Boston Travels

I still remember the first time I visited Boston. It was just last year, 2021, and I was so excited to finally be crossing this trip off of my bucket list. My bucket list is full of the most random of activities, and one of them just so happened to be to listen to the song Boston by Augustana while in Boston, MA...Silly, right? 🤪 But, let's just say, it was done! lol.

I have a relative who lives in Boston, so I got to explore and do all the touristy things, while also checking out some of the local spots. Since that trip last year, I also recently went back to explore Boston some more this year (2022), so I've added even more places to visit below!

I'm also a huuuugggeeee lobster fan, so I sampled out a variety of lobster rolls from different restaurants all over the Boston area. I've even ranked them from my most favorite to my least favorite. But if you don't like lobster, don't worry. I tried out a lot of various restaurants and you'll surely find at least one to add to your list ☺️

So whether you've just always thought about visiting Boston one day or have an upcoming trip to Boston, this post is for you!

Boston 2021 vs Boston 2022

On my first visit to Boston in early 2021, there were still many Covid restrictions in place and masks were pretty much required at all venues. In the photo above, I took my mask off just for the quick photo in front of the famous Brattle Bookshop. During my visit in 2021, the tourist population was pretty low and most places (that were allowing visitation/seating) were easily attainable without a reservation. When I went back this year (2022), Covid restrictions were no longer in place and the city felt so much more alive with the crowded streets and public transport. It was pretty neat getting to explore Boston in both seasons.

Tourist Attractions

The photo above was taken in the Fenuil Hall area. It's in the central downtown area of Boston where there is a huge Samuel Adams brewery and it's where most of the historical components of Boston are located. Granted, Boston itself is a historical state overall so there's something of historical relevance pretty much everywhere you look. However, as far as The Freedom Trail and the cemetery where Paul Revere and Samuel Adams are buried...this location is very walkable to all of it.

Quincy Market is also a famous tourist spot (pictured left). The Quincy Market is a Food Hall of sorts where there are various stalls serving a variety of food. It's located right next to the photo by the Samuel Adams statue. The Quincy Market was built in 1826 to give Boston a market and has remained to serve the Boston community since!

The Freedom Trail

One thing that surprised me about Boston was how nearby everything was! The Freedom Trail is a famous tourist attraction and runs about 2.5 miles long. You can follow it by the various maps placed all over the city, or simply look down and follow the yellow bricks that track the entire trail. The Freedom Trail takes you past most of the historical sites of Boston including....

1. The Boston Commons

2. The Boston Massacre Site

3. The Bunker Hill Monument

4. The USS Constitution

5. The Old South Meeting House

6. The Old North Church

7. The Benjamin Franklin Statue

8. The King's Chapel

9. The Old State House

10. The Granary Burying Ground ...and so much more!

The Granary Burial Ground

The Granary Burial Ground is located right near the Boston Common (the main park area of Boston). I was fascinated by this because so many historically famous people were buried here, including John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Paul Revere was also buried here and you can also visit his house which is located in The North End (not on the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail).

The North End

The North End is where all the great Italian restaurants are located! This part of the city is one of my faves because ya girl loves her carbs lol. All of the architecture was so beautiful to take in too. It almost seemed fake or like a dream walking around this area.

If you google "things to try in Boston" you most likely got Mike's Pastry as a recommendation! You can usually spot this bakery in The North End because the line is always out the door. I tried a bit of everything when we visited the bakery. Everything was good, but tbh I liked another Italian bakery so much more....which ironically is their competitor haha. Again, you can't go wrong with Mike's Pastry, but it is 100% a tourist attraction.

Also: make sure to bring cash! They only accept cash as a form of payment. Even during covid season they only accepted cash.

Modern Pastry IMO beats Mike's Pastry.

AHHH. There. I said it!

This place was also pretty busy and has a variety of Italian desserts and coffee drinks to choose from. I got a tiramisu and it was amazing.

Just to the right of the cashier line at The Modern Pastry you'll spot a neon sign with an arrow that will lead you to the Modern Underground, the dive bar beneath the bakery!

