Jul 2, 20224 min read

One Night in Boston

After spending last summer down in Delaware and the previous summer in lock-down, my mom and I decided we wanted to plan a few excursions together while I’m home. So, last week we took a quick 36-hour trip to Boston!

So far, of the few U.S cities I’ve been to, Boston is my favorite! I think it’s the perfect blend of historic landmarks, water views, New England charm, and a busy-city mentality to make it exciting without being overwhelming. This, coupled with my growing impatience with slow suburban life, made our time in Boston a real treat!

For our one night in Boston, we stayed at the Colonnade Hotel, which is a short walk from Boston’s famed Newbury Street, Fenway Park, and it has a lovely view of the Prudential Center. While the location is fantastic in terms of accessibility to some of the best that Boston’s Back Bay has to offer, we mainly chose this hotel for its rooftop pool and bar area.

Day One

Besides taking the train into Boston and checking into our hotel, the only thing scheduled for day one was a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Having been to Boston before, there were a few places I wanted to revisit, but for the most part, we did not have a set itinerary.

TATTE BAKERY & CAFE:

Our first stop of the day was supposed to be the museum, but upon seeing Tatte Bakery & Cafe while en route, I couldn’t resist a quick coffee break. This cafe is one of my favorites! They have locations all over the city, and each one is stunning…, and of course, the coffee is delicious too!

ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM:

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a Venetian-inspired art museum hosting a vast collection of European and Asian paintings, furnishings, sculptures, and objects. The museum is widely known for the heist that occurred in 1990, resulting in the world's largest property theft. After over thirty years, the whereabouts of the stolen paintings remain a mystery. As a result, the museum has left the empty frames where the paintings once hung.

Although I vaguely knew of the art heist that occurred, my primary motivation for going to the museum was the lush inner courtyard which I have seen numerous times on Instagram. The serene courtyard exceeded my expectations, and I unexpectedly ended up falling in love with the rest of the museum as well! I was pleasantly surprised by the Venetian-inspired interiors hidden inside an otherwise unassuming building. The expansive collection of items, dimly lit rooms, tapestries, statues, and furniture transported me back to some of the castles I visited in the Loire Valley. My mom thought it was sensory overload, but I thought the abundance of objects gave the museum so much character. I consider the Isabella Stewart Garden Museum one of Boston's gems and definitely worth a visit!

KELLEHER ROSE GARDEN:

Hidden in the middle of the Back Bay Fens is the Kelleher Rose Garden, which my mom accidentally stumbled upon back in November while lost trying to find the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. This time around, it was no accident that we ended up at this location. With hundreds of rose bushes, rose-covered trellises, a fountain, and a few sculptures, the Kelleher Rose Garden was a whimsical and romantic sight to behold.

LUNCH & SHOPPING ON NEWBURY STREET

Without fail, every time we have ventured to Boston, we have gone to Newbury Street. I love poking into all the shops housed in the city’s brown-stone buildings. Although most of the stores on Newbury Street are well-known brands, the atmosphere is a bit more eclectic and relaxed compared to wandering around a mall.

We also stopped for a late lunch at Piattini, which had several vegan options (a rare find at Italian restaurants)!

FōMū ICECREAM:

FōMū is a vegan ice cream shop that was recommended to me by my cousin, and lucky for me, there was a location a few blocks away from our hotel. I ended up with the peanut butter chocolate cookie, which was delicious!

ROOFTOP VIEWS:

The night ended with a couple of drinks on the rooftop of the hotel, while admiring the sunset against the Boston skyline.

DAY TWO

Day two was essentially a compilation of trying to do everything we didn't get to on day one before having to catch our train.

PRESSED CAFE:

Based on the number of people who walked through the doors of this cafe, Pressed Cafe is a favorite breakfast spot for locals on their way to work. The menu was expansive, and there were so many vegan options! I ended up with one of the best acai bowls I have ever had!

A WALK TO FANEUIL HALL MARKETPLACE:

The past few times we’ve ventured to Boston, we’ve skipped Faneuil Hall. Honestly, there wasn’t much that I was interested in, but I enjoyed the 45-minute walk it took to get there and poked around a few shops.

THE BOSTON PUBLIC GARDENS:

I think there is something implicity calming about sprawling parks situated in the middle of a bustling city, and the Boston Public Garden is no exception. Despite not having anything to be stressed or worried about, stepping into the park felt like taking a deep breath.

Aside from the acres of green space, flowers, and random statues, one of the charms of the Boston Public Garden is its pond occupied by birds and swan boats. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been on a swan boat, and this was certainly the first time I was old enough to appreciate how relaxing it is to cruise around the pond.

THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

We made a very very brief stop at the Boston Public Library and honestly didn’t see too much of it. However, the ten minutes we were there was enough time to admire the beautiful architecture reminiscent of European palaces. If I were a student living in Boston, I imagine I would have spent many hours inside that library.