Yippee, two full days in Boston with complete freedom to explore this fun city ... then on to Cleveland for a wedding.  The endless election is now over and we can finally focus on something else!

First the hotel ... wow, am I happy with this choice:  The Revere on Stuart Street.  Quite modern in feel and taste, we have a 23rd floor view and lots of nice amenities.   Just two blocks from Boston Common and close to the theaters and Newbury Street shopping, the location is excellent.



First food stop:  
Regina's Pizzeria in Boston's North End.  There are no doubt endless discussions about where to get the best pizza here, but Regina's is consistently voted #1.  Works for me ...

The biggest question is what toppings to have.  Certainly pepperoni and the hubby wants mushrooms.  When I decided to add onions to the mix, our server asked:  "Do you want white, red or cahhhmalized?" in that quintessential Boston accent.  Yum.



We then walked toward Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market, braving some light rain and brisk winds.  Basically a food court from one end to the other, the lunch crowds were rather light.  During the summer, the experience is quite different with wall-to-wall people both indoors and out.

Yep, where everyone knows your name ...!

An afternoon movie was in order ("Argo" -- highly recommended) and dinner that night was in Chinatown at East Ocean Seafood (25 food rating on Zagat).  Fish tanks in the entry display the day's catch of various shellfish and seafood.  Pretty sure we were the only non-Asian patrons this night so that speaks volumes for the authenticity of the food. 

 

For soft-shell crabs

I wasn't expecting to encounter snow on this trip but the northeast got another storm post-Hurricane Sandy.  Walking around and keeping the umbrella from turning inside out is not easy.  Day 2 began with another movie ("The Sessions"; wow!).  With the weather in the 30's, periodic snow flurries and brisk winds, what else to do but take a tour of Fenway Park!

The visitors' locker room - kind of a dump!

View from the press box

Where the famous Ted Williams' home run landed

I am a genuine baseball fan and seeing this venue from the inside out, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, was a real thrill.  Among the fun facts:  It has the oldest seats among all baseball parks and the only ones that are still wooden.  If they modernized the seats, they would have 3,000 fewer; thus they remain -- albeit not very comfortable.

There is one red seat in right field, memorializing a 502-ft home run by legendary Ted Williams.  And, of course, the Green Monster with its ancient scoreboard that is still manually operated.  We were told on the tour that several hundred million dollars in improvements spent by the current owners guarantee this stadium will still stand at least another 30-50 years.  

All we need is sun and a game to watch!

Our last night was at Sorrelina, a bustling Italian restaurant in the Back Bay area, and just a 10-minute walk from the hotel.  We enjoyed a very delicious dinner, somewhat marred by rushed and uneven service.  We did take the time the time to speak with management as we've learned that restaurant personnel welcome both positive and negative feedback.  Best to speak up or how would they know?   This instance, as per usual, was met with appreciation and an invitation to come back for better service.

Fig, burrata and prosciutto

Fresh pasta with braised wild boar ragu

The smoker -- probably 15 ft. end to end

Now in the hubby's hometown of Cleveland; first night is the rehearsal dinner hosted by the groom's Houston family.  What was the dinner?  Authentic Texas BBQ!  We're talking transporting a massive smoker up from Austin and cooking for 2 days on the premises.  Beyond yum.

Only been in biz since the '40's ...

Saturday lunch was at local landmark Geraci's, which has been featured on Triple D with Guy Fieri.  We dined with the hubby's cousin who has been tracing their family back 9 generations -- roughly 200 years!  Can't wait to show my kids their roots so they know from whence then came ...