Trip Recap: Boston, MA

We chose this hotel because we got a discount on it for the conference and it was the closest to the conference center. I didn’t want Stefan to have to take an Uber every morning/afternoon he needed to go. It turned out to be a beautiful hotel and was nicely located close to all the seaport restaurants to walk to and just a short Uber ride into downtown Boston.

I’ve always been a fan of Marriott hotels and this one did not disappoint. We were upgraded to a high floor, premium view room that looked out over the seaport. The rooms was nicely kempt and the bed was super comfortable so we will for sure stay here again.

First day is always a travel day for us and I usually want to take advantage and book an early flight. Plus, since we were going for a conference for the hubby, I wanted some time with him before the conference started.

We had a 6am flight out of DFW and ended up running into one of his residents in the airport who was boarding the same flight. He ended up having some family in Boston and had spent of a number of years there so he gave us some good recommendations to checkout and also invited us to meet him later for lunch after getting settled into the hotel.

Of course we accepted since we knew we would be super hungry after landing. We grabbed an Uber from the airport to the hotel, dropped our bags with the concierge, and hopped into another Uber and headed to lunch.

When in Boston, get lobster! All I started craving on the flight was a lobster roll and this place sure delivered. The line to get in was super long but moved fast and we opted to grab a seat outside in the sun. It was cold outside but the sun kept up warm so it was fine.

The hubby and I ordered a bunch of fresh oysters, chargrilled octopus, and lobster rolls to share. Since we did sit outside and it was cold, we opted for the warm roll with butter instead of a cold one, and a few beers.

The food was super delicious and I would for sure head back here again if we make it back to Boston. Maybe next time in the summer instead of fall/winter time.

After filling our bellies with lobster and oysters, we decided to walk the Freedom trail around Boston to see more of the city. I’m not 100% sure we started at the beginning or even ended at the end, but it was very cool to walk around and see all the historic things that make Boston, Boston.

We got to see the Paul Revere House, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Quincy Market, and walked around the Boston Cemetery. However, the most impactful section of the trail was the Holocaust Remembrance portion. It had quotes from survivors engraved into glass structures that were representative of the gas chambers. Reading those quotes and seeing the glass structures was an unbelievably humbling experience.

After walking to the end we grabbed an Uber back to the hotel. We did miss a section completely because it was getting gloomy out and we were getting tired from being up since 4am.

During our walk down the Freedom Trail we stopped in the Quincy Market to get out of the cold for a minute. It was a cute little market that had a bunch of food court style eateries and Boston souvenirs you could purchase. The hubby was still craving some lobster bisque so we got some from one of the vendors. I don’t remember the place but I wouldn’t recommend it, it was basically heated cream in a cup and had no lobster at all.

After relaxing in the hotel room for a while and getting a short nap, we woke up hungry and walked a couple blocks to grab some dinner. This place was right on the water overlooking Boston Harbor and so beautiful. We ordered a couple drinks and some dinner. We honestly should have split an entrée like we did for lunch because the portions we got were huge and neither of us could finish our meals.

The hubby has a full day of conference things to do today, so I’m planning on heading out on my own to explore a little of Boston and see what kind of breweries and food I can find. This is usually what I always do when we go to a conference together – I spend time exploring and he does what he needs to do.

We usually do breakfast together, meet for lunch later, and then of course dinner – but for the most part I’m on my own and I enjoy it. However, I also like to try and document my trips while I’m on them so I don’t forget what happened and I’ll spend a few minutes writing before heading out. Sometimes, very rarely, I’ll stay in the hotel and just relax and do nothing since I’m kid free. Today was not that day. Ha!

The hubby found this little diner close-ish to the hotel to grab some breakfast together before he had a full day of lectures and meetings. I’ll say it was good, not great, and typical diner food. We wanted to find a different place but most were booked up for reservations or had a super long wait and we didn’t have much time.

After catching an Uber back to the conference center to drop off the hubs, I hopped back in and had them take me to the closest brewery I could find. I had planned on doing some walking but the weather had other plans and it was rainy and yuck outside so Uber it is. This brewery was surprisingly empty for a Friday afternoon and had a lot of great beers on tap.

I had the Big League IPA, Flannel Friday Red Ale, Rec. League Pale Ale, and the Harpoon IPA. While I was enjoying the beers I noticed a bunch of people start showing up during, what I’m assuming to be a lunch break for the conference, because they all had conference badges on. It started getting a little crowded so I cashed out and headed to the next.

After a flight at Harpoon, I hopped in another Uber and went about a mile away to Castle Island Brewery. This place was practically empty with just me and two other people inside. I took a space at the bar and ordered some beers. Unfortunately, they didn’t have flights there so I just ordered the smaller sizes so I could try a few.

