Last week, Z and I took the red-eye flight out to Boston, Massachusetts for his cousin's wedding. Most of Z's family lives on the East Coast, so it was lovely to see everyone since the last time I saw them all was a couple of years ago. We arrived at around 7:45am and then we headed towards
Jamaica Plain--a historic neighborhood in Boston founded by Puritans seeking farmland to the South. This area is rich in history (like all parts of Massachusetts, of course) and I fell in love with a myriad of old brick buildings and trees dripping in fall foliage. After not getting much sleep earlier in the week due to midterm season at school, we thought that we might as well stay up as to adjust to the time difference sooner. We decided to check out the
Samuel Adams Brewery. We are not huge fans of the beer and will not usually order the beer in a bar setting, but hey! The brewery was down the street, walkable, offered free brewery tours, and beers at the end. You can't really complain about that!
I am completely fascinated with the brewing process--one of my favorite
experiments in Organic Chemistry during my undergrad was brewing beer
that we were able to taste test at home. I learned some good facts to
use in case of Trivia Pursuit/Jeopardy need regarding the differences
between manufacturing different beer types, and then was able to sample
the different seasonal beers on tap. Now for the touristy photos of Z
being awkward in front of various beer-tour props and signage that serve
as evidence of our adventure:
After drinking beers in the early morning/afternoon, we then drove down to the little town of Newburyport to get ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour. This vacation was definitely a whirlwind of non-stop activities. Stay tuned for more!
Newburyport, MA wins hands-down for the award for cutest town around. The entire downtown was decorated with pumpkins, flowers, scarecrows, bales of hay, and banners in preparation for October 31st festivities. I felt like I was in the middle of the 1998 Disney Channel movie, "Halloweentown". We stayed at the Essex Inn, a charming, historic Inn nestled on a tree-lined street in the heart of downtown where we could walk to various little shops and restaurants along High Street. Unfortunately due to all the wedding activities planned for us, we went from event to event with little free time in-between. Z and I had a couple hours or so to explore the town before a cocktail event and we managed to find a little shop with the tastiest bagels ever! Zane got a breakfast sandwich and I ordered a Lox bagel. We are definitely missing out on good bagels here in San Francisco. After breakfast, we wandered down over to the Merrimack River and took in the sights. (I kept humming the Dawson's creek theme...Sorry Z!) I'd love to come back and visit again and make time to visit the near-by Plum Island--known for its wild beach-plum shrubs growing on its dunes. Here's to that great New England charm!
