Boston

earlier this week my mom, brother and i flew to Boston for a day.

my sister Stefi also met up with us - her generous husband let us borrow his new wife for the day. 

(she flew in from DC)

the whole purpose was so i could check out Northeastern University's Au.D. graduate program.

i have been really excited about applying there but going to visit made me even more so!

its only an hour flight from here in new york but getting there was a headache. we woke up at 4:30 am, left the house at 5 am and got to the airport at 6:30. once we got to the airport we were told our flight had been canceled. we had printed out our tickets at 10 pm the night before and at 1 am the airline emailed us telling us that the flight was cancelled. but being up at 4:30 am, checking our email wasn't the first thing on our minds. i was really upset because i had been looking forward to this and didn't want to the call the University to cancel. 

luckily we got another flight but i was going to be late to my appointment. I called Dr. Cleveland whom I was to meet with and told her what was going on.  So after flying to Philadelphia, having a layover then landing in Boston- i got to the Audiology Clinic only 20 minutes after my original time slot. Not bad for having a flight canceled and the possibility of not making it to Boston at all. 

I met with the Director of Audiology Dr. Cleveland and she told me all about the program. We talked for an hour then a 3rd year student showed me around the clinic and answered more questions.  Dr. Cleveland was so pleasant and wonderful, I really liked her. I am so glad we got to meet and know each other in person.  Its safe to say that if I got accepted to Northeastern I would be the luckiest girl in the world. 

 I LOVED IT

after the departmental visit, envisioning living in Boston and planning out my future in my head while in the clinic- we headed to get a snack. pinkberry is an obvious choice. we also picked up my brother's wife a birthday present from lululemon.  (so lucky- i want those yoga pants badly)

 pomegranate is dynamite 

from there we headed out to the streets to do more shopping.
 On the way to Anthropologie and Zara (isn't my brother the nicest to his sisters? he was our tour guide for the day and took us to whatever girly store we wanted) i spotted a shop i thought i would never see again. 

THE BALD MAN'S CHOCOLATE! 

while on my study abroad in Jerusalem i sniffed out all the great places for gelato. 

 and Max Brenner- the Bald Man's Chocolate was the best. 

it was the most expensive so i only went a handful of times - once i saved enough shekels. 

i thought it was only an Israeli thing so i was shocked / ecstatic to see it. 

i made my family go inside for gelato but it turned out to be a restaurant and a chocolate shop. i asked the hostess and she said it started in Israel but here its more for dining. what a happy surprise! 

PROOF: here was my last gelato stop at the Bald Man's in West Jerusalem. 

(you can see the last part of Brenner at the top left and on the orange side by the TV on the right) 

Boston has the coolest vibe and architecture. it quickly slipped into one of my favorite city slots. 

 after we shopped JR led us to Boston Commons - the prettiest gardens i have ever seen. it was so charming and i adored it all. 

siblings at the entrance to Boston Commons

in the gardens is the famous 'Make Way for Ducklings' statue (shout out to anyone who as read that children's book) and the Swan Boats. oh my gosh the Swan Boats!!! we didn't have time to ride one but i now officially have to come back later in life and ride one. they are too cute!

 JR is the ultimate tour guide. its fast paced, jammed packed and all inclusive. 

 then we walked the Freedom Trail and here is the first stop: 

 the MA state house

second stop:

 Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin's parents are buried here in Granary Burying Ground 

 (not apart of the official Freedom Trail tour but it should be. it is a cupcake shop called 'Sweet')

 Old South Meeting House

 Faneuil Hall

then it was dinner time so JR headed us towards Little Italy. on the way to the restaurant we stopped at a bakery, then another and then another. that's right folks- THREE BAKERIES. i swear i was living in a dream! i thought at any moment Mom would say "no way" and i would wake up. but it was real life, a life long dream hitting multiple bakeries in a row came true!

JR knew which bakeries had the best of certain kinds of pastries. so we got cannolis from one, lobster tails from another, marzipan cake from the last one plus any other treats that caught our eye. 

it was heaven.  

 bakery #1 - Modern Bakery

 and they used Baker's String to wrap up your package of sweets- so cute!

 we ate dinner at Pizzeria Regina which has been famous since 1928 and i can see why.

 it was completely delicious. 

 (cool building by the Pizzeria)

 the pie 

 the goods

 tasting our way through Boston!

after dinner we broke out the pastries and had dessert. there were pastries i didn't taste because i was preoccupied with my first choices like a lobster tail, chocolate cannoli, red velvet cake, strawberry puff, mini cheesecake, etc. oh it was so much fun just to taste something (not finish it) then move on to the next treat. 

after that we picked up and finished the Freedom Trail. 

here is a harbor by Bunker Hill: 

 Old North Church - one if by land, two if by sea 

then it started to POUR, I MEAN JUST DUMP WATER

i can't remember the last time i had been caught in such a downpour of rain

in a matter of second i was totally and completely soaked- and i even had an umbrella! 

 i just loved it. i love the rain and it made the trip more memorable. 

it was a crazy fun and too short of a day- Boston you really know how to charm a girl. 

hopefully i will be back.