One of my resolutions for 2022 was to try to travel every other month at least. My friend, Jamie, moved to Boston in 2019 and I have been dying to visit her! I texted her in January and asked if I could visit in February and she said, “come on up!”

Jamie lives in the North End, which is the famous Italian neighborhood of Boston, and we loved it so much. There was so much Italian pride everywhere you looked. As someone who doesn’t have a strong heritage, I have always been so jealous of my Italian friends because their pride and sense of culture is SO STRONG.

Itinerary:

Friday

We flew Nashville to Boston since it saved my sister and I about $200 each instead of flying from Memphis. We crashed with our oldest sister in Nashville and they were kind enough to take us to the airport at 4:30am.

We landed in Boston at 10 am and took a Lyft to Jamie’s apartment. Once we got to the North End, we quickly unpacked and then headed to the North Station to take the train to Salem.

I have another post coming for a day trip to Salem and will link it once it drops, but we had an absolute blast in Salem. It was pretty cold, especially when you get closer to the water… But we loved every second in Salem.

Saturday

We slept in a bit on Saturday. Jamie brought us some homemade bagels from a local shop and they were delicious.

Once we were awake and ready, we went to Cambridge!

In Cambridge, we immediately visited the Harvard Book Store which was my heaven. I bought my sister, Elli, a mystery book. However, the book is written out of order so you have to put the book in order to figure out what happens.

We went next door for coffee at Tatte and it was the best cup of coffee I have ever had. I highly recommend stopping at a Tatte if you see it and getting the house latte. I am not someone who can detect the varying layers of coffee… but this was truly delightful. They also have some incredible pastries and food.

After Tatte, we walked around the Harvard campus and tried visiting the Natural History Museum - however, we didn’t know you needed to reserve tickets ahead of time (rookie mistake), so we didn’t get to visit.

After wandering around the Harvard campus, we visited The Druid, which is an Irish pub in Cambridge. It is so authentic and a perfect little gem. Jamie frequents this spot and has developed great relationships with the bartenders and other patrons there. We ordered a local cider and split some fish and chips with my sister.

Wandering around the Harvard campus with our Tatte lattes

When we had exhausted ourselves at The Druid, I was intent on getting a Harvard sweatshirt so I can convince people I am smart enough to have gone to Harvard lol. We visited The Coop which is home to everything Harvard and MIT apparel.

Right near The Coop is the station for the T - their subway. We took the T back to Boston and we had the most incredible view of downtown Boston. The ticket was only $2.25 per person so I highly recommend taking the subway if you feel confident enough to do so.

Once we got back to Jamie’s apartment, I took a nap because my hangover from the night before was coming in with a delayed vengeance. When I finally came back from the dead, we got ready for dinner at Artu.

Artu was so incredible - though I’m sure it’s hard to find a bad Italian spot in the North End. We started off with a meat and cheese board with strictly Italian meats and cheeses… The Parmigiano was so salty and perfect.

For the main meal, I got the short rib ravioli, Jamie and Keighlin got the gnocchi with meatballs (though I ate Jamie’s meatballs because she is vegetarian).

Sunday

We woke up Sunday and decided to try another bagel shop, Caffe Lil Italy, and again, they were great. The main item on the itinerary for Sunday was to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is home to an incredible courtyard, but also is the scene of the largest unsolved art heist in history - over $500 million worth of art stolen and never recovered.

Isabella Stewart Gardner left in her will that nothing was to be moved, replaced, or removed. So when the thieves cut the canvases from the frames, the museum was put in a tough spot. To this day, the frames are left empty.

We spent a few hours here and I honestly could’ve spent the entire day staring at the courtyard.

When we left the museum, we went back to the North End and ate pizza at Regina’s Pizzeria.

holy.moly. Regina’s was so great. We got a large 4 cheese white pizza and a small prosciutto and spinach pizza. Everything was great and so salty and so cheesy and just perfect.

Jamie then took us on a tour around the North End - showing us the church Paul Revere yelled, “the British are coming!”, Paul Revere’s house, the revenge house, and more. Then we wandered downtown and saw the building where the Declaration of Independence was read to the public, then to Beacon Hill, then to Seaport. I loved how walkable Boston was and despite my kidneys acting insane, we had a great time just wandering.

