We recently headed back to Boston for the second time in seven months. Both visits were for Annie’s job. I have been fortunate to be able to tag along due to the fact that I typically just need a laptop to do my work.
We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in downtown Boston again on this trip because our good friend, Sean, works there and takes damn good care of us. Before I get any further into the trip I want to get the two negatives out of the way and get back to focusing on the positives. The day before our flight to Boston I reinjured my back. The pain got worse by the day but I powered through and since arriving back home my chiropractor has fixed me up…as much as I am fixable that is.
The second thing that happened was that Annie either got food poisoning or caught a 12 to 24 hour bug our second day there. Good times, right? It’s one of those things. You either have the little hiccups in travel (which are inevitable) be the focus or you power through and get back to the fun of travel. So that’s what we did.
Here are the restaurants and bars we (we meaning Annie, our friend Sean, another friend Jeff, and myself) went to:
Al’s Café: Awesome sandwiches…I mean, really good! Subway style but so much better.
Abby Lane: A restaurant and bar but on this trip we only had drinks there. On our first Boston trip we had an appetizer and it was good.
Barking Crab: Annie was craving seafood and this place had good reviews. We had lobster, crab, oysters, clams, crab cakes, and haddock. I thought it was all good except for the clams, they were dry and tough. Originally we think Annie got food poisoning from this joint but after further review it doesn’t make sense because nobody else got sick.
The Q Restaurant: This place was crazy good. We did the hot pot thing and it was insane. Great flavors. I would go back here anytime. Cool vibe too.
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café: Based on a recommendation I ordered the #4, Hand Pulled Noodle. For $6.00 you get this generous portion of handmade noodles with amazing seasoning, a bit spicy but really good.
Whiskey Priest Pub: We only stopped in for a drink but it had a cool vibe…fun spot to hang out.
The Merchant: Annie ordered the Housemade Gnocchi ($11), Sean ordered the Housemade Rigatoni ($13), and I had the All Natural Burger ($15). We also ordered a beet salad special with goat cheese. The food was fantastic and again, cool vibe.
Intermission Tavern: They have food and drinks but on this visit we only went in for drinks. Just a cool hole-in-the-wall kind of joint. Cool bartenders.
Shabu Zen: We decided to go here to compare their hot pot to the restaurant I mentioned above, The Q. This place was definitely good but I liked The Q better. The food to me was better and the vibe was way fresher. Overall though, good food and good customer service.
Sip Wine Bar & Kitchen: We went here a couple of times. Great bar, cool people, and all the food we saw looked great but for some reason we never ate there. Too full from the other restaurants I guess.
Cheers: There are two locations. The one we went to is the one that they filmed the outside of for the TV show. Touristy but had to go to say we did it. Cool joint.
Beantown Pub: Sean and I stopped in for a couple of drinks after we went to Al’s Café for those sandwiches. Pure Boston pub feel…I dig that. Just a cool spot to come in out of the cold weather.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel: The hotel is great. Cool location close to Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, and so much more. While Annie was at work I would often grab lunch or a snack from the restaurant downstairs. On our two stays here I haven’t had any bad food out of the restaurant. Solid choices. The staff in the hotel is awesome, very attentive and helpful.
So there you have it. I really do love Boston. You can feel the history when you walk the streets. The buildings, the brick and cobble streets, the old cemeteries, the Boston Common (beautiful large open green space), and the Boston Garden (not as beautiful in January as it was in June but great place to walk through or sit and reflect) are all amazing.
It’s great having our friend Sean there. He’s able to take us to the cool spots as well as less touristy spots to really get into the local culture. I think it would take several more visits to truly see it all.
We shall see where our next adventure takes us!
P.S. Thanks to Megan and Brock for taking care of Sammy while we were gone and thank you to Sean for taking care of us in Boston.
Cool, but a trip to Boston has to include the major tourist restaurant just to say you were there. I speak of Legal Seafood. The original. Not what it was 40-50 years ago, but still an institution. Must get a bucket of steamers and an order of scrod. Sorry about Annie. Almost nothing worse than an intestinal problem on the road.
You’re welcome!
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