There's nothing like Autumn in the Northeast (part 1).

Leaves crunching beneath your feet, a chance to wear corderoy jackets and socks again, sipping coffee while walking the city streets....it was a glorious trip from beginning to end. Tell me, is there anyone who doesn't love fall?
There are so many photos to share and so many great stories that I thought I'd split it up into several posts. So here we go!

Days 1 & 2 in charming Boston, Massachusetts.
New York City will always be my first love, but Boston has clearly claimed second. I had only previously spent 18 hours in the city last year on a work trip and couldn't wait to show it to Steven, who had never been. We got to stay with our dear friend (and Steven's employee) Lori and her husband in their adorable second floor apartment in a house in the Boston suburb of Newton, Mass. Erin and Geoffrey from 963 joined us. We were welcomed into the city by a brisk breeze that cooled our skin which we thought had been permanently baked by Dallas sun. Mums and dahlias decorated porches on hilly streets. After a light lunch at an adorable coffee shop/cafe called Cafe-Nation on the main street, we cozied up in Lori's apartment on our laptops to work until dinner time. Her dogs, Molly and Merry, slept peacefully on their pillow, Lori wrapped herself in her blanket/robe, and we brewed pot after pot of 963 Coffee.

As evening fell upon Boston, we donned jackets and were temporarily transported to old England when we picked up Lori's husband at the library on Boston College's campus. Reason number 5,623 to love New England: cathedrals on college campuses. We then set out for Boston's "North End" which is famous for its Italian immigrants and European-esque winding streets scattered with Italian restaurants and bakeries. Our shoes clacked on the cobblestone streets until we decided on a restaurant called Terramia and indulged in an unforgettable Italian meal oddly served by a waiter with an Australian accent who claims he was from London. Figure that one out.

There are so many things I loved about the North End...it felt like we were really strolling through Europe. The street signs with names of various cities in Italy. The bakeries that were filled with Italian cookies shaped like shells, canolies, and other goodies I haven't seen since the last holiday I spent at my relatives' house. Perfectly frothy cappuccinos. Mmmmm.

After 2 days in Boston, we left for the Amtrak station on another cool autumn morning to travel to our next stop: New Jersey.

...and the adventure continues...


See last year's autumn trip here!