Boston & The 121st Marathon

June 5th, 2016 at the rock and roll marathon San Diego, with a time of 3 hours and 24 minutes…that was the moment we knew my dad qualified to go to the Boston Marathon.

Fast forward 10 months and we all flew from our diverse destinations to Boston, Massachusetts. I arrived Thursday at 2pm shortly followed by the rest of the family that arrived at 6pm. I went ahead to check in at the hotel, get settle d in, relax a bit after the flight and wait for the rest. The Madrid-Boston flight was almost as long as my family's flight coming from the west coast at about 6-7 hour flights. We eventually all made it and decided to just take a tranquil stroll around the area of the hotel. Staying at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, our hotel had an excellent location in what I considered one of the prettiest areas in Boston. We hopped on the hotel shuttle and went to Kendall square, home to the MIT campus and some of the biggest companies like Microsoft, Facebook and Google, who hold offices in this neighborhood.

Thursday, we decided to have dinner in one of the places I had on my list, Area 4. Unfortunately, due to the short time notice I was not able to make a reservation, so our wait time was about 50-60 minutes for a table. Area 4, A4, is a trendy pizzeria located in the Cambridge area buzzing with locals and more specifically bright minds that live amongst these halls. The Cambridge area is home to both Harvard and MIT, two of the most prestigious schools worldwide. The restaurant, that sits on the heart of this neighborhood, and their specialty is of course pizza. They have a diverse variety of pizza options, several local brews and other key menu items if pizza is not your go to. They usually have a secret pizza if the chef decided to cook something on a whim that day. Regardless of which one you decide to get they all have the same delicious dough, savory cheese and overall fantastic taste.

*Due to the bad lighting I was unable to get my own pictures, these belong to A4.

Friday, morning we started our day with the complete attitude that it was going to be tourist day. We took a shuttle from the hotel that dropped us off at Harvard square from which we walked 4-5 blocks to Henrietta's Table. Henrietta's café is your typical American restaurant, this was exciting to me since I had been craving pancakes, waffles, good ol' bacon and a nice cup of coffee since I hopped on the plane. We all ordered different things, from omelets, to scrambled eggs and my Belgian style waffle. This place is super recommended with its cozy ambiance and excellent food that includes natural orange juice and organic coffee.

From breakfast we headed out to check out Harvard's campus and the area surrounding it. The feel around is incredible with locals filing back and forth with their books in hand and backpacks. The conversations are beyond the basic subject talks one usually hears, but most impressive is the fact that this neighborhood still holds the charm and history from when it was first established 300 or so years ago.

They have managed to modernize many parts and small shops yet still in keeping with the traditional brick style and traditional English architecture. Honestly, I felt like I was walking in a small town in England, or a corner in London from how similar and picturesque they felt.

Walking amongst Harvard has this overwhelming feel that you are amongst some of the greatest intellectuals and truly sitting on a part of history. We continued touring the main campus, seeing the church in the main yard, touring the surrounding area where most students live and eventually crossing the Charles River to see the school of Business. The campus is by far one of my favorites and in my opinion one of highlight landmarks in Boston.

After Harvard we headed to Boylston street, where we entered the running expo where the Boston Marathon participants pick up their bibs and equipment for the race. Note: to anyone running Boston for the first time, we found that if you manage to arrive since Friday it is a lot calmer (or as calm as it's going to get) to go to the expo on Friday, keep in mind you are one of the 36,000 people running, the earlier you go the better. We spent about an hour and a half to two hours at the expo, between the shopping and trying gear to the poster decorating. Eventually we left and headed to lunch at the Atlantic Fish Co. a restaurant right on Boylston that offers a classy and tasteful ambiance with all the New England seafood classics and a few other options.

From lunch we headed down to Newbury Street where we browsed a few shops including our beloved Patagonia, and Uniqlo. That evening we had the Red Socks game at the renowned Fenway Park. Extra tip, we used Uber to move around everywhere, which was not only cheap but super efficient considering there are always plenty driving around.

Saturday, we started with a different breakfast place I had checked out online, The Paramount. This place is unlike many other restaurants. To start you have to make a line to order your food, you can see the cooks make your food as you move through the line. From there they basically guarantee that you will have a table by the time your food is served thanks to the rotation that takes place. We had yet again a typical American breakfast, with me ordering a classic french toast with cinnamon and strawberries, my dad got the huevos rancheros, Santi had a mexican tostada and my mom had the caramel and banana pancakes.

That day we were suppose to take it easy, but instead we began the sightseeing tour, we walked over to Boston Commons which is basically Boston's version of Central Park. A very quaint and picturesque park in the middle of the city surrounded by beautiful town houses and brick buildings.

From there we went to see the Cheers Bar, or in other terms, the inspiration for the popular sitcom from the 80's. Afterwards we found a map to the Freedom Trail that happens to pass by the park we were at. We took on the challenge on of the Freedom Trail, also known as the Red Trail, that provides a tour of all the main monuments and must sees of the city. The trail is about 2.5 miles long, it can be started on either end, but we began by Boston Common, continued straight to the State House and passed other historic buildings as well as churches that were among the trail. The Old State House and the Old South Meeting House were some of my favorite buildings.

Eventually we reached the Faneuil Hall which is now turned into a court with restaurants, shops and fast food options. Similarly they’ve built three markets behind it to continue the shops and eateries in the area, the Quincy Market, the north and the south market.

We took a small break to head over to the Union Oyster House, a classic restaurant known for its clam chowder and New England specialties. My dad had a mission of trying an authentic Clam Chowder so we made sure to find a couple of options during our trip. We arrived and there was already a wait list for the dinner shift, but they were also serving lunch in their ground floor dining room. We tried the local brew and the renowned Clam Chowder, additionally they gave us corn bread instead of regular plain ol' white bread, the interesting thing is many people in New England eat corn bread with butter.

We continued our trek down the red trail, passed Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church and crossed the Charleston Bridge to finish the trail at the Bunker Hill Monument. From there we ubered back to Newbury street to browse one or two stores before heading to dinner at Douzo, a modern Japanese restaurant close to Copley Square.

Easter Sunday was off to a quick start, we realized the shuttles weren't coming soon so we grabbed a coffee