Actually, my real reunion was with my cousin, Jackie, who lives just outside of Boston. We have been best friends since the day I was born...seriously. Jackie and I are one year apart. She is the blonder, shorter version of me. Our moms (who are sisters) even dressed us the same when we were kids. We had the same haircut, liked the same things, even went to the same University and always had that more-than-a-cousin, better-than-best-friends connection with each other. It's almost scary! Like last year, when she was visiting me, we walked out of our rooms in the morning, ready to start the day, wearing the exact same thing (same shoes and all!)...talk about weird connections!
Anyway, back to Boston...so I spent a much-needed, long weekend there visiting Jackie, seeing my family, and exploring a new side of the Boston (and the surrounding areas). First on the list, Brimfield. The Brimfield Antique Show, to be exact. Now this is a real example of how things change. Fifteen years ago (wow, saying that makes me feel old!), the mention of Brimfield would have sent Jackie and I running and screaming in the other direction. That, combined with the "A word" (antiques) were a deathly combination for any kid (especially a kid in our family which means you are dragged to countless antique shows a year in search of hatpins and Lucite purses, among other things). It meant hot days, and being dragged aisle after aisle while the grown-ups sifted through other people's junk. But now? Jackie and I jumped at the chance to go and peruse through the booths of old jewelry, unique dishes, antique furniture, intricate lamps and other chotchkes. We also found some beautiful hat pins to add to our collections.
Rockport, MA |
The disgustingly delicious cupcake ice cream sundae |
The rest of the weekend we actually spent in Boston. Another change was that we treated this trip as a way to be a little touristy for once. It's amazing when you live (or "live") somewhere, how much you miss out on the legitimate touristy things that are really neat.
We also spent some time in Boston's North End (and especially their equivalent of Little Italy). We had never tried Panza before, and we were in for a real treat. Panza is a traditional Italian restaurant that you'll need a reservation for. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a little restaurant in Italy. The inside was small and had an upscale family feel to it. We started with some bruschetta and garlic bread. Garlic bread is garlic bread...until you've had Panza's garlic bread. The way the literally grill the crusty italian bread and rub it with olive oil and garlic is just delicious. It almost has a sweet taste to it. The bruschetta is even better because it starts with the garlic bread. It's topped with marinated tomatoes, red onion, and goat cheese (I love anything with goat cheese), then perfectly complimented with a sweet balsamic reduction. Talk about a fantastic mix of fresh ingredients to make your taste-buds scream for more! And that was just the beginning! Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, our main dishes came. "Free form" lasagna made with black pepper pasta, an absolutely amazing seafood risotto, each dish was just fantastic. Unfortunately, we had to make room for dessert, but had already made plans so we couldn't try it here.
Me, Jackie and the rest of the family at "Asshole's Pastry" |
To continue in our touristy ways, we ended up going to the observatory at the Prudential building. I highly recommend this experience to any Boston visitor...or native, for that matter. It's a great way to see a totally different perspective of Boston (literally). The view from 50 stories up is really awesome. They also provide free headsets to give yourself a guided tour of the city skyline. This was definitely a side of Boston I've never seen before.
It's amazing when you think about how things change...whether over a period of a couple hours or a whole lifetime. Years ago I wouldn't have cared to go to an antique fair or to be a tourist in a city I know so well, but I've come to appreciate these things more as I've changed.
So I challenge everyone...go do something touristy, something you've overlooked or never thought to do before in your own "hometown"?
No comments:
Post a Comment