In October my mom and I went on a Mother/Daughter trip for 4 full days in Boston, Massachusetts. We had such a great time! We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton. It was less than a 5 minute walk to the Quincy Market, Boston Public Market, Little Italy, Financial District, and Haymarket Train Station. It was less than 10 minute walk to riverfront, Boston Common, North Station, & South Station. We did a lot of research prior, but I am not sure that we could have picked a better location! We did walked over 28 miles in 4 days, but we also took the subway. Boston is such a great place to visit. It has something for everyone!
THURSDAY
We got in Boston around lunch time. We walked from our hotel to the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We got a lunch from Kured, where we built our own charcuterie box and walked to the Boston Public Garden to eat. Unfortunately, the water in then pond at the garden was drained when we were there. We spent the rest of then afternoon walking around Beacon Hill and exploring some of the shops on Charles Street. Some of my favorite shops were Crush, Paws on Charles, Rug Road Paper Company, and Covet. One place we found, was the Beacon Hill Books & Cafe. We walked in the bookstore, but weren't able to get a reservation at the cafe. My personal favorite photo spot is Acorn Street. It is supposedly the most photographed street in the city. Friday night we had dinner at Sonsie with one of my friend's from college. I would highly recommend the clam chowder. It was by far the best clam chowder we had on our trip! After dinner we had the original Boston cream pie at the Omni Parker House. That is not something I would put at the top of your list.
FRIDAY
We started out the day getting breakfast at Tatte Bakery & Cafe. There are numerous locations throughout Boston. I would recommend going there to get a coffee or pastry. I had one of their seasonal lattes and it was the best coffee I had on the trip! After breakfast, we took the subway to The Boston Public Library. A few places you must see are the grand staircase, Bates Hall, and the Courtyard. We also had tea in the Map Room. We spend our afternoon shopping on Newbury street. Some of my favorite shops on Newbury Street were Bobbles & Lace, Uniqlo, Cattivo, Rick Walker's, Brandy Melville, and Buck Mason. As someone who works in retail, I was completely blown away by Johnny's Cupcakes. It is the world's first t-shirt bakery. The branding, displays, and marketing strategy is so fascinating and it has been awarded for innovation. After a long afternoon of shopping we had dinner in the Little Italy district at Trattoria Il Panino. I don't think you could pick a bad restaurant or bakery in this area! The food was good, but the restaurant was very loud and the tables were crammed. After dinner we went to Mike's Pastry. I loved the espresso cannoli so much that we went back a second time later in the trip. You can't go to Boston without stopping here!
SATURDAY
We started our rainy Saturday morning at Modern Pastry Underground. Just inside the pastry shop down the steps is a restaurant and bar. After brunch we walked to Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, and Quincy Market. We took the subway out to Cambridge, where we explored Harvard Square and had coffee at Faro. We ended the evening having French Onion Soup and Fish & Chips at Emmett’s Irish Pub. The food was great, but the pub was very loud (as you would expect on a Saturday, I suppose).
SUNDAY
We decided to take a train ride to Salem Sunday morning. It was about a 30 minute train ride from the North Station. Considering it was October, we anticipated it to be crowded, so we got there before 9AM. Most of the stores opened at 11AM on Sunday. There are very few restaurants and you will have to wait for 2 hours unless you get a reservation or get there when the restaurant opens. We were lucky to find a seat at the bar when Ledger opened. A few of the iconic places we saw were the Witch House, Ropes Mansion, and Old Town Hall. A few of my favorite shops were Vampfangs, Witch City Wicks, Salem Bespoke Boutique, and Wynott's Wands. I really enjoyed walking down the Main Street and seeing all of the people dressed up! If you aren't planning to do any museums or tours, a few hours is all you need to explore the main area in Salem. We made it back to Boston early in the afternoon and walked around Fenway Park. After that we did the Boston Harborwalk and walked over the bridge to the Envoy Hotel to see the view from the rooftop bar. This was a great view of the skyline from the water. Our dinner reservations were at the Chart House. Even though this is a chain, it is a great restaurant. The building used to be John Hancock's counting house. I would highly recommend! My mom and I split the Clam Chowder, Ahi Tuna, Salmon, and Mushrooms.
MONDAY
Before we headed to the airport, we had coffee at Caffeé Vittoria and a sandwich from Monica’s Mercato & Salumeria in Little Italy. We also found a cute store in Little Italy called Loft & Vine store.