Boston Bound!

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the architecture and history of “The City by the Bay” is one I hold near and dear to my heart. There are such beautiful Victorian neighborhoods and gorgeous waterways, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge. But I found my East Coast “City by the Bay”, and that is Boston. I first visited in 2016, and was so amazed how beautiful the city is! I really had no idea I would fall in love with this city, and now it is a destination to return to as often as I can! The history, architecture, shopping, culture, food! This city has it all! I’ve been twice, once in the summer and again during the fall. I had to see the New England foliage for myself! But that’s for another post.

I homeschooled my two children, and we studied a lot about the Revolutionary War, the 13 Colonies, the history of Boston, and the Founding Fathers, their roles in the formation of our constitution and our country. So I may be a little bit of a history nerd, and President John Adams, is absolutely one of my favorite historical heroes! From the Freedom Trail, to the Museums, Graveyards, Colleges, Churches, and Monuments, this place is a history buffs dream!

I am highlighting a few of my favorite places, and will add more post about Boston again soon, there is just too much to mention in one blog post about this amazing place!

Enjoy, and if you get a chance to go to Boston, I promise; you won’t be disappointed!

Let's start at the North End & Little Italy

Like most Americans my ancestry is from many nations, however my maiden name is Reano, which is a sur name from Italy. My Great Grandfather’s (Dominic Reano) voyage to America has been traced back to Ellis Island, where he came over with his mother (Clara Maria Brogliatti – Reano) and younger brother (Pietro Reano) on October 23rd, 1893. Where they joined my Great Great Grandfather (Giacomo Felippi Reano) who had come over 4 years earlier, found work as a coal miner and settled in Huntington, Arkansas before sending for his young family.

So when I travel I love to explore the “Little Italy” neighborhoods of any city I am in, and take in the taste, smells, and culture of my heritage. I have been in the Little Italy neighborhoods in NYC, San Francisco, and Boston, and by far my experience in Boston was my favorite. To be fair, I didn’t have as much time in NYC, and had a delicious & authentic meal there, but it seemed a little touristy to me, and San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood has some wonderful shops and restaurants, but it is a much smaller neighborhood than you might think for such a large city. However, Boston’s Little Italy neighborhood has such an old world charm; the people and cobblestone streets, the shops, bakeries, restaurants, churches, architecture, and history were amazing! The first time I visited there, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Tomato festival, so that may have something to do with my first impression of Boston’s Little Italy. It really felt like I was on the movie set of a new Soprano’s episode. The sights, the accents, the cars, smells, and even the clothing was so much fun to sit back and take in, imagining myself as a new resident of the neighborhood, and fitting right in. I absolutely love this area of Boston, and you will too! If you visit make sure to take a full day and really explore this area, and talk to the locals.

“History in a Minute” videos are a great, quick summary of some of the places I am highlighting in this blog post. I do not own or profit from these videos, they are just a great resource.

Built in 1723, Christ Church of Boston, also known as, Old North Church, is where Paul Revere lit the lanterns to signal that the British were coming (although he never rode through town yelling that phrase). You can tour the church and take yourself back in time and picture in your mind what it must have been like all those years ago. Click on the pictures below for a glimpse. It is definitely worth the time and effort to visit. They also have a lovely gift shop where I always like to pick up a new Christmas ornament, cookbook, or postcards. The location is 193 Salem St. Boston. You can also visit their historic website at https://www.oldnorth.com/

There is so much history in just this small area of Boston. Walking the narrow cobblestone streets of one of the oldest neighborhoods in America (Est 1630) really gives you an appreciation for the people who came before us, and what they built. The sacrifices they made, and courage they had to form a more perfect union. If you can explore the area before the tourists rush, take the time to take it all in and reflect on the rich history. It will be a place you’ll want to return to time and again.

Where to eat in Little Italy

There are almost 100 restaurants in the Little Italy area of Boston, and the neighborhood comes alive around dinner time! It can be somewhat of a ghost town early in the day, and then starting around 5pm, the Ubers & Taxi’s start rolling in, the parking spots fill up fast, with hungry patrons all looking for the best Italian restaurant in town. If you close your eyes, the smells that fill the streets at dinner time can transports you across the Atlantic to that boot shaped country of my heritage. Italy!

I have been called a bit of a food snob from time to time, but I can honestly say Boston’s little Italy stands out! Don’t get me wrong, I have had wonderful meals in NYC & SF, but for me; Boston is where it’s “at” for authentic, flavorful, amazing Italian food! That has never disappointed!

Make your reservations early! And leave room for desert! Because Mike’s Pastry is open late! They also ship pastries across the US, so you can share with your family back home.

Here are my top 3 spots not to miss:

Domenic’s
54 Salem St
Mike’s Pastry
300 Hanover St
Polcari’s Coffee
105 Salem St

Domenic’s was AMAZING! The food was authentic! The portions are HUGE! They served our entrees in skillets as pictured. They gave us delicious homemade garlic yeast rolls and olive oil, these rolls are so good! The service was friendly and the restaurant was roomy and lively. I can’t wait to go back!

https://domenicsboston.com/

https://www.mikespastry.com/

https://polcariscoffee.com/

We stumbled upon this coffee roaster and what a step back in time we took! They roast their own beans and have a unique variety of flavors to try! The also have a huge assortment of dried herbs and spices, and sell a wide selection of Italian groceries to make the perfect meal at home. I LOVE this shop! Did I mention they are friendly and very helpful!

