Back Bay: Packed Itinerary for Spring Break Visitors

Ten years ago when I first visited Back Bay, I immediately fell in love with the neighborhood. Call me a homer if you want, but Back Bay is the better version of SoHo in NYC, with less people and much cleaner. Holding a coffee and walking along Newbury St. with all its historic buildings would instantly put me in vacation mode. Now working in the area, I still enjoy taking a walk around the area whenever feeling stressful. The Back Bay area seems to have this magical power that makes me feel relaxed and free of stress.

Last April, the Back Bay area appeared in the national headlines for an unfortunate reason. But with the resiliency of the Bostonian, the area has recovered quickly from the tragedy. Fast-forward eleven months to today and you hardly notice any difference; the Back Bay area remains one of the most popular spots for tourists.

Spring break coming up in the next couple weeks, and if you choose to make Boston your spring break destination then huge round of applause to you as you are not one of those crowd-followers just looking to get drunk at a random beach. As you are special, how can you explore the Back Bay area without following the typical travel guide? Great question, just follow along for my itinerary and I am sure your experience in the Back Bay area will be memorable.

Itinerary:

1. Morning: Copley Square, Lunch at food trucks in the area 
2. Afternoon: Desert at Georgetown Cupcake/LA Burdick, the Paint Bar 
3. Evening: Dinner at the Salty Pig, drinks at Cactus

Morning:

If you are to visit the Back Bay area, Copley Square is one place you can’t miss, especially if you are into history and/or architecture. In the area, you will find Boston Public Library (the first large free municipal library in the United States), Trinity Church (birthplace and archetype of the Richardsonian Romanesque style), and the John Hancock Tower (a masterpiece of glass designed by Henry Cobb, associate of the great architect L.M. Pei). All of them are definitely worthy of your time to explore.

When the morning tour comes to an end, it’s lunch time! True that there are many great restaurants in the area, but I recommend you to try out the food trucks in the area. What’s more special than waiting in line for quick, but delicious bites? Okay, it’s not that special waiting in lines with a bunch of people getting out of work for a quick lunch, who just remind you work or school sucks (you may bump into me). But hey, it’s definitely a unique experience, and most important, the food tastes good. My personal favorites are Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, The Chicken and Rice Guys, and Bon Me, in that particular order. However, make sure you check their schedules as each food trunk has their own schedules for different days.

Green Muenster Melt from Roxy

Combo Platter from Chicken and Rice Guys

Afternoon:

If you have a sweet tooth, you will be ecstatic for the next part of the itinerary. I have two dessert shops to recommend for you to satisfy your craving of sweets. You can’t go wrong with either. Why not both, you ask? Sure, if you say so since you’ve had your share of walking to burn all those extra calories. I am not a guy that really appreciates desserts/sweets, but these two shops definitely won my heart.

Georgetown Cupcakes changed my view of cupcakes. I saw cupcakes as over-sweetened cream over a small piece of dry pastry. There was absolutely no reason to waste my share of stomach on the cupcake. Until one day someone brought a box of Georgetown Cupcakes to the office … and I have been hooked since. My personal favorites are Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Fudge, but there are so many more options that can easily satisfy your special tastes.

LA Burdick is a chocolatier. I first went to their shop in Harvard Square, and I really loved it. When LA Burdick opened another shop near my company, I was happy because I could go there for a hot chocolate on occasion. As a guy who is not a fan of sweets, their hot chocolate is perfect as it’s so smooth and warming, while not making you drink ten cups of water afterwards.

Now that you sweet tooth is satisfied, it is time to stroll down Newbury St. to our next stop, the Paint Bar. Hold your horses with your “boos.” Painting may not be your thing, but it wasn’t mine either. I was so disappointed when I first found out we were going to the “Paint Bar” instead of doing “Paintball,” but the outing turned out to be fun and I really enjoyed it. Don’t worry if you suck at art, in here you will have step by step instruction on how to create a painting from the instructors, who are actually quite funny and nice. Plus, you can order beers while you are painting, so if you don’t like it, at least you can have a beer and make fun of your friends’ paintings. You can keep your painting after you finish, but please remember to reserve ahead of time as the shop has limited seating.

Not bad eh? You can do it!

Evening:

After the exhaustion of your art creativity in the afternoon, time for some more delicious food for dinner. As I mentioned, there are many great restaurants in the area … if you have a pocket full of cash to blow. Want to try something special but don’t want to spend a fortune? No problem! The Salty Pig on Dartmouth St. is what you are asking for. If you like charcuterie, this is the perfect place for you as you can make your own charcuterie. However, the pizza here is excellent as well. My personal favorite is the mushroom pizza with a sunnyside egg on top. It makes me hungry as I am writing. If still have energy for drinks, feel free to drop by at the Cactus Bar. It’s usually crowded with a bunch of college kids, but they serve some very good margaritas. A good margarita should conclude your packed, special day in the Back Bay.

Dennis Gao – Born and raised in China, I offer perspectives blended with my Asian root. I enjoy any unknown adventure, whether it means trying new restaurants, meeting strangers, or wandering in to undiscovered neighborhood of the city. I am too laid back to follow a plan and will rather allow my feeling to dictate what I would do on any given day. 

