I have been so over the moon excited to share this blog post with you guys. You all were so amazing sending me constant words of love, professing your insane jealousy, and reminding me to enjoy this well deserved weekend off. For that I am forever grateful.
It was the morning we had to leave for our trip. My grandma was set to arrive by noon and my husband was sleeping, as he just got off working a midnight shift at work. I ran a few last minute errands and made a special stop at his all time fave, Dunkin Donuts. (I know…Ironic isn’t it!?!? lol )
After securing his favorite drink, I crept my way through the front door, sat on the edge of the bed after waking him with a kiss and said….”sooooo, you know how you always said you wanted to wake up one day and JUST FLY AWAY somewhere?” Well…..how about we do that!”
The dumbfounded look etched on my brain and engraved on his sleepy sheet marked face will forever be a memory of mine. I took his hand as he stumbled to his feet, eyes barely open. In the middle of the living room was new piece of luggage (it was time for a new one anyway : P) and inside was a map to where we were headed. Following my every direction he opened the suitcase….no eyes wide open, grin from ear to ear. He opened the luggage as if it was a wrapped toy left by Santa for a 6 year old. It was amazing! (Later I so regretted not getting a picture or footage of that….but being PRESENT in that moment was just so much more worth it)
He flipped over the map to see where we were headed, he sprang to his feet, his voice cracked as a mixture of sleepy and excitement rose to his throat.
“FOR REAL? REALLY? AWEEEESOME!”
Then there was an ever so slight pause, one I think used to catch his breath and fully wake up, lol, then my control/OCD freak of a husband goes:
1. Wait, when do we leave?
2. What airport?
3. Airline?
4. Do I need to pack?
5. WHHHHAT do I pack?
6. What time do we land?
7. What are we doing first?
8. Crap…when do we leave : ( ?
Before he even went further down THAT list, I stopped him, gave him a kiss and said breathe. We have time to do all that and more and the rest….its not important. Just have fun on this trip for your 30th birthday! Okay!?!?
The rest of the day was blur. With minor errands, packing, weighing our luggage, attending our sons final soccer game, etc. We finally got on the road to PHL airport where we would be sleeping at the ALOFT HOTEL the night before and up by 4:30 am for our 7:00am flight into Boston.
We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner on the way…yum. Popped into Old Navy…just because we could and didnt have children in tow. Once at the hotel we even went down to the hotel bar and joined a couple in a game of pool. (Note to self: NEVER play pool again Kaitlin….you are AWFUL!)
Up early the next day, we boarded our plan to Boston and took the shortest power nap ever in our 1 hour flight.
After landing we grabbed a cab that brought us to our hotel called THE BOXER. It used to be called the Bullfinc for all you well traveled ones out there. IT WAS AMAZING. So modern/contemporary chic. The service was amazing. We had a top floor view over Boston and the building right outside our window was the Police Station used in the filming of the Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio/Nicholson, etc. (Now its a mental hospital, go figure lol) We were a few blocks away from the OLDEST PUB ever and right around the block from the “T” (their subway line). Mike was more impressed that Boston was the stomping ground for the fist ever Dunkin Donuts….which would explain why there LITERALLY is one at every other corner. They call Starbucks there,” $5.00 -bucks”. Creative, a little funny, but Im still a BUCKS girl all the way! : P
This is what our room/bed looked like when we walked in : )
After changing, we headed out to our first sight seeing adventure of the day: Copley Square. This is in the heart of downtown Boston….so lots of amazing history, shopping, eateries and more. But most importantly, this is the home of the Boston Bombings that occurred here last April.
This church was GORGEOUS! Just look at it!!!
This building below is the Library. Exactly across the strew to the right of the image, down from the church is where the Bomb went off. : (
There was a silence. An eerie chill in the sun soaked streets of Boston near this site. Many stopped to bow their heads for a moment. Others touched their hearts as they passed by. A police officer was stationed at each corner and construction was well underway to repair the still significant damage. I, however, was not allowed close enough to capture the severity of the damage. But I was able to capture the lovely tributes/memorials set up in the Boston Marathon store EXACTLY where the bomb went off.
After paying our respects to all that were hurt/taken from us the day of the bombing, Mike and I decided to go have a beer in their honor at a place where EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME! : P CHEERS!
After a quick beer there, we were off to do some more sight seeing and well SHOPPING! First stop….GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE! (and for anyone that cares…it was ONLY JUST 11am when we leftttt Cheers! lol) Cupcakes for breakfast…..delish!
This was Mike’s first….what a joy it was to watch him! LOVE!
Up next, burning off some of those calories by doing some wish list shopping/dreaming….at one of my faves….RESTORATION HARDWARE! SWOON FACTOR TIMES 100000000! We were already planning out our future rooms after our addition on our house! : )
Mike and I already decided that this table featured below will be in our new house….eeeek! AND to top it off….he said I get to pick one chandelier for the entry way! ON CLOUD NINE PEOPLE!
