The big move to Boston

Luke and the moving truck. Our stuff didn't take up the whole semi, just 1/2 of it.

For it being a big move across the country, there wasn't much hard work for us. We are so grateful to The Boston Globe/New York Times Company/The union for the amazing moving package that came with some great packers and the best semi driver (Bob) on the road today.

The packers and Bob came to the house two days before we were flying to Boston. They were able to pack at least 90% of our stuff the first day. The only things left out of boxes were the beds, an empty dresser drawer, a TV and a few clothes. They worked pretty much non-stop from 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. It was so weird watching them do all the work.

All of our stuff in boxes, including 3 boxes of Luke's CDs.

The next morning they arrived and began loading all of the boxes and packing up the beds. Then it was time to load Luke's car. The movers made a teeenytiny "garage" for the car and Bob drove it into the semi using two skinny ramps. That was the most nerve-wracking thing I'd ever watched. My car is en route on one of those semis with multiple cars on it. Hopefully we will get it sometime this weekend.

The inside of the semi. Luke's car went in the empty space.

The movers took off around 3 p.m. with all of our stuff and we were left to our empty house, a computer and a half of a bottle of wine to polish off. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching Glee and SNL clips on Hulu. Hamilton spent his time on the item of comfort he had left: his while towel.

Hamilton enjoyed spending time on top of the mattress and box spring.
The last day, Hamilton slept on his towel.

My cousin, Sarah came to take us to a hotel near the airport. To return the favor, we had plenty of perishable food and household cleaning items to give her. We stuffed the 7 pieces of luggage and Hamilton into the truck and said our goodbyes to Sarah. :( The hotel was disgusting and we were thankful to only be there for 8 hours.

We got to the airport the next morning and immediately found the sky cap for Southwest. There was no way we were going to be able to lug 7 pieces of luggage and an animal through a winding maze of people. After generously tipping the Southwest worker and asking them to be very (VERY) gentle with the Mac computer, we made our way to security. Hamilton had to get out of his carrying case so the airport security could run it through the x-ray machine. Poor cat was so scared, but he was calm and didn't make a noise. The flights to Chicago and Boston were smooth and on time, and Hamilton did amazing. No bathroom mishaps and no screeching kitty noises. He's a trooper.

Hamilton at Phoenix International Airport wondering what the heck we are doing.

Then came the fun part: Getting all of our luggage off of the carousels and then to the rental car bus. We found a cart and made it just in time for the bus. Luke grabbed a car and we were off to find the apartment. Traffic was nice and our corporate housing assistant was at the entrance with the keys. He showed us around a little and then we collapsed. We were so thankful to be in Boston and to have so many people help us on our journey.

OK, I'm back...and a few more PHX likes/dislikes

Sorry I've been away from the blog the past week, or so. We are now in Boston and getting used to Eastern Time Zone, seafood and the mass transit system. Definitely loving it here, but missing Arizona, too!

Here are some things that we miss:

THE PEOPLE
Where to start...Well, let's start with my family.

Sarah and I

• My cousin Sarah, her husband Justin and little boy Nathan were probably the best part of Phoenix for me. It was so nice to have family on so close to us. Not to mention, Sarah has been more like a sister to me since we were little. It was so difficult leaving her, the boys and the new addition that will come in 7 months! I may have cried a little (a lot) when Sarah dropped Luke, Hamilton and I at the airport hotel the night before we left Phoenix. I miss them already :(

Luke plays with the Church at Litchfield Park worship band.

• We found the The Church at Litchfield Park when we got lost finding a new restaurant (we won a gift certificate to the restaurant). Some may call it a coincidence, I like to see it differently. We made so many friends and had a blast attending the services and helping out. We love how accepting they are of everyone...no matter who they are or where they come from. I hope we can find a church just as awesome and welcoming as The Church at Litchfield Park.

• Our friends at work have been the best anyone could ask for! We have loved getting to know everyone at American & Western Art Collector magazines and the Republic. In a difficult economic climate, they have become priceless at keeping us smiling and giving us encouragement. We will be lucky to have co-workers half as cool as the ones we've had in AZ!

• Our landlords, Laurie and Ben, have been the best we will ever have. I don't believe it would be possible for another landlord to top them. They are some of the most caring, hard-working and kind people we know. We had a blast in our Avondale house...we got to experience a piece of what it is like to take care of a house. And if we had an issue, our landlords were there ASAP. Laurie, a personal finance specialist, also showed us how to save for our future. We owe so much to them and are so blessed they came into our lives when they did.

PLACES TO GO AROUND TOWN

At a Reds game in Goodyear this spring

Spring Training
We will miss the springtime so much. The weather is absolutely perfect and for a month we could drive anywhere in town to see a great baseball game. Fenway Park will help ease this pain, though.

