junior high and high school. The energy of the show was amazing, and I’ve never heard so many screaming girls in my life.
Yeah, bring it home boys!
The dancing, on the other hand, was pretty horrible. I guess I never realized how cheesy boy band choregraphy really is. I think the best part of the night was simply embracing the moment and enjoying spending time with a good friend, while belting out songs we hadn’t heard since 1995.
Singing our little hearts out.
Oh, and of course, staring at Brian Littrell (40 is definitely the new 30 when it comes to this guy)
Still looks good.
At one point, Nick Carter came over into our part of the audience to shake everyone’s hands. I was shocked at the amount of women my age (and older) that were besides themselves with excitement when this happened.
As if the night could get any better, I came home to find a s’mores cupcake from Crumbs (my favorite NYC bakery) waiting for me.
How do you cap off a perfect evening? With a cupcake of course.
Brownie points for the BF!
I’m off to enjoy the remainder of my time here in Boston, and then tomorrow morning, we’re leaving for the Cape! I hope to be back on Friday to share some pictures, as well as the cookie recipe from Monday.
QUESTION:
What’s your favorite way to explore a new city? (Mine is definitely running!)
Any good boy band stories to share?
My girlfriends and I went to a BSB concert last summer and it was THE best time ever. We ahd so much fun!
They sure do put on a show (even if they can’t dance!)
It looks like you had such an awesome trip… a great mix of exploring, yummy food, friends, and laughter. I have never been to Boston but it looks like such an awesome city.
You must visit! It’s one of my favorite cities on the East Coast. So much to do and see and the people are so nice. It’s also not quite as overwhelming as a city like NYC
wow that waffle cone looks sooo good! I used to be OBSESSED with Nsync and would buy tons of BOP (remember those) magazine, tear out the posters, and put them all over my wall. At one point you literally couldn’t see the paint!
Ohhh, BOP magazine, one of the classic magazines of our time. Yes, I did the same thing – only my thing was the stars of 90210 🙂
Looks like an awesome trip! I lived in Boston for 4 years when I was in undergrad and loved it—I also was QUITE familiar with the Whole Foods salad bar & JP Lick’s, as I had no freaking idea how to cook back then. Walking around, looking and stuff, and sampling the local cuisine are definitely my favorite ways to get to know a city. I even do that in NYC—I’ve lived here for years and love finding new things.
What a great place to go to school! There is nothing quite like the Whole Foods Salad bar. And, they mix it up every time, so it’s not like you’re eating the same thing. I lived in NYC for years and never finished discovering all of the amazing food.
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