Family Trip: New England

Nic here, again with more travel fun. I took a trip earlier this month for some much needed quality time with my family. We decided to spend the weekend in the New England area, if you’ve never been before start looking now! 

Based on its name alone, I’m sure you can tell that New England is FULL of rich history dating back from the time of colonization and independence. Besides history buffs, it truly seems like there is something for everyone in this area of the U.S.:

• National parks, scenic landscapes, and lakes for the outdoorsy types
• Home to lobster rolls, maple syrup, and Ben & Jerry’s for the foodie types
• An impressive list of ivy league school and museums for the nerdy type
• Downtown strips and endless breweries for the party type

It’s really hard to not have fun in the northeast really. While I was only there for 3 days, we certainly made the most of it!

Round trip flights were looking pretty pricey, despite the many options of airports in that area. I ended up flying in and out of the Boston Logan International Airport for convenience and costs. I was pretty pumped to fly this time around, as I was recently approved for TSA Pre-Check so this was my first time using it. It took me exactly 6 minutes to go from the airport entrance doors through security and on my way to my boarding gate. I cannot absolutely say that the $80 spent for the 5-year enrollment was well worth the investment.

After a rather short 3-hour flight I was back in the north, ready to see my family. They pulled up, picked me up and we were off on our way to Portland. It was about a 2.5 hour drive that we drove through the night after a 7-11 Slurpee run (the South is seriously missing out on this one y’all). We hardly got a wink of sleep before we were off to explore the city.

Portland, Maine:

The day started as every day should, with an iced latte from a local coffee shop. Only a block away from our hotel we walked over to Arabica Coffee for some wake up coffee and pastries. I opted for an iced wildflower latte and a raspberry-chocolate chunk muffin.

In case you didn’t know Maine is often referred to as “The Lighthouse State,” with over 50 lighthouses along their vast coastline. We took well advantage of that seeing 3 of their most notorious lighthouses:

     Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse

With a 54’ base this lighthouse has a rocky base that allows visitors to walk over and around, as well as daily $5 tours. They have a great view of Fort Gorges, a former U.S. military base.

   

     Portland Head Lighthouse

With an impressive 80’ base this historic lighthouse is Maine’s first lighthouse, stationed in Fort Williams Park. There is an impressive waterfront and greenspace, great for lounging around and having a picnic, or playing around on the waterfront. There’s a great walkway with picturesque views, historic signs, a gift shop, and picnic benches.

   

     Bug Lighthouse

Lastly, a smaller 30’ base is the perfect place to spend outdoors as the sun is setting. With those perfect colorful hues hitting the water, many people camp out with chairs to watch the view as families spend time playing on the large green space with footballs and kites.

Each one was magnificent and beautiful in their own way. All serving as a navigational aid for seamen, but also as a beautiful landmark for people to view and tour.
In between lighthouses are tummies were rumbling, and what better way to kick off Maine then with that fresh coastline seafood. After a bit of debate we settled on Becky’s Diner. We decided to split some dishes as the serving sizes were MORE than plenty. My favorite two dishes were of course the clam chowder and a cold (with mayo, not butter) lobster roll. We finished every bite of food on our plates, proving the reviews to be true. Living in the landlocked state of Tennessee makes me appreciate these freshly caught, seafood-filled moments even more.

   

With most of the day was filled with Maine’s two delicacies, lighthouses & lobster rolls--we spent the remainder of the day shopping and browsing through Downtown Portland. The streets were filled with restaurants, shops, and street vendors too. We spent hours walking the streets, walking in and out of art galleries, coffee shops, and boutiques. I was drawn to the street artists that sold their local inspired prints & cards and sea glass jewelry. I couldn’t help but purchase this fun glittery seascape print to add to my collection!

Portsmouth, New Hampshire:

We loaded back into the minivan, and hit the road back to Boston. We decided to break up the lengthy drive with an hour drive down to New Hampshire. We attempted to see the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, but as its on Fort Constitution’s base it closed early in the evening--we could only catch a faraway glimpse of it. Instead we enjoyed some PB&J’s as we saw the sun set along the coast. It was stunning even without the lighthouses. After all this traveling there was only one place we could think of to top the night off, and that was with a brewery.