Restaurants
There is so much good food in this town...it is eclectic, authentic and down home yumminess. Here's our list of some of our favorite places to eat:

Yogurtland!

• Yogurtland: The flavors of ice cream are what bring us back more than the ability to "make it your own." We are always wondering what flavors will come out next month. We hope there will be something similar to this in Boston!
• Cindy's Cafe: Located in Mesa, this was our go-to brunch spot when Luke was living out in the east valley. Their pancakes and home fries are awesome and it reminds us of the mom-and-pop restaurants back in our hometowns
• Pita Jungle: This place is awesome. I don't like hummus that much, but I love theirs. Things Luke and I also love there: garlic potatoes, sweet potato french fries, pita pizzas.
• Los Olivos: Some of the best Mexican food you will find. This place makes their own tortillas, chorizo and I'm sure a lot of other ingredients.
• Sens: While our ultimate favorite restaurant in town was Fate, Sens features the same chef: Johnny Chu. Best.Tofu.Ever. And the sauces will clear out any sinus ailments you may have.
• Red's Steakhouse: I'm not a big steak eater, but this place is awesome. I'd never had a piece of steak melt in my mouth before I came here (Maybe it was because this steak was A LOT of $$ and we had a gift certificate..haha). The sides and dessert are amazing, as well. The creme brulee is to die for!
• In & Out: I never heard of this place before coming to Phoenix, and I'm not much for fast food. But I will make an exception with this place. The fries are my favorite, along with the prices!

Next up, some posts from Boston!

Likes/Dislikes: AZ trasportation, traffic and government

Dislike: AZ Government
Are they the worst in the US? No, California might take the prize for that...and Illinois hasn't been the best, either. But between Sheriff Joe (aka Yosemite Sam) and his accused abuse of power, possible misuse of funds (maybe even up to $50 million!) and his relentless power trips when dealing with immigration, we are glad that our tax dollars will no longer be going to fund this man's paycheck.

And then there is the all-too-familiar SB1070 bill, which pretty much allows police enforcement to racially profile in order to catch illegal immigrants. I'm not going to get too much into this, but I will say that it has finally gotten the attention of the federal government in what they should do about illegal immigration, but we shouldn't have to take away people's rights in the process.

Dislike: Traffic & Transportation
The traffic here isn't as bad as LA, Chicago or New York, but I have spent upwards of 1.5 hours trying to come home from Scottsdale (30 miles). The town is too spread out and there is no convenient transportation to and from work for 90% of this city. The did complete the Light Rail over a year ago, however, it only goes a little north of downtown and then over to Tempe and ASU. To their credit, they do have park-n-rides out in the west valley, which has provided the opportunity for me to carpool to Scottsdale.

A speed camera on the highway
Credit: azcentral.com

Dislike: Traffic Cameras
Arizona is sprinkled with red light and speed cameras all over the state. And not just stationary ones...they have speed cameras attached to unmanned jeeps that they randomly place along the highways. Are we a little bias since we both got one of these? Maybe... Do I think it is right for them to put a skinny red light line (line is dark red on black asphalt) halfway in the intersection that you can't see as your are getting through an intersection? Heck no! And don't even get me started on the speed cameras on the highways...these things were set up to make the city money. Well it didn't, but it did clog up traffic with people going 65 mph on the far left lanes and made people from out of town slam on their breaks as they were approaching the cameras. Good riddance.


Like: Grid System
This town was planned out, and it shows! The streets rarely change names going from one city to the next and you can get from one side of the Valley to the other side using the same street. It only took me a week or so to get the hang of the streets, and if I got lost it was easy to find my way back. I have a strong suspicion Boston won't be as kind. :)

Phoenix street aerial
Credit: Imageshack

Boston street aerial
Credit: http://massengale.typepad.com/

Phoenix Likes/Dislikes

There is so much we are going to miss about this city: the people, food, scenery. But lets face it, there are a few things we won't be missing, too. The next few posts will run through a some of our likes and dislikes of the Wild, Wild West!

Weather:

Like: Mild Temperatures
It is definitely a love-hate relationship when it comes to the temperature out here. From October-May the temperatures are usually the best you will find in any of the country (minus Hawaii and San Diego). Winters have been such a breeze these past few years...Santa can wear his shorts and sandels when he gets to this part of the country!

Dislike: Summer
Late May-Early October it is sweltering hot. My wedding ring doesn't even fit right now because my fingers get so bloated from trying to retain as much water as possible. It feels like a bathroom hand dryer is blowing all over you. I get a nice tan just walking from my car to my office building.

