night at the museum

March 22, 2012

Boston Bloggers at the Museum!

It all started over a tweet and ended at the Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport District. And I have to say, this blogger’s night out was one of my favorites yet. I loved how it was low key and having a small group made it really easy to talk to some of my favorite Boston Bloggers and get to know them each a little better. I arrived at the museum a few minutes early, and just after a rain shower, which filled the sky with wispy, eerie, cotton candy-like clouds. It was cold, but bearable, and I was able to snap a few photos of the museum from afar. The architecture is amazing and I love how the museum is right on the waterfront with views of the Boston Harbor and the airport—

And on a night like this? I easily felt like I was looking at a painting.

I can only imagine what a great place this would be to come in the summertime and enjoy the few restaurants around the seaport that have seating outside. Drinks and dinner on the waterfront in the summertime?? Be still my heart, we will just have to come back.

On the crazy cool building, from ICAboston.org:

“The ICA’s visionary building captures the stimulation of contemporary culture and the excitement of a revitalized waterfront area. Award-winning architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the ICA, conceiving the building both “from the sky down,” as a contemplative space for experiencing contemporary art, and “from the ground up,” providing dynamic areas for public enjoyment. The design weaves together interior and exterior space, producing shifting perspectives of the waterfront throughout the museum’s galleries and public spaces.”

The museum houses just a few unique exhibits, and only takes about an hour to walk through. The art is all very contemporary, and from my point of view, very interesting, although I can’t say I connected with any of the exhibits this time around. I’ve visited the museum before, a few years ago, for Shepard Fairey’s Supply and Demand exhibit, which was so very amazing to me because of his street art that was seen all around the streets of Boston back in 2009. He is the mural artist that did the famous Obama “Hope” poster, and the well known OBEY GIANT sticker campaign.

Besides checking out the contemporary art, we did like bloggers do and snapped photos (where allowed), captured reflections, and instagrammed like there was no tomorrow. Which is one of my favorite hobbies (lest you haven’t noticed yet).

This next group of pictures is my favorite from the night…

This hallway overlooks the water and although I’m sure it’s beautiful by day, it is absolutely stunning at night. The lights from the harbor cast a glow that easily makes you pause to admire and appreciate the view.

After the museum, we headed over to Anthony’s Pier 4, which is just steps from the museum and the only place we could find in the immediate area. I’ve never been to Anthony’s before but the experience was very pleasant. I ordered crab cakes and french fries and we spent our time around the bar, drinking wine, champagne, and tea– just talking about all things we have in common, like Boston and blogging, as well as the little details of the in-between, the things that set us apart and make us unique.

Melanie + Emily + Danielle + Sarah + Smita + Clair (and Aubrie was there too!)

These ladies are awesome– they are kind, and friendly, and open to experiencing new places (and old!) around our incredible city. I’m excited about the idea of planning more meet-ups, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next road takes us.

Thanks for the fun, friends!

I left smiling and happy, and especially thankful to have spent a terrific night out with all of you!

 

{to view more pictures of our night at the museum, visit Hogger & Co. and Hemenway Street}

16 Comments · Filed Under: blogging, boston ·

i went to the woods.

March 14, 2012

So I’ve discovered where I’ll be spending my afternoons on nice days until the school year is over.

It’s so beautiful, I can hardly stand it.

I went to Walden Pond for the first time ever Monday. I’ve heard of it, but hadn’t yet been until the weather was so gorgeous I couldn’t bear going to walk on a treadmill indoors. When the weather gets nice I need to be outside. Anything else is less than acceptable. You see, I love to walk. I’ve never been a runner (believe me, I’ve tried) but walking suits me just fine. When I first moved to Boston and lived in Back Bay I would walk an hour to and from Charlestown everyday. When I moved to Brookline and worked in Kenmore Square I would stroll up and down Beacon Street on my way to work, and on my way home. Then, I got a job 20 miles out of the city and walking to work was no longer possible, but I still managed to get some good walking in.  When I lived near Washington Square this was easy. I’d just head down to Cleavland Circle and walk around the reservoir with the sun on my face and the good feeling that if I walked fast enough I could be back to my apartment in an hour or so. There’s a gorgeous pond just steps away from my apartment now, but you can’t walk around it, which has been the biggest bummer to me. Until Monday, when I found Walden Pond directly on my route home from work– and it’s beyond perfect.