Their cocktails were amazing (and strong!). I got an espresso martini and the banana bread martini. Both were absolutely amazing, but the banana bread martini might be the best cocktail I have ever had. I love Frangelico though, so that's not a surprise.

Lobsta Roll Showdown!

I absolutely love lobster rolls and when in Boston, I'm constantly ordering them hehe. Here are four I've tried, rated from my most favorite to my least favorite.

Bell in Hand Tavern - #1

Located in Boston, Massachusetts (downtown)

$35 - comes with deliciously seasoned french fries (so crispy!) and they LOAD the roll with lobster.

This one takes the gold! This is my #1 favorite lobster roll in Boston. In 2021 I came here twice for the lobster roll and in 2022 I did the same thing 😂 This restaurant is also one of the oldest taverns in the U.S. and at night it becomes a nightclub!

Luke's Lobster - #2

Located in Boston, Massachusetts.

$30 - no sides come paired with this lobster roll

TBH I had very low expectations for this lobster roll. The restaurant itself seemed very fast food like in comparison to the other restaurants which seemed a bit more upscale. But hey, don't judge a book by it's cover! This lobster roll was amazing and competes with my #1 fairly well. Especially with the price point! I ordered the truffle lobster roll and it was absolutely delicious

Turner's Seafood - #3

Located in Salem, Massachusetts.

$36 - comes with 2 sides of your choice!

This one was delicious, but I found that the sides were what made this one so good. The lobster roll wasn't bad by any means, but in comparison to my #1, there was not as much lobster and it wasn't seasoned as well.

The Union Oyster House - #4 (LAST place...)

Located in Boston, Massachusetts.

$40 - comes with seasoned french fries

I had such high hopes for this restaurant considering the overall aesthetics and raving reviews on Yelp. However, I was pretty disappointed. It was the most expensive lobster roll and was also the least tasty of them all. In comparison, you can also tell that there wasn't even as much lobster as the others.

Food for Thought...

Other places I also tried out while in Boston (pictured in order):

1. Rino's Place - Italian - East Boston - Featured on Guy's Drive In's and Dives!

2. Milk Bar - Dessert - Harvard Square (Boston)

3. Rochambeau - Brunch - Newbury Street (Boston)

4. Cunard Tavern - American - East Boston

5. I cannot remember the name of this Italian restaurant but it was a hole in the wall in North End and amazing! Hoping to locate the name of it...

6. Mariel - Cuban - Central Boston

7. Ward 8 - American - Near North End (boston)

8. Next Door - Italian - East Boston - *Note: they also have a really cool speakeasy next door that poses as a hardware shop. Make sure to make reservations online and try the charcuterie board! This was one of the coolest speakeasies I've ever been to thus far.

9. Levain's - Cookies - Newbury Street (Boston)

10. Hei La Moon - Chinese Dim Sum - China Town (Boston)

11. Tatte Cafe & Bakery - French - multiple locations all over Boston!

12. Cafe Iterium - Coffee Shop & Healthy Eats - East Boston

13. Angela's - Mexican - East Boston - Featured on Guy's Drive In's and Dives!

14. The Quiet Few - local dive bar - East Boston

I don't have a good picture for this one, but if you're looking for a local dive bar, check out The Quiet Few! They have delicious bar food and a phenomenal drink selection. Make sure to try out the "Bruce Chillis" - their take on a frozen espresso martini!

Try not to drool at all these photos.....

My Favorite Shops in Boston

1. Brattle Book Shop

2. Trident Booksellers & Cafe

3. Posman Books

4. Levain's Bakery (get the chocolate chunk cookie!)

5. Tatte Bakery & Cafe

6. Cafe Iterum (near Seaport area)

7. Toasted Flats (East Boston)

8. Jaho (this was in Salem, but they also have locations in Boston)

9. Nike

10. Uniqlo *not pictured

11. Fjallraven *not pictured

12. ZARA *not pictured

This last photo was taken before I hopped on a subway train entirely by myself! This may be a small feat for most individuals who live in a major city, but in Dallas (Texas), public transport isn't too common for most folks. So this was quite a proud moment for me. Luckily, the Boston subway system is super easy to follow and does not compare whatsoever to NYC. With Boston being such a small city, I definitely recommend trying out the subway if you're up for it and want to save some money vs riding ubers all over town.