Like: Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms out here are nothing short of amazing. There aren't many, but when they make their way through the Valley, the lightening is second to none! My theory is that many of the storms don't make it through the area because we are in a Valley. But the ones that do make it through have to be very strong, so when the storms come through they are the strongest you will find.

Dislike: Dust Storms

A dust storm comes into town over by Chase Field

We just got caught in one of these on our walk yesterday. Dust storms, or haboobs (giggle), usually come right before a thunderstorm and can be very dangerous. They also create a nice coat of dust on your car or anything you may have left outside.

Love: Sunsets
Sunsets out here are a photographers dream. With the big sky, mountains and a touch of pollution, the colors are radiant.

A December sunset in 2008. This photo was not retouched in any way...the colors are 100% real!

A sunset right before a storm at our house.

Dad watches the sunset at the Grand Canyon

More family in town!

I has been great these past couple months to have so many family members come to town. Not only has it given us the opportunity to spend time with them, but we can also Luke and I can be tourists and get to see some of the great places in Phoenix before we leave.

Last month, my Aunt Becky and Uncle Mark came to town for Mark's conference. Their trip actually coincided with Luke and I's Boston trip, but I was able to see them when we got back a few time for dinner. I took Becky to Oreganos and Mojo Yogurt and we also went to Margaritaville. It was a lot of fun seeing them out here, and they even took a trip up to Jerome.

Aunt Becky at Mojo Froyo

My dad and sisters came to town about 2 weeks ago and got to experience a little bit of the summer heat. On the way to Phoenix from Flagstaff, the family even ran into a brush fire around the Sedona exit! Luke took them to the mall and Children's Science Museum before he headed off to work for a couple days and I took them to PF Changs and Saddle Ranch after I came home from work. Luke and I also took them to IKEA, Mill Ave and where every Arizona tourist should go: Costco.

The family at IKEA having lunch
...Dad got a "warning from the AZ Dept. of Transportation for being in the IKEA parking lot with an Illinois license plate saying that he needs to register his car in Arizona...Thank you Big Brother, Arizona.

We also took a weekend trip up to the Grand Canyon. Though Luke and I have been here for a while, we have never been to the canyon, so it was a good trip to go on before we leave! We went "hiking" around the rim (walked a couple feet, got on a bus to another part of the rim, repeat) and had a great time watching the sunsets and shopping. Amanda, Lexi and I went horseback riding in the Kiabab Forest while Dad and Luke went hiking into the Canyon.

These two kids had fun together, as always :)

Lexi, Amanda and I at our horseback riding tour.
We ran into a family of elk on our guided bus tour of the Grand Canyon.

The family at the Grand Canyon during the sunset.

It was such a great trip, and I wish I had more time to write about it, but here is a link to all of the photos.

Boston: The Last Day

Luke and I work up early to get ready for our big days (his might have been a little more important (: ) and both headed out the door around 8 a.m. Luke took a cab to The Boston Globe and I dared to try the subway system by myself. I was glad to have a couple days training beforehand. Luke made it to The Globe in time for his interview and I made my way to the town of Quincy, just south of Boston.

On the subway, I got to experience the "rush hour" of the subway. Luckily, I was going outbound, so the people traffic wasn't as bad as the inbound line. Once out of the city, the subway comes above ground and I was able to catch a glimpse of the Globe. It definitely isn't as flossy as the Arizona Republic's building, but who doesn't love an old newsroom?

The Boston Globe

I met up with a rental broker at a house right across from the subway in Quincy. Turns out brokers are popular in that town, just like New York City. She was very nice, and even showed me a couple other places. Luke and I still can't get over just how expensive real estate is in Boston. We are used to rock bottom prices out here in Phoenix. Hopefully we can find a decent place at a decent price. Luckily, The Globe is awesome and is putting us up at a corporate rental for a month. That should give us a good amount of time to find the best neighborhood for us.

After looking at the rentals, I made my way along the Red Line to Cambridge and Harvard. This area is amazing...so much history, intellect and even shopping! Haha, I'm a sucker. I wandered around the shops for a bit (made sure to stop at Harvard Bookstore), grabbed some Subway and made my way to Harvard's quad. At the quad there are lots of colorful chairs to relax and mingle with students (and tourists). I felt like a fish out of water at this college (GO SIU! (; ), but I was thankful to at least look like I could be in college.

An entrance gate to Harvard.

The Quad, where I had lunch.

Harvard Library

I made my way around the college a little more and then it was time to head back into town to grab our luggage and make my way to the airport. Luke met me there right before they started to board. The planes were crowded, but on time. There was a dude on the plane that snored SO LOUD the whole way to Phoenix. People were a little annoyed at first, but half way through the flight, it was almost humorous. Thank goodness for IPods!

zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

That's it for our short trip to Boston. I'm sure we will have more posts similar to these detailing more adventures in Boston. We can't wait to get there and do some exploring!

