Sarah was kind enough to babysit all 47 of our children while we went on a date. It has been a long time since we’ve gone on a real date! So this was so amazing! Thank you Sarah!! You’re the best!
One of my really good friends lived in Boston for several years while her husband went to medical school here (Harvard! He’s a smarty pants). And we got to hang out with them several weeks ago. And she basically gave us an itinerary for a really fun date night. And so we basically followed it to the letter! And basically, I think she should go into date night consulting. It was such a blast.
We decided to take the subway in because it was just us, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about the car. Plus it’s just fun.
She recommended that we start in Harvard Square. And while we were there, we walked through part of the campus as well. It’s a lovely campus. Lots of cool old buildings and large trees.
After wandering around Harvard campus for a bit, we made our way back to Harvard square, and we wandered through a couple of shops, including the Harvard bookstore (happy place!)
We then went and picked up Bluebikes. These bikes are part of the public transportation system, with ‘stations’ located all throughout the Boston metropolitan area, and we started biking from Cambridge to the North End of downtown Boston.
We crossed over the Harvard Bridge and got onto the Charles River Greenway, which is a bike path that pretty much goes all the way. We so many awesome things all along the way: MIT, Boston University, and of course the views along the river and coming into the city were AMAZING!
Eventually, we made it to the North End, which includes Little Italy, our intended destination. Laura had recommended a restaurant called Giacomo’s for dinner, and for dessert cannoli at Mike’s Pastry. The line at Giacomo’s was definitely going to be a minute, so we divided and conquered. I went and got the cannolis, and Jonathan waited in line at Giacomo’s. The line at Mike’s was pretty epic too (especially considering that it was a Tuesday night at 8:30!). Mike’s is a Boston institution; there is actually a rival pastry shop called Modern Pastry and there is quite the debate about who has the better cannoli. And there was a modern pastry a couple blocks up and they were just as busy. Crazy.
Fun side note: While I was in line, I talked to a young Italian couple (they were speaking equal parts Italian and English to each other) from NYC who were in line with their two little girls, and they were getting cannoli from both shops to see which was the best. They had just come from Modern and said that it was the best Cannoli they had ever had (though they definitely used more colorful language 😂😂)
Let me reiterate this: they are Italian. New Yorkers. And they said it was the best cannoli they’d ever had. that’s what they said, so, that’s high praise!
And now they were going to try Mike’s cannoli. I never did learn which shop they preferred. Cause it was crazy up in there.
After I got our pastries, I walked back up to Giacomo’s and Jonathan had literally been seated seconds before. Outside no less! It was a perfect evening to eat al fresco. While I was at Mike’s Jonathan had been doing some googling and had learned that Giacomo’s had been voted the best Italian food restaurant in the city. YES!!!! By this point, we were both starving and so excited to try it!
For appetizers, we got caprese and bruschetta. They were both amazing. But that bruschetta was LIFE CHANGING. I am not kidding. It was the most delicious bruschetta I’ve ever had. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
For entrees, I ordered one of the things that Laura had recommended: Butternut squash ravioli. And Jonathan got chicken parmesan.
The RAVIOLI. Specifically, the sauce that the ravioli was bathed in, was, quite literally, a religious experience. I nearly cried. It was some of the finest food I’ve ever had the pleasure to try. Absolutely unforgettable.
After our incredible meal was completed, we wandered through Little Italy toward the grand finale of our date night toward the Rose Kennedy Greenway, which is a city park that is over a mile long and is just a few blocks wide. It goes through several downtown neighborhoods including the financial district, the waterfront and the North End. It is such a beautiful park, with landscaped gardens, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting all along the way. It was such a perfect way to end the evening. We then located a subway station and started making our way home.
This was an amazing evening. And I’m so glad I got to do it with my person. ❤️