I am basically obsessed over these shelves as well! : )
So dreaming was nice and fun, but we wanted to walk the streets of Boston…so up and away we go again. This time, Public Garden. It was packed….much like the beaches at the shores….people were everywhere play frisbee, picnicking, and more. We never actually went in….we kind of keep on the move. With only 2 days in Boston, there was little time to SIT still…nor did we want to! : P
We did shoot a few pictures of each other and a very weird dog statue created INTO a cement fence. lol
See, weird but oddly cute right!?!? lol
After roaming the streets of Boston it was time to hope on the “T” and head towards Mike’s Mecca of the trip: The Sam Adams Brewery. This whole experience was sooooo fun and knowing that we were drinking the FRESHEST Sam Adams on the planet at that point, was a pretty awesome feeling! And delicious, too : P
These statues were in the ally ways along the walk to the brewery once off the T. I thought they were so nifty and had to shoot a couple : )
Meet our tour guide….Erick with a “K” as he referred to himself. LOOOOVED HIM! He was HYSTERICAL! Highly recommend him! : )
After the brewery they give you a complimentary ride on the “PARTY TROLLY” (pronounce that with a Boston accent though, they call it the POTTY TALLIE). The drive was hysterical as well and filled us with tons of knowledge about how FAMOUS the bar is that he is taking us to. Again, scenes from the movie The Departed were filmed here, scenes from Boston Legal, and SOOO MANY MORE! This bar is known for its amazing clam chowda bread bowl, which we had (and if you follow me on instagram you might have seen) DELISH. It is also the ONLY PLACE you can get Sam Adams NITRO! Not my fave, but still cool!
I wish I could say the party continued after leaving DOYLES….but after being up at 4 am, on a flight landing at 8am, on a subway all day, walking all day, drinking all day….it came to be about 6 pm back in our hotel room and we said we would lay down for an hour before heading out to dinner. Well, we did lay down, but we didn’t wake up till 8AM THE NEXT DAY! OMG!!!! Over 12 hours of sleep….it was like 20 Christmas’ in one! lol
This was a true blessing though. Something IIIII and WEEEE desperately needed. For the second day, we would be out from 9-5 on a guided tour through the one place I felt as though it has taken me 27 years to get to: SALEM!
Our first stop was the famous Marblehead….home of the painting “Spirit of 76”. But before going to see the painting, we stopped at the Marblehead Lighthouse and got to snap a few pictures together! : )
Time to take a look at this famous painting where it is believed that a ghost haunts the picture as evident of the white cloud like object above the solider in the painting.
Our tour guide….doesn’t he look like the captain from the movie Titanic? lol
Now don’t get me wrong here….Marblehead was great and truly beautiful….but the next stop was SALEM and I couldn’t even contain myself! For anyone that really knows me….they know IM OBSESSED WITH HOCUS POCUS!
Our tour guide started by telling us about the 19 that were hung for being accused of practicing witchcraft. This burial ground was more of a tribute and not ACTUALLY where they were buried. The stones have their names etched in them. If you look closely you will see two with the last name “PARKER”…they are supposedly ancestors of SARAH JESSICA PARKER whom played SARAH in Hocus Pocus and was a huge reason she was awarded the role. Cool right!?
After roaming around the grave yard we hit the streets of Salem for their HAUNTED HAPPENINGS FEST they host every weekend in the month of October. SO AMAZING AND PACKED! They even said on the actual date of Halloween 50,000+ people attend!!!!
Mike and I stopped by a wizard to get a butter beer….like the ones they drank in HARRY POTTER….SUPER YUMMY!
VERRRRRY INTERESTING CLIENTELE HERE! : P LOL
The Samantha Montgomery statue in honor of her role in Bewitched : )
Now this girl….NO STATUE….BUT CERTAINLY CREEPY! : )
I about squealed when I saw this structure! Who can tell me what it is!?!??! THATS RIGHT! Its the Town Hall from the movie Hocus Pocus that the parents are dancing at and the witches sing “I put a spell on you” at.
One of the most haunted houses in all of Salem, caretakers won’t even go near it. Clearly!
The Witch Memorial….for those innocent lives lost!
Time for some arts and crafts with the hubby…making a witch wand and placing a wish with a witch! : )
Just hanging out with a witch….or as my husband says, my distant relatives. Nice right!? lol
AND HERE WE ARE…THE MECCA FOR ME IN SALEM: ALLISON’S HOUSE FROM HOCUS POCUS! IT LOOKS MUCH BIGGER ON T.V.! 😛
Before getting back on the bus to head back to Boston, we roamed the graveyards, the streets and all things Salem. WHAT AN AMAZING PLACE AND I WOULD GO BACK EACH AND EVERY YEAR IF I COULD!
Thanks for sharing in our trip….what an incredible time!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
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