Downtown Boston is home to Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, and lots of shopping. It is very touristy, but fun :)

Throughout Boston, there is a double brick line going throughout the city marking “The Freedom Trail.” If you’re interested in all of the major historical sights, just follow this line!

Sunday night, we got a quick Guinness at Corner Cafe, a little dive bar in the North End, then ate dinner at Monica’s Trattoria. This was a fun spot with one side seemingly a bar with rap/club music playing, then a very nice Italian restaurant on the other side… also blasting The Weeknd lol.

I ordered the Pappardelle Bolognese, Keighlin ordered the Fettucine, and Jamie ordered the Caprese salad. All fantastic and so fresh.

Monday

We got a notification Sunday night to arrive to our 8am flight 3 hours early since they were expecting a large amount of people leaving… So we got up again at 4:30am and got to the airport. We went through security pretty quickly though thankfully! We got back to Nashville around 10am and drove back to Memphis :)

Where to Stay

We stayed with Jamie in the North End, and there is a Hilton hotel right outside of the North End. I’d probably try to stay there or in one of the neighborhoods outside of downtown when I go back.

Where to Eat

We ate mostly in the North End, but I love Italian food so I was perfectly fine with this!

Artu - we started with the meat and cheese board (amazing). Then I ordered the short rib ravioli, Keighlin and Jamie both got the potato gnocchi with meatballs. The short rib ravioli was $26, the gnocchi was $24, and the meat + cheese board was $16. We also got wine, cocktails, and a salad. I paid for Jamie as a thank you for letting us crash with her and our meal was $211 including tip.

Caffe Lil Italy - great breakfast spot with fresh homemade bagels, muffins, and treats. They also have coffee, lattes, and hot chocolate.

Regina’s Pizzeria - it is very small and there will be a line. It is worth it. We got a large four cheese white pizza and a small prosciutto and spinach pizza. Worth it. The pizzas are around $15.

Tatte - if you even slightly like coffee and/or pastries, find a Tatte and go there. I recommend the house latte. I also got cheese croissant and a pastry with caramelized sugar and butter… super healthy choices from me in Boston ;)

Monica’s Trattoria - They make fresh pasta by hand every morning so you know it’s good. I got the pappardelle bolognese, Keighlin got the fettucine, and Jamie got the caprese salad. My pasta was $30 and I also got a glass of wine and a cocktail, so my order ended up being around $60.

Things to do

Visit Salem for the day (30 minute train ride from North Station)

Visit Cambridge for the day (15 minute lyft from North End, or take the T). Also check out some Harvard Museums

The Freedom Trail

Walk to different neighborhoods (Beacon Hill, North End, Seaport, Backbay, The Green, etc).

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Shopping in Seaport or Downtown. Seaport has some shops I’ve never been able to visit in person (Mejuri, Everlane, Away, etc.) Downtown had an Abercrombie, which if you follow me on instagram you know I love.

Tips

Pack walk-friendly shoes. You’ll be walking a lot! I wore my Doc Chelsea boots and my converse and I was fine.

Book tickets for museums ahead of time. I’m not sure if this is due to COVID or what, but I would do this so you don’t miss any of them.

Take public transportation! It was a great experience. Coming from Memphis, which does not have easy and/or reliable public transportation, I was incredibly jealous of the access to subways and trains in Boston.

If you go in the winter, pack jackets/coats that will protect you against the wind. Also wear layers.

What I want to do next time

Duck tour
Go in summer or warmer weather and kayak in charles river
Picnic on greenway or boston common
Bar hop downtown or north end more
Spend more time in Cambridge
Brattle Bookshop

Price Breakdown:

Flight - $222 from Nashville (you can find flights for $100-120 from Nashville if you’re flexible)
Food/Drinks - ~$350-400 (I splurge on food)
Shopping - $100
Excursions - $30
Transportation - ~$50

If you have any tips for Boston or Cambridge, leave them in the comments below!

Easy Weekend in Boston