My new favorite thing in LA: The Venice Canals

August 19, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 1 Comment

When I booked my flight to Los Angeles earlier this summer, I honestly figured Kathleen and I would enjoy a quiet week revolving around brunch and beaches. I’ve spent a lot of time in LA over the years and this trip was to be way less about sightseeing and way more about quality friend time after two years apart.

With that said, I did have one special sightseeing request: visiting the Venice Canals. This neighborhood has canals instead of roads, designed to mirror those in its much more famous counterpart, Venice, Italy. On a sunny Friday, Kathleen and I wandered the pathways, snapping photos and trying to decide which adorable home we would want to be ours. Because, you guys – if I’m ever a millionaire, I’m moving here.

I couldn’t be happier with my decision to be touristy for a day! Which house would YOU choose? I’m going with the boxy orange one, of course.

Boston Common and Public Garden

August 14, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 3 Comments

Well friends, this is my final post about my Boston trip (about time, right?) It’s also the one I’ve been looking forward to the most!

When I told my parents I was going to Boston, my mom immediately started singing the praises of the Boston Common – America’s first public park, opened in 1634.

Sure enough, I ended up there for at least some portion of time every single day I was in the city. It serves as the starting point for the Freedom Trail, is filled with open spaces perfect for lying out with a book, and of course is ideal for people-watching.

Adjacent to the Common is the Boston Public Garden. A lost of people think it’s one giant park, but they are distinct entities – which led to some confusion myself! I was searching the Common for the swan boats my mom had told me she rode in as a little girl, only to discover that they are in fact at the Public Garden, across the street.

Living in New York has made me somewhat of a park snob – when your summer weekends are spent at Central Park or Prospect Park, how can anything else compare? But I can safely say that these Boston parks DO compare, and are the perfect (free!) spot to relax when visiting the city.

Sam Adams Brewery Tour

August 12, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 5 Comments

One thing I really wanted to do when I was in Boston was go on a brewery tour. I love beer, I love tasting local beers, and every brewery tour I’ve been on has been a blast. Lucky for me, Samuel Adams – which makes some of my favorite brews – is based in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston and offers FREE (!!) tours!

I popped in around 11 a.m. on a Friday and there happened to be a tour starting ten minutes from then, so I jumped right on it! They don’t take reservations so I felt really lucky to have the timing work out so well. I had so much fun learning about the brewing process and (especially) getting to sample their different trademark beers. Also, our tour guide was hilarious!

The waiting area was like a mini museum – so much fun to look around and start picking up fun facts before the tour even started.

My “ticket” to get on the tour.

Little glimpses of the brewhouse and barrel room. Fun fact: This brewery in Boston is for testing and research purposes. The bulk of their brewing is done in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

At the end of the tour, we got these tiny beer glasses to keep as souvenirs. Not bad for a tour that only cost a suggested $2 charity donation!

Overall, I highly recommend doing the Samuel Adams brewery tour if you’re ever in Boston with some time to kill. If you do, it’s at 30 Germania Street off the orange line on the T. It’s a bit of a trek, but well worth it!

Have you ever been on a brewery tour or considered one on your travels?

Eating in Boston

August 4, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister Leave a comment

Let’s be real: I love food. When I travel, eating local cuisine is one of my favorite things to do, and Boston was no different.

What is Boston known for? SEAFOOD. And I can officially vouch for all of it.

Here’s a little overview of the best meals I had and places I dined:

The Warren Tavern, Charlestown: This is the oldest tavern in Massachusetts, and has been visited by the likes of George Washington and Paul Revere. It’s pretty standard bar food – I had a burger, fries and Boston Lager – but it’s very much worth a visit for the history alone!

Quincy Market: Touristy to the extreme, but for good reason! Again, history. There are SO many options here, but I ended up at mmMac n’ Cheese (shocking I know) eating the Boston Seafood Mac.

Legal Sea Foods: This is a chain, recommended to me by my parents, and I dined at the one on Park Plaza. The food and service were both amazing – I had a lobster roll (it was a special, not on the menu, so be sure to ask your waiter what’s available!) as well as a Boston Lager (see a trend?) and cheesecake for dessert. Yum!

What’s your favorite place to eat in Boston? I know I missed a lot!

Boston’s Back Bay

July 31, 2015Leigh Anne Zinsmeister 2 Comments

For a neighborhood I didn’t really plan on exploring beyond the Prudential Tower, Back Bay quickly became one of my favorite parts of Boston. My host in Charlestown suggested I visit Copley Square and Newbury Street on my way to Fenway Park, and I’m so glad I took her advice! (If you use airbnb, always ask your hosts for tips.)

Having done very little research on the area, I took the train down in the morning with plans to see Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, and as much of Newbury Street as possible before taking the train to Fenway. Turns out, Boston is MUCH smaller than I thought, and I was able to see those sites, walk the length of Newbury (even ducking into a couple shops!) and walk to the stadium with time to spare.