We arrived in Boston after finally being allocated seats on the last flight out of Ottawa. Arriving on Sunday evening, we checked in to our Airbnb and had a little explore of the local area. Turns out the place we had booked in Chelsea was nothing like its namesake in London, and was a wee way from the city but still relatively easy to get to by bus.
Monday morning and it was straight to Cambridge to check out Harvard - one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Just walking around looking at the buildings made you feel you were in the presence of something special. I can only imagine what being a student there would be like.
After having a little explore ourselves around the town, we signed up for one of the student-led walking tours which was fantastic - fun an informative. We learned about the history and traditions of the university, as well as some of the lesser known facts about the place (e.g. the "statue of three lies").
Late in the afternoon, we headed back to the city for a walk around Boston Common (America's oldest park) and the Boston Public Gardens, fed the squirrels and found some dinner. We stumbled across a place called Buttermilk and Bourbon - a tapas-style New Orleans themed restaurant in Back Bay. While it was quite pricey for sharing plates, the Buttermilk Chicken made it worth it along with the Kentucky Bourbon Ale (beer brewed in bourbon barrels - what more could I ask for!).
Attractions and tips
Harvard Walking Tour - make sure you go to the office just over an hour before the tour begins to register as you can't sign up online.
Boston Common and Boston Public Gardens - just go for a wander, and bring some almonds if you're keen on feeding the squirrels.
Buttermilk and Bourbon - really good food on the more expensive side, but worth it.
