The Life List: Sweet Caroline

So you know what's awesome?

Boston. Boston is awesome.

So awesome, in fact, that the city now tops my list of Places I Want to Live Someday.  

This past Sunday, after spending the weekend at a wedding in Vermont, I headed down to Boston to visit my old roomie Jason. J is one of my favorite people in all the world.  We met during our semester abroad in London and were housemates for a couple of years right after college, years that included many weekend afternoons spent on the couch as J explained the finer points of the Red Sox lineup. Which was why this trip was the perfect opportunity to knock an item off the Life List.

We did. (Take the T, that is.)

Beautiful night for a ballgame

Sing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway. Check.

The Sox lost, unfortunately, but they did hit two homers AND make a wicked-awesome triple play, their first in 17 years. Also, we the spectators participated in the most successful wave that I've ever seen--a full seven rotations around the stadium.

I spent the better part of two days wandering the city on my own and, though I'd been there twice before, I fell in love with Boston on this trip. The spectacular views crossing the river from Cambridge on the red line. The lush oasis of the Public Garden. The noisy, colorful North End (and, it must be said, the cannoli). The stately, vaguely sad quiet of the JFK Library. The fact that it was mid-August and the temperature barely breached 80 degrees. 

View of the city from the JFK Library

Quincy Market in the pouring rain

Cannoli from Mike's Pastry in the North End

It poured rain all day on Monday, so much that I broke down and bought a rain jacket while I was out, but even that wasn't enough to dampen my enthusiasm for the city. 

We'll meet again, Boston. I'm sure of it.