This long weekend was just what I needed. I was feeling sort of stagnant and tired, and so it was wonderful to get away from home for a few days, see some friends, and have fun.
Friday
We left around 12:30 on Friday and made it to Jamaica Plain (JP) at about 4:30. Our friends, Pepe and Shannon, live right near the pond, and their neighborhood is really pretty. They’ve got a great 3 bedroom apartment with a screened in porch, and an awesome little poodle mix named Oliver. I’m kind of obsessed with him.
Oliver sleeping, looking like he’s dead
Ben and Pepe used to work together, so Pepe invited a bunch of their work buddies over for dinner and drinks. We had Filipino egg rolls, tacos, and cheese ice cream (weird, but good-it tasted like buttered popcorn). I also had this delicious grapefruit IPA from Abita brewing.
Saturday
A lobstah for Suz 😉
I had intended to get up on Saturday morning and take a few laps around Jamaica Pond, but I was wiped out, so I just slept in a bit. Pepe made us the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had–scallions, queso fresco and some other magical spices. Seriously delicious. Shannon had to go do wedding prep for her friend’s wedding, so Pepe, Ben and I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past. Holy crap, that movie was awesome! Possibly my favorite of the entire franchise.
After the movie, we took a stroll down by the pond, which was really nice. There were tons of people out–joggers, bikers, walkers, boaters… The weather was perfect, and I was really disappointed in myself for not having gone for a run in the morning. Oh well. We went to FoMu, a vegan-friendly ice cream place–everything is either coconut milk or nut based, so there’s no dairy. The coconut milk gives everything a slightly grainier texture, but the flavor is so amazing I hardly even noticed, and ice cream is one of my absolute favorite treats. I got Cake and Batter, a sweet cream ice cream with vanilla and chocolate cake batter mixed in–delish!
Then, it was time to take our leave and head to Watertown, where we spent the rest of the weekend with our friends, Nick and Nikki. I’ve known Nick since I was a freshman in high school, and he’s one of my closest friends. When we lived in Watertown, we saw each other pretty much every week, but we haven’t seen each other since before Ben and I moved back to Vermont in August, so it was great to see them.
We headed downtown to hit up Ben’s and my favorite Irish pub, Emmet’s. It’s on Beacon street near the Common, and most of the employees are actually Irish. The food is phenomenal, the service is great, and they always have great beers on tap. We got curry fries and buffalo chicken dip for appetizers, and then I got a blackened chicken caesar salad that was twice the size of my head. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat it all, but I tried. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, but it was just too good and we were too hungry! P.S., curry fries are AMAZEBALLS. I know, it seems weird to have curry at an Irish pub, but it’s actually a traditional dish. It’s a sort of curry gravy that you dunk the fries in. So, so tasty!
The rest of the night was spent lounging in our pjs, drinking beer (Yeungling is available in Boston now!), watching Game of Thrones, and snuggling with their cockapoo, Stormy. I love this little guy. He’s really more muppet than dog.
Sunday
We slept in, had homemade egg sandwiches for breakfast, and headed back downtown. The weather was gorgeous, and we spent most of the day wandering around. We spent an hour or so sunning ourselves on the Common, got delicious hoagies at a little hole-in-the-wall Italian joint (Primo’s) in Beacon Hill, and got Birthday Cake tea at David’s tea.
Frog Pond
Since we ate lunch so late, we had a little smorgasbord of snackies for dinner–grapes, apple slices, goat cheese, cheddar, and crackers. Not too heavy, but very satisfying. After some more Game of Thrones, we made a late-night run to Rancatore’s for some gourmet ice cream. I got one scoop of Irish Coffee Cookie Dough and one scoop of Salted Caramel–what a fantastic combination!
Monday
I woke up around 9, and everyone else was still sound asleep. I had a short debate with myself, but ultimately decided to get up and run. Nick and Nikki live right next to Victory Field, and there’s a track less than a quarter of a mile away, so I decided to do some sprint intervals. I ran over and did a warm-up lap, then sprinted 100 meters and did 300 meters of recovery running until I made it 3.2 miles (I think about 10 laps). I was glad I got up, because everyone was still asleep when I got back, so I didn’t miss anything and no one had to wait around for me.
We watched one more episode of Game of Thrones (oh my gosh, so addictive!), and then Ben and I hit the road around 1. We stopped in Concord, NH for food and gas, and we got some supermarket sushi and almonds. As an aside, I highly recommend stopping at grocery stores for travel food as opposed to fast food. It’s usually a cheaper and healthier alternative. You can get fruits and veggies, and many grocery stores have salad bars or prepared food areas (like sushi!). I got a brown rice spicy California roll and it was really yummy and filling, and only $5.50.
We got home around 5 and did NOTHING for the rest of the day. I made some pasta and roasted squash for dinner, and we went to bed early.
It was a whirlwind weekend, but we had a blast. While we’re incredibly happy that we decided to move back home to Vermont, we still love Boston and miss all of the friends we left behind.
How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend?
Ever been to Boston?
Darlin' Rae 