breezing through boston

well, i made it back to the states. after taking care of some necessities (orioles game. friends and family. museums) and making some quick stops in DC and richmond i did what anyone would do after being gone for 10 months.. i got on a series of buses to visit a city i've never been to. thanks to megabus and my knack for planning way ahead, i had scored some very affordable tickets and, after many hours of travel and some fitful bus sleeping, arrived in boston, greeted by early morning light. walking out of south station i found myself in the middle of boston's business district, too early yet for even the busiest of businessmen.

of railings and rowhouses

i managed to make it to my friend yasmeen's place, a friend whom i hadn't seen since my summer in jordan. (she doesn't have facebook either so, you know, it feels like even longer.) she lives in one of these charming brick townhomes and swirling wrought iron railings. the inside is what i like to think many of these boston interiors look like - a dark corridor filled with musty furniture and turkish carpets. her place was similarly haphazard, full of antique furniture but littered with the textbooks and notepads you'd expect of a busy law student. despite my early arrival, my gracious host treated me to some vegan 'chocolate' pancakes and fancy maple syrup which i enjoyed in a well-appointed green velvet chair.  

we spent our morning catching up while also running some errands yasmeen needed to tend to before her upcoming trip. along the way we stopped for lunch at veggie galaxy (noticing a theme here?) where we supped on some very tasty veg food and vegan milkshakes (which, apparently, if you're vegan, are a very big deal).

as it grew closer to evening we made our way back to yasmeen's and i planned to head to the MFA, quite proud of myself for arriving on their one free evening a month. which made me even more incensed when, encountering a locked door, i was curtly informed that the museum was closed for a private event. after expressing my disappointment, having planned this quite literally months in advance, i was told it was on the website. after leaving in a huff, i did some fact checking. turns out it is on the calendar of events... listed after about 18 other events occurring on that day.. which can only be reached by going through several screens. it's very possible i will hold this against the MFA forever. only time will tell.

rosy skies over a cheery gazebo

perhaps in a way it was for the best. instead of meandering the halls of the MFA, yasmeen and i had a little more time together. we walked the streets of harrison. mostly residential.. charming colonial townhouses punctuated by community gardens and corner cafes. we grabbed some kebabs (well felafel for my friend) in a little mediterrean place and talked to the proprietors as we treated ourselves to ice cream, too. yasmeen, it seems, has been much better at keeping up with her arabic.. then back to yasmeen's where her friends dropped by and we capped off the evening with a nice indian movie. i didn't even it make it through half (which, to be fair, with an indian movie is typically the duration of an entire hollywood one) before konking out. i guess an early morning that starts on a bus can have that effect on you.

hahvad yahd

the next day yasmeen set out early on her long drive to toronto and bid me, and her house (where she was graciously letting me stay), farewell. i was off on the bus to do some exploring of my own. one easy bus ride over the bridge and i found myself in cambridge. stepping off the bus i found myself in front of harvard and its ivy gates. i didn't linger long but i did enjoy a walk across the quads and between stately buildings.

cheery cafe stop

having finished with harvard (probably a tad faster than most students) i explored cambridge, making my way towards harvard square. along the way i popped into bead shop and found no shortage of bookstores (go figure). i punctuated my walking with much-needed respites at mediterranean cafes, of which the area seems to have no shortage. algiers cafe and andala coffee house were welcome breaks from the heat with cozy interiors and middle eastern touches (which i think adds to just about any decor). i've always heard that boston is a walkable city, so walk i did. all down mass avenue (which by the way has one of the best goodwill book selections i've ever seen. and i've seen quite a few), past the MIT campus and over the longfellow bridge. and did i mention how hot it was? if you thought new england in june wouldn't be well into the 80s, you'd be mistaken.

come sail away

though i was in a hurry i lingered over the longfellow bridge, with its picturesque salt and pepper shakers and sailboats below. one has the feeling those sailboats are always there; it must be one of the better views of boston. sweating by now and walking briskly to make up for all that picture-taking time, i at at last made it to the MTA stop on the far side of the bridge. side note: did you know boston's fare cards are called charlie cards? i confirmed this is a tribute to the kingston trio song about the ill-fated charlie and the boston MTA, a fact which delighted me, remembering the song vividly from my childhood.

the hot sun still shining brightly, though it was nearly 5, i made my way toward the harbor. i met an old college friend at the barking crab, where i was advised to go for beer and seafood. can't argue with that. we sat in what was essentially a covered picnic area with long continuous wooden tables. a huge party one table over was just finishing up what must have been 1000s of dollars' worth of lobsters. we were a little less ambitious, opting for beer and clams. i'm not actually sure if i'd ever had clams before (outside of a chowder) but on the water in new england seemed like the right time to start.

representing infinity

next up was the ICA - institute of contemporary art - on what just happened to be its free night of the month. (do you see how perfectly i had planned this out?? curse you, MFA!) we poked around the permanent collection and checked out the brand new exhibition from josiah mcelheny, some pictures of the infinite, a really fun installation that plays with ideas of time and space. and were also quite photographable. we sauntered slowly through the galleries, poked through the store and made our way out. almost as good as the artwork, though, were the views from the many windows out onto the harbor. i do love cities on the water.

oh look, more sailboats

from there allison and i had a leisurely stroll around fan pier, across the bridge and over to the harbor, parts of which seemed very much like georgetown to me. not having quite had our fill from our seafood hors d'oeuvres, we sought out some more libations. we stumbled upon blue inc. where we sampled some great small plates and fancy cocktails. it was lovely catching up and a great end to a wonderful whirlwind trip to beantown.

and i can say for certain i'll be back. there's so much i didn't see.. the city's unique history, some architectural gems and, the way i see it, the MFA still owes me a free visit.