Take 2- on to the full day of Boston!
Since we got in yesterday about 8pm we didn’t get to enjoy a full day of this city. We check out of the hotel we were in, because, well, it wasn’t exactly up to par! Check into a Red Roof in about four miles down the street. Check in is at 1pm we take the risk and get there just after noon. There is one room open at the time got there, we dropped the dogs off and off to Boston we went. It’s rainy, cold and we had to leave the bad-boy cameras behind because really, what is the point in taking the risk of dropping them? We knew our shots would be limited and it was just safer for them to stay back at the hotel!
We take the toll roads into the city, I have no idea where we are headed, I assumed lunch, and really it didn’t matter I have no idea what there is to do in Boston on a rainy day.
We pull into some sort of district, it’s the best way I can describe the inner city of Boston. It looks historic, old buildings, tight streets and even tighter parking. The lot we pull into has a bunch of white tents looks to be merchants. The guy at the parking booth tells us to go back out to the street and take the next right and park behind a building.
We turn right, and as usual the parking is bumper to bumper car to car. Which makes me wonder how many cars get banged up by another person parking either in front or behind them? As we’re waiting to get into this back parking lot, I am watching a Mini fit snuggly into a spot that I know none of my cars would ever be able to fit into. I made the comment to my friend that if you live in Boston, a Mini is a must have as far as cars are concerned. They are very sporty (Type S at least) compact and the turning radius on that has to be out of this world. Anyways, we pull into the “back lot” and there is an abandoned building with what looks to have sheets where the wide windows once were.
Once we walk around the front I see we are at the “Sowa Open Market” and for you Non-Bostonians it is pretty much a market where venders, artist, and vintage collectors market their goods or products. I’ve heard about these sorts of things but the closest I’ve come is similar to a fair held once a year. Not an every weekend thing, unless you count a Flea-Market, but, this was completely different.
As we walk to the front of the warehouse, there are those white tents I saw earlier, we decide to start there. The first booth we come across is an older guy selling Olive Oil and what looks like Balsamic Vinaigrette. He greats us and asks us if we’d like to go on a journey and explore Italy. I am always up for a creative get away, even if it is only in my mind. Similar to being a kid and having a story read to you. He offers us each a piece of bread and instructs us when it is time to “sample” these amazing oils we are to break off a piece of bread and try it. Simple enough-let the journey begin. He whisks us away to Italy, almost the Southern part, just above Sicily he goes on to tell us about the trees on the hillsides, which are over thousands of years old. There are two types of olives he says, green which are younger and black which have matured. We sample the first oil it was from green olives. We dip the bread into it, it was buttery and sweet.
We venture 700 miles up to another part of Italy where black olives have been used to make this oil we are about to sample. He tells us that this oil has a pepper-like after taste. We break off a piece of bread and dip it into the oil. The texture is the same, not as sweet at first, but after you swallow it, a peppery sensation comes over your mouth. I love pepper, but this caught me off guard, even after I heard his warning.
After tasting both of those, I am a bit torn on which I like better. Might I add before this whole process I didn’t really pay much attention to any sort of olive oil and bought whatever it was from the store. Just as the man stated from the get-go this was a new experience and it would change my outlook and possibly be the best thing I taste all day.
The third oil is a blend of the first and second one, which after tasting was perfect for me. It was sweet as the first without so much of the pepper kick back as the second. Mental note-this is the one for me.
The fourth and fifth are a difference in processing not so much a difference in olives or location. He warned us after I nearly choked on the second, that these two would be very peppery and if I was overwhelmed by the second, I could possibly like the fourth, but the fifth was something to stay away from.
The fourth tasted a lot smoother and less kick back, he was right. The fifth was a little more “spice” but wasn’t too bad, very flavorful.
Next comes the balsamic, I had no idea how this stuff was made or ever paid too much attention to it. I know I liked it. It is made from grapes much like wine is made, the difference is, it is not corked. It has to breathe to let the water evaporate out and they use cheese cloth to cover the barrel to prevent anything from coming into it and ruining it. Just like wine, it is aged in barrels another difference is wine is stored in a cellar to keep it cool where as balsamic is stored in an attack to keep it heated.
