Boston Marathon 2014

On the Monday Pat was here visiting, Chuck and I both had off from work/school because it was Marathon Monday. For my Kentucky friends: imagine Oaks Day in Louisville. That is kind of like Marathon Monday here. Schools are closed, most people have off work (and if they don't, they're probably "sick" that day) and everyone is out doing SOMETHING, whether they are at the main event or not.

Boston's weather hasn't really gotten nice yet, but on Marathon Monday this year, it was perfect. High 60s and sunny all day. As you'll see from my pictures in a second, Boston was really showing off. We couldn't have wished for better weather to be outside in all day. Chuckie, Pat and I got up early and walked from our apartment over the bridge into Boston to find a spot on the race route. We tried to time it so we would get to the route before the elite runners ran past, and we timed it perfectly. We found a not-so-busy spot on the route right at the "1K to go!" point.

We saw all of the elite runners come past except for the wheelchair leaders who had already passed. First were the women.

Rita Jeptoo- who set the course record for women with her win!

Meb Keflezighi (yes I had to  look up that last name)- the winner of the men's race and also the first American to win since 1983! USA! USA!

 

We stuck around a little while longer, tried to find some friends we knew were nearby but failed, and then decided to walk towards the finish line. Once we got through the checkpoint to get on Newbury Street (the road parallel to Boylston/Finish Line), we found that the area around the Finish Line had reached capacity, so they weren't letting anyone else in that area. So we walked Newbury Street, got a cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake, and then continued all the way to the Boston Public Garden to start the search for a lunch spot.

We cut through the Common which we found was also runner headquarters. Hundreds of runners who had finished the race at that point were all over the grass in the Common. They all looked exhausted and most of them had their shoes and socks off, just letting their feet breathe. I wanted to congratulate every single one of them but then we never would have had lunch, so I resisted.

We walked and walked and walked, and eventually ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe near Faneuil Hall because there was no wait and we could sit outside.

It was so awesome to see thousands of people limping all over the city throughout the day with their medals hanging proudly from their necks. I seriously admire anyone who can run a marathon, or even a mini marathon for that matter. I can barely run 1 mile, so to run 26.2 and still be out walking around, eating lunch, shopping... well that's just amazing to me.

The Marathon was basically perfect this year which is what I think everyone needed and hoped for after last year. It was awesome to get to be a part of it and witness something that is such a big part of Boston's history and culture!

Liz and Shane in Boston (Part 1)

Elizabeth and Shane didn't come into town until around midnight last Friday, so before picking them up from the airport, I attended a girls' paint night with some SOs and LGOs over in Boston. 

 

Here is what the painting was supposed to look like:

 

As you can see, we all added a little of our own creativity and some of us boycotted the birds on the wire even though I'm pretty sure the title of the painting was supposed to be "Birds over Boston" or something.

Here's mine up close:

Originally we had Liz and Shane's whole first day in Boston planned out to include the Freedom Trail, dinner in the North End, and a few other things. But after the Sox won the series and a last minute Halloween party popped up, we changed all our plans. 

So we started Saturday morning early with some coffee and cinnamon rolls and a walk across the river into Boston for the Red Sox World Series Parade. It was pretty packed.

 

Here we are, anxiously awaiting the Duck Boats carrying baseball players.

  

Chuckie got this awesome shot of the trophy.

 

Big Papi!

After the parade, it was SO NICE outside so we decided to just keep walking around the city. We walked all the way up Newbury Street, went in and out of some stores, got cupcakes, walked through the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common, and then decided to find somewhere to eat lunch.

Even George Washington was wearing a beard to support the Red Sox!

 

Liz was obsessed with this outdoor bookstore right next to where we ate lunch. It's a cool picture and I personally enjoy the leftover confetti from the parade on the ground.

Before we headed back to Cambridge, we walked through Beacon Hill and the Esplanade along the river. Everything was so Fall-like and beautiful.

I was so happy it was warm enough outside for the sailboats to be out on the river! Liz and Shane really got to experience Boston at the perfect time of year.

