This past weekend, one of my best friends came to visit from Philly. She’s a born and raised Florida girl, though, so I wanted to show her a cliché New England weekend! She’d visited me once before, but it rained almost the entire time – just our luck! This time, though, the weather was absolutely perfect.
On Friday, Sarah, my parents and I went straight from the airport to the North End. The Fisherman’s Feast was taking place that night, so we expected a parking nightmare. We beat the rush and got a great spot! We walked around the area for a while, and my parents discovered just how sheltered I’d been! When we go to the North End we usually park, eat, and head out. I hadn’t walked down the length of Hanover towards the water.
I kept squealing over the amazing apartments with balconies overlooking the water and rooftop terraces covered in greenery. I pointed out to my parents how close I would be to the yoga studios, restaurants, and salons we passed. I even planned my imaginary nights out – I would carry flats with me because I would probably (definitely) break an ankle in my heels on those cobblestones. My parents were quick to point out that It’s hard to have expensive apartment taste when you don’t have a full time job. Oops!
My dad narrated our mini-tour with historical facts about Boston. We stopped by the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house, and a heartwrenching memorial to the U.S. soldiers that have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Obviously we had to stop for a drink before our dinner reservations, so we went to the rooftop bar at Ristorante Fiore. Who doesn’t love a cute rooftop bar on a summer evening? (I’m the sucker that’s fine with paying for an overpriced drink as long as I’m on the roof. Logic.)
By the time we finished dinner, the Fisherman’s Feast was revving up. I had never been to a feast in the North End before, so it was cool to see all of the carts selling homemade Italian food, slushy drinks, and bargain jewelry. It was such a fun atmosphere. I’d love to go back and make a meal out of going to the various stands.
I used Sarah as an excuse to be a tourist and stop at Mike’s Pastry. We split an Oreo cannoli and I have to say I will probably never go back to a plain cannoli! Yum.
On Saturday, Sarah and I went to Kennebunk, Maine for the day. We spent a couple of hours at the beach and then went into town for some eating and shopping – my two favorite things. Anything but a lobster roll was out of the question for lunch, but we felt like going to a sit-down restaurant. We ended up at David’s at the Boathouse because it had outdoor dining with a picturesque view of the water. I’m sad to say the lobster roll was underwhelming, but the ambience made up for it. 
The shops were right up my alley, so of course I purchased a new beach coverup that I really don’t need. “Need” is such a subjective word though, isn’t it?
We finished up with a few heaping scoops of ice cream at a little stand that I can’t remember the name of. I think basic ice cream flavors like chocolate and vanilla are such an insult to dessert, so I got S’mores and some caramel/fudge concoction.
On Sunday, we went into Boston and wandered around. We visited the new Boston Public Market which I fell in love with. Apple cider donuts, fresh green juices, a wine and cheese stand… I could go on and on. Stupidly, we had already eaten breakfast and gotten coffee before we hit the market, so I didn’t get to taste anything. Yet.
We went through the Boston Common and made our way to Beacon Hill, where we swooned over every single vine-covered home. I better change my field to investment banking or something, because I don’t think I can settle for anything less than Beacon Hill now. I’ve obviously been to the neighborhood before, but this time we went through a bunch of side streets and took our sweet time admiring all of the pristine details. Then I googled the home from Chasing Life, the show I tried to get you all to watch. Turns out it’s located on Acorn Street, which a quick Instagram search led me to realize is probably one of the most photographed streets in America. It is perfection. I fangirled really hard even though no one else seems to watch the show. I then cringed at my excitement over walking the same streets as a fictional ABC Family character when our forefathers walked these streets, too. Sorry, guys.
Brunch was obviously in order, so we made our way to Newbury Street and went to the Met Back Bay. We each had an amazing salad (kale for me, salmon for Sarah). Oh, you think that’s all I got? Ha! I basically forced Sarah to split the Cap’n Crunch French Toast with me. Oh. My. Goodness. Sugary heaven. Totally not diabetic friendly – sue me. We continued our YOLO mindset by cheers-ing with some blood orange mimosas. Yum. 
As you probably predicted, I ended up making a purchase I shouldn’t have while on Newbury. Come on, you don’t bring a kid to a candy store and expect them to want vegetables instead. I bought an amazing pair of red suede platform heels at the LF sale. Red suede heels probably aren’t the most practical purchase, but then my friend sent me a picture of Bobbi Brown wearing them so my guilt quickly subsided.
Now that I’ve written a novel about my weekend and the few of you that have read this far are ready to kill me, I’ll give it up. Thanks for reading! I hope I’ve inspired you to live it up New England style this weekend. 😉
