Hi everybody!

So excited to be sharing about my trip to Boston – I already want to go back. I haven’t been anywhere since my last trip to Michigan so it was nice discovering a new place again. I’ve heard over the years Boston has been compared to Chicago and I totally see it!

We mainly stayed in the North End so would love to explore the South End/Seaport more next trip, but found great highlights from this first go around. Stay tuned at the end for a map that shows where all we went and how you can plan a similar trip for yourself!

Where We Stayed

CitizenM Hotel

I cannot recommend our hotel more: chic, affordable, and in a great location too! We stayed at the CitizenM North Station: a newer hotel that just opened last year and is a millennial dream. It’s luxury without the scary price tag! Plus, they made us feel super safe during these COVID affected times with contactless check-in, mandatory masks whenever you are in a common area of the hotel, hand sanitizer stations by every elevator, and rerouting the elevator traffic so you don’t accidentally bump into someone on your way in or out. The staff was also very friendly, the kitchen/bar was open late, there is an indoor/outdoor rooftop, and the rooms were, though a little on the smaller side, so high tech and high quality with different features you can control by an in-room iPad. The company doesn’t have a ton of US locations (yet) but definitely will make sure to check if one is available next time I travel!

Where We Ate

Citrus & Salt

This spot is so Instagrammable – almost reminded me of The Hampton Social but more tropical. We also loved everything we got too: agave glazed biscuits with hibiscus honey butter & poblano pepperjack spread, lightly fried rock shrimp with hot honey, and summer squash empanadas with garlic aioli. The best part was definitely the adorable soft serve mimosas though – and we didn’t even go during brunch so you can get these at all hours! Pro tip: the bathroom is a great spot for a cute mirror selfie!

Regina Pizza

We saw lots of locals coming here so knew it was not to be missed! The vibe was so laid back and homey and run very efficiently. It reminded me of the SNL sketch and Chicago favorite that inspired it: The Billy Goat Tavern. As soon as you approach the front it goes quick – takeout or picking up? Slice or full pizza? What toppings? So have your order ready to go before walking up. We got cheese slices and they were delicious – similar to a NY slice!

Tradesman

This Steampunk themed coffee shop was the perfect stop for a quick breakfast before we headed over to Martha’s Vineyard. We initially came for their Insta-friendly croissants (think red velvet and birthday cake) but since they just reopened after quarantine they didn’t have them in stock yet. However, we had their cheddar chive biscuit sandwiches instead and were just as satisfied.

The Bell in Hand

After walking by the oldest bar in the US, of course we had to stop in just to say we’d been! We got the namesake beer from Samuel Adams, which is local to Boston.

Frenchie

One of my favorite brunch styles is French bistro with some champagne and Frenchie fit that mold perfectly! We sat on their patio but their inside is supposed to be really cute too. Katie’s sister was so generous to send us a bottle for our birthdays so we paired that with Croque Madames aka a fancy ham and cheese sandwich with mornay sauce and an egg on top with frites + garlic aioli (ahhh). I got mine with mushrooms instead of ham which I’ve never had before and it was so yummy! It’s also a great spot to dog watch. Yep, dogs not people as every few minutes we saw different breeds of dogs walking by and it was quite the furry friend social scene.

Tatte Bakery

Another local secret! We had never heard of Tatte Bakery before but after walking by it and seeing how cute it was we looked it up and knew we had to try it. I had the chocolate mousse cake and it was nice and rich! Perfect spot to pop into and eat as you go or stop in the park to enjoy.

Vinoteca di Monica

After walking through and taking in Little Italy we knew we had to try a spot. We went with Vinoteca di Monica and I had lobster ravioli – so good!! Plus we sat outside and the ambiance coupled with the great food was the cherry on top.

Mike’s Pastry

As soon as you walk up, you can tell this is as much a local favorite as it is a tourist favorite. Every time we walked by it (multiple times a day) there was always a line and we finally got our hands on some of their famous cannoli the final night! Katie got the Nutella cannolo whereas I got the pistachio cannolo (FYI in Italian, cannolo = one cannoli, multiple = cannoli). They were delicious so definitely lived up to the hype, plus they were much larger than normal cannoli!

Activities To Do

Bottomless Tea at Abigail’s Tea Room

You can also tour the boats that the Boston Tea Party occurred on but it had just started raining a bit when we got there so seeing them from the window was enough for us. Plus, you also get a souvenir mug too when you do bottomless tea!

Go to a Bar on Union Street

There’s so much history here and a great place to watch a sports game too. We went to Bell in Hand on this strip of taverns but definitely wanted to go to more like Union Oyster House, another well known spot here!

Visit the Seaport

We, unfortunately, didn’t catch this part of Boston until the very end so we didn’t see much of it. However, of what we did see, we will be sure to catch it on our next trip – this is where you go for a great lobster roll as well as a good brew as there are multiple breweries in this area as well. We went to Harpoon, a popular local spot.

Walking through Beacon Hill + Little Italy + Boston Public Garden

Beacon Hill is the most picturesque little area in town (or so we think at least). When looking for the typical New England preppy vibe, you’ll find it in Beacon Hill. For my fellow influencers, make sure to take a pic on Acorn Street – its actually been voted one of the most Instagrammable streets in the US for multiple years in a row. However, since people live here, still be mindful when taking photos here! As for Little Italy, there are patios everywhere and with the winding streets and alleys you’ll think you just got transported to Europe. So dreamy! I wish we had an area like this in Chicago. As for the Boston Public Garden, if you’ve ever visited Central Park in New York it has a similar vibe to it and can easily make you say ahhh as you admire it on your walk through.

I also attached a map for easy access to recreate the trip – let me know how it goes if you do!

Have you ever been to Boston? If so, where should we go next visit? Comment below!

See you in the next post!