new england fall/columbus day weekend

          I was excited to go home for Columbus Day weekend several weeks ago, and managed to navigate my way to the bus terminal, though not without difficulty. I got out of class at 1:00, caught a train into the city, walked in the opposite direction of the bus station, hailed a cab, sprinted to my bus, and stood there until we were allowed to board, half an hour past schedule. We didn’t leave until 3:30 and got stuck in horrendous traffic, arriving in beautiful Boston 6 hours later. 

          My mom (and dinner) were waiting for me at South Station, and I was beyond excited to see her. It was fantastic to sleep in my own bed and shower without wearing flip flops, but I completely overcommitted myself for the following three days. Three of my friends that go to school in Boston were home for the weekend, so I wanted to spend time with them, as well as with my parents and Diana. On Saturday morning, I spent some quality time at the mall with my mom after brunching with my dad, and in the afternoon I picked up my friends and drove to Cider Hill Farm for an afternoon of apple picking and doughnut eating. Driving for the first time in 5 weeks was an incredible experience, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed my car and the freedom that comes with having a license and living in a rural area. 

Cider Hill was beautiful, though I was only there for the doughnuts, but we walked through the orchards hunting for apples. Later that day, my mom cooked my favorite dinner, and I went to the movies with my sister and some friends, staying out way too late. Our parents dragged Diana and I to church the next morning, but followed through with lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant and a trip to the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. It was a great exhibit and I loved spending the day with the people I love most. 

The trip home would not have been complete without a meal at my absolute favorite eatery, Las Olas Taqueria, so Diana and I went for dinner, almost causing me to burst into tears because of its deliciousness. College food is barely edible, and after a lifetime of my mom’s home cooking, I am less than thrilled with the meal selection at school. 

I had an afternoon bus on Monday, so I spent the morning with my dad, eating a late breakfast and going to Applecrest Farm for lunch and a hayride. It was great to have a weekend full of traditional New England Fall activities, since I feel so far removed from everything like that in the Bronx. I was sad to leave Newburyport because my weekend felt so rushed, but I can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving. 

jackie, becca, and danielle

photo cred to jackie peszynski

with diana at the PEM

so much happiness in this picture

sweet sweet summertime

          Summer after senior year was the sweetest of them all, and I wished it would never end. Although I worked 20+ dreary hours every week at Market Basket, I spent a lot of time with friends and enjoyed the freedom, late nights, and later mornings. Summertime was filled with graduation and birthday parties, walks through Maudslay, trips to Little Neck, Salisbury, and Hampton beaches (and of course my beach, Plum Islans), adventures to Boston, and lots of ridiculously good food from Las Olas, Abe’s, and Riverview. I also feel like we spent a lot of time at Friendly’s, solely because it’s open until midnight.

          More than anything, this summer made me realize how much I love and appreciate my friends, and I have no idea how I’m functioning without them. We spread out across the U.S. and the globe, and I can’t wait to see most of them at Thanksgiving. 

Danielle with Becca at her graduation party

Klaudia and Gretchen on Plum Island for Gretch's birthday party

Gretchen's graduation party

Becca and I

boston adventures  

Keane concert at the House of Blues, Boston

Klaudia, Old Town Hill, Newbury, MA

Kennebunkport, ME

car rides to nowhere in particular

my beautiful sister

nora and klaudia

L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, ME

sunset at the artichoke

birthday festivities

          

           As of today, I am officially an adult! Since it is Tuesday, I celebrated my 18th birthday over the weekend with Diana and Klaudia. After arriving in Boston on Saturday afternoon, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and spent the rest of the day shopping (and eating). I was worried about the weather, but it was a perfect January day: warm enough for iced coffee, but cold enough to need a jacket. 

          After spending too much money on Newbury Street, we made our way to Cambridge to find dinner in Harvard Square. We decided on b. good, one of my favorite local chain restaurants for the cheap and delicious food. Although b. good is known for their burgers, made from local ingredients like the rest of their menu, I decided on a salad with some amazing roasted sweet potato fries. We walked around for a little bit longer before heading back to our hotel, exhausted.

