Time to wrap up my Boston blog. This last week has been exciting. I went to the opening night of the famous Boston Symphony where John Williams conducted a piece he wrote for for the renowned violinist Anna Sophia Mutter. You may know Williams from his Oscar winning scores for movies like Jaws and Star Wars…with 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. This 89 year old succeeded Arthur Fiedler as the conductor of the Boston Pops in the 80s and occasionally he still conducts the Boston Symphony. I was so lucky to see him! Anna Sophia Mutter is a German violinist of great acclaim ( often performing with Yo-Yo Ma), so it was a double treat.

I took the T over to the Prudential building before the performance and had a lovely salad and glass of wine pre-show at Terra. Very very noisy but tasty and very convenient.

Walking to the symphony I encountered many people excited to return to live performances. The show ended late and hearing my daughter’s voice in my head, I chose not to walk through the dark Boston Commons park at midnight. Speaking of my daughter, big news! Laura and Mallory are engaged. I was excited to see them in Boston the day after their engagement and to toast their happy news. Look at these two happy faces! Guess what? Mine was equally happy.

On my way to meet my friend Brad for lunch, I spy the Greenway Carousel. This is a unique carousel with hand carved air, sea and land animals native to Massachusetts. Ten years ago at my first Shirleyfest in New York City, I rode the carousel in Central Park to celebrate my birthday. I thought it fitting to jump on the grasshopper at the carousel in Boston to celebrate this one as well.

After the ride I meet Brad at J. Hook for one last bowl of Boston Clam Chowder. I wanted to bring him some apple cider donuts for his kids so I was forced to first sample one at the Boston Public Market. These are addictive.

Brad mentioned that he also liked Row 34’s seafood. That was all I needed to head over there the next day for a local beer and fish tacos.

One other foodie place I need to mention is Coppa. I went there for brunch and had scrambled eggs cacio e pepe which was fantastic. My favorite Italian dish without the added carbs from pasta. Of course there was that burnt tomato toast.

I liked Coppa so much I went back there with my friends Belinda and Kent at the end of the week. This time I did have pasta and also a delicious sea bass.

Enough about food. You must think all I do is eat. You would not be too far wrong. But I also did a harbor walk that last week. Impressive sights all along the harbor.

Near the Seaport is the Contemporary Art Museum. I took one last look around as the exhibits had changed. It is a small museum but really nicely curated.

I head home and up to my wonderful rooftop to say goodbye to Boston.

The sun was just starting to set so I made one last aperol spritz.

And then with a glorious finish the sun set on my lovely Boston Shirleyfest. Goodbye for now and thank you for coming on my journey with me.

Wait…not THAT Woodstock! I’m heading to Woodstock,Vermont where the theme song is the Ballad of the Green Mountain Boys ( really good song actually, link here https://youtu.be/Y4KcJTP8nW8).

I have always wanted to go to Vermont as it is one of the 5 remaining states I have not spent a night in. Mid-Shirleyfest I always take a little side trip, so this is a perfect time to head north. My friends Belinda and Kent pick me up and off we go on a beautiful sunny day. After an organic healthy lunch at Mon Vert in town we arrive at the Woodstock Inn.

It really is so lovely and well maintained. After checking in we walk around town. Bookstores, antique shops, bakeries and gorgeous large homes on the river. I have to say it is the quintessential Northeast village encapsulated by covered bridges and the the Ottauquechee River. I feel like I am in Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls.

When confirming my reservation a few days ago, the concierge told me that at the nearby farm they had thousands of sunflowers in bloom and it was quite a site. We head off to see those flowers. Imagine our surprise when we we see a field of dead sunflowers. Well there is one that looks like a sunflower shower so I got a picture with that.

And while the sunflowers were a bust, this butterfly feasting on one is fun to see.

All is not a bust at the farm tho because we do see a calf that has just been born. That night we have dinner at the Red Rooster at the hotel and it was delicious. We start the next day with a hike up the nearby mountain for magnificent views of the valley.

Afterwards we head to Simon Pearce, an amazing shop with beautiful hand blown glass. The many glass blowers are working in the basement and we are mesmerized by their craft.

Outside the shops, the river and a waterfall are beautiful today but we learn that a devastating hurricane in 2011, destroyed much of the shop and the surrounding town. It looks great now!

We realize that we are very close to Dartmouth so we decide to go. The students have just arrived on campus so all is abuzz. We have lunch at Lou’s before heading to the Quechee Gorge. The gorge is 165 feet deep and is the deepest gorge in Vermont. It is known as Vermont’s Grand Canyon. We find a spot on the bridge perfect for viewing.

Back in Woodstock, Belinda discovers a hidden game room complete with pool table, pinball machines and a bar. We have it all to ourselves and enjoy some pre dinner libations before heading upstairs to the Tavern for a delicious dinner.

The next day we head back. I’m sad to leave Woodstock but I spy out the car window a field of leaves turning colors. It’s a sign to come back and see all of Vermont’s changing foliage again someday. Viva Vermont!

I’m sitting in my beautiful living room sipping coffee at 8:08 am and I see online that there is a 9:00 am tour of Fenway Ball Park. I throw on my clothes, rush out the door and hop on the T. I buy the ticket on my phone while I’m on the train, power walk 15 minutes from the stop and I’m there with minutes to spare. It’s game day and Boston, who is in the wild card race, is playing the #1 Tampa Bay Rays in a few hours. Fenway is getting ready!

Our energetic tour guide tells us all the lore of this storied baseball park. We see the one red seat in a sea of green where a fan got beaned when Ted Williams hit the longest home run in the park’s history. We see the Green Monster and the seats on it. We sit in the press box.