Hotel Option

The Revolution Hotel

This hotel is about a 15-minute uber ride away from the airport, about a 5-minute uber ride away from the nearest train station, and is a super walkable location to the center of Boston! It also has a local coffee shop within the lobby, a cute Tex-Mex restaurant with a patio, and a neat coworking space on the bottom floor. Make sure to check out Expedia to grab some great deals on this hotel like I did. It's definitely more of a digital nomad type of hotel targeting the millennials. The room I chose was on the smaller side, but had everything I needed for my stay. They have various random options to choose from, including an option to opt for a hallway bathroom to save money. But as I am a single

woman traveling alone, I immediately decided that was not going to be an option for myself lol. Most of the time I am staying with family or a friend when I travel, but I did stay at this hotel for 1-night when I had no other option!

Daytrip to Salem!

Salem, Massachusetts has always been on my bucket list (for obvious reasons) and I was so excited to finally visit! I was especially excited because it was mid September and the new Hocus Pocus 2 movie was just about to release!

Coming from Texas, it was shocking to me how close major cities were. For us Texans, you can drive for 7+ hours and STILL be in Texas lol. So it was surprising for me to find out that Salem was only a 20-minute train ride from Boston! The train was also super easy to navigate to and super clean! To be honest, it reminded me of Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express. And the ticket was maybe around $15 or less to get there too!

Salem was so much fun to explore! I love exploring new cities in general, but exploring one with so much history was especially exciting. And no joke, we probably circled the little town of Salem about 3 times within the 6 hours or so we were in town. Everything is super walkable and close to one another.

Here's a list of all the places we checked out!

1. Turner's Seafood - historical restaurant more on the pricy side, but has great food!

2. Bewitched Statue - located in the center of Salem's downtown area

3. Gulu-Gulu Cafe - cute and cozy coffee shop and hangout area

4. The Witch House - famous house painted all black and established in 1642!

5. The McIntire District - historical neighborhood

6. Oak + Moss - the cutest plant shop

7. Twilight House

8. Wicked Good Books

9. Coven's Cottage - an actual shop where you can buy herbs and ingredients for spells, as well as stones and crystals

10. Wynott's Wands - an HP themed shop where you can buy Harry Potter wands!

11. Salem Commons

12. Ropes Mansion & Garden

13. City Wicks Massachusetts

14. Bit Bar Salem

15. The Burying Point - graveyard and dedicated benches to those who were laid to death from the Salem Witch Trials

One area we didn't get the chance to visit was the Pioneer Village. This is the notorious scene from the beginning of Hocus Pocus where the Sanderson Sisters lived. This location can also be found in the latest 2022 Netflix series, Wednesday! It's probably the farthest thing from all other Salem spots since it is located near the water. But it's not terribly far, just about a mile out.

Overall I had so much fun exploring Salem! Although I enjoyed myself, I as also slightly underwhelmed simply because the city was so much smaller than I thought! It didn't take long to really see everything I wanted to, which makes it even that much more perfect of a day trip to take when in Boston.

If I were to ever return, I'd love to visit the Pioneer Village and also take up a tour. There's lots of tours and guides you can go on to learn more, as well as pay for a ticket to visit museums and other landmarks within the area. But 100% felt the spooky vibes of this little old town. Especially at night in front of the Ropes Mansion! To make it even more creepy, there's a garden hedge maze in the back of the spooky mansion that screams "the Shining" vibes. YIKES.

I hope you enjoyed tagging along on my Boston trip recap! You can see more Boston and travel content on my stories on Instagram. I make sure to add each trip as a highlight, so make sure to check that out. If you have an upcoming trip to Boston and have any questions in general, please feel free to reach out! I will try and get back to you as soon as I can.

Until next time...stay safe and book the damn trip!

- Andrea