watch out for low flying pigs..

..because I cooked a meal. My friends will tell you, I have not always been very handy around the kitchen. Usually I'll just leave them to it and clean up after. But I think its about time I learned how to cook for myself, so I cooked some chicken breasts.

twas the day before the day before thanksgiving

I'm leaving Boston tomorrow, and, even though its only for five days, I thought I should take a moment to talk about what I'm thankful for in Boston.

Soulfire

Of course the first place I have to mention is the chicken joint. But Soulfire really is that good. The best fried chicken I've had so far in Boston. Its got a great Mo' Town feel inside and a massive TV if you're wanting to watch a game and eat delicious fried chicken, ribs, wings - the list goes on. There's tons of good side dishes and beer to go with the chicken as well; their mac and cheese tastes like how we do it back home! If I'm ever in the mood for some fried chicken tenders these cold Boston days this is the spot that comes to mind. And I always leave satisfied, and the good mood generally lasts for at least day or two. If you haven't been, I highly recommend. If you know of anywhere similar,  tell me.



Autumn at BU

There really is nothing better than fall in New England. And that includes BU - Bright, yellow leaves in front of the GSU, fall colors down Baystate and all throughout South Campus, the Farmers Market on thursdays, and all the trees in front of CAS changing color. Spring is always beautiful too, when all the trees flower, but theres something about walking out of the GSU to bright yellow, or walking down Comm Ave surrounded by oranges and reds that can't be beat. And the sweater-watching is on point.






Insomnia Cookies

This is the first location in Boston and literally around the corner from my house on Commonwealth Ave right by Boston University and our Sundays have never been the same. The very first weekend it opened, my roommate and I ordered Cookie-witches for delivery and they came in under 10 minutes - still hot. When you get a cookie-witch, you choose an ice cream flavor and two types of cookies for either side, but they give you the cookies and the ice cream separate so they done ruin each other. And the cookie is fresh out of the oven. So delicious.










Allston Sunsets

Yes that specific. There's something about the sun setting over the Harvard Ave T stop that gets me every time.

















...Boston Sunsets in General Really

I don't think I've ever been to a city with better sunsets than Boston. It never fails to impress me.














Guessing what color the Pru will be

I always get a kick out of guessing what color the'll light up the top of the Prudential at night. My favorite is the blue - or red, white and blue - and I love coming out of work to a brightly lit Prudential Tower. I can pretty much always see the Pru, and I've started really enjoying that lately. Hancock tower gets all the credit, but I'm team Pru.












My Neighborhood

Most of all, I love living in Brookline. I love all the restaurants, I love Tatte, the corner coffee shop, with all my heart, and I love the way it looked this fall. Not only is my apartment perfectly in between the C and B lines, making my life extremely easy, its also close to everything I could need - grocery, atm, cab stands, crepes, 711, my job and school just to start - making my life easier still! And really, what I love most, is that it actually feels like a neighborhood. I can walk 100 feet off of Comm Ave and feel miles away from the craziness that is Boston University campus. There are gardens, beautiful houses, people walking their dogs, parks - all set not two blocks back from one of the busiest streets in Boston. But somehow it manages to have a completely different atmosphere than its neighbor. Brookline is quiet, peaceful, and pleasant. I could wander those streets for days, especially in autumn.




Hope everyone has safe travels this holiday!

...but if you have a car...

...there are a couple more places I highly recommend going that are closer to Boston. (Distances are mapped from "Boston, MA"). Because sometimes we don't feel like waking up super early or driving super far but still want to get out into nature a bit.

Walden Pond / 32 minutes / I-90 W, I-95 N

I did an extensive post on Walden as my very first post on this blog, so for more detail on this lovely getaway check that out. But for now, Walden is a great place to go for a stroll through the woods and some fresh, fresh air. Walden is a great place to go in the fall especially, but any time is a good time to explore Thoreau's old haunt. There is an easy loop around the pond, and there are often people swimming in the water! It was a bit chilly when I went, but once the weather warms up I would love to try that out myself. Maybe in the spring!