ALLSTON/BRIGHTON: ALL BRIGHT IN A COLD WINTER DAY

Speaking of Allston/Brighton, what’s the first thing that came to your mind? The old apartments filled with drunk college students, or the fucking B line that you have to squeeze yourself like the sardine in a can just to get in? Damn right, that’s what I experience every day as a Allston/Brighton resident. But seriously, there’s the quiet and relax side of Allston/Brighton that I am going to show you. When I am exploring a city that I have no knowledge about, I like to hop on a subway or a bus and get off whenever I feel like, I will do the same for my trip to Brighton. Make sure you have a daily T-pass, or you are in for some serious walking.

Itinerary:
1. Late Morning: Lunch at Seoul Soulongtang @ Harvard Avenue
2. Afternoon: Jogging at Chestnut Hill Reservoir/Visit of Historic Boston College Campus @ Chestnut Hill Avenue
3. Evening: Dinner at Ittoku @ Warren Street

First Stop: Harvard Avenue

Harvard Avenue is at the heart of Allston/Brighton area. There are more than four thousand people hopping on and off the T in the Harvard Avenue station daily. There are also tons of restaurants in the area that creates the magnetic power to attract me here every week. According to my unofficial research (i.e. Counting), there are at least 50 restaurants in the walking distance of the Harvard Avenue Station, so there must be something you are craving for. Too many selections? Make up your mind already! No? Fine, I will give you a recommendation.

Seoul Soulongtang is one of the many Korean restaurants in the area, but it’s also one of the few that I would actually go back to after dining there once. Soulongtang is the Korean ox bones soup, so it’s pretty obvious soup is the signature dish of this place. For those who are allergic to options, this place is perfect for you. You choose one of the soups you want, tag on an entrée if you are hungry, then you are done! I always have their Galbitong and LA Galbi (BBQ short ribs) combo. As an Asian who always has soup before a meal, I really like the smooth taste of the soup. It’s so comforting that I feel like it resembles the soup my Mom makes for me. However, don’t forget to put salt, pepper, and scallion in the soup as they intentionally left them off so that you can customize the flavor of your soup. Their Galbi is awesome too as they are perfectly done and juicy. Every time when I finish my meal here I feel super satisfied, not only because of the high quality of food I just consumed, but also for the low price I pay for ($30ish for two).

Galbitong from Seoul Soulongtant

If you are an Aerosmith fan, you can stroll to 1325 Commonwealth Ave, the birthplace of their first song. In 2012, Aerosmith held an outdoor concert in front of their old apartment, which drew a big crowd to the area. You can be here to be inspired, and dream about being the next Steven Tyler or Joe Perry.

Second Stop: Chestnut Hill Avenue/Boston College

Now you are full and satisfied, it’s time to hop on the train again and make it to the next stop, Chestnut Hill Avenue. You can find the historic Chestnut Hill Reservoir in the area. I know, I know it’s freezing now, but if you are an advocate of a healthy style like me, this is a great place for you. There’s a 1.56 mile jogging loop surrounding the reservoir. In here, you don’t have to avoid all the pedestrians, stop for traffic night, or inhale all the unpleasant smell while running, just enjoy the relaxed scenic view of the reservoir. If that’s not enough, you can make your way to the nearby Boston College campus. BC is an intriguing place for you to visit if you are interested in architecture and history, as the BC main campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (As a BU student, it pains me to write good things about our arch rival in BC, so I just stop here before I become a hater and ruin the itinerary, you can explore the campus as you make your way there).

Beautiful Chestnut Hill Reservoir covered with snow

Third Stop: Warren Street

After an afternoon of walking/jogging, I bet you are hungry again. As you make your way back to the city, make a stop at Warren Street for a restaurant called Izakaya Ittoku. To help you better understand, izakaya is equivalent to a bar that Japanese would go to for Happy Hour after work. It serves sake (in Japan) and other exotic alcoholic drinks (in US), accompany with delicious food (grill meat!!!) I have been to a couple izakayas in NYC and really loved it so I am ecstatic when Ittoku opened as the first izakaya in Boston last November. Ittoku has a relatively large menu as it offers many selections that you will normally find in a Japanese restaurant. Of course you can order the usual suspects with the likes of sushi, sashimi, or ramen, but as an adventurer, I am a big fan of the Yakitori (grill meat) since not many restaurants in Boston have it. Drinking the warm sake, while enjoying the grilled meat melt in your mouth, that’s the perfect way to end your day in Allston/Brighton.

Yakitori in Ittoku, yum!

What? I can’t believe you don’t have enough fun following my itinerary. Oh, my itinerary is too healthy for you, and you didn’t have enough alcohol, just like you will find in James’ itinerary? Okay, I will leave that to my colleagues so that they can introduce awesome bars in the area. But hey, this is Allston/Brighton, a diverse neighborhood with a lot of hidden gems. You will definitely be able to find one itinerary that suits your style.

Dennis Gao – Born and raised in China, I offered perspectives blended with my Asian root. I enjoy any unknown adventure, whether it means trying new restaurants, meeting strangers, or wandering in to undiscovered neighborhood of the city. I am too laid back to follow a plan and will rather allow my feeling to dictate what I would do on any given day.