After we walked a million miles all day long, we ended up back at our apartment for some rest and relaxation before we got some pad thai takeout.  That night we had an impromptu Halloween party at our apartment before we all went out for Liquor Treat with all the LGOs. I'll save that for the next post. So far I've only shown you up until 4pm on Liz and Shane's first day here. We have a tendency to wear out our visitors, as you can see.

10 Tiny Stories

I don't have any exciting recent pictures or adventures to share this week so I'm going to share 10 random things today to let you in on what's going on in the super, ultra exciting life of Chuck and Rachel as of late. (Note sarcasm.)

1. We are obsessed with Breaking Bad. We like to binge watch TV shows and right now, BB is our show of choice. We don't want to do anything except watch Breaking Bad all the time. It's a problem. If you have Netflix and a lot of free time, I suggest watching it. It takes some time to get interested but by Season 3 you'll be totally hooked and it'll ruin your social life and your dreams. But it's worth it.

2. We have fruit flies and we can't get rid of them. We tried the bowl of apple cider vinegar and killed one or two, but the others are too smart and won't go near it. Does anyone know how to get rid of these pesky things?

3. I saw another famous person on the sidewalk last week. His name is Zach Woodlee and he's the choreographer for Glee (and several other popular things in the past) and only a true Glee/dance nerd like myself would probably recognize this man. But I did and I googled and discovered he was in fact in Boston that day so I know it was him. Apparently he's currently choreographing for the movie remake of Annie coming out next year, so is working in New York and Boston. (As if the world needs a remake of THAT movie... no offense, Annie lovers.)

4. I signed up for the MIT gym last week and the first time I went, I got totally lost in the building. I couldn't find the locker rooms or the workout facility. All I saw was the pool, the basketball courts, the ice rink, and a lot of hallways with a lot of doors. I almost left and asked for a membership refund but some nice lady eventually helped me find my way. It was a lot of work just to go do something I really dislike.

5. The Red Sox are in the World Series and we are really excited about it. Four wins away from a parade. Let's do this, Boston!

Read the story

6. We have a high school friend who was injured in the Boston Marathon bombing and a few weeks ago, she got engaged to her boyfriend who was also injured in the bombing. The story got really popular and I guess Ellen heard about it and on Monday, they were on Ellen! Watch their videos! So inspiring. Make sure you have kleenex nearby.

First watch this one:

Then this one:

7. This is midterm week at MIT and luckily Chuck only had one test and it was first thing Monday morning. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that they are already at the halfway point in the semester.

8. I hate the US Postal Service. With a fiery passion. I think from now on I'll only use them for stamps. Long live UPS/Fedex!

9. This week it's not supposed to get warmer than 58 degrees. I think our nice 60-70 degree weather is probably leaving for good. Winter is coming. I'm scared.

10.  November is going to be a very busy, very fun month for us. We already have really fun plans every single weekend so I kind of want November to start RIGHT NOW. I know I shouldn't wish time away but, I can't help it. The blog will be very active in November.

Columbus Day Weekend

Columbus Day weekend was good.

Friday night we spent celebrating my friend Ana's birthday with friends. Ana hosted everyone in her and Jose's apartment and it was way too much fun, like most parties in their apartment tend to be. (See: last year's birthday party/pajama party and the Cambridge Blackout party for proof.) There were drinks, snacks, cakes (yes, multiple cakes), more drinks and music. We sang Happy Birthday twice- once in English and once in Spanish and even skyped in an LGO from South America for a little bit. At the end of the night, we trekked to Harvard Square where we unintentionally crashed a Harvard Rugby party and I got a lot of beer (not mine) spilled in my hair. It was a great night all around.

Saturday, we were up bright and early to head to Vermont. I really wanted to visit Vermont during peak leaf season and see Burlington, which we've heard from multiple sources is a gorgeous town. Well, it did not disappoint. 

