Our first Red Sox game

On September 18, Luke and I went over to the Fens to see the Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays. In true 2010 form, the Red Sox lost, but we had a great time and made some new friends.

We met up with fellow Boston Globe designer, Robert and his wife, Jennifer at the Other Side Cafe for dinner. We had a great time getting to know each other over food and beers. After dinner, we headed over to the stadium. This was Robert, Jennifer and I's first ever Red Sox game and Luke's second. Walking through the stadium in worth the ticket price itself. I felt like we had stepped back in time with the pillars, wood frames and old time signage. Even the announcer sounded like he was about to announce Babe Ruth up to bat.

Luke and Fenway Park

Luke and some cool signage in Fenway Park

Luke got our tickets from another Boston Globe designer that was a season ticket holder. We were in box seats along the third base line and right at the end of the row.

The view from our seats

Ortiz up to bat.

Despite the loss, we had a wonderful time with great friends, great seats and great weather. To see more pictures of the game, go to our Shutterfly account.

The New England Aquarium

About a month ago, Luke and I made our way to the New England Aquarium over by Boston Harbor and the North End. Our friends, Carrie and Martin just got year-round passes to the aquarium and highly recommended it...especially for penguin lovers, like myself.

The aquarium's centerpiece is a massive cylinder going up about three stories. The tank is full of fish of all sizes, stingrays, starfish, two huge turtles and various sharks.

The huge cylinder tank

The penguins were by far the show-stoppers of the aquarium! They had Rockhoppers, African and Little Blue penguins in a pond that took up most of the first floor.

Penguins!

While we were there, we got to see them eat lunch and it was very cool how they were fed. The penguins would actually line up! Many of the penguins have grown up since babies at the aquarium, so they were taught at an early age how to get in the box and wait. But some were still working on their patience, and budged in line. It was so cute to watch and see how each penguin had their own personality.

Some African Penguins line up to eat

A Rockhopper and African Penguin hang out after lunch

We also got to see Northern Fur and Atlantic Harbor Seals. These guys put on a little show for spectators and showed off their new tricks like bouncing balls off their noses and bringing back toys.

The seals!

The aquarium was so much fun and we will definitely be visiting those penguins again real soon!

4th of July...kinda late, I know

Sooo....yeah. Sorry I haven't blogged lately. Most of my writing-power has gone toward the ole resume and cover letters. I don't even want to start counting how many places I've applied to.

Enough of that, though. Here is what Luke and I did on the 4th of July!

We decided to spend the day walking around downtown Boston. It was kinda crazy, but we figured we would do this to say that we had done it, in case we didn't want to do it again. To make the day more fun, we met up with our new friends, Carrie and Martin. Martin just started his job as a features editor at the Globe and Carrie is looking for a graphic design job, like me. Needless to say, we have become great friends and love hanging out together!

Kids playing in the Frog Pond at Boston Common

We met up over by the Charles Bridge and went to a cute (teenytiny) Thai place for dinner and then headed over to the bridge to secure a spot to watch the fireworks. The crowds had already gathered by the time we arrived (about 2 hours before the fireworks) but we found a good spot and hung out until the show started.

Here are some pics of the night:

The sky put on its own fireworks show

Red line approaches Charles MGH Station

Fireworks!

Some bombs bursting in air

After the fireworks, the time we had dreaded had arrived: trying to get the heck out of the city. Many of the roads were closed and the cabs were full of people. So after meandering around Cambridge trying to figure out what to do, we said "goodbye" to Carrie and Martin and waited in the awful long line for the subway. Thankfully, this ride was free.

A day at the beach...

We were there for maybe 30 minutes, tops.

Last Monday we wanted to check out Wollaston Beach, just a few minutes from our apartment. I will let the photos do most of the talking. Our first visit may not have been at a bad time because it was low tide...stinky and LOTS of rocks. However, this is not a beach you can go to swim. Those rocks hurt my feet even when I wore my flip flops!

Luke with the ocean and Boston skyline behind him

That water was seriously disgusting!

The beautiful beach

Luke skips some rocks

We took note and will be going to Cape Cod whenever we get an itch to go to the beach. :)

Massachusetts politics

People are more active politically here in Massachusetts. However, judging by what we witnessed a couple weeks ago, they are relatively polite to the competition.

A mix of Tim Cahill , Independent (dark blue signs) and incumbent, Deval Patrick , Democrat (royal blue signs)
Currently, Cahill is in the lead of a 4-candidate race.

We are in the midst of a governor race and supporters from both sides came to an intersection near our apartment.

This jeep drove through the intersection about 5 times in the minute we were there.

Both sides were very respectful and even had polite discussions of differences. It was refreshing after seeing all of the antics in Arizona.

The day in the life of the unemployed

I laughed when I looked in the mirror today...

****

Not having anywhere to go and the lack of two cars has equated to me at home most of the day. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hamilton and I have become closer than ever, we're saving lots of money and I've memorized most of the names on the Ghana World Cup soccer team (Go Kwadwo Asamoah!!!).

The days have been a little slower, both in time and activity, but I'm trying to enjoy the time off as much as I can. It's tough...I don't think I will retire quietly 40 years from now. Besides maintaining a steady bank account, I just want to feel like I'm contributing to society and that I have a place in Boston. Don't get me wrong, I love it here! This city is vibrant and amazingly friendly. But that makes me want to be a part of it even more.

Enough of my pity party. My patience will grow (hopefully). The job will come. For now, I'm going to celebrate this nation's history right where it started: Boston. :)

**** Disclaimer to future employers: This is not my normal work appearance. I will not be wearing a beat up shirt nor will my hair be in tangles...not even on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Promise!

Boston: The North End

One of the things we are really enjoying here in Boston are the different neighborhoods. Each area has its own feel, personality and architecture. The first neighborhood we went to was the North End. We hadn't visited this part on our first trip, so it was top priority.

First stop was Mike's Pastry. I've seen this place on the Travel Channel and Food Network, so we had to see what the hype was all about. We were greeting with a long line of people who had long lists of the pastries, notably cannolis, to order. We chose the traditional cannoli and a strawberry smoothie. It was all amazing. We will be frequenting that place again after a good workout in the gym.


Another great thing about Boston is the history. Pretty much anywhere you walk in this town there is so sort of history associated with it. In the North End the Freedom Trail is the main attraction. You can check out the Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, the USS Constitution and Copps Hill Cemetary.

The buildings we loved:
Whaddya Need pretty much does anything. Love the name and saying it in a Bostonian accent.
All Saints Way is a sight to behold. Definitely brings some peace to the bustling city life.
The buildings are so close to each other that they even squeeze them in alleyways.

The buildings alone are a great reason to visit this neighborhood. They all have that cute revolutionary character to them and are tastefully updated. Each building has it's on uniqueness to it and we had a great time wandering around the brick roads looking at them all.

After the walk, it was time to do some shopping! We ventured back over to Quincy Market and checked out the stores. It was a good way to end the day and get some much-needed AC. The humidity will take some getting used to. :)

Baseball and Obama=Boston

Just your typical Revolutionary soldier walking the streets of Boston.

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.

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!