Where I Stayed

I stayed west of town, by Harvard Business School and across the river from Harvard Square. The AirBnb was a large room with an AC unit in a duplex-esque home. There was even parking, which is supposedly rare. I got plenty of privacy for rest and relaxation.

 

Where I Ate

Tatte Bakery Although it was hot and humid, I was starving and wanted to try shakshuka with meatballs and a side of sourdough. I scarfed down more than half the meal and ate the leftovers for dinner.

I went back to the Harvard Square location for brunch: BLT with turkey on multi-grain. I’m a bread snob and their bread was on point. I was starving and ate the whole thing before going hiking.

FoMu Ice cream (and water) was necessary in the heat and not only that, they had AC and a place to charge my phone after 10 miles of walking. Their South End location was refreshing too – unlike the rest of Boston, this area had much fewer people and was just as charming.

Other places I ate: Clover for their chickpea plate, Mike’s Pastry for their cannoli which I was unimpressed by, and Live Alive for a carrot cake smoothie.

Where I Visited

Boston Public Garden I started my morning with a walk with other people on their way to work.

Boston Public Library was magical, beautiful designed and was a respite from the heat. They had intense AC, water bottle filling stations, and I was able to charge my phone.

Boston Common I headed back to Boston Commons in the middle of the city for the Freedom Trail tour. I had navigated all day and just wanted to be led.

Gardner Museum I decided on something smaller than the Fine Arts Museum. I was spent! Still, I spent a couple of hours perusing the art collection and the museum/palace, which was decorated to fit the various pieces and bring them together.

Harvard Museum of Natural History They were able to pack in so much into this small space. They had a huge collection of taxidermy animals that line every wall and hallway.

Where I Stayed Active

Middlesex Fells On my way to Boston, I chatted with my seat mate for 2 hours and she suggested the reservoirs/dog park at a Middlesex Fells northwest of Boston. I got plenty of bug bites and had the hardest time staying on the right trail, but it was nice to get out of the city and into nature.

O2 Yoga After the walk, I went to O2 Yoga in Somerville and fell in love. It was challenging and empowering.

To be honest, Boston wasn’t my jam. I enjoyed spending a day there, walking all over town for a day, but that was enough. I preferred Cambridge and Somerville, a couple of suburbs outside of Boston.