New England Fall Foliage Trip Day Three: Books, Bricks, and Boston Cream Pie

Another glorious day awaited us when we awoke. We made a short trek to the bus stop for bus 111 to begin our route to the Boston Public Library.

Built in 1848, the Boston Public Library was the first large free library in the United States.

Bates Hall is awash in sunlight and still houses the original English oak bookcases and tables with which it was furnished in 1895.

The courtyard is an invigorating place to study while drinking in the fresh air on a fall morning, along with a cup of tea from the adjacent tea room.

Speaking of tea…the library houses an ornate Tea Bar in their Map Room Tea Lounge (could a more perfect combination exist?!) where patrons or visitors can partake of a multi-course afternoon tea by reservation. With options ranging from $40-$50, it was a bit steep for us, but we enjoyed peeking in anyway!

We set out from the library along Newbury Street, popping in to various shops along the way.

Small bookshops and high end retail stores line the street, with restaurants interspersed along the way.

We spotted The Thinking Cup cafe on Hanover Street yesterday after it was closed, so we were thrilled to discover their location on Newbury Street.

We each feasted on sandwiches that were quite tasty (gluten free options as well) and were sorely tempted by the array of pastry offerings as well. The service was wonderful, the prices affordable, and we would definitely go back.

A must-do on our list today was walking the length of Charles Street, so we headed in the direction by way of the Boston Public Garden. Colorful flowers lined the way, and of course we took time to stop and smell the roses.

Charles Street feels almost like a time warp to the 1800s, well, except for all the construction vehicles emitting obnoxiously loud noises that ruined the ambiance…but we still enjoyed strolling the street and visiting some of the shops.

And we especially enjoyed our stop at J.P. Licks for an afternoon treat! We ordered a large, 3-scoop bowl of ice cream to share with chocolate chip, coffee, and maple butter walnut flavors. It was creamy and delicious. And Noelle, who reminded us that she has had lots of ice cream over the years, even said that it was the best chocolate chip ice cream she’s ever tasted!

Some people think it’s strange, but we like to visit thrift stores when we travel. Several times we’ve snagged souvenir shirts for the location for just a few dollars (compared to the inflated prices at souvenir shops!). So for the next part of our journey, we took the T across the Charles River to Cambridge.

No bargains this time, but we did see a cool mural – a gift to Cambridge from Nepal according to the signature.

The reason we have so many great pictures on the blog (well, the reason we have any pictures at all, to be real) is because of Julian. He will go to great lengths to get just the right shot. And I make sure he doesn’t get stepped on or run over!

If only we hadn’t just eaten ice cream, we would have loaded up on the farm fresh goodness at New City Microcreamery. Instead we satisfied ourselves with some hot tea and sodas. Gotta support the local businesses, right?

Julian is working on a window box collage poster, so we rode the T back to Beacon Hill for some more photo ops. Not to mention, this will give me lots of inspiration when I’m trying to arrange my flower boxes next spring!

Even the alleys here are full of character (not to be confused with characters…). Of course, I guess when you’re paying millions of dollars to live somewhere you’re probably motivated to keep it looking nice!

Picture taking complete, we walked toward the wharf where we met up with our neighbors and friends for dinner at Boston Sail Loft.

We had a fabulous server, and sat overlooking the harbor (we could barely see it through the windows on the side of the dining room, but at least we were there on the water!) while we ate our seafood specials. The prices ranged from $17.95-$19.95 for our meals – much more affordable than some of the other on-the-water restaurants that we looked at!

To walk off our dinner, we headed over to Quincy Market and then squeezed our way through the crowds on Hanover Street until we ended up back at the wharf on the far North End. The night closed in and we said our goodbyes, then returned to Hanover Street for one more order of business: trying a Boston Cream Pie.

On our way, we walked by the fire station and noticed a sign advertising shirts for sale, so several in the group picked out their sizes and talked one of the firemen into taking a picture with us.

Mike’s Pastry is all the rage, as is evidenced by the ever-present line of eager customers that wait for their turn at the pastry counter. Apparently they are especially known for their cannolis, but the display cases house many other goodies as well.

We handed over our $4 cash for a slice of Boston Cream Pie while Noelle and Claire walked down the block to pick up a slice of the same from Bova Bakery. We had an important test to conduct. Noelle and Julian took turns sampling the two slices, and their unanimous consensus was that the Bova slice was better. Moister, creamier, and more flavorful.

On the way back to the subway station, we stopped in at the Park to see if a swing was available. Julian had been eyeing them the last couple of days, but they were constantly occupied. Another group was leaving right as we approached, and Julian may or may not have run to the swing to grab it before anyone else could! For a few minutes we swung in the cool breeze under a clear light-filled sky – a fitting conclusion to our final evening in Boston.