Fenway now even has a farm on the roof which provides produce for the concessions in the park as well as donations to local food banks.

The hour flies by and I couldn’t be happier. Later the Red Sox could be happier as they were beat 11-10 in extra innings.

But I gotta scoot because I’m going kayaking on the Charles River. I walk across the Longfellow Bridge to the other side of the river and find the kayak rental place. With very little info I’m sent off in my kayak and told to bring it back when I feel like it!

Off I go towards the Harvard Bridge. It is so beautiful on the river today. I get out a ways and have the whole Boston skyline behind me.

I could have gone on forever. The day was beautiful and the river calm. It is only because I’m getting hungry that I finally go back. And you know what I want after being on the water? A lobster roll!

I heard of James Hook lobster shack from a local. It is back over on my side of the river and down towards Long Wharf. I order the large lobster roll. Period. That’s all I want. And for $42 with tip that is what I get. Worth every penny

The other local tip I got was that Boston has killer donuts from a place called Kane’s. Fortunately ( or not) Kane’s donuts is just around the corner, so…..

The next day is equally great weather and I hire a local photographer to do a photo walk with me around my Beacon Hill neighborhood. I take a lot of pictures and she points out cool possibilities to me for shots.

This house is charming and begs to have its picture taken with its Red Sox door and Red Sox baseballs gracing all the flower pots. We also go to Acorn Lane, the most photographed street in Boston and where marriage proposals are regularly staged. I thought I got a great shot of this pretty street.

She takes me to Louisburg Square which is right behind my place and where John Kerry lives at #19 and the author Robin Cook lives at #16 (Coma, Contagion, Pandemic, and more). Louisa May Alcott lived here at one time as well. It is apparently the most expensive address in Boston. I love the door knockers.

We also photograph the public gardens and parts of Back Bay. One of my favorite photos is the dog stuck in the Back Bay fence. All in all it’s a fun morning.

But what about the A of the ABCs? Not to worry, that afternoon I went to the special Monet exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Art and then topped it off with a visit to the Isabella Gardner Museum. This Isabella Gardner museum was the site of the $500 million, 1990 theft of 13 works of art including Rembrandts and Vermeer. Look at the empty frames still on the walls where the paintings had been.

The best part of the Isabella Gardner Museum is the courtyard garden. it is gorgeous and ever changing. The Museum also has a great restaurant where I had lunch prior to my visit.

So there you have the ABCs of a couple of my Shirleyfest Boston days. Coming up next…the USS Constitution and sunset walking with my Boston Meet Up group. Stay tuned and follow along!

I arrive during a rainstorm to my new home for the next month. There is always that moment before I open the door where I wonder what it will look like on the other side. Here’s what I see.

I breath a sigh of relief and an outburst of joy. I’ve rented a beautiful place in the Beacon Hill area of Boston. I will be happy here. My dear friends who live in a nearby suburb kindly whisk me away for a welcoming typical New England dinner of lobster,clam chowder and Boston cream pie.

And so goes my first night in Boston. Early the next day I do a walking tour of the Freedom Trail with Brian, a comedic Bostonian. I see the State House, the Boston Commons, the First Public Schoolhouse, and the site of the Boston Massacre where British soldiers opened fire on a taunting mob in 1770 killing 5 and providing an igniter for Revolutionary activists. I also see the Old Granary Burial Grounds where the gallows humor is you can go to the bar across the street and have a cold Samuel Adams while overlooking a cold Samuel Adams.

After the tour, I head over to the North Church for a quick visit in the Italian area of Boston—North End. I spy Regina’s Pizza which is on my list and choose a yummy pizza.

That evening I stroll through the beautiful Beacon Hill streets and wind up at a local place called 75 Chestnut for dinner. So enjoyable to eat outside on these cobblestone streets. Afterwards I realize I am only a few blocks from Cheers bar so I have a nightcap of a cold one.

The next morning I meet a friend from Palo Alto for coffee and we stroll around Charles street looking at vintage stores and antique shops. In the afternoon I go downtown and get my monthly subway card ( Charlie Card) and head to the Boston Public Library. It is an beautiful building with murals from the painter John Singer Sargent, gorgeous reading rooms and a storied history. It is the first free public library and it is filled with people today taking advantage of all it has to offer.

Tonight I head first to the Contemporary Art Museum via the T and a walk across the river. It is happening! A cool exhibit featuring Virgil Abloh. He is the artistic Director behind the off-white launch in Milan which challenges elite fashion houses long-standing exclusion of Black talent. There is a band playing on the waterfront in front of the museum. So fun! Afterwards I go to Sportello, a Barbara Lynch restaurant nearby.I get suggestions from two regulars and I always listen to regulars. One is to order a whipped housemade ricotta with honey and a homemade warm focaccia and the other the roasted pasta Bolognese tagliatelle.

Now it’s the weekend! My friends and I go to Marblehead and Salem for the day. Marblehead is a coastal town, sometimes referred to as the birthplace of the American Navy. We cross the causeway and walk around this little island and see the lighthouse and all the beautiful homes. You can see Boston in the distance.

Now Salem! What a hoot! Everything is witchcraft this and spooky that. Some people are dressed in costume. We have a great lunch at Finz overlooking the harbor and then we check out the old cemetery.

After all that spooky business we need some drinks. No better place than my rooftop deck when we get home.

I think that is quite enough for my first few days here. Next up at Fenway Park and kayaking the Charles River. I hope you follow along as I explore Boston!