It’s the pond where Henry David Thoreau spent two years of his life living simply, living in a self-build hut in the woods on the land of his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was here in these woods where he wrote his book Walden; or, Life in the Woods.

It’s an incredible part of history and I can’t believe I have the ability to visit here every day. The prairie girl in me is just bursting at the seams.

This is the site where Thoreau’s hut used to be. There are now only a pile of rocks to mark where the cabin once was, but there is a museum in Concord that contains the actual bed, desk, and chairs from his dwelling in the woods. 

The trees are still fairly bare now, and though the scene is still breathtaking, imagine what it will be like in the spring, summer, and fall. Parking is $5 a day, but I went with the $35 yearly pass because I plan on seeing this place through the seasons. It’s glorious, I’m sure.

There is a path around the entire pond that is incredibly beautiful and it’s a little over 1.5 miles around. The past two days I’ve made two loops and it’s just about the perfect thing to do after a day of teaching. I’ve been bringing my class outside for our read-aloud every day, but besides that we’re mostly stuck indoors. This is a way for me to get that fresh air that I’m craving desperately around this time of year.

And now that the light shines into the evening this makes for one happy lady.

And lucky too, ever so lucky–

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment…

— there is no other life but this.”

13 Comments · Filed Under: boston, fitness, instagram, life ·

snapshots.

March 12, 2012

This weekend was filled with all things I love.

Warm spring weather and sunny days + favorite foods + favorite patterns + favorite sights and sounds.

Zan and I spent Saturday walking around the neighborhood filling our bellies with good sushi and milkshakes from the local hot spots near our apartment. Walking seemed to be the theme of the weekend, because I spent all day Sunday trekking around Boston determined to soak in as much warm weather as I could possibly handle. I walked all the way from Beacon Hill to the South End (about 2 miles) and then back again. My main goal was to eat my favorite sandwich EVER at Flour (the applewood smoked BLT) which I woke up dreaming about and gladly savored with every bite, and I very much enjoyed being outside all day too.

My heart was literally singing with happiness of glory days that are near.

The moment the first buds start to bloom I’ll be doing my happy dance down the street, until then you’ll just find me with a skip in my step and a huge grin on my face. With weather like this, nothing can get me down.

11 Comments · Filed Under: boston, instagram, life ·

beauty in a city.

March 6, 2012

This past Sunday Zanner and I were totally tourists. We woke up early and had a pancake breakfast party, spent some time lounging on the couch, and then headed out to the Museum of Science for the afternoon. After our museum adventure I was planning on meeting some friends for dinner, so we took a stroll through the Back Bay to kill some time. Except with me, you’re never killing time, you’re stretching it out and soaking it in. At least, when there’s picture taking involved.

I love this part of Boston like no other. Back Bay is where I spent my first few years out of college. In my first real venture to a city I lived right in an apartment on Beacon Street. Back Bay is where I first fell in love with this town. It’s the place where I discovered the Charles River, and the perfectly gorgeous tree-lined Marlborough Street. It’s where I discovered the Commonwealth Mall, Copley Square, the Boston Public Library, and how easy it is to spend an entire afternoon on Newbury Street, yearning for pretty things and eating ice cream while doing it.

Sometimes being a tourist in your own city is important. It makes you look at things harder, makes you appreciate the beauty that’s there. Because if there’s beauty in a city, it’s here, my friends. It’s here.


{all images © anna e. burns | please link with love.}

22 Comments · Filed Under: boston, boston photography ·
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