Oh, how I loved our Boston trip! My husband and I have done our fair share of traveling prior to meeting. So deciding on our trip to Boston was solely based on somewhere we both haven’t spent much time and we both wanted to go. We wanted to experience some firsts and eat some good food. Lobster rolls and Fenway here we come!

Where We Stayed during our Boston trip

The Lenox Hotel

We stayed at the Lenox Hotel in the Backbay during our Boston trip, which is a convenient location. In my opinion, the best way to see a city is by walking. Staying at the Lenox hotel gave us the ability to do this. From here you are able to walk all the way to the North End. Because there are so many things along the way to enjoy, it makes for an easy walk. Even if you aren’t into traveling by foot, there are plenty of things nearby to discover.

Outside of the location, it is a beautiful hotel with a rich history and a cozy lobby fireplace. Every Christmas, we still buy their signature scent for our home and their creme brulee cookies. Some rooms have fireplaces and we were treated to Lindt chocolate from the store next door. Between The Lenox Hotel and Lindt Chocolate is a Kelsey Montegue mural. On the other side is Luke’s which ended up being the best Maine lobster roll we had.

Where we ate during our Boston trip

Luke’s

There are multiple locations and once we returned home we realized that they sell to Whole Foods. The best cold lobster roll we had hands down! Their rolls have chunks of juicy lobster and their chowder was perfect for our rainy situation. During our Boston trip, we actually ate here twice. A lobster grilled cheese was included during one of these trips. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

Atlantic Fish Co

A beautiful old-school-style restaurant with white tablecloths. We had a great view of the street and the service was pleasant. We had New England clam chowder that came with the most delicious little biscuit balls. They get their seafood from the harbor every morning and make their menu accordingly. Of course, I got fish, and yes it was amazing. We came back to their upstairs bar for a nightcap on a different night. Mostly because most places were still not allowed to stay open due to Covid, but we had a great time.

Coppa

Here we had an epic charcuterie board, seared scallops, and a pizza. I know; don’t judge. If you can’t tell my husband and I are foodies. Coppa is located in Boston’s South end on a quiet street. The area seemed neighborly and local-ish. We enjoyed our walk back and even popped into a few random places.

Union Oyster House

The oldest restaurant and the claim to fame for the first baked beans. Since Boston is nicknamed Beantown, I had to order – you could definitely do without them. This restaurant is nostalgic and the location is awesome. It is filled with tons of memorabilia to look at. They also had a special Samuel Adams, the Colonial, made just for them. Lucky for us there was a farmer’s market right outside while we visited and had the chance to check it out afterward.

Pauli’s

It was raining while we waited for reservations at Neptune’s so we decided to pop over to Pauli’s, which sent us to eat outside anyway because of Covid. This is where we discovered the best Connecticut Style lobster roll. Maybe it hit just right because we were sitting under an umbrella outside in the cold rain. At any rate, it made for one of my fondest memories of our trip to Boston. We were alone, huddled together, watching the world move around us eating the best hot lobster roll in Boston.

Fun Fact

Pauli’s was on Guy Frerris Diner Drive In and Dives.

Neptune’s

It will be a wait, but you will enjoy it. It’s a very small and cute place. However, don’t go for the lobster roll. This was the mistake we made. During our Boston trip, we were on the hunt for the best lobster rolls. The interwebs suggested to us that Neptune’s was a must on our Lobster roll hunt. We beg to differ. Go for the crudo and the raw bar. Our oysters and crudo were delish, but leave the lobster roll to Luke’s and Pauli’s. Anyway if you can stand the wait – check it out. I don’t regret it and I’d definitely return. I’d just order a little differently.

Monica’s

The next eaterie on our Boston trip list is a sandwich/market in the North End/Little Italy we casually passed by on a walk. Let me mention how amazing walking around the North End was. The quaint streets and epic smells that instantly cause salivation was beyond enjoyable. The mural outside Monica’s caught my eye and through the window, you can see men making some legit Italian sandwiches; We had to go back when we were hungry. There was no place to eat it in the market. Therefore we took it to the Paul Reever Mall. There we shared the best Italian sub we’ve ever had.

