Boston Workation Week 2

Monday, May 9, 2022

I woke at 07:30, dressed, and jogged around the Charles River. It was a bit chilly in the morning - 48 Fahrenheit - but sunny and pleasant. I jogged for about 2 miles and saw several other joggers and bicyclists. In addition, I saw a few Harvard racing sculls (racing rowboats) rowing on the Charles River in 2, 4, and 8-person configurations.

After returning home at about 09:00, I showered, ate a quick breakfast of blueberries and yogurt, and checked my work emails. Inna woke up, too, and she convinced me to come with her to see Andre P. Boulogne - a French chiropractor. I met the chiropractor in his office for a few minutes, and he pushed some of my neck vertebrae. We shall see whether anything positive comes out of these manipulations of my neck.

After the appointment, we walked around a bit, stopping for breakfast/lunch at the Tatte Bakery on Beacon Street. Both Inna and I ordered the following:

• Boris: Egg in a Hole (Two fried eggs nestled in a housemade sesame Jerusalem bagel served with tomato salad), Mocha
• Inna: Egg in a Hole (Two fried eggs nestled in a housemade sesame Jerusalem bagel served with tomato salad), Latte

The Egg-in-a-Hole is a Jerusalem pretzel with an egg inside. I liked it, but I still prefer fresh croissants.

 

 

We took the Uber back to our apartment at 334 Harvard, Cambridge, to save time. Walking around would have taken us about 50 minutes.

 

Inna and I worked the rest of the day, though she managed to stop by our local Whole Foods to purchase me fresh raspberries and turkey cold cuts.

 

 

In the evening, we took another stroll around Charles River to enjoy the beautiful sights and for additional exercise. Inna spotted a rabbit and a night heron. We also saw two geese with a family of tiny goslings.

 

I cooked pelmeni for dinner in the evening, and we researched plans for our upcoming weekend. After moving Alex into this new apartment on Saturday, we drove to nearby Salem to see the Peabody Museum and other attractions. I would like to go to Cape Cod on Sunday and see the small towns and beaches there.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

I woke at 07:30, showered, dressed, and ate a breakfast of raspberries, blueberries, and yogurt. Inna and I would like to visit a few Boston landmarks in the morning.

 

At around 08:40, we started walking toward Central T station and purchased subway tickets. After waiting 6 minutes, we boarded the crowded train inbound toward Park Street, where we disembarked.

 

The first stop on our Beacon Hill exploration was to see the Massachusetts State House with its gold-covered canopy. It was undergoing restoration, and we did not wait until 10:00 for the daily tour. I took photos of the State House and a couple of nearby statues.

 

We continued our stroll toward the Boston Athenaeum (a private library) in an elaborate building along Beacon Street. Then, we moved around narrow streets lined with old brick houses. 

 

 

We saw an old Boston Synagogue - Vilna Shul -  (for Eastern European Jews), the Museum of African History, and other notable buildings.

 

We also found and walked around the famous Acorn Street.

Acorn Street is a small street (or more accurately an alleyway) that is famous for its charming cobblestones, gas-lit lamps, red brick sidewalks, and overall historic look and feel. It is arguably the most photographed street in Boston and some even say the entire country.

 

At the end of our tour, we stopped by the Tatte Bakery, where Inna and I ordered the following dishes:

• Boris: Original Shakshouka, Mocha
• Inna: Mushroom & Bacon Shakshouka, Latte

I really liked my Original Shakshouka! It was so delicious!

 

We took an Uber Toyota Highlander back to our apartment on 334 Harvard Street to be in time for our work meetings.

 

 

Both Inna and I had a lot of work meetings to attend and spent the rest of the day indoors, working.

In the late evening, around 19:00, Inna and I took a 2-mile stroll along the Charles River to exercise.

 

After our walk, Inna cooked pelmeni, and we ate a small dinner. We spent the evening researching our weekend trips to Salem, Cape Cod, New Haven, Newport, and the Berkshires. I used Turo to book a few car rentals for the upcoming weekends.

 

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

I woke at 07:30, showered, and ate a small breakfast of raspberries, blueberries, and yogurt. Inna and I tentatively planned to visit Quincy Market and the waterfront.

After Inna was ready, we visited Andre P. Boulogne  - our local Boston chiropractor. When the appointment was finished, we decided to take a long walk home, with a possible stop at M.I.T. We walked for about an hour and skipped M.I.T., stopping initially at Flour and then at Tatte Bakery for late breakfast/lunch. 

 

 

We order the following items at Tatte Bakery:

• Boris: Pistachio Croissant, Mocha (12 oz)
• Inna: Lamb Hash, Latte (12 oz)

After breakfast, I returned to our apartment at 334 Harvard St, Cambridge, for my work meeting while Inna decided to visit some of the local neighborhood bookstores.

 

We worked the rest of the day.

Alex told us he was available for dinner in the evening, so I made dinner reservations for 19:30 at La Pizza/La Pasta Restaurant of Eataly on 800 Boylston Street. We took an UberX ride to Eataly, arriving at 19:30. 

 

 

We were promptly seated at our table. Eataly even texted me that my table was ready! Alex arrived about 10 minutes later.

