Boston

I'm writing this blog update as the Amtrak train is taking me home to NYC from an awesome weekend I Boston with my favorite cousins, Ashley & Chelsea. (Pictures to come later, once I'm home).

This weekend was "special cousins weekend part 2", as part 1 happened over the Summer in NYC right before the Girls went back to school for the year.

Friday: 4 hours in an Indian Sweat lodge of an Amtrak car wearing a cashmere sweater to Boston from NYC looking like a classy bag lady.  I was delivering multiple pairs of UGG boots to the Girls as "Xmas" gifts and we needed to exchange colors & sizes since NYC didn't have what they really wanted.
Anyways, Chelsea met me at the BackBay Train Station and we walked over to the classy Newbury Street for dinner at Joe's.  It was great to have some one on one time catching up with her and checking in on her life as a college freshman at BC.
After dinner we took the T back to Boston College got some ever so yummy ice cream that froze our fingers then headed to her dorm room.  Chels packed her bag, we called a cab & the headed over to my hotel for the night.

Saturday: Chelsea woke up early and used the hotel gym to go for a run, I continued to sleep.   We got showered and dressed while watching Greese 2 (it's not as good as the original, but when there are only 10 Channels to choose from abc family tends to win).
We headed back to campus and we had breakfast in the lower campus dining hall.  I haven't eaten in a dining hall in 9 years, since my freshman year of college (I made a point to stay away from the Zin Sophomore through Senior year). If the dining hall on Sonoma State's campus was anything like the dining hall on the BC lower campus, I would have had a dining plan every year, even when I lived off campus.
After breakfast, Chelsea and I toured the campus while walking back other dorm on upper campus.

Chels on the million dollar stairs

 The BC campus is just so beautiful and really makes me think of what a old college campus should look like.  I know it's a Catholic University, but there a shit ton of churches/chapels on that campus.  I'm sure lots of praying happens there.  "Dear God, please let me pass this test." or "Please Jesus, let the stick say negative." ha!
We waited for Ashely to arrive from here drive over/down from Syracuse while Chelsea finished a paper & I planned some actives for the weekend.
Ashley arrived around 3, we rushed her to change & we headed out for a historical adventure.

Bunker Hill Monument

I wanted us to walk the Freedom Trail, so we started at the end at The Bunker Hill monument, because why would we start at the beginning? But by the time we got to Bunker Hill it was 4:00 and almost dark and by the time the girls came down from climbing the 294 steps it was dark out.

Trying to follow a red brick path through the city at night when it was cold and windywasn't looking like the best idea anymore.

So we hoped back into the car, got lost trying to heads to the Prudential Center, but that's not here nor there.

Getting Lost crossing the Charles River

We parked and the took the T to Faneuil Hall to see the tree lighting.  By the time we got there the tree was lit, but the party was still rocking. There was a band playing in the court yard and they played a really bad version of Journey off key.  Totally awesome!

After walking around for a bit we took the T back to BackBay for dinner at Casa Romero which Laura recommend.  Laura warned me it was in an alley, I didn't think she was serious, but no, its literally in an alley like a secret hideaway that looks slightly suspicious if you didn't know any better.  It was ah-mazing.  It was voted Best Mexican restaurant in Boston for 2011 and I now know why.

White Hot Coco

After dinner we aimlessly we walked around Newbury street trying to kick start our digestive systems since we had reservations at Max Brenner. Max Brenner was overly decadent and I think I might have gone into a diabetic coma if I ate my entire dessert.

Sunday: Slept in, which I think Ashley really enjoyed, but poor Chelsea has an internal alarm clock set for 5:45am.  She woke up to finish a paper so she could play all day.  (God, I'm so thankful to be out of school and not have homework anymore.)  We did breakfast again at the lower campus dining hall, even Ashley was impressed with the variety and selection available.  Guess Syracuse isn't as classy as BC when it comes to the food services industry on campus. Back to Chelsea's dorm so the girls could change then headed down to BackBay Boston for a day of touristy adventure.

 We did a Duck Tour, quack! It was a beautiful day in the mid-60's and I thought we should get in as much history/sights as possible in a short amount of time since my Freedom Trail adventure was a bust.  The Duck Tour was a lot of fun and we got to see a little bit of everything with a great tour guide who added his own flavor to our trip.  Highly recommend.

 After the Duck Tour it was time for the girls to shop and window shop they did.  We exchanged the UGGs at L&T and that was about it for swipping plastic, but we enjoyed window shopping the Prudential Center & Copley Place.  We met up with Theresa (my Jersey Aunt, the girls actual Aunt) who just flew into town for a business meeting on Monday and we again aimlessly walked Newbury St until it was time for me to head to the Train Station.

And that's where the weekend ends, me on a train back to life and the girls having dinner with their Aunt.  Great thing is that I'll see them all again on Wednesday night for Thanksgiving, the feast of too much everything and the weekend.

 It was a fabulous weekend with my favorite girls and I can't wait for part 3 in Syracuse.  But I'm going to have to do some serious search on actives for the weekend for that trip.

 A few things to note:
-The freshman girls in Chelsea's dorm are really lame.  They spent Friday & Saturday night sitting in their hallway with their computers effing around on Facebook.
-The girls I did see go out we're dressed totally inappropriate for the weather, ie they dressed like sluts.  One had on gladiator sandals on, it's late November, honey your toes could possibly freeze off.
-The boys are ones that only a Mother could love.  They throw footballs and run like girls, Chelsea does not have a lot of lookers to choose from, poor thing.  Good thing there are a shit load of college campuses in Boston.