Our friends Clayton and Christen joined us for the day trip and we arrived at our first stop, Shelburne Farms at noon. Shelburne Farms is a 1400 acre working farm right on Lake Champlain. We decided to walk the 4.5 mile loop around the farm and check out all the sights. The first stop was here. 

A bakery, a cheese-making factory, animals, picnic tables and probably a lot more that we missed. 

From there we got back on the trail and headed for the Lake. Once we hit the lake, the 4 of us climbed down some seriously steep stairs (how do you like that alliteration?) to the water where we spent about 30 minutes taking pictures, skipping rocks, and discussing how someday we will tell our future kids and grandkids about how people used to throw rocks into water for fun. 

Skipping little rocks wasn't enough of a challenge for Chuck and Clayton so eventually they started skipping ginormous rocks. Or, attempted to skip them, anyway.

Back on the loop trail we passed the Inn (where we all decided to someday come back and stay for a vacation), the dairy section of the farm and more beautiful scenery. We ended back at the Visitor's center where we stocked up on cheese, maple syrup and some other goodies made right there on the farm.

Next we headed into downtown Burlington just to drive through and see, and then we were on our way to the Ben & Jerry's Factory for some ice cream and a tour.  I couldn't get any pictures of the factory because they specifically ask you not to take any pictures and I didn't want to risk get kicked out of a place that gives you ice cream.

After the tour we headed back to Boston because it was a 3.5 hour drive and we were all pretty tired from the drive up and all the walking.

Sunday was a mashup of several activities including an Independent Film Festival and Oktoberfest in Harvard Square with friends for me, some relaxation and a little work at home for Chuck, and then an evening of bowling and watching the Red Sox playoff game for us both. I took pictures of none of the above but I promise they were all fun. 

We watched most of the Red Sox game at the bowling alley and then got home just in time to see David Ortiz hit a grand slam to tie the game in the 8th inning, followed by a couple of good hits in the 9th to lead the Red Sox to a huge, epic win. ****This is where I acknowledge that yes, we are bandwagon Red Sox fans, as we don't typically care about MLB at all, but the Red Sox are in the playoffs and we live in Boston therefore I think it's perfectly acceptable for us to keep up with them and cheer for them because we REALLY want to be in Boston if/when they win a World Series because we've heard there are all kinds of parades and other exciting events in the city because Red Sox fans are diehard and crazy and awesome. The end.****

Monday was a day off for both of us and we spent it eating pancakes, catching up on TV shows we missed last week, grocery shopping, walking to Starbucks for a special Fall drink, and watching Breaking Bad, our current Netflix show of choice.

'Twas a spectacular weekend all around. 

Cummings B&B

Last week we acted as a Bed & Breakfast for 8 days straight and 3 different sets of visitors. It was exhausting but fun and we wouldn't have it any other way!

For starters Chuck's sister, Shawn, who we just visited in Virginia, came into town to visit with us a for a few days before she had to attend a work conference in downtown Boston. We don't get to see Shawn a whole lot so it was a treat to see her twice within two weeks! Chuckie had a lot of work to do so he spent as much time with us as he could but had to go to meetings and class here and there throughout her visit.

As soon as Shawn came in on Saturday, she and I hit the local nail salon and got a mani/pedi while Chuck did some homework. It was great fun to watch the manicurist try to get the 5 layers of teal and glitter polish off my toenails before starting my pedicure. (Who needs gel polish when you can just get your nieces to layer regular polish on thick and cover it in glitter?)  When we were done, we swooped by the house to change into warmer clothes and get Chuckie, and then we were off to the North End for dinner and cannolis. Shawn got to experience the legit Italian food and wine and wait in the long line at Mike's Pastry. It was perfect!

Sunday we took a Target trip and walked around Harvard Square while Chuck met with a group to do homework. When he was finished, we hopped in the car (I love that we can do that now) and drove northeast for about an hour to Rockport, MA- AKA my new favorite place in Massachusetts. The town is so quaint and perfect it almost seems fake. It's probably why they chose it as the setting for the movie "The Proposal."