 

After looking at the menu, we ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Primavera con Riso Salad
• Drinks: Niasca Limonata
• Alex: Pizza Margherita Verace
• Boris: Tagliatelle Bolognese
• Inna: Pappardelle
• Dessert: Affogato

I really enjoyed my Tagliatelle Bolognese, and Inna liked her Pappardelle pasta. Alex ate his entire Margherita Verace pizza, enjoying every bite. For dessert, we shared two Affogatos. They were delicious. 

 

Since UberX prices were very high ($30), we took the bus home to Harvard. We found bus #1 that took us back in 7 stops (20 minutes).

 

Thursday, May 12, 2022

In the morning, I woke at 07:30, showered, shaved, and went for a leisurely stroll along the Charles River, returning home at 09:15. I ate my usual breakfast of raspberries, blueberries, and yogurt. 

 

After breakfast, I started my work and opened and read multiple emails. Inna woke and decided to walk, stopping at Tatte Bakery for breakfast.

 

I planned to meet Jim McVey, an old Lehigh University roommate from 1989 (my junior year), at the nearby Starbucks. I met Jim at 10:30, and we walked to the nearby park to catch up and reminisce about the old Lehigh days.

 

 

I returned home to the apartment at about noon to attend all work meetings. During a break between the meetings, Inna and I walked to the nearby Tatte Bakery for a coffee and a pastry. 

 

 

This time, I ordered the following lunch items:

• Boris: Sour Cherry Scone, Mocha (12oz)
• Inna: Lemon Mint Tart, Green & Nutty Salad, English Breakfast Tea

I enjoyed my Sour Cherry Scone, but it was too dense. However, Inna's Green & Nutty Salad was genuinely exceptional - tasty & healthy! Her Lemon Mint Tart was also delicious.

After lunch, we returned home to continue working.

 

 

In the evening, Inna and I took another stroll along Charles River, enjoying the beautifully lit Harvard Campus and Charles River Waterfront. As our usual walk, it took us about 45 minutes to walk 2 miles.

 

For dinner, Inna boiled some pelmeni. It was a nice, quick dinner.

Friday, May 13, 2022

In the morning, I woke at 07:30 and took a shower. Since we were running low on groceries, I decided to walk to the nearby Whole Foods and purchase a few items, including:

• Cream Cheese
• Potatoe Chips
• Toilet Paper
• Gouda Cheese Slices
• Fuji Apples
• Sour Cream
• Blueberries
• Sparkling Water

After I returned, Inna and I discussed morning plans and decided to visit the nearby Quincy Market and waterfront. We walked to the Central T Station, where Inna and I purchased Charlie Cards (for use on subways and buses) and boarded the Red Line toward Park Street.

 

At Park Street, we walked to the Quincy Market, stopping for a few minutes at several old Boston graves, including the Granary Burying Ground (where Ben Franklin's father is buried) and at King's Chapel. We walked by the new and ugly City Hall building, crossing Congress Street to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.

 

 

Since Faneuil was closed (it opens at 11:00), we proceeded to Quincy Market. It's a large indoor structure (reminding us of Ferry Buildings in San Francisco) with multiple eateries, from pastries to seafood. We walked through it and continued toward the Boston waterfront as we were not hungry.

 

 

The waterfront (Long Wharf North) had multiple Ferry docs and seafood restaurants. We walked briefly and then decided to find a lovely local cafe. Inna settled on The Well Coffeehouse, and we walked over there, stopping to look at the original Boston City Hall (a far more attractive brick building than the new one).

 

At The Well Coffeehouse, Inna and I ordered the following items:

• Boris: Mocha, Maple Scone 
• Inna: Lavender Latte, Almond Croissant

We sat on very comfortable sofas, sipping our drinks and enjoying the quiet ambiance. Since I needed to return home for a 12:00 meeting, we finished at around 11:20 and walked toward the nearest T station, boarding the Boston Redline back to the Central T. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to our 334 Harvard Street, Cambridge apartment.

 

 

I returned to continue working and also did laundry in the building. I had to use a unique iPhone app to start the washer and dryer.

 

When we had some time, Inna and I stopped by the Tatte Bakery in Harvard Square for a few lunch items:

• Boris: Green & Nutty Salad, Cold Brew Coffee
• Inna: Lamb Plate Mansaf, Latte

I liked my fresh, healthy, green, nutty salad, but not the cold beer. It was too bitter. However, Inna's Lamb Plate was fabulous.

 

After returning home to our Harvard Street apartment, Inna and I continued to work.

 

We decided to eat dinner with Alex at the French Colette Wine Bistro in the evening. Initially, we followed Google Maps' directions to take the bus there. However, we missed the last bus and had to take the Central T station to Porter. From there, we arrived at Colette, a few minutes away. Alex joined us while waiting for our table to be ready.

 

After sitting at an indoor table, we were astounded by the loudness of the restaurant. I had to shout to Inna and Alex so that they could hear me. After looking at the menu, we decided on the following dishes:

• Alex: Steak Frites (Boston Sirloin Strip with French Fries and Bordelaise sauce)
• Boris: French Onion Soup
• Inna: French Onion Soup, Duck Confit & Mushroom, Raspberry Beret

I enjoyed my French Onion Soup, but was no better than anywhere else. The restaurant had adequate waiter service but was too loud indoors. 

 

 

A table outdoors would have been more to my liking.

 

After dinner, we returned to our Porter T station and boarded the Redline train. It was sketchy with a few weird people around. Inna and I disembarked at Harvard while Alex continued toward Downtown Crossing, where he had to return the Orange Line to his Northeastern studio.