There were three balsamic he had for us to try. The first one was the youngest at 3 years. It was tart and a little too bitter for my tastes. The second one is about 5 years old he goes on to say that would be fantastic over meat, fish or vegetables. A few drops over a cooked meal before serving it, not to marinate with, but to serve over a meal. He said it would be the most amazing thing anyone has ever tasted, and you would need a camera to capture their face since it is the greatest taste in the world. I tasted the second, and mind you, he is pouring these into mini shot like cups, it was sweet, smooth and I could only imagine it over a steak. The last one is 8 years old; they all start from the 3 year mark and change barrels at different year marks, using different wood to create a sweeter taste. This one is more a “dessert” type of balsamic, you should only need to put a drop or two on meat, fish, vegetables, ice cream, cheese or he even recommended fresh figs-if you can find them. It was amazing, he was right; it was sweet and perfect for any of those things he mentioned. It fit my taste buds perfectly; this was the balsamic for me.
The prices of the stuff weren’t cheap, but they sold themselves by the taste and his story. The part I loved the most was that he wasn’t pushy, told us where it came from what made it unique and how to serve it on what dishes to bring out the flavor of the oils. The olive oil I wanted was $35 for the bigger bottle ( I have a firm “bigger is better” policy when it comes to things in bottles) and $45. I told the guy I would be back I just didn’t want to carry around those bottles while I shopped around.
The next booth I came across was called “Noisy Bird Studio” it was these little square pendants that have abstract and non-abstract designs on them. The tops are water resistant and the backs are made with some sort of hard cardboard-like material. They’re nicely done, very “chic” I haven’t run across anything like this. When I travel I like to pick up new things, I was looking for a new bracelet along this trip but these will work just fine. They’re $7.95 each and if you buy 3 you get 1 free. I love promotions like that, I browse through her selection and pick up 3, put one back, change designs, commit to 4 and hand them to her to check out, she gives me my total but instead of paying I figured, hey, what is $23 more? 3 of 4 of those were all pink, while I do love me some pink, I wanted a few others to go with different outfits and more colors is always better than fewer right? I pick up 4 more and check out, grand total is $47.70 I opted not to buy the leather necklace, I am sure I have something at home to wear them on.
I am pretty excited at this point to have new necklaces; I walk around the rest of the white tents and come across a mosaic tent. I love mosaic; it’s so beautiful and very expensive. I took a few pictures of them the mirror I liked was $400 whoa! Few more artists filled the next few booths, one with wax things. There was a picture of several butterflies and they were three-dimensional with a light piece of wax over them that moved with a breeze, very creative. I did wonder though, with the heat in Florida in the summer, there is no way a vender like that would make money. Granted this is Boston, I just related it to my life for a moment. I finished the rest of the white-tents and headed toward the warehouse.
As you walk in its more similar to a bazaar type of sale, I ventured from table to table, a lot of antiques, vintage jewelry, pottery, china and other like things. I was still on the quest for a unique bracelet, I tried on a few at random tables but nothing “fit” what I was looking for. One lady had vintage purses, and a lady just before me had bought five or so and was still looking around. I was at the table and these crystal star dangling earrings caught my eye. I think its because my Mom always loved stars long earrings, I find myself buying things she would have enjoyed and it brings a little bit of peace to my heart.
I asked the lady how much the earrings were, they were $10, fine for them I didn’t feel the need to haggle. She also had one of those fender purses made out of license plates. This one was from New York and I know they retail for somewhere around $150-$300 I’ve seen them in stores. I asked how much, she said $100. I told her I would take the earrings, and offered $80 for the purse, she accepted. The purse was new; it has two rhinestones where the purse clasps together at the top, which is my favorite part. Has all of the tags on it and it says New York, which is where we are headed to tomorrow, I found it as the perfect fit for my travels. Like I need a reason to add a purse to my plethora that I have accumulated over the years, but this one is mine now!!
At this point I have reached the end of the Sowa Market and am ready to head out to get some lunch, very ecstatic that my friend has taken me here, it was a great taste of Boston! We head to the Olive Oil guy; pick up the oils we both wanted and asked him where we can find a good Italian place to grab a bite at. He recommends “Monica’s” on the North End, tells us how amazing the food is, decently prices and everything is made from scratch and tells us how to get there. We google it in the car and they open for dinner at 5:30 and average plates are about $25 per person. It’s about 2:30 now so we need to get some food before that.
