Stop #2 was Boston. We stayed in a pretty popular area, The Inn at Harvard, which was of course, within walking distance from Harvard. I loved the old feel of the area – brick buildings, a campus that exuberated scholarly ambitions, the quaint streets, the Freedom Trail walk, Salem – which contrasted nicely with the modern aspects – MIT and its architectural design, the subway system, and Dunkin’ Donuts (which I wish was in California!). Boston felt so different from Los Angeles – a place with so much history – and I was immersed into everything. On top of that, there was just good food out in Boston, especially seafood and a great Afghan restaurant we found, so it was both an educational and savoring trip.
All-You-Can-Jet was a great idea…and stop #2 couldn’t have been better.
Day #1 consisted of The Freedom Trail:
We stopped for oysters along the way:
The end of our journey:
We had dinner at Neptune Oyster after our long walk – long only because we were sidetracked by stores, oysters, and more! We ordered oysters (again!), clam chowder, and a lobster sandwich. I guess Boston is known for having lobster sandwiches and this one was warm, delicious, and buttery!
Afterward we had to try more ice cream from J.P. Licks which we had earlier in the day. Day #2 then started with pizza from Oggi.
Day #2 also consisted of driving out to Salem. A treat was going to The House of the Seven Gables, a novel I read in college. It was every English teacher’s dream to hear more about Nathaniel Hawthorne, visit the house he was raised in, and absorb the history behind Salem.
Afterward, we had to stop for…ice cream, of course!
We ended the night driving back to Cambridge to eat at Helmand Restaurant. The Afghan food was fantastic, which has really opened up my palate to discovering different types of cuisine.
Interesting “statues” while walking back to our hotel:
Before we left Boston, we grabbed lunch at Alive and Kicking Lobsters. We found it on Yelp and thought it would be great to grab one last clam chowder and lobster sandwich before heading home. When we arrived, we asked for a menu and the man kindly said there was no menu. So we asked for clam chowder and he said no. Finally we just said, “What can we order?” His response was, “Lobster sandwich.” And so we ordered two lobster sandwiches and they were the best lobster sandwiches ever. No wonder they don’t have any menu because I could eat multiple sandwiches in one day! We happily left Boston and our only regret was not ordering extra sandwiches for our flight home.
It was a crazy idea and Taro was the one to bring it up: All You Can Jet for one month. Jet Blue was offering this insane deal to fly unlimited for the month of September. And we decided to do it – fly out every Friday and return on Sunday, visiting a different city for the month of September. It was insane, but an offer we couldn’t pass up, especially since it was an opportunity to travel within the United States.
Our first stop was Las Vegas. Yes, I know. Vegas? What is so special about Vegas? Well, it was the weekend after our wedding and since my uncle from Canada was still in town – he hasn’t visited for many, many years – my whole entire family decided to go to Vegas. So Taro and I flew there and while we were there, we obtained our marriage license. For those of you who didn’t attend our wedding, John, our friend, conducted the ceremony. It wasn’t “official” (since he isn’t ordained), but it was official in our eyes. Yet, we still needed the paperwork. So, while in Vegas, we figured we would do the cheesy Elvis ceremony and make it fun. I laughed the entire way down the aisle – I mean, how can you not when Elvis is singing to you? It was definitely fun and memorable…but nothing compared to our wedding in San Diego.
Las Vegas was a great first stop – hanging out with my family, watching “O” again, gambling and sitting at the Pai Gow tables until 4 in the morning with two Jet Blue pilots (who were not the pilots flying us back), enjoying good food, and sharing in the first husband and wife trip.
A visit to the M&M Store:
Dinner at Gallagher’s Steakhouse in New York, New York Hotel:
Lunch at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris Hotel:
What we always order whenever we go to Mon Ami Gabi, the Steak Frites:
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