          The next morning, we slept in late, grabbed lunch at Pizzeria Regina (the best pizza in the world. Period.), and trekked back to Newburyport. All in all, spending the weekend in Boston was a nice way to celebrate my passage into adulthood and, as always, I wished I didn't have to leave. It was fun to be in Harvard Square this time of the year, and being around college students/college life made me even more excited for my own experience this Fall. 

we run on dunkin's!

diana, me, and klaudia after enjoying sweet treats at Sweet Cupcakes

beautiful friends + lights in boston

matt and kim (and car trouble)

house of blues, boston

          On Friday night, Diana, Klaudia, and I kicked off the weekend with the Matt and Kim concert at the House of Blues in Boston. I have gone to a bunch of shows at the House of Blues, and it's one of my favorite venues because the security tends to be pretty laid back (although on Friday we all received pat-downs before being allowed in), and we usually manage to make our way down into the mosh pit even though it's always sold out. Matt and Kim are an interesting band of two people (of the same names), and we've all been fans of them for the last few years. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, they have a really unique sound, and their live performance was impressive. 

          Earlier the same night, we had been hoping to get into Boston on the early side to finish some Christmas shopping and have a nice dinner, but upon leaving school we discovered that my car had a flat tire. I drove to the closest gas station, which was, of course, out of business, so my sister ran over to the Park Lunch, a popular hang out spot for Newburyport townies, to procure some assistance. She came back with two middle-aged men who had been sitting at the bar, and seemed more than happy to put on the spare tire. We then drove to a service station so they could fix the damaged tire (the cause of the flat = a tiny nail) and give me a new inspection sticker, and we were finally on our way.    

          Even though we started out with some difficulties, we all had a great night, and it was a much needed mental break from school. On our way home, we stopped at Sonic for limeade and grilled cheese sandwiches, sung along to Diana's new Matt and Kim CD, and pulled into the driveway at 2 am. Perfect night. 

it wouldn't be a concert without a 1 am stop at sonic

boston black friday

christmas tree in the north end

diana and i

klaudia being a model, as usual.

       Last night, my parents took Diana, Klaudia, and I into Boston to see the tree lighting at Macy's and to do some shopping. The previous day, on Thanksgiving, after a morning football game (which Newburyport won!), a family walk in Maudslay State Park, and, of course, a turkey dinner, some friends came over to relax before we left at 11:30 to begin Black Friday shopping.
       My goal for the night/morning was to get a Kindle at Target, so we went there first and waited outside in 34 degree weather for two hours, and stood in line for another hour once we got inside. It was entertaining at first, when friendly employees in red shirts passed out energy bars and Klaudia and I listened to all of the crazed shoppers' conversations, but it got old pretty quickly and I was visibly upset by the time I made it to the check-out.
       After finishing our shopping, we drove home, slept for six hours, and then trekked into Boston. I was really tired, but I absolutely love Boston, especially during the holidays. The weather was surprisingly nice--all of us were freezing that morning, but the evening in the city was beautiful. We shopped for a few hours before having a lackluster dinner at a Mexican restaurant and strolling through the North End, festively lit with holiday lights, probably left over from a feast. Thanksgiving this year was a lot of fun, and aside from the stress of purchasing my Kindle, it was a welcome break from college applications and homework. And now the countdown to Christmas begins.

Walk for Hunger

            On Sunday, I got up at 5:30 in the morning (after about 4 hours of sleep at Klaudia’s house) to take a bus to Boston to participate in the Walk for Hunger. The Walk is sponsored by Project Bread, and is a 20 mile loop that goes through Brookline, Newton, and Cambridge, raising money and awareness for the homeless people of Massachusetts. I walked last year, too, and had a great time; not only is it for a great cause, but I got to spend the day with my friends, outside in beautiful weather. The weather was better this year than last year, and I only got one sunburn (on the back of my legs, the one place I forgot to put sun block).            

           

          Both times I signed up, I told myself and retold myself that it was just a walk—how hard can it be? I think a lot of people would be surprised at how tiring and difficult it is, because the 20 miles feels a lot longer, but time goes by pretty fast if you have friends to walk with. It’s also a really fantastic walking tour of Boston; we walked by several colleges, past rows of beautiful townhouses, through the Commons, and around the reservoir.

            I think the best part about the Walk is that it’s not a competition; we weren’t running a marathon, trying to come in first place. Instead, we were all simply walking for the same reason, with the common goal of eliminating hunger in Massachusetts. My friends and I were able to take our time, stopping at our leisure to take pictures or grab a snack. It took about 6 hours to walk the 20 miles, and everyone was exhausted on the bus ride home. Unfortunately, I had saved all my homework for that night, so unlike many of my walking companions, I wasn’t able to pass out on my couch.

           

When the first Sunday in May comes around next year, I know I won’t remember the sunburns or the soreness, but I will remember having a great time. Any day spent with friends and not doing homework is heavenly, and I can’t wait to walk another 20 miles next year. 

