The pandemic was a strange, unprecedented period of 18 months where we were essentially stuck on a tiny island (heh, Hong Kong), unable to leave and come back without stringent Covid tests and quarantine measures. The first time we finally traveled was in the fall of 2021, and that was to attend a long postponed family wedding on the west coast.
As part of that extended first trip, we also visited Boston. Our first time back in Boston post-Covid was unique because we were able to stay for a much longer period than normal. In non pandemic times we would usually fly into Boston and stay for 1-2 weeks max before returning to Hong Kong. This time, we had a full precious 4 weeks in Boston.
During that time, we visited many friends (some multiple times), saw my family, and participated in a lot of cool local events. Below are a few memorable non-food memories from that trip.
Free Star-Studded Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) put on a free ”Concert for Our City” to welcome its return to performing after a long pandemic break. Bryan went online and was able to grab 2 free tickets for us. It was an amazing concert, and quite nostalgic for us. Keith Lockhart was the conductor for the pops during a large part of our time in Boston. The BSO also played a few Star Wars songs, conducted by non other than John Williams himself (!). Finally, we got to hear world famous violinist Anne Sophie Mutter. It was SUCH a treat to be able to join with other Bostonians in such a special and meaningful concert.
Hunting for Four Leaf Clovers
I told my friends I had never seen a 4-leaf clover before (save, maybe once when I was around 5 years old and a kid brought one to school). They regular hunt for 4-leaf clovers, and are quite experienced at it. They told me it’s more common than I might think. The next thing you know, we were all looking through the numerous clover patches in Cambridge Common. It only took about 10 minutes, but - as promised - they found one for me. So cool!
The Charles River
I love the Charles River. My dorm room at MIT was right on the river, and I have fond memories of jogging along it ever since college. When we got married, my hope was to find a place with views of the Charles River for our reception. Every place we’ve ever lived has been been less than a 10 minute jog to the Charles. We were able to take long walks along the Charles River multiple times during our 4-week stay in Boston.
Boston Harbor Walk
Though a big part of my heart will always be with the Charles River, I also fell in love with the Boston Harbour walk later in life. I worked in Boston’s Seaport area for about a year back in 2014. During that time I began jogging along this oceanfront path during my lunch break. This trip, we stayed in the Seaport area, which means we had many, many opportunities to jog along this path.
In all our years together, Bryan and I seldom exercised together. This was a rare time in our marriage where we actually had the opportunity and time to go running together most mornings. It was really, really nice!
Saying Hello to Old Boston Icons
I make a point to visit the ”Make Way For Duckings” duck statues in the Public Garden every time I go back. The Public Garden is one of my favorite parks in Boston, and I love visiting it especially during the fall (during foliage season!) or the spring when the flowers are all in bloom.
Those 4 weeks were indeed really special. I don’t know when in the foreseeable future we’ll be able to take such a long trip again. We cherished the time we had, not only to enjoy so many different parts of Boston, but also to spend more quality time with our many friends and family in the area.
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Boston Archives
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Farewell Bergamot
