It seems that I could make another excuse for why I was gone so long. Following that, I'd promise to stay loyal to the blog. Again. But I've realized that the reason why it has been so long since I last posted is because I didn't really have anything to keep me accountable. Ya know?
Since my last post, however, I think I've found a number of things to keep me accountable. First and foremost is a change in attitude and the commitment to developing this space as a venue for the professional, creative, social, productive and downright playful facets of my life to take shape and cultivate.
I went to Boston at the beginning of this year, hoping to take a large step in my career. I was to work on a project which would not only pay well and provide a wealth of experience, but which could very well have set me on the fast track to the kinds of projects that people straight out of college hope for.
That project fell through. With its demise came a wealth of knowledge to protect my career in the future, some amazing contacts in the industry, wonderful new friends on an East Coast which had until now remained a mystery in my wholly Western-raised mind, and a wonderful experience in a brand new city!
I ate great food and drank great wine and beer. I connected with a city whose history is far richer and deeper than any other place I've been, aside from my brief trip to Europe in high school. For someone with an almost absurd love of history, and specifically, American history, this opportunity to explore sites and stories about our country's founding was an opportunity I'm glad to have had. Cruising the streets seemed more like a trip to Disneyland at first, mostly because the architecture seemed to be in caricature. What was so fascinating was that this place had existed so long ago, still exists, and continues to evolve with a connection to its rich past, while maintaining a vibrant modern existence.
Growing up in Colorado and living in Los Angeles, my perception of the East Coast has always been a fuzzy impression made by acquaintances from the region. Aside from friends, New England existed in my middle school text book as a product of the 16 and 1700's and the brief trips to New York I've experienced over the years.
The rich brick of Beacon Hill, the Boston Common and the central burial ground (not a "cemetery") host the homes, promenades and graves of individuals who founded our country, fought our Revolution, and experienced the presidency of my personal favorite, Thomas Jefferson. On one of my first days in the city, I grabbed a chai latte and wandered in front of the Statehouse (what a beautiful gold dome, reminiscent of Colorado's) and weaved my way through the graves of this tiny piece of Revolutionary America.
A lunch at Petite Robert Bistro produced a moderately entertaining croque monsieur and good conversation with a new friend. Wandering through what is the "gayborhood," I discovered another wonderful part of the city. Unlike LA, where West Hollywood is the concentrated center of gay life, or San Francisco's Castro, the city of Boston hosts the gays everywhere. A sophisticated, less showy and more subtle gay presence was not a bad thing, rather proof that Boston is a wonderfully gay city and doesn't need to flash, superficiality and glitz that LA uses to advertise its own specific gayborhood. Two words: quaint and sophisticated.
The North End, with streets so narrow and pitched it's a wonder the city has been able to host the car, a rich Italian presence gave way to the Old North Church where Paul Revere was signaled as to the British method of advance on the city. His home, also a relic to be enjoyed, had me wishing I was born into the earliest generation of our nation.
My two weeks in the city and out--a day trip to the North Shore was a wonderful, sunny experience--gave me a fresh perspective on myself and my career. The inspiration that I draw from for my own creative enterprises has been broadened. And it just takes a trip outside one's ordinary.
Great food, wonderful people, decent weather. Ok, the rain was too much, but it reminded me of home and not the monotony of Los Angeles sunshine. So yes, great food, wonderful people, great wine, decent weather and new experiences. Thank you Boston!
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If this post doesn't make up for some of my absence, then nothing will. Boston was a blast, I can't wait to return, and the mindset/experience it gave me gives me more to be committed to as I venture forth in this thing called vie.
Yeah, I gotcha w that one. "Vie" you say. Yes, vie.
Now for some of my favorites. The list below is mostly for me to remember when I visit Boston next, but be sure enjoy it as well...
HIGHLIGHTS
{roughly ordered FOOD, then DRINKS, then OTHER}
{roughly ordered FOOD, then DRINKS, then OTHER}
Toro | can anyone say wonderful tapas and $5 grenache? the tuna belly was amazing (unlike the only unfortunate thing about T.W. Food--the tuna) and the packed house was full of energy
T.W. Food | they took our jackets at the door. they took our jackets at the door. find me one place in LA that does that. (and the genuine service, cozy, ten-table atmosphere, paired with simple, yet fantastic flavors and a bottle of good wine made this splurge a "schplürage." [see: http://gourmanderie.blogspot.com/2010/03/tw-food-review.html]
Espresso Royale Cafe | a wonderful college coffee and sandwich shop of the BU variety
Coppa | i had a wild boar ragu over fettucini. yes, you read that right. boar. and also made the awesome discovery that Red Sripe comes in cans?!?! yes, it does.
Border Cafe | i owe Carolyn for this treat - great margaritas, awesome Mexican food and good company
Grendel's Den | (my fave by far) tucked underground, a host of college kids, working types, and bartenders who know their beer (or at least the one guy did), a nice little jaunt
Torey Row | newer, attempting to be classy w the Cambridge crew. nice enough. ;-)
Charlie's | oh Charlie's, I still don't know how I feel about you...
Upstairs on the Square? Common? | Chris, help me out w this one. campy as hell, but wonderfully cozy w a fireplace and attentive team
Sam Adams Brewery | duh!
People's Republic | started one of our crawls, not a fantastic setup and rather deserted on Valentine's Day (:-), but worth a shot
Good Harbor Beach | my first touch of the Atlantic
the Liberty Hotel | where I stayed, the old city jail redone into a four-star hotel
South End Formaggio | wonderful, wonderful cheese and charcuterie - will be a return visit when I go back! [268 Shawmut Avenue]
Museum of Fine Arts | more John Singer Sargents than you can shake a stick at!
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery | the graves of Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa Alcott are all within ten paces of one another
Rockport and its little harbor | so damn adorable, see photo
Tuscanini's | the equivalent of 21 Choices here in LA, where flavors are original, unexpected and of the taste-bud-bursting variety
...and last, but not least
Diesel | hipster coffee shop where I'd love to sit with a book for a day. just to people watch.
1 comment:
You're right; it's Upstairs on the Square! And I feel like you probably should have mentioned Diesel, dude. But I'm glad you liked it here! It's hard to believe your visit lasted 2 weeks :o
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