Travel Journal

Yes, we’re in Boston, so today’s playlist is all about Aerosmith, James Taylor, and the Pixies. Maybe we’ll even throw in some Donna Summer later.

After a long drive from Philadelphia, it’s great to spend a couple of nights in this city of stretched-out vowels.

Being in a big East Coast city feels like stepping onto a Tarantino movie set. each character larger than life and you half expect someone to jump out and yell ‘cut’. Everyone’s so lively and confident, chatting away with quick opinions, especially about money and politics. As someone from the UK and NZ, it’s fascinating to watch.

We started our morning in Boston wandering around the historic North End, also known as Little Italy. The city feels much older than DC or Philly, with its cobbled streets (only a Peter Dunne patented ‘death by cobblestones’ factor of 4/10 though), terraced houses, and the occasional 400-year-old church, giving it a vibe similar to parts of British cities. The fancy Beacon Hill neighbourhood could easily be mistaken for Knightsbridge, complete with fancy cars parked neatly.

I loved our foodie tour of the North End’s delis and restaurants. Our guide, Elliott, was quite the character, looking like a tanned Martin Scorsese in a floral jacket. Only in America, right? He could’ve hosted a Vegas show later and fit right in.

As we walked to visit our famous tour operator Globus, it was like a scene from a movie, with mafia dons sitting outside Italian cafes and an Irish Boston cop yelling at a truck driver. It was like someone had set up these classic scenes just for us!

Later, I took a cab to Cambridge to explore Harvard. We got there just as Freshers’ Week was starting, so it was fun seeing nervous fresh face prodigies arriving with their parents. The $10 walking tour of Harvard, led by an undergrad, was a highlight. We saw the dorm where Zuckerberg created Facebook and where Matt Damon wrote the script for Good Will Hunting. Apparently, some people actually study there too, though the famous ones seem to leave as soon as they strike it rich or get famous!

The evening ended with a fantastic discovery: a magnificent Blueberry Ale at a local pub. Who would’ve thought? The big surprise of this trip has been how much the U.S. has embraced craft beers. I was expecting Bud, Miller, and Coors but found bars with menus featuring 20+ craft beers from all over the country. It’s been fantastic.