A Slice of...Boston!

photo courtesy of http://grubstreet.com/

Hi there! My name is Cristin (check out my blog here) and I'm from Boston! I'm a born and raised Boston girl and haven't strayed. I love this city so much, it's so rich in history and culture.  I'm 32, newly married and I have an 8 year old son who's my best friend (we go together like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum).  I love music, art, cooking, tattoos, familia, and my two devilish pugs. Currently I'm in nursing school, but was a high school art teacher for a few years prior to nursing. I would love to do forensic nursing and work for the Boston Police Department (fingers crossed)!



This is my husband Tom and me at our rehearsal dinner this past July at McGreevy's in Boston.

This is my son Chris and me at my wedding; he walked me down the aisle and stood by me. He is my lifeline!

Boston is an amazing place, hence the reason why I've never gone anywhere else. Boston was actually the first settlement of the British when arriving in North America.  Much like NYC, Boston has many sub-divisions or boroughs, and is surrounded by cities like Cambridge and Allston.  In this "Slice of" I'm going to incorporate those two places- even though they are their own cities I feel that these incorporate Boston as a whole.

The Rat - this is a staple of old Boston circa 1996  - where I developed my passion for music. At The Rat they had bands like Bikini Kill, Ramones, and a lot of punk acts...unfortunately it is no longer, but this place was much like CBGB's in NYC

A great place to see shows, bellydancing, and bands is at The Middle East in Cambridge. They have a lot of indie, punk, rockabilly, and underground hip hop acts and the food is really good as well!  This venue is in Central Square Cambridge, which is a very culturally diverse neighborhood and 5 minutes from Harvard Square and the heart of Boston.

a great kid - friendly day in boston would be:

...going to the New England Aquarium where they have so many seals and other sea animals- including sharks and an abundance of penguins!  Kids can pick up starfish and horseshoe crabs and view all different sea life; it's a great interactive place for the whole family. After that (and in walking distance) is Fanueil Hall which has a lot of shops and eateries but is a great place for kid entertainment as well (magicians and street performers).  Then a hop, skip, and jump away is Boston's North end, which is the Italian section that's filled with great pastries, pasta dinners, and cobblestone streets with a lot of history...including Paul Revere's house. Also check out Modern Pastry in the north end! Amazing cannolis!

A favorite place of mine to eat is The Friendly Toast in Cambridge. It's a retro 60's type establishment with all sorts of old paraphernalia and decorations from that time period!  Everything is that style, from the tables to the bar stools, with a bar featuring many retro cocktails. They have a unique menu that is delicious featuring many vegan and vegetarian options.

Castle Island in South Boston is one of my family's favorite summer night spots! We grab an ice cream from Sullivan's and sit at the harbor to watch the planes take off and land.  It's also a shipyard, so we watch the big tankers arrive and depart.  This is a dog friendly place so you will see a lot of dogs too. We bring our pugs and a kite and cherish the summer nights! A famous Boston author Michael Patrick McDonald was from South Boston and he wrote a memoir titled All Souls. If you ever have a chance, it tells a great story of South Boston aka "Southie."  My son goes to school in South Boston and it is a tight knit loving community!

One of my favorite bars is Bukowski's and they have about 99 beers on tap!  I love dark beer like stouts and porters and really enjoy discovering new flavors. I would love someday to brew my own; I watch the new 'Brewmasters' show on tv and love it!  My husband drinks fruity beers where as I love the "hair on your chest" kind of dark beer, kinda funny.  Bukowski's also has great food but be warned that their music is usually turned to the highest volume so it's not a great place if you want to have a good conversation.

Shopping, shopping, and more shopping! Okay, so here is the scoop- the best shopping is definitely Newbury Street and Harvard Square.  Newbury Street has everything from designer duds to Urban Outfitters and can be a little pricey, but is great to window shop and people watch! Harvard Square is more my style- thrifty meets record shopping, bookstores, vintage, coffee shops, tattoo parlors and piercing joints!  Harvard Square is my go to place to shop in Boston- so many unique stores and people.  Also, if you go to Harvard Square be sure to visit the Garment District, a consignment clothing store with many floors of great vintage and retro finds, including "dollar a pound" for as many clothes you can stuff in a garbage bag!

Last but not least, this is a must for everyone who visits or lives in Boston- the swan boats in Boston Public Garden. I started taking my son here when he was a baby and we still do it every year to this day.  The swan boats are a peddled boat (much like a bike but on water) that has a swan on the front.  The Boston Public Garden is famous for the book Make Way for Duckings- the children's story of the momma and baby ducklings who loved it in the public garden. It's a great story for little ones and I highly recommend it!

Well, that is all for Slice of Boston! I hope you enjoyed my city, she is beautiful! xx