Ended up ordering the Keeper IPA, Superflora IPA, Twist and Grind IPA, and Hi-Def IPA and loved them all. They had a pretty extensive beer list and I would have loved to try some more.

However, during my third beer, the hubby called and said he was leaving the conference early and wanted to meet me. He showed up with a couple friends and we ordered a few more beers and a couple apps while we decided on where to go for dinner.

We landed here for dinner after the brewery and it was delicious. We ordered more oysters, duh, wings, and burrata cheese for more apps then all shared lobster mac and cheese and seabass for dinner. Then ordered tiramisu for dessert.

The restaurant had such great food and the atmosphere was perfect. Would highly recommend trying and we would for sure go back here again.

While at dinner, the hubby got calls from some of his residents who were also attending the conference. We decided to meet up with them for a couple drinks before heading back to the hotel for the night. They ended up being at this super cool rooftop bar that I had on my list of places to visit.

I wanted to try it for lunch but it was booked solid so drinks it is. Plus, the whole day was raining and gross and a rooftop in the rain would not have been fun. However, by the time we got there, the rain had stopped and the clouds hovering over the Boston Skyline was a beautiful sight to see at night with the city lit up.

If we ever make it back to Boston, I’ll for sure try and make it for lunch.

Today is our last full day in Boston and we took time to sleep in and have a relaxing morning. Stefan only registered for one full day at the conference so we have today together to do things but it’s still raining outside. We also have a scheduled resident dinner tonight with everyone from his program that came.

First stop, brunch! We had a late start to the morning so brunch is on the menu for today. Well, technically I guess it was lunch since they didn’t have brunch until the weekend, and it was a weekday, but it was about 11am when we went.

We walked to Cit Tap House from our room and it was a perfect little brunch spot. We ordered a couple drinks and had crab mac and cheese and a tandoori chicken. Stefan ended up having to join a zoom lecture right after that so he headed back to the room while I scoped out another brewery not far away.

This place was only a couple blocks around the corner from City Tap house so I walked there while the hubs went back to the room. It had a cute little patio outside but it started drizzling while I was walking so I grabbed a seat inside at the bar instead with the rest of the patrons.

I ordered the Brave Noise Pale Ale and a Fated Farmer Blackberry Sour – both were super delicious and the sour was not too tart which I loved. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of sours but this was had the perfect balance of hoppy tartness and the color was beautiful too.

After my two beers I headed back to the room to relax a little before getting ready for dinner with everyone.

The hubs got a call from a couple friends again and we decided to meet them for drinks and apps before heading to the big dinner with everyone else. This place was right on the water of the Boston Harbor and we had a table next to the window. The views were gorgeous despite it being gloomy and rainy and ordered some nachos and a mezcal cocktail to start the evening.

If we ever make it back to Boston, I would love to come back here for full lunch or dinner because all the food looked amazing. Plus, you can never go wrong with Mexican inspired food and drinks – especially deliciously crafted mezcal and tequila cocktails.

After a couple drinks and apps, we hopped in an Uber to Chart House. While this would not have been our first choice for a large dinner, it was decent nonetheless. Whenever I’m out of town, I like to try and find places that are local as opposed to chain restaurants. Unfortunately we didn’t pick this place or we for sure would have tried to find something a little more local.

The food and drinks were decent enough and the building was gorgeously converted to a restaurant from something different previously. I do believe it was also on the water but was too dark and rainy outside to see anything. I was also craving a lobster roll again for dinner and they didn’t have any, which totally bummed me out.

All-in-all it was a good dinner with friends and residents.

After dinner a few of us walked a few blocks to little Italy and a cigar bar that was there. It happened to be in the basement of another building and had a great speakeasy style vibe to it – craft cocktail and cigars. Almost all the guys ordered a cigar to smoke while chatting and the ladies ordered cocktails to enjoy.

Today is our last day in Boston and we’re heading home in a few hours. I’m still craving that lobster roll from yesterday so we’re going to try and find one before heading out. We have a few hours to kill before heading to the airport and are going to meet up with friends again one list time.

First stop, brunch! We had a late start to the morning so brunch is on the menu for today. Well, technically I guess it was lunch since they didn’t have brunch until the weekend, and it was a weekday, but it was about 11am when we went.

We walked to Cit Tap House from our room and it was a perfect little brunch spot. We ordered a couple drinks and had crab mac and cheese and a tandoori chicken. Stefan ended up having to join a zoom lecture right after that so he headed back to the room while I scoped out another brewery not far away.