Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 2021

A semi-solo trip to visit my first undergraduate roommate, Daisy!

I have always wanted to go to Boston during the Spring/Summer/Fall time because there are more things to do during those times. However, I enjoyed my trip to Boston in early-mid December :). Thank goodness it did not snow and it was sunny! The highest was around 50 degrees. It was chilly, but I layered up with a tank top, long sleeve, thin jacket, another jacket, and puffer over it with leggings and two layers of socks each day. I also brought a beanie and gloves but did not need to use them. Maybe, I could have done it without one jacket, but I was okay. I stayed at Daisy’s place, which was about one mile south from Ruggles Station (near Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum & Museum of Fine Arts). If you’d come, I would recommend staying somewhere a bit closer to downtown or closer to a train station, but otherwise, I am thankful for the free stay (thank you, Daisy, and your housemates). 

I am still figuring out how I want to write my blogs. In some blog posts, I did a day-by-day itinerary, and in some blog posts, I have listed out where I went in alphabetical order. I think for this Boston blog, I will do a day-by-day itinerary and at the bottom of this blog, there will be a list everything that I have experienced in alphabetical order. When I go to Boston again, I will probably change it up – we’ll see 🙂

(Half) Day 1: 

I arrived in Boston around 3:00pm and did not get to Daisy’s place until 4pm-ish. Settled in, and then we went to get an early dinner. We went to Time-Out Boston, which is a large dining space with multiple food restaurants with bars. It is a great space to go with friends and family. They had a skating rink outside for the holidays, and I am sure at different times of the season, other events goes on there. After that, we walked to the Fenway Park, and I was in shock at how historic-looking the baseball stadium was! The ticket booth was in those gray pull up windows and I have not seen those around in a long time! I want to go back to Boston to watch a game here. Then, we took a lyft to the Waterfront area, and there was a Christmas market with a lot of mini vendors and shops. It was such a cute spot for family, friends, and date night! They had an open seating area for Christmas drinks and food. They also had a curling game section – that was pretty cool! I have never try curling before, but want to try it out one day. After that, we went over to the Lookout Rooftop Bar in the Envoy Hotel. The bar had a nice view of the water and part of downtown. I believe what sells people to go to this place is the little heated igloos! The ambiance was nice, however, I think they should have more chairs for people to sit! There were only three couches, and everywhere else was standing unless you reserved those igloos outside. We got Christmas drinks and it was pretty strong, haha. After that, we went to one more bar called Yotel Boston which was a block over. The drinks there were very good, and it was an actual cocktail unlike Lookout Rooftop Bar, haha. I believe you need to make a reservation to go to this place. However, it was not crowded when we went, so the guy at the front just let us in. They had indoor and outdoor seating, but we sat inside. We did go outside to take pictures quickly since it was super cold! It had a nice view as well – but I would say Lookout Rooftop Bar had a better view. And that’s the first half day in Boston!

(Full) Day 2:

Daisy gave me a tour of her campus: Boston University School of Public Health! It was such a cute small building, and we also toured the School of Medicine building! After that, I traveled solo to Harvard Square, and it was nice to see all of the shops and stores right next to Harvard University. I was shocked to see the store: Love Pop!! Side note, I saw this business on Shark Tank, so it was pretty awesome to see the business in person. I saw a lot of Love Pop stores all around Boston too! So cool! I saw Harvard University Law School & the library of Harvard University. I could not get in because I needed to be a student and they did not allow visitors. But, I was able to go into the Science Building and to be honest, I was not impressed with the restrooms! LOL. It was dirty and they had no toilet seat cover!! I have noticed that Boston does not use toilet seat cover and one spot had the toilet seat cover OUTSIDE of the stalls. It was weird to me. Anyway, after Harvard University, I grabbed a lox bagel at Black Sheep Bagel Cafe and sat at a bench nearby, and people watched! After that, I walked down Massachusetts Ave and saw the Harvard Health Services Building!! It was so cool!! Then I reached the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I went into the main building but could not go further because I needed to be a student. So then, I went to the student center, and it was chill! I also rested my feet for about 15 minutes and charged my phone, haha. I guess another tip is to bring a phone battery pack charger – my iPhone 10 has been losing battery so fast. After that, I walked over the Harvard Bridge and it was a pretty walk. I do think that if the leaves were still up, it would be even more gorgeous everywhere. After the bridge, I arrived at Beacon Street, which is the apartment with all of the red bricks. It semi reminded me of Philly, but this one feels a bit different. The next few streets over is Newbury Street, which has the same layout but is filled with shops and restaurants! I enjoyed walking through Newbury Street and liked the Harry Potter shop! Newbury Street was my favorite part of the trip. Then, I went to the Boston Public Library, and wow….that was such a beautiful library! That was probably the most beautiful library I have ever seen. They had a courtyard, the interior design was marble with the beautiful lion statues, and more. Also, I refilled my hydro flask in the library (another tip if you want to save a dollar or two on a water bottle!) After that, I walked through the Prudential Center which is a shopping mall on the higher-end. Then, I grabbed dinner at Red White ramen spot on Newbury Street and finally ended the night walking along Commonwealth Avenue. It was a pretty walk since all of the lights were up. As you can imagine….I walked a lot on this day! A total of 12.82 miles! My feet were exhausted!

