Weekend Getaway: Boston Highlights

This time last week, I was back on the East Coast enjoying the pouring rain and freezing weather. I was in America's walking city, The Hub; Boston, Massachusetts! I was there for the Women in Travel Summit and had an amazing time. This being my first time in Boston, I tried to do as much exploring as I could in my packed weekend. Also, the fact that Boston is such a compact city made this a lot easier for me. Just about everything is within walking distance.

So, without further ado, here are my weekend in Boston highlights!

Logan Airport

Now, you're probably thinking "why is she including an airport?", BUT I am a sucker for a cool airport location. Flying into Boston's Logan Airport, you first have to go out and fly over the Atlantic before landing. I love those types of landings. During those few minutes of flight over the ocean, you get a gorgeous view of all the small islands off of the Massachusetts coast. Great for people who love to take a million photos while flying.

Hostelling International USA, Boston

This weekend was my first time staying in a hostel. I was not expecting much at all, but HI Boston blew me away! It was one hell of a hostel! With free breakfast every morning, free wifi, a TV room, and loads of comfy places to hang out, it's the perfect place to chill out after a day or night of exploring the city. And the staff was really nice as well. But now I have to lower my expectations for all the other hostels I'll be staying at in the future! If you are ever in Boston, I very highly recommend staying at HI Boston.

Fire & Ice Restaurant

Located on Berkeley Street, this restaurant was a great place to start my weekend in Boston! My cousin came down from Maine to go to dinner and a movie with me and she took me here to eat. I loved the feel of the restaurant and the way that it functioned. You pick out all of the ingredients that you want (any kind of pasta, meat, vegetables, grains, anything you could think of!) for your dish, put them in a bowl, then pick out any kind of sauce or seasonings that you want, put them in a separate bowl, then give them to the cooks working in the big circle grill in the middle of the restaurant to cook up for you! And you could go back for as much food as you want. The food was delicious and so was the dessert! 

On Location Tours: Boston TV and Movie Sites

If you ever wanted to see the city of Boston and all of it's TV and movie history, On Location Tours is definitely for you. It is about a 3 hour bus tour that goes all around Boston to all of the sites of your favorite movies or TV series. The tour guides really know what they are talking about, and they take you to the famous L Street Tavern for some mid-tour drinks! Since I was only in Boston for a short amount of time, I felt like I got to see a good portion of the city because of this tour. They also host their tours in New York City! Visit http://onlocationtours.com/tour/boston-tv-movie/ to book your tour today!

Boston Common

I had one morning where I was free, so I decided to take a stroll through the snowy Boston Common. Boston Common is the oldest park in the country and is where the Freedom Trail starts (while I did not get a chance to actually walk the Freedom Trail, I heard it's great especially if you're a history fanatic). The park is beautiful and a lovely touch of greenery in the city. It was great to be able to explore the park on my own before spending the next two days in conference sessions.

Our Lady Of Victories Church

This church was one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. I went to mass here on Saturday evening and was in awe when I walked in. From the outside, the church doesn't look like much, it almost blends in with the other houses around it. But once you get inside it is amazing. Every little detail is unique and makes the church beautiful. This church is tucked away on Isabella Street and is definitely worth a visit.

Winsor Dim Sum Cafe

In the heart of Chinatown on Tyler Street, is some of (in my opinion) the best dim sum you can get in Boston! Oh, and it's super cheap too! Myself and 3 of my roommates went out to Winsor one night, ordered a bunch a food, and the bill all together was only $40 with tip. How incredible is that?! I highly recommend.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe

If you love food and books, this is the place for you. Trident is a book store inside a cafe. It was so nice to eat while being surrounded by thousands of books! While waiting for your table you can browse around for your favorite book upstairs and downstairs. If you ever get the chance to visit Trident, I recommend getting a freshly squeezed lemonade and the deluxe grilled cheese (yes, it is as good as it sounds). This book cafe is on the enchanting Newbury Street in the Back Bay area of Boston.

Picco Restaurant

A pizza place like no other! In the South End on Tremont Street, Picco has some of the best, most unique pizza I've ever had (and I'm a New Yorker!). If you want a pizza with a bunch of delicious toppings and a super crispy crust, go to Picco!!! They also have a large selection of beer and wine. Oh and they make their homemade ice cream right in the back of the restaurant! I found it was a super unique twist on normal pizza and ice cream. Next time I'm in Boston again I will definitely be back for some delicious food and dessert!

And there you have it! I loved the time that I spent in Boston, and these places and experiences just made it even better. If you have ever been to Boston, what are some of your favorite places to enjoy the city?!