We head over to the Harbor area; on the way there we pass by Harvard. It was amazing to see it looks old and historic and everything I would think an Ivy League School should look like. The gate that you first see on the corner is beautiful, the cursive “Harvard” lettering is just gorgeous. I didn’t get a chance to take pictures since it was so rainy but it sure was beautiful. We get to the harbor it is starting to rain more now and with the chill off the water it feels a bit colder than before. We park the car in a garage next to the aquarium and head out to snag a snack. There is a dock side sea food joint that looks great to me but it seems to be shut down so that is out. We look at another sea food place right across the street, check the menu and appetizers start at $25. For lunch? Not so much, we head around the corner to what looks to be a bakery type of a place called Sel De La Terre we duck in to avoid the rain and grab a table. The place is set up very quaint, places are set it looks a bit fancy, The hostess tells us they are serving brunch and asks if that will be okay for us, we agree it will be. We look over the menu and I see they have oysters. I love oysters, I order a half dozen since the girl tells me how fresh they are ( I figured I am about 20 feet from the ocean) and how great they taste. I also ordered the Boston Crab Cake Sandwich which comes with rosemary frites (french fries.) The Oysters come out, they look fantastic, the presentation is beautiful, and this is where I remember that I have never had raw oysters, I love oysters but I’ve always ordered them steamed, I’ve never ever thought about having them raw. I am stuck now, I can’t send them back, and I remember hearing that they are a natural aphrodisiac, which I wasn’t looking for either, but again, it crossed my mind as they’re sitting in front of me.
I figured they have to be good if I like them steamed, how much different can they be, right? I take the tiny fork and scoop one up, dip it into the sauce provided and put it in my mouth thinking it will taste pretty similar to what I am used to. I was wrong; it is now a texture thing that I am having an issue with. The flavor from the sauce is amazing; the slimy-slippery-watery feel to them is semi grossing me out. I ordered these and I am going to eat them, I get through about 3, so 3 down, 3 to go. Some of them are less slippery than others, I get to the last one, and I am taking a drink after each one just to clear the slimy feeling. The last one I pick up and its all sorts of watery, go figure, the last one has to be the weirdest one..great. I eat it, no issues; it wasn’t as bad as I though, it was more a texture thing. Shortly after that experience, lunch arrives. The crab cakes are in 2 mini sliders they are stacked pretty tall with tomato and lettuce and a spicy sauce on the bun. I bite into it, and it melts in my mouth, I am now convinced all of the other crab-cakes I have tasted over the years cannot I repeat, cannot hold a torch to this light, flakey, warm, perfectly compiled cake of crab. To top it off there are 2! There is nothing better than having an ecstasy of flavor in your mouth than knowing when you are finished more awaits you. Accompanying these 2 lovely delights of heavenly crab cake sliders are the rosemary frites, they are very thin and crispy the aroma they bring to your senses is amazing, it was light, not greasy and packed with the right amount of seasoning, the proportion of their size is just perfect. I have to say, this is the best lunch I have ever had. After doubting Boston after last night’s pizza disappointment, this is me eating my words, of course in crab-cake fashion. Boston, you do know your food!
While at lunch I was connected to the world, you know, facebook- a friend of mine works in Boston and was posting to me asking me what we’ve seen and done and making suggestions. She suggested the Quincy Market which was just about 2 blocks or so away. The Sowa Market was amazing, this one is all indoors and a “Bostonian” must-do she told me. We head over there; it’s a whole big district of shops and three big buildings, the one in the middle is the Quincy Market, it is filled with food from all over the world. Anything you can imagine having for the most part is there, why didn’t we know about this before lunch? Lunch was very good, so still happy with the choice! When you walk through the Quincy Market you end up at the other end of the building, there is another building about ten feet away with some little shops in it. To the right and to the left of the QM Building there are “North” and “South” buildings they all are store fronts. We shopped mostly the South since the QM has venders inside the outside of the building. (I know that sounds confusing, let me clarify-there is a separate section of the building where venders set up their kiosks that opens to the side of the south building, get it now?)
I love to buy random things, I went into a Christmas store, and I try to make a habbit of adding new ordiments to my tree every year. Typically what happened in the year, places I saw, things I did, hobbies I have ect. I walk into the Christmas store hoping to find something to add to my collection, I saw a Boston ordiment that would be perfect, Says BOSTON in big bold red letters, has a lobster, a shore line and little Red Sox hanging from it. I picked it up and kept looking around, there was this white heart with a dove on it, it was a heart, had a silver sparkle to it and read “” I picked it up in memory of my Mom. Breaks my heart to be without her, but this made my heart smile, just a little bit!
I then saw Urban Outfitters-Which I happen to enjoy quite a bit. They always have very entertaining things to look at. They had a sushi stapler that made me giggle, I get a kick out of their book selection. There was one that said “How to live with having a big penis” I giggled and thought; does that really happen? Do men really have that issue? If so, where does one go about meeting said men? You know.. Market research of course!
