city faves: boston

after a long (and eventful/exhausting/heartbreaking/transforming/amazing) 7 years of calling boston my home, the time has come to close this chapter of my life. this city is amazing, and anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea what they're talking about (or they're from new york... so same thing). besides the fact that the entire city is walk-able (and as a car hater, one of my favorite aspects!), has some of the oldest places in the country, and has FALL- there are plenty of reasons to love good ole' beantown. whether you're a first time visitor, live in the city, or are from a surrounding town/city in massachusetts- I'm rounding up some of my favorite places/spaces/things to do in this glorious city.

catch a game at fenway: baseball has been my favorite sport since I was a kid (having an older brother who played on about 4 teams, my weekends and evenings were spent at fields & training camps, and my summers were filled with trips to cooperstown & ballparks). my love of the game has evolved over time, and it's one of my favorite ways to spend a summer night. if you love baseball/the sox, a trip to fenway is non-negoationable. but even if you're not super jazzed to watch a game, fenway itself is incredible. I get goosebumps every time I enter the stadium, and catch my first glimpse of the field or the green monster. there's no such thing as a bad seat at fenway, and even going the bleacher route is always a good time. (honorable mentions- a bruins game or a celtics game. as a city of champions, we have some mighty fine teams to pick from. patriots don't count, unless you want to schelp all the way to foxboro.)

spend some time in the garden: sucha tourist trap on a beautiful day/the weekend (but who am I kidding, where isn't?!), but so worth it. not only are the grounds beautiful (gorgeous well maintained flowers and plenty of benches to sit on), but the trees and lagoon are amazing, and the people watching is incredible. one saturday mid-summer there were 11 weddings/bridal party shoots/photo shoots- eleven! make sure and check out the make way for ducklings statues, and the bench from good will hunting.

visit the museums: there are many museums to check out within the city, whatever may tickle your fancy. my favorites are the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Art- but there's also the Museum of Science, the Bostons Children's Museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and many, many more. I took a few classes at the ICA for my Art History minor in college, so it holds  special place in my heart, but as a huge fan of contemporary art, their collection is amazing. make sure to check out the harbor walk while you're over there, a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon outside. the MFA has a fantastic collection, and their exhibits are always changing and featuring something new. the close proximity to the Gardner museum is great, two museums in one afternoon (although the MFA is the type of museum that I like to do in chunks), and enjoy the Back Bay Fens while you're over there.

celebrate saint patrick's day (the right way): as a half blooded irish gal, saint patrick's day has always been my favorite day. as a kid it meant a giant party with my entire irish side of the family, enough corned beef and cabbage to feed a small army (bleck!), and generally good times and memories. as I got older, it meant a day to wear my second favorite color, celebrate my ancestors, and have a great day partying with friends. if you're looking to do st. patty's day right, there's no better place to celebrate than southie. get to the parade route early, grab a good spot, and make sure to hit the packie the night before (the lines are insane). you're in for a grand ole' day.

enjoy the water: since boston is a place with awful weather 8 or 9 months out of the year, once it starts to turn, you have to take every chance you can to be outside. the north end ends at the harbor, and beacon hill/back bay butt the charles- both beautiful areas to hang out around on a gorgeous spring/summer/early fall day. whether it's renting sailboats/paddle boats on the charles, hanging out on the docks, walking along the harbor walk, or enjoying a water taxi- boston is lucky enough not to be land locked. make the most of it!

via ilostmydog.com

visit the different neighborhoods: i've blogged about my love of many of the different areas of boston (n.end/s.end/beacon hill), and they are one of my favorite aspects of the city. I know that all cities have different areas (complete with names, characters, and specialties compared to others), but the fact that you can walk from one to the other, and do an entire tour of the city so easily here is amazing. start your day with breakfast and shopping on beacon hill, head to the south end for coffee while strolling the neighborhood before dinner and cocktails (even going through back bay/newbury street for more shopping), and finish your night with desert and a night cap in the north end.

amazing restaurants, universities, parks, shopping, cafes, streets, bars, nightclubs, concert venues- to me, boston has it all. but, as much as I love this city, the time has come for a new adventure.

what are some of your favorite things to do in boston?

xx, marissa