After walking and sight-seeing and ice cream, we got back in the car and drove 30 minutes back towards Boston and stopped in Salem, MA to walk around and have dinner. It was chilly and kind of slow, considering it was after 5 pm on a Sunday night, so we just walked where our noses took us and then ended up eating at a restaurant called "The Old Spot" which I thought meant the place was really old but in fact had something to do with pigs or pork or something.

When we got home around 9:30, Chuck had YET ANOTHER school group meeting (via google hangout) and Shawn and I watched "The Proposal" to see what places we recognized from Rockport.

Monday, Chuck had class all day so I acted as tour guide again and took Shawn to see MIT, the Freedom Trail, and Qunicy Market. I've lost count now as to how many times I've been on the Freedom Trail but MAN do I know a lot of random trivia about Paul Revere and John Hancock.

Monday night Shawn checked into her hotel in Back Bay and our visitor #2 arrived. I should say visitorS because it was Robbie and Jessica- a fellow LGO and SO who were in town for Robbie's "midstream review"- the halfway point for the on-cycle LGOs to come back and give presentations on their internship projects. Chuck stayed with them when he came to Boston for a few days back in April, so we were returning the favor!  Soon after they arrived, we all headed to Harvard Square to meet Shawn for dinner at one of our favorite spots in Boston, Border Cafe. Their food is really random but good and the margaritas are tasty.

Tuesday we all worked and Jessica and I met another SO for dinner and ice cream near our apartment.

Wednesday we didn't have any visitors, as Jessica and Robbie left to stay with another couple and I did laundry and cleaning in anticipation of our next visitor. I also watched 5 episodes of the Netflix show Orange is the New Black and got addicted, all while Chuck was still at school attending meetings and doing homework. (I get to have all the fun. It's really not fair. You should all feel a little sorry for Chuckie. But not really because he's getting to learn at MIT, so, it's not really THAT bad but, he doesn't get to binge watch TV shows and get mani/pedis like me. Not that he gets mani/pedis but you get what I mean.)

Thursday our visitor #3 arrived in the evening. Matt, a friend from church in Louisville, got in around 9 and was immediately swept off to a Japanese C-Function and then the regular Thursday night karaoke. Friday, he and Chuck explored Harvard until I met up with them around lunchtime. We had lunch in Harvard Square, then went into Boston to go on a tour of the Harpoon Brewery. Unfortunately all of the tours were sold out until 5 pm and we didn't have time to wait, so we decided to just do a tasting and then head to Fenway for the Red Sox game.

Matt treated us to the game (thanks, Matt!) and we had awesome seats in center field where we could see the whole field and had a good, close-up view of the Monstah. The game proved to be quite interesting, as our seats were surrounded by members of the Wounded Warriors group and at one point in the 6th inning, one of them took off his prosthetic leg, handed to a friend, who then proceeded to chug a beer out of it up in front of everyone. You definitely don't see that every day, huh? Soon after that, I made a bathroom run where the girl in the next stall puked and apparently missed the toilet but hit the ground BIG TIME and puke splattered into my stall onto my shoes. Someone had one too many vodka cranberries before the game I believe. Luckily for me, Sperries are meant to get wet and were pretty easy to clean. But, ew.  This picture was taken pre-puke incident. That's why I still look happy.

Saturday, Matt ventured out into Boston for several hours on his own to explore the JFK Library, Beacon Hill, the Old North Church, and the original Cheers. Chuck and I watched the UofL game and then Chuck was able to get a little homework done. That evening, we took Matt to the North End for Italian and pastries as we didn't want to break our streak. We've taken literally every visitor there so far. Can't stop now. Plus it's a good excuse to get a cannoli.

Sunday we lounged around the apartment most of the morning and then headed into Central Square for a late lunch before Matt had to leave for Louisville.

And then our 8 days of acting as a B&B ended.  We loved all 3 sets of visitors and wish we could have had a full week with all of them! But we made the most of the short visits we had and can't wait for our next set of visitors in November!