BOSTON & PROVIDENCE: FALL FAMILY FUN!

When the family (the hubby, me and the kids) had a chance to get together with far-flung relatives (Florida, NY, CT, RI) gathered together in one location for a bar mitzvah, the decision to attend was a swift one.  Three of us are self-employed (and daughter Hannah got clearance from her boss) so it was just about carving out the four days and we were off! 

Boston's Logan Airport offers far greater flying options than Providence, RI, the site of the weekend's festivities.   We thus arrived late Thursday, rented our car, spent the night and next day in the city and drove the 90 minutes to our destination.  

What does one do first in Boston?  Perhaps checkout Fenway -- alas, the Red Sox were out of town. See Harvard, MIT, BU or the other schools?  No.  The answer is to find the best pizza around, which meant a return trip to Regina's in the North End.

After meeting up with Hannah's bestie from LA who makes her home in Boston, we made our way to Regina's after successfully finding parking which is no small feat in any area of the city.  This was a second visit for us and it was just as delicious as before.  We walked around the area for a bit before saying good-bye to the girls for the drive to Providence.  Hannah would take a late-evening train to meet up with us.

From our Regina's lunch -- two girls very happy to be together and the insanely delicious pies

Providence to me is your quintessential New England town -- sophisticated enough to entice students to either Brown University and/or RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), but quaint enough to have that small-town feel.  We found some of each.  

We first met up with the family (Uncle, Aunt -- who traveled with us earlier this year in India -- and cousins on the hubby's side) for Friday evening (Shabbat) services at Temple Beth-El and a light dinner afterward.  The bar mitzvah service was Saturday morning, followed by a luncheon and a party in the evening.  

Lots of Stone cousins (and an uncle!)

So what's the first thing unique about this?  The synagogue's roots date back to 1849, more than 110 years prior to the founding of the one my family has called home since 1986 -- LA's Stephen Wise Temple.  LA has one nearly that old -- founded in 1862 as Congregation B'nai B'rith -- which over many years (and in different locations) ultimately became Wilshire Boulevard Temple.  But back to Providence ..

We used the time between events to do a bit of exploring around Providence, and the first stop was at Brown -- one of our country's oldest colleges and the third smallest of the Ivy's.  Downtown Providence is bustling as most state capitals are, with a fair share of shopping and food complexes along the banks of the Providence River.

From top left: An Urs Fischer untitled sculpture (other than Lamp/Bear) on the Brown campus; Providence River; main quad; welcome sign; metal sculpture (artist unknown)

The party was as it should be -- mostly friends of the "man of the hour" Ben Stone.  The music was loud and lively and everyone had a terrific time.  And since it was at our hotel, it was a fantastic commute -- i.e., none!  We likewise gathered the following morning for a lovely brunch and a chance to say our goodbye's.  We headed back to Boston for a few more hours of sightseeing before going to the airport.

Ben's priorities are in order:  sports, family and lots of dessert!

Oh, would that the trip home had been as pleasant as the rest of our stay.  I will spare you the utterly disastrous experience courtesy of Virgin America for another post.  For now, we'll savor the 3-1/2 days of family fun and New England sights as they aptly deserve! 

After parking in the underground garage at the Boston Public Garden, we exited into the Garden and quickly found out we were smack in the middle of a weed festival ... like we'd entered Woodstock (I guess!)  Groovy, man .. 

                     Picture-perfect weather made for a terrific afternoon.

 

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 ...