Scavenger Hunt in Boston

          A few weeks ago, I ventured into Boston with some friends for a scavenger hunt of sorts. I consider myself to be from Boston, and I think it’s fair to say that my friends are pretty familiar with the city, so it was fun to be tourists for a day. After using my sister’s student ID from her art class to get a free train ride, we followed the freedom trail from North Station to the State House, wandering all over the city.

We spent a while in the North End, which is my favorite part of Boston because it smells amazing, especially in the morning. Passing by a bakery window that was piled with freshly baked bread was impossible to resist, and we shared a baguette while we wandered over to Faneuil Hall. We spent quite some time in Newbury Comics, where I found a Matt Nathanson CD for $5 and a Counting Crows album for $4 in the used CD section. I also couldn’t resist buying a large red magnet that reads “I Survived the William and Kate Royal Wedding, April 29, 2011.” I was really looking for one that I saw online that says “Don’t Panic, There’s Still One Prince Left,” but they didn’t have it.

           To accomplish the scavenger hunt, we split into two groups—the winner is still disputed, but I’m pretty sure my team came out on top. The various tasks we had to accomplish ranged from doing yoga in front of the state house to re-enacting the Boston Massacre, which involved me throwing a “snowball” (a square plastic container) at Gretchen. The questioning stares of other pedestrians just added to the fun. We also went to TJ Maxx to try on the ugliest clothes we could find, undoubtedly irritating the woman working in the fitting room.

Later that day, we trekked back to the North End for gelato, and I waited in a ridiculously long line to get cannolis at Mike’s. We ended up sprinting to North Station, and hurriedly grabbing coffee before jumping on the train home.

Birthday Weekend

Birthday

It’s been a while since my birthday (it was in January), but this year it was such a good one that I have to write about it. The celebration lasted three days, doing some of my favorite things with my favorite people.

Day 1

Saturday.

After a long day spent in the car with my mother, we were passing through downtown Amesbury on our way home when she suggested that we get a menu at Flatbread’s so we could order pizza later. To say the least, I was suspicious. I love Flatbread pizza. It was two days until my birthday, and my mom is not a big fan of Flatbread’s—to be honest, she thinks it’s overpriced and a little snobby. When I walked in, I saw a table filled with all my friends—it was my first surprise birthday party! Since turning 17 doesn’t really seem cause enough to have a big party, I had been planning to celebrate at a concert the following month with just my sister and two friends, so I was thrilled that everyone was able to get together to celebrate. We all shared pizza and salad, as well as a beautiful pink birthday cake courtesy of my sister, Diana, who had even made favor bags for everyone filled with sugar cookies. Dinner with friends was a great ending to an exhausting day, even though Diana forgot to bring me a birthday tiara.

My best friend, Klaudia, organized the whole event, and had even asked everyone to bring donations for my favorite charity, One Home Many Hopes, instead of getting me unnecessary gifts, something I had mentioned in passing to her at the gym several weeks prior. Usually for my birthday, I get the expected, generic gifts—some hand lotion, maybe a new shirt, or a scarf. I would rather take the money that my friends spend on gifts like these and give it to someone who needs it. One Home Many Hopes (OHMH) is an organization founded by my favorite columnist, Thomas Keown, who wrote for Metro newspaper before leaving to work fulltime with OHMH. This charity provides a safe place to live, as well as an education, for young women in Africa. These women go on to college, and have to promise to return to build another school. It’s a great organization that is really having a positive impact on people’s lives, and I have donated to them several times.

            

Day 2

Sunday.

Klaudia, best friend and pro shopper.

It costs $15.50 to take the train roundtrip from Newburyport to Boston. Cheaper than parking in the city, but still a ridiculously high price for a 40-mile trip on public transportation. The day before my birthday, Klaudia and I went into the city to do some shopping, and hopefully have some memorable adventures. We both hate being in high school, and going to Boston and pretending to be adults for a day is always a great escape. Sometimes it even works. After getting off the train at North Station, we planned to take the subway to Newbury Street, and made a terrible mistake. I still have no idea which subway we got on, but when we reached the end of the line, we were no longer underground and the only person in sight was an Asian man who didn’t seem to speak English. Eventually, another train arrived to take us back, and we managed to sort ourselves out.

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By now, I was feeling hungry, and it was mid-afternoon, so we wandered over to the Prudential Center in search of something to eat. We chose to dine at P.F. Chang’s, a first for both of us. I found it a little overrated; I don’t think the food was better than any stand in the food court, but the restaurant was beautiful and lunch prices were decent. The rest of the day was filled with shopping, and even though we both wanted to stay later, it was Sunday, and Klaudia, at least, had to go to school the next day.

   

Day 3

Monday.

            Finally. My wish was granted and I got to take the day off from school, since it was the actual day of my birthday.