  

The New England area is COVERED with breweries at almost every corner. We had a hard time narrowing it down, but ended up at Earth Eagles Brewings. It was small and homey, and had a great menu of beer selections and food. There’s small seating inside, and a dimly lit balcony that you can place an order at. The plum gose was my favorite!

 

Boston, Massachusetts:

The last full day was filled back in Boston! Of all the cities, I could definitely see myself living here. It had the history, the culture, the food, the nightlife, the greenery--this city has it all.

We started the day off a bit later than usual, but we needed the extra shut eye. We made the most of our day and were out and about for almost the entire day. Parking in Boston is expensiveeeee, so you have to take advantage of how walkable the city is.

The SOWA Open Market was our first stop. It was a fantastic market, filled with local vendors, an indoor art gallery, and plenty of food trucks (one of which was just BACON on a stick). We walked around for about an hour and I walked home with an amazing purchase!!

It’s one of many travel journals that I own, but it’s called the Atlas Travel Journal by Tribute Products. It was a beautiful leather bound journal that came with an inspirational quote wrapped atop, a small jar for collecting small pieces of your travels, and a travel size color-in map to mark the places. The best part of this item, is that you get to choose a foreign coin to mark your next travel--also you get your first drink on them after posting a picture and tagging them while on your travels to the country of the currency you pick. I am absolutely in love with it and can’t wait to keep filling it up!

 

After some shopping, the boys started complaining so naturally we dragged them to a garden next! The Public Garden is the first public botanical garden in America, it was a stunning centerpiece to Boston’s downtown fit with sculptures, street artists, food trucks, and a giant pond. You can even pay $3-$5 to ride on the historic Swan Boats that take you across the water!

   

After a long morning of being outdoors it was finally time for a nice meal. We walked over to Chinatown in hopes of finding an authentic meal--and Boston’s Chinatown did NOT disappoint! We ate at the most beautiful little restaurant, China Pearl that was serving their table side lunch cart Dim Sum. We had our fill of shrimp dumplings, pork buns, steamed veggies, and rice!

 

While in the ever-so historic Boston, we had to check out a piece of its history. USS Constitution, free museum, world’s oldest vessel still afloat, used during the War of 1812, undefeated and still alive in all of its glory. It is staffed by an active navy crew, as they give you a tour of their astounding ship.

 

Of course we had to stop by Harvard University, the oldest university in America, and one of the most prestigious Ivy schools around. The campus was absolutely stunning, as we explored the Commons and the chapel, we also stumbled upon the infamous Pooh’s House! Cambridge is just mere minutes away from Boston, so we couldn’t help but stop by.

   

On our way back into the city we found Modica Way, an alley full of vibrant and expressive graffiti below a stained glass window canopy. It was amazing to walk through, it was an artistic way of understanding how the city perceived what is going on in the world around them. When we walked through the walls were covered in pieces dedicated to the Hong Kong police tactics and protests. 

    

After a quick stop at our hotel to freshen up we headed to Downtown Boston. We were hoping to land at a waterfront brewery to enjoy one last meal together on our last night. We found the Trillum Beer Garden, not quite on waterfront but had a wide beer selection and rooftop seating, we only stayed for a few drinks and decided we would head to Little Italy for dinner instead!

Little Italy was packed tight. No parking, Hundreds of people milling around. Complete chaos. And still completely amazing. Stepping into Little Italy feels like you are transported to a small village in Italy. The streets are narrow, and everyone is rushing around. The food is to dieeeee for. Long lines everywhere, and well worth the wait. We chose to dine at Giacomo’s, a bedroom sized dining room, that was cash only, and a menu written on the wall. From seafood linguine to lobster ravioli we ate our body weights in pasta that night.

   

And what’s a meal in Little Italy without the dessert? We got to Mike’s Pastry just in time before closing to snag a few cannolis & cookies to share.

   

My trip ended like all of my other family trips, way too quick, and with a few tears. I love my family, and cherish every time I get to see them, even the crazy quick filled weekend adventures. Back to Nashville I went, and counting down the days till Thanksgiving when I get to see them once again. Wait and see what we'll do next!