(Full) Day 3: 

I walked over to Ruggle Station and took the orange line to Chinatown. I got off and wandered around Downtown Crossing first. There were a lot of stores, theatres, etc. Then, I ate at the Gourmet Dumpling House. I got the “Mini Juicy Dumplings with Pork,” and it was yummy! I actually burned my tongue from it, LOL. The sizes were larger than the ones I’ve eaten here in California. Service could be better, but it’s okay! After that, I walked over to Boston Public Garden, and it was nice when I went (thank goodness for the sun), but I could imagine this place filled during the Spring/Summer/Fall time. After that, I walked over to Beacon Hill, and this area reminded me of Newbury Street in a way because of the shops and the red bricks. It was cute! After that, I headed over to the Freedom Trail. This Freedom Trail is a walking trail that can take up to 1.5-2 hours, depending on how long you want to stay and look at each attraction. You follow the red brick road on the ground, and it leads you to all 16 attractions. I saw the majority of the attractions but went inside the Paul Revere House, Old Corner Bookstore, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Also, on the freedom trail, I stopped by Mike’s Pastry for some cannolis! This place only takes cash, and the line was not long either. I waited about 1-2 minutes, and I was next in line – lucky me, haha! The other place I wanted to check out was the USS Constitution, but I did not have enough time! I skipped the Bunker Hill Monument since it was a bit further out, and as you can imagine, by the time I finished the Freedom Trail, the sun was already setting! It was a “long” day of sightseeing already! I planned to uber back, but I stumbled upon a ferry! I took a 10 minute (sunset) ferry ride from Charlestown to Long Wharf. You can pay with your train card or by cash/card once you are on the ferry. I believe it was $3.75 one way. The drop off area was near the New England Aquarium. I walked along the waterfront area during sunset time and it was very pretty. At the end of the waterfront area is Harpoon Brewery. I went and enjoyed two beers and the ambiance. I met a couple, and we chatted about where to get good lobsters besides the Quincy Market, and they recommended Barking Crab. After the brewery, I stopped by a random hotel to charge my phone for 15 minutes, then went to Barking Crab, and little did I know, it was right next to Lookout Rooftop Bar!! I noticed Barking Crab that night since I saw a lot of Christmas decorations, and Barking Crab did not disappoint! The service was a bit slow, but the food was good – I am not sure if it was because I was hungry from the day or the beer, but I inhaled my entire meal! I was surprised, haha! After dinner, I walked over to South Station, took the red line down to Andrew Station, and got an uber back to Daisy’s place. I rested for a little bit, and we were off to Shore Leave! It was a sushi restaurant/bar. I did not order any food but a drink (it was good), and wow, the decorations were AMAZING! It was all decked out in Christmas lights! They played Christmas songs, even had Santa chair seat covers, and the restrooms – there was fake snow, snow lights, ribbon wrapped around the door…they went all out! I would go back here again. 

(Half) Day 4:

Last day! So sad! I went to Caffe Nero, Brattle Book Shop, the infamous “Hello Boston” sign, and went back to Beacon Street to take some photos! I also had a quick lunch at Umai (sushi) on Newbury Street. It was all very close and within walking distance from one another. It was a very chill last day. 

If you made it this far, thank you! 🙂 Below is a list of the places I went to in alphabetical order in case you are interested.

Things to See/Do:
Beacon Hill
Beacon Street
Boston Common
Boston Public Garden
Boston Public Library
Boston University
Brattle Book Shop
Chinatown
Commonwealth Avenue
Fenway Park
Freedom Trail (which includes 16 attractions)
Harvard Square
Harvard University
MIT
Newbury Street
Prudential Center
Waterfront area

Food/Bars:
Barking Crab
Black Sheep Bagel Cafe
Caffe Nero
Gourmet Dumpling House
Harpoon Brewery
Lookout Rooftop Bar
Red White (Ramen)
Shore Leave
Time Out Boston
Umai
Yotel Boston

If I had more time, I would have went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Tea Party Museum, and the USS Constitution.

Thank you, Boston! You were better than I expected for wintertime! As stated earlier, I would definitely go back in the spring, summer, or fall time…but leaning more towards early fall for a Red Sox game, the fall foliage, and even day/weekend trips to Cape Cod, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine! They are all so close to one another!! 

As always, thank you for visiting Vivian’s Ventures. Have you been to Boston? If so, tell me in the comments/reply section about your experience. What should I do if I go back? If you have not been, please tell me what you plan to do there. Any questions or comments, let me know. #viviansventures