I saw the book I’ve been looking for, and by looking for I mean half-assed looking for, of course. It’s called, “Are You There Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea” By Chelsea Handler. Since I am currently reading her other book, it was the hardback of the book and was $24.95 I didn’t feel like spending that much on it, I figured if it was $14.95 or under I would pick it up. Looks like I will be picking it up on Amazon!
They also had a “Poop Journal” it’s things like this that really do make me go hmmm…who is the person that has to log their bathroom time, and get specific with it? Then I came across a book I couldn’t refuse to buy. “I Can Haz Cheeseburger” if you are not familiar with it, go to the website NOW! http://icanhascheezburger.com/%0d (sidebar) I just went there and busted up laughing so hard I gave myself a headache) I can’t even begin to tell you the countless hours I’ve spent here, mostly on work hours (back in the days of working) and the endless stream of tears that ran down my face while the laughter hit me! Amy and I would email these pictures back and forth to each other several times a day, so you can imagine my excitement to find a book and for only $10! I bought two, it’s not the same unless I can share it with Amy! So excited to give it to her next week when I visit her in Virginia Beach!
I went in and out of shops they even had a “Cheers” bar..you know, where they always know your name? I went in there and they had shot glasses, so in my crazy quest to collect shot glasses from every state, I picked up two. Outside of the Cheers store they had one of those penny machines, I think they’re called “Penny Presses” I got excited (I do this over random shit apparently) I get my 51 cents out, and its broken. Nooooo! I need you to be un-broken penny machine I like to collect pressed pennies from random places when I can find them. Looks like I am out of luck for this one!
I needed to get a Red Sox hoodie. I am a Yankees fan, but I enjoy the BoSox too, I know it’s a total conflict of interest but f it. They’re both amazing teams, have a long history behind them, and there aren’t any other fans as crazy as Yankee or Sox fans. Plus, while in Rome..do as Romans would do! (Rome=Boston in the case) I ended up in a Boston Sports Shop tons of BoSox & Patriots gear. I headed over to the hoodies choices were red or blue, I picked up the classic red with the “Red Sox” lettering on the front and also a red t-shirt, same lettering on the front but on the back it has my favorite players name & number. Jacoby Ellsburry #24 I am so excited at this point to check out, the guy rings me up tells me there is no sales tax…Sweet! Which somehow makes me want to buy more, so I did, I picked up one of those baseball bracelets made out of the lace of the baseball, has a “B” logo on it I almost picked up the one that had Beckett’s Name and Number on it, but the “B” will serve the same purpose. I asked the guy helping me where I could find another penny press, he told me it’s on the other side of the shops, so we walk around, I can’t find it. We ask another guy he tells us walk a little further near a glass building and it should be right there. My friend has the iPhone so he google maps “penny machine” and don’t you know that sucker came up “Penny Press” and directed us in the area it was. I’m not a big fan of the iPhone, I call it the iSuck because my friend always has reception issues, but I am starting to come around to it the more I use it. We head back to get the car out of parking and it was $35 WHAT? I’m sure Bostonians are accustomed to that, but I am not! Holy shit, $35 from 2-24 hours and before that its anywhere from 20-35. I couldn’t believe it! That wraps up our fantastic day of shopping at the QM, take a brief tour of the city on the way out, we drove through China town-which is exactly how it sounds, an entire neighborhood of Chinese-Foo Restaurants and corner stores! It was something to experience!
Head back to the hotel to rescue the dogs and just veg out for a while before we head back downtown to Monica’s for dinner. On the way back, I said “So I was going to get us tickets to the Craig Ferguson show in New York, but they show it in LA once I looked into it” My friend said “What Forbidden Show?” I started cracking up, apparently Craig Ferguson=Forbidden, I tell him again what I said, and bust up laughing. We get back to the hotel, get into the room open the bathroom door and the midgets are so ecstatic to see me, I love that they love me! Again, second day in a row-Bella has pottied in the bath tub, what a good girl! We head out to dinner about 8:45ish, place closes at 10 and it takes about 40 minutes to get down there or so. The damn GPS gets us lost as usual, I’m not sure if its Boston and the way the streets are so close together or if Magellan really just sucks! We make it to the area just after 9:30 and we realize this is “Little Italy” there are a ton of Italian bakeries, gelato places, corner Italian stores, its so unique, just as the rest of Boston the streets are tiny enough to accommodate mini coopers and that is about it. Seems that Monday is trash day, I see bags of trash alongside every store front! No big deal, Boston is a clean town other wise.
