A girls’ weekend in Boston, MA

USA – October 2017

The idea for a girls’ weekend in Boston originated at my friend Michelle’s wedding in South Africa. Though most of us only just met for the first time, we had a blast and joked about how much fun it would be to spend Michelle’s birthday together in Boston. Her friend Kate moved there a couple about a year ago and invited us to stay with her. For Michelle and Andrea, it was going to be a 9-hour drive from Toronto. As my trip was a little longer, I decided to extend my stay and spend a week there. Check out my separate post for some Boston sightseeing tipps.

A couple of months after the wedding it’s finally time. I arrive in Boston in the afternoon prior to Michelle’s birthday and Kate picks me up from the airport. As it’s only a 30-minute train ride to Cambridge we take public transport across the Charles River to her shared flat. After quickly storing away my suitcase, we head to a local vegan bakery to buy some pretty cupcakes as a colourful alternative to a cake. On the way, we pass an abundance of hip restaurants with delicious-looking food. In the end, we decide on a Mexican place with a huge terrasse with string lights overlooking the main street. We have some beers and enchiladas and enjoy the warm Indian summer evening.

The next day, the girls from Toronto were going to arrive in the afternoon. So Kate and I spend the morning at the MIT Museum – which Michelle and Andrea didn’t want to visit anyways. My favourite exhibitions are “Big Bang Data” and the transformational MIT robotics research. The first explores the intersections of culture, technology, and society in the digital age and the latter showcases the birth of Artificial Intelligence. Then we receive the message that the girls will arrive earlier than planned and we rush back to the apartment. Michelle and Andrea already parked the rental car by the time we return. They rave about the beautiful foliage they saw along the highway on their journey through New England. Kate and I are already thinking about the delicious cupcakes in the fridge, and we head inside to exchange gifts.

Later we return the rental car and do some sightseeing with Kate as our guide. She takes us to the Harbor where we attempt a little photo shoot, despite the windy weather. From there we enjoyed the view of the bay and the Custom House with its Clock Tower. On the way back to Cambridge we see our first Duck Boat. The amphibious vehicles which are part boat and the part car can be seen all over downtown and are the city’s most popular tour. As we have tickets for a college football game at night, our next stop is the souvenir shop close to Harvard University. Obviously, we can’t show up to the game without the proper uniform.

Dressed in our brand-new hoodies and caps we head to the stadium, where we meet two of Kate’s friends – Lotte from the Netherlands and Sinead from Ireland. After a bit of waiting, we are let inside and look for some good seats. Andrea is already looking through the little game newspaper with portraits of the players. Then the game starts and all of us girls are trying to follow what’s happening on the field. However, none of us really know the rules and Michelle – a big fan of rugby – is especially underwhelmed. As she’s the birthday girl, we decide to leave after around 30 minutes are played and head to a close-by pub for cider and burgers.

The next day, we once again head across the Charles River. Our first stop is a cute café in Back Bay. We enjoy a late brunch and then with new energy go on a little shopping spree. We walk along Commonwealth Avenue all the way to Boston Public Garden. Meanwhile, we imagine living in one of the red brick houses with the black fire escapes we usually associate with New York. In the Public Garden, we enjoy the sun at the little pond and watch the ducks. Then we head back to Cambridge, as Kate wants to show us the Campus of Harvard University by day and another of her favourite Cafés. Later that night we head to a brasserie close to Kate’s apartment, where we have delicious chicken wings with a side of Mac’n’Cheese.

Michelle’s wish for the night was to go out to dance. Granting this wish, we first head to a pub in the University area. Looking for a fun night out, our guess is that the students will want to party and therefore we should be able to find a fun place in that area. After a couple of ciders, we change to another bar and run into Kate’s friend Lotte. She tells us that in fact the best bars are located on Massachusetts Avenue. But the night is young and so we start walking. Around 30 minutes later we arrive at the busy street, lined with bars and night clubs. We join the longest queue and are not disappointed. We dance the night away, meet a group of Irish guys and end the party with a snack at a sandwich bar down the road.

The following day is the last for Andrea and Michelle. They take a plane back to Toronto in the late afternoon. So we spend the sunny Sunday curing our hangovers with a walk through Beacon Hill and a late brunch at a hip restaurant.