New England, 2021

Easing back…

As our lives restore back to some version of “normal” here in the U.S., I’m taking this opportunity to travel domestically and explore new places again as safely as I can. I picked a city, Simon picked a city, and together we planned a week-long Memorial Day trip to get back out in the world again. We stopped in Boston, a city I’ve absolutely adored ever since visiting in 2019. Although the rainy weather spared us no mercy on the first day of Massachusetts’ re-opening (I lost yet another hat, this time to the Charles River), we took advantage of our short stay to visit family, tour Fenway Park, dine (indoors!) in the North End, declare a winner in the Cannoli Wars (Modern Pastry!), and try out exciting “high-tech” boutique hotels with remote-controlled room settings and flashy LED ambient lights. We were also extremely fortunate to catch the re-opening of the exquisite Boston Public Library as well as a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, one of the most unique and well-curated museums I’ve ever experienced. Art collector and museum founder Isabella was a visionary, and I love her unconventional tastes, curiosity about the world, and passion for art, all of which manifest in every detail of her immaculately designed museum. I highly recommend.

Shoutout to a random passerby we encountered as we waited for the library to open. He insisted on helping us take photos and instructed us to pose for a series of hilarious snaps. Nothing beats a back-to-back moment.

Escape to Vacationland

Somewhere in our trip planning we thought it was a good idea to squeeze a third city into our week. Portland, Maine was the recommendation, and I thought sure, why not, I’ll do it for lobster. And boy did Maine deliver. In our very short stay, we hit all the food spots (Highroller, Eventide, Street & Co, Duckfat) and even squeezed in a nice mid-day picnic at Cape Elizabeth. What Portland might lack in attractions (and population), it makes up for in restaurants and food culture. The historical building facades and cobblestone streets in Old Port also added to the small-town charm, and Simon and I spent a lovely anniversary visiting Portland Head Light before indulging in a romantic lobster dinner to end our stay.