Modern Pastry

Family owned and yum! I am not a big sweets person but I was so excited to try an authentic cannoli in the land of cannolis. Right across the street is their rivalry and apparently the inventor of the cannoli, Mike’s Pastry. I didn’t get a pastry there to compare. I have to say I loved Modern Pastry. While the pastries are packed with fillings -of your choice- they are smallish so I was almost able to finish mine. The service was great and the pastry options were plentiful!

Salty Girl

This is a popular spot so you have to plan for it. If you like raw – and cooked seafood- this is a must! The presentation is lovely and immersive. The atmosphere is pretty and trendy. We had an awesome time here being adventurous with food. We sat in a little window nook upstairs. It felt intimate but not exclusive. This was one of my favorite meals.

Giacomo’s

We actually had a terrible experience getting into this place. It’s a long story filled with unfortunate events with miscommunications and bad weather. However, as soon as I put my food into my mouth none of those things even mattered anymore. Every pain on Earth disappeared when my Gemelli hit my taste buds. It was forgiveness at first bite, but I’ll probably never forget. Nevertheless, Without question, I’d put this meal on my top Italian dinners of all time.

Coffee spots I visited on our trip to Boston

Tatte

A gorgeous coffee shop with all the pastries is located on Boylston St. They have more locations so regardless of where you stay you should look it up. Not only was the atmosphere beautiful and welcoming so were the pastries. A spot I would definitely attempt a return.

Clover food lab

After Googling coffee near me I decided to hit this spot up. Once there I had to learn more. Very clean, like a lab, Clover Food Lab has no back of house. You can see every move they make. This fast food spot is doing it differently with super fresh regional and seasonal food. I only popped in for a coffee and enjoyed watching my pour-over being made with a row of others as well. I’d be interested in trying out their food in the future.

Thinking Cup

A north-end coffee spot we frequented while on our Boston trip. We kept returning because the coffee was good and the location was great. It’s cozy and a little hip but not overly hip where the baristas are too cool to be nice.

Boston Sightseeing

Beautiful parks

The parks and statues are beautiful and plentiful. We walked through Boston Common park many times and every time we found something new. The bench from Goodwill Hunting where Robin Williams sits with Matt Damon is located in this park. So are the iconic swan boats. Not only are there so many monuments and statues scattered throughout this particular park but all over Boston as well.

Acorn St

The most photographed street in the United States. So of course I had to take a picture myself…

The Freedom Trail

We followed a portion of the Freedom Trail while on our Boston Trip. We began at Paul Revere’s house which is a site to see. This home was built around 1680! I loved starting here because just looking at this house time warps you back to the Revolutionary Era. Other parts of the Freedom trail that we saw include:

• Old North Church
• Skinniest House
• Copps Hill Burial
• Granary Burial

Boston Red Socks

We made it to our seats with a beer and hotdog; ready for the game and it got canceled due to bad weather. We at least got to see the stadium and made it to Fenway park.

Then we walked to the surrounding areas. From there we walked to the Gardner Museum, but there was a very long wait – possibly due to the Netflix documentary about the stolen art, that had just aired – and like I said it started to rain. So this will make my list of to-dos on my next Boston trip. Along with our whale tour that got canceled.

Steady blue, clear view.
Flashing blue, clouds due.
Steady red, rain ahead.
Flashing red, snow instead.

Or during Baseball season:

Flashing red means a cancelled Red Sox game.

What the lights represent on the John Handcock building’s weather beacon

The Boston Tea Party Site

We came and we saw. The walk around the harbor was worth it. I thought seeing the place where the tea party was cool, but we did not do an actual tour. You can watch people giving the presentation from the harbor, which was slightly entertaining. We also popped into the beautiful Harbor hotel for a drink.

Duck Tour

Shockingly our favorite thing we did during this trip. A duck tour is a great way to see the city and learn bits of history and fun facts. If you have rain in your forecast I suggest doing your tour on that day unless you have an inside activity to do. We threw on raincoats, the duck boat is covered and the show went on. Our tour guide cracked us up and my face was actually sore after the tour.

Cheers

Because sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

Our Boston trip was epic. We ate our way through Boston and I look forward to doing it again. I can’t wait to go back to hit up those firsts that we didn’t get to partake in. But even though I didn’t get to see any whales or action on the ball field we made a baby and that was definitely a first.

Thanks for reading about our Boston trip and I hope this helped if you are planning your own trip. If you have any tips or favorites from your own Boston trip please share them in the comments below.