Lessons Learned From NYC

*Photo credit to my cousin, and awesome photographer, Kacie Horstman. Check out her links!!!
Kacie's Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

The city that never sleeps, the melting pot, the Big Apple, the city so nice, they named it twice.

New York City.

Having been born and raised here, spending almost 18 years of my life here, this city will always be my first home and my first love. It's a place where you can find everything you ever wanted, eat some of the best food there is, and meet the most interesting people. Some people can thrive here, while others can't make it.

Living here, you get to be more exposed to the world then a lot of other places. You just never know what you may see when you step out of the door! So of course, I was bound to learn quite a few lessons from this superb city.

Here are 10 lessons I learned from New York City:

1. No matter where you go in the world, you will never, and I mean NEVER find better pizza. If you have ever had NY pizza, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Sorry Chicago, our pizza is the best! And me being from Staten Island, my favorite places to grab a slice are Denino's and Brother's! And in the summers, you go right across the street from Denino's to get some Ralph's Famous Italian Ices (aka where I worked my first job for 4 years (':)

2. Not all New Yorkers are mean and rude. Are we most of the time always in a rush to catch our bus or the subway? Yes, but that doesn't make us rude! The people of New York can be helpful and kind, just catch them at the right time, not when they are in a rush!

3. There is no need to own a car in NYC. I never had my license when I lived here. There is absolutely no need. If you need to get somewhere you can either walk there, take a bus, train, subway, The Ferry, or a taxi.  I really believe that if you live in any of the five boroughs of the city, having a car is a waste of your money! Take public transportation people!

4. Umbrellas are useless. Now, this one may not apply to everyone, maybe just me, really. Being that I took 2 buses to and from school everyday, rain was never my friend. And neither were umbrellas. For some reason, every time it rained and I wanted to use an umbrella, it would be terribly windy, therefore my umbrella would blow over and break. In my four high school years, I probably broke a good 20 umbrellas before giving up and just trying to find a tree to stand under near my bus stops. Thanks for all the times I was soaked all day in school, umbrellas. You taught me it's better to just dance in the rain.

5. There can be beauty found around every corner. In NY, there is so much art everywhere you look. Between the brilliant skyscrapers, the amazing street art, and the talented subway performers, creativity is all around you. This is the reason that so many people are inspired by this city. It shows us that anything is possible and life is full of beauty.

6. Stressing over traffic will not make it go away. I definitely learned this the hard way. The Staten Island Expressway used to make me so stressed out anytime I had to get on it because there is always so much traffic. Most of the time in New York, it does not matter the time of day, there will always be some kind of traffic. Whether it's trying to get over the Verrazano Bridge or trying to get onto a packed subway or bus, stressing out over it is not going to be any help to anyone. You'll eventually get where you need to be, so just chill out, listen to some music, and relax!

7. There is no other group of people in the world who love their city as much as New Yorkers do. Every New Yorker you meet will tell you that there is no place like their city, like home. I can say, first handed, that this is so true. Everyone dreams of one day either visiting NYC or living there. Being in this beautiful city, you soon begin to see that every person, no matter how different they may be, loves their city and will always stand strong with it.

8. There is so much diversity in our world. Living in this city, you get to see more diversity in a day then some people do in there whole lives. You get to be exposed to so many people on so many different walks of life and see how they are all just trying to get through the day. Some of the richest people walk down the same street as the poorest of the poor.

9. You have to work hard for the things you want. Living in New York is expensive. Yet so many people do it. For a lot of people living there, living in that city is a dream. And they are willing to work like crazy to achieve their dreams. Because if you are not working for what you want, you will drown in this city. No one is going to simply give you what you want. Thank God my parents raised my siblings and I like this, because I know quite a few people who were handed everything they wanted while growing up, and now expect that from the world, but are learning the hard way that you have to work for what you want!

10. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. This always seems to give me a boost of confidence. I lived in this city. I made it 18 years there. Leaving this city was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. But I left knowing that I was prepared to take on the world because of the lessons this city taught me. Leaving NYC was hard, but it was a huge game changer for me. If I never left this city, I would have never realized that I don't want New York to be my only home. I want the world to be my home. And I have New York City to thank for that.

This city made me strong. It made me a dreamer. It made me a New Yorker for life. While I'm sure that I will leave my heart in many cities around the world, NYC will always, truly, have my heart. Thanks for being my home for 18 years. But also thanks for kicking me out and opening up my heart to the world. Until we meet again, New York!

*My old home in Staten Island*

xx