We walk into Monica’s and it’s a very intimate setting, “exclusive” if you will. There are maybe 8 tables, it is all brick walls, black and white stenches align the walls, its all low lightning and candle lights adorn the tables. It really is a very warm setting. They had home-made Spanish Sangria; I love Sangria I had to order it. It was very full bodied and had a smooth taste to it from the first sip to the taste it left in my mouth. I ordered a anti-pasta tray with some sort of mozzarella, fresh figs and tomatoes. It was the perfect combination everything tasted amazing. For dinner I ordered the “Sweet Italian Sausage & Muscle Arbiata with Spinach Linguini” It was so juicy, had the right about of spicyness in the sauce and the sweet sausage countered it perfectly.
Everything here is made from scratch, it was so flavorful and delicious. I am not a muscle fan, I’ve never really eaten them, but this dish sounded way too good to pass up, and it was. The muscles were amazing, cooked perfectly and with the Arbiata sauce it just made the meal so delicious. I always drink coke with meals, tonight I was really thirsty, I had about 5, in conjunction with my yummy sangria! The place cleared out about 10pm the few other tables left and it was just my friend and I enjoying the rest of our dinner. It was time for desert, The choices were: bread pudding, flour-less chocolate cake or crème brulee, I heard bread pudding and stopped listening at that point. I had never had bread pudding, and felt adventurist this evening, I ordered that, my friend got the chocolate cake. The pudding came out, like a piece of pie, it had a bit of chocolate in it, which made it extra yummy. I was beside myself, it was delicious, how had I never had this before? I tried a bite of the flour-less chocolate cake, it was very rich, good, but overly rich for my tastes. I finished the yumminess of the bread pudding and our waitress brought our bill, as she set it down, I asked her to add another bread pudding to it. I’m in Boston, I only live once, why not have two desserts? It is THAT good after all! I couldn’t finish the entire second piece, my friend graciously helped me finish the rest. We got the bill it was $104!!! I said “I got it” he did after all pick up the “70” lunch tab, it’s the least I could do, he’s driven me everywhere I wanted to go without a battle! I browse over the bill and 5 cokes = $10 and to boot, they’re out of a can, not even a fountain! The girl ran out on the last one and ran to their store to grab another can. I didn’t know that coke is $2 a can! Regardless, it was worth the money for the food and the amazing experience!!
We walk out and hit up a bakery, not that we’re hungry, just to check out what they have. Italian bakeries are the best, I’ve never seen so many on one street!! They have fresh fruit tarts, which I think are better than sex..good fruit tarts that is. I couldn’t eat any, way to full, and staying in a hotel they’ll never taste as good, I saw they had fresh almond biscotti. I do love biscotti, and its fresh? What is better than that? It is $9 a box and they also have pizzelle waffle cookies that are fresh! I love those too, I bought both for $18( I am very much impulse buyer, I call it the sea-buy approach- I see things I buy them hehe)
We walk out of the bakery and directly across the street there is a post office called “Prince Postale” there is a movie being filmed there, looks low budget. We stand across the street and watch it; there are “extras” outside who are being qued to stand there apparently. In side there is a guy in a white lab coat with a shirt and tie on and that is all you can see since he is behind the counter, there is another guy in there, and that is all I can make out. The guy-I assume who is the director says “Quiet on the set” as soon as he says that, 2 doors down you see a guy pulling out a trash can down the 3 stairs, the moment the words leave the directors mouth the trash can hits the 3 stairs and makes a loud boom noise. The look on the trash-guy’s face is priceless and he says “oops.” That is about the excitement of that we walked back to the car and headed back to the hotel for a nights rest. My friend has to use the restroom on the way home, so we stop at a rest stop since its on the way back. He is driving all crazy through the parking lot, it’s a McDonalds/Gas Station stop. Since he is driving through the parking lot like a mad man I said “They don’t have a drive-thru bathroom” He replied with “I was just going to open my ass…” I busted up laughing so hard, he tried to correct with “..I meant to say I was just going to open my door and run out” through the laughter I said “You sure are going to open your ass” He went inside, no kidding, I laughed the entire time he was gone, I stopped briefly and the second I saw him I started cracking up again!
Looks like another day of traveling tomorrow! Rhode Island, Connenicut & headed into New York! Should have a full day in the city on Tuesday!!