Boston: Chinatown

After our midday drinks, we headed back to the Hilton to check in and take a break from all the exploring. We got a room with an amazing view of a building (yeah for city living!), but the room itself was really nice.

Luke talked to his future boss, Dan earlier that day and got a couple recommendations for dinner. One of Dan's top picks was a Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown, Penang. I'd never had Malaysian, but decided if Dan considered it a top pick in all of Boston, then it must be good. He definitely knew what he was talking about...the food was amazing--especially my mango shrimp, which came in a hollowed mango and a delicious sauce. The menu was HUGE with so many options...we can't wait to try them all!

Penang Malaysian Restaurant

Mango Shrimp...yum!

We made sure to save some room for dessert and found a boba tea/bakery a couple blocks from the restaurant. The boba tea was amazing and the cakes they made looked even more so.

Cakes at the bakery in Chinatown

Luke is excited about the boba tea! :)

Me in front of the entrance of Chinatown

After dessert it was time for bed. Luke had a big interview to get to in the morning and I had to navigate the subway system to Quincy and Harvard...yikes! :)

Boston: Boston Common & Beacon Street

After we checked out an apartment in East Boston, we took the Subway to Boston Common. It is kinda like Boston's Central Park. It is one of the oldest parks in the US, dating back to 1634. We had a fun time walking around, seeing everything the park had to offer and enjoy the great weather!

Such a pretty day!

The Swanboats (actually next to Boston Common in Boston Park)

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Right across from the park is Beacon Hill and the famous Beacon St. The street is lined with beautiful row houses and is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Boston. Many of the houses date back to the early 1800s, but have been impeccably renovated.

While on the street, we decided to be true tourists and stop off at the original Cheers to have a drink. Didn't look much like the set they had on TV, but still cool to visit, relax and have a brew.

I could see myself living here...

Where everyone knows your name...

Boston: Quincy Market

On Sunday morning we made our way to the Financial District to drop off our luggage at the Hilton Inn. Though it was difficult moving our luggage from one side of town to the other, it let us get familiar with parts of the city that we probably wouldn't have if we stayed in the same place the whole trip.

We made our way over to the pier to get a glimpse of the ocean. It was a perfect day, 70s and sunny and the ocean breeze only made it better. After wandering for a while, we ran into Quincy Market. It is an outdoor mall/market. There is a wide range of shops, ranging from American Eagle to specialty craft stores. The buildings at this place are hundreds of years old...history and shopping...who knew?

Quincy Market

Go Boston!

The food court in this place is amazing. It is set up almost like a flea market where you walk down a long row of quick service restaurants on both sides. They throw free samples at you and yell to get your attention. We opted for some mac n' cheese! I had the original and Luke had the Italian-style with grape tomatoes and pesto mixed in with the cheese and noodles.

This clam chowder was pretty good.

Our mac n' cheese lunch

A collage of what we saw at Quincy Market

After lunch, we made our way to East Boston to check out an apartment. I didn't take any pictures, but I don't think we will be living on that side of town. Though it is economical, it isn't the safest (though the apartment we looked at was on a pretty safe road, according to the police web site) and the apartment was no where close to the subway. We loved meeting the landlord, Kieran, though. He is from Ireland and seems like such a great landlord. We hope we can find one like him!

Boston: The Other Side Cafe and Fenway

Before leaving for Boston, I did a Yelp search for some good eats around the hotel. I came upon a vegetarian bar close to Fenway Park. Umm, Bingo?

The place we ate at was The Other Side Cafe. Very alternative/grassroots/hippie. It was a great place to people watch, have a beer and some great food. Definitely going back there again!

Entrance to The Other Side Cafe. Note to self: Buy a bike!

The bar at The Other Side Cafe. We were sitting upstairs next to the railing.

After dinner there was still some sunlight left, so we headed over to Fenway Park. The park wasn't open, but it was cool to see the green monster and to scout out all the cool bars and restaurants in the area...such a cool part of town! :)

Fenway Park

Look here for future designs by the Mr. Luke Knox

It is crazy just how walkable this town is. We are used to maps in Phoenix being so scaled out since the town is so large. The maps in Boston are zoomed waaay in. So all the while we thought it would be a good 25 minute walk to dinner...it was 10.

To end the night, we did a little exploring in Kenmore Square neighborhood. The houses look so cool in rows. The city does a great job of keeping everything renovated and looking pristine. I was definitely starting to get used to the town.

I don't think we are in Phoenix any more...