BACK BAY! ALL DAY! You're gonna LOVE this neighborhood!

The Back Bay neighborhood is one of the most affluent, beautiful neighborhoods in all of Boston. This is the area of town to come and adore gorgeous Victorian Brownstones, tree lined streets, lush & peaceful parks, glorious shopping, dining, culture, boutique hotels, and history. This neighborhood has it all! It is a protected historic district, and you can see why the residents would want to preserve a place so beautiful.

Shop til you drop! Then shop some more...

If you love to shop, this is the area for you! From Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Saks 5th Avenue, to fabulous and unique boutique stores, The Gap & even T.J. Maxx! This neighborhood is for serious shoppers and a wonderful place to find a one of a kind treasure. You can literally spend a week shopping here! Up and down Newbury Street you will find boutique, high end, and even discount stores nestled in basements and ground floor spaces of the most beautiful mid 19th century buildings you could imagine. It is a very unique shopping experience!

On the next street over, (Boylston Street) there is a more modern shopping mall at the Prudential Center and Copley Square, there you will find upscale shopping and dining. From the top of the Prudential Building you’ll discover a breathtaking view of the city and beautiful Boston Harbor. The entire neighborhood is a mixed use neighborhood, with apartments, schools, hotels, churches, the Boston Public Library, shopping, restaurants, salons, small eateries and upscale dining.

When I’ve visited Boston, I’ve stayed at the Newbury Guest House, it is right in the middle of everything, close to public transit or a short Uber ride away from any other attractions around town.

Boston Public Library! This grandiose show-stopping public space is not to be missed!

My first visit to Boston started out as a trip for my daughter, she had just finished high school and wanted to check out The Berklee School of Music, where she had been accepted as a potential new student. Boston is 3000 miles from our home, and other than history lessons we learned about during our Homeschooling days, I knew little about the city itself. So we set off to explore this new city and see some of the historic places we learned about over the years. I asked locals for suggestions of places to see and everyone kept telling me to check out the Public Library, even Tripadvisor, Yelp, and my travel books mentioned checking out the library. So on our last day in Boston, the skies turned dark, the wind started howling, and it started raining very heavily! So we decided to walk around the corner from our hotel and visit the library and to see what all the fuss was about. Oh Boy! We’re we SUPRISED! What was supposed to be about an hour tour and respite from the storm, turned out to be a 5 hour long exploration of the most beautiful library I have ever seen in my life! Every hallway, elevator ride, corridor, winding us into a maze of one amazing room after another! From Marble walls, floors, stairs, and statues, to grand murals painted on every wall and ceiling. Not to mentions the beautiful wood carvings, moldings, bookcases, oh and stained glass, mosaic tiles, bronze statues. It was one magnificent sight after another!

Below are some of my favorite pics from our time there. In 2019 I returned to Boston with my best friend to visit my daughter who was now attending school there. I took my friend to the library and she was in awe of it as well! I kept telling her we had to visit the library, and she didn’t seem too thrilled to go, but her reaction to it was like mine! Amazed! If you find yourself in Boston, please do yourself a favor and take some time to go explore this historic, national treasure! This is the first Public Library ever built in the United States, housing over 22 million items! It truly is a special place! I hope you will visit it when you go to Boston! You will not be disappointed! I promise!

Youtube is an excellent resource for exploring places! There are many 360 tours of BPL to watch! Click above to watch another “Boston History in a Minute” video about the Boston Public Library

While exploring down hallways, corridors, random elevators and stairwells, one leading to something equally extraordinary as the last. We found ourselves in a part of the library that seemed somehow off limits, uninviting, drab, old, and musty with industrial fans cranked on high blowing air to keep the moisture levels from destroying the antique books and library catalog cards. At the end of this maze we stumbled upon a a room that was framed in glass walls, the door was locked, but beyond the door was a small desk inside yet another room behind glass. At the desk sat a woman whom we made eye contact with, she clearly wasn’t expecting anyone, I waved to her and to my surprise she got up and answered my wave with a friendly smile and an eagerness to share. We asked what collection of books this was behind lock, key and glass? She replied, “This is the John Adams collection of rare books” she explained you need an appointment to enter the room, and the books can not be handled, but you can access it online as they are all digitally archived. Without much persuading, she allowed us in to take a look. It felt as though we were in on a big secret! A rare sight of invaluable historical artifacts. She explained that there were over 3,000 books in his collection dating back to the 1600 & 1700’s. The books filled two stories of this room with the second story accessed by a small stairway and catwalk above. The collections was behind glass and was temperature and humidity controlled. She told us that there are complete hand written books that John Adams authored himself! That was amazing to us! Imagine writing entire books by your own hand with quill and ink, having it bound and preserved for hundreds of years! Wow! Did I mention John Adams is my historical hero! The subject matter of this collection was varied to many of John Adams’ interests, from Religion, politics, philosophy, even travel. I couldn’t tell you how we found this room, or even what floor we were on, but it definitely was tucked away as not to be accessed easily by the general public. Maybe it was pure luck, but this drab little musty area of the library was the most exhilarating! Despite not being gilded in gold or marble like the rest of the library. lol.

You can explore this collection by following this link https://www.bpl.org/archival_post/adams-john-1735-1826-library/