Noanet Woodlands / 33 minutes / I-90 W, I-95 S

The hike to Noanet Peak is a great one. It's not too steep, not too rocky, and ends at a really spectacular view - you can just barely make out Boston from the Summit. This is another great place for a casual day hike - make your way up to the summit (not a strenuous hike at all), bring sandwiches - or, dare I say it, a beer! - and supplies to the top and have a picnic! The fun thing about Noanet, too, is that there is an Old Mill that has been preserved. The trail maps clearly mark how to find it, and its definitely worth the walk over. Noanet is also another one of those places I think could be perfect for any season; when we went it was beautiful, and the trees were still bare with a blanket of leaves on the ground.  Once the flowers come up and everything is green I bet it looks spectacular. But I also think that the woods would look just as good covered in a blanket of snow of awash with fall colors. And, like I said,  the hike to Noanet Peak isn't too tough. It wouldn't be impossible to tackle if there was still a little snow on the ground. Suffice it to say Noanet is more than worth the short drive.

Middlesex Fells Reservation / 16 minutes / I-93 N

The coolest part about Middlesex Fells is how big it is. Not all of it is necessarily what you'd call a "hike", its more of a series of trails through woods surrounding several enormous reservoirs. The trails range from small roads to tiny, winding dirt pathways. There were steep areas, but it really depends on what you are looking for. It's hard to capture Middelsex Fells in one picture - at one point we were on a rocky trail up a pretty steep hill and another we were strolling across a levy next to one of the reservoirs. So basically, it has something for everyone. At one point, we took a side trail towards one of the bigger reservoirs. We ended up finding some rocks by the water, and stopped for a while to enjoy the view and, of course, some snacks we brought along. (Sidenote, A chow chow came up to us out of nowhere, and that was my childhood dog! Quite a coincidence...). But the absolute best part of this place is that the first thing you come upon after parking - at least where we did - is a massive dog park. There were probably 50 dogs running around in a giant field when we got there. (Continuing sidenote, everyone else saw their childhood dogs as well.) My best advice is to go to Middlesex Fells on a clear, sunny day and take a stroll through the woods. Explore the side trails, and get close to the water. And meet a bunch of cute dogs.

things that make me happy: TLC

This performance made me SO HAPPY. If there are any other 90's kids out there, you'll feel me. So happy to see these women together again. Love to Lefteye forever, but Lil Mama is no disappointment. Everyone should watch this.

easy peasy

I realize not everyone has access to a car in Boston, at least not often enough to go on a bunch of hikes and excursions around New England. But everyone can use a little time "out of the city" every once in a while. So these are my favorite places in Boston to get the feel of being away from the city, even just for a bit.

Stop what youre doing and watch this.

This is so hilarious, I love these two. They literally remade the entire Kanye video shot-for-shot. I mean talk about expert newsjacking. Screenshots of my my favorite moments (juxtaposed with the originals, I'm just sayin') are after the break  >>

happy monday

We all remember the quote from office space, but say no to the Mondays! For the more logically-minded of you, heres a step by step for shaking the Monday blues.









FIRST: THERE IS NO SUCH THING. IT IS ALL IN OUR HEADS. Check out this article from NBC News that says our idea of Monday always being the worst day of the week is inconsistent - looking back we assume it was terrible but really (spoiler alert)....its not!  Here's the link to the article.


SECOND: ITS THE BEST DAY TO MAKE A CHANGE. Refinery 29 says that Monday is the best day to start something new. So start a new routine! I'm planning on doing something active (running, working out) every day this week. (This is kind of a cop out, though. We have a rowing machine at home where I'm going in two days, which I will tell you aaaalll about briefly). So instead of wallowing in monday mopiness, make a plan to switch it up for the week! Try to eat healthy for a week, or read a book. So many things to try and explore, why let Monday stop you!


LAST: Look at this. Just look at it.


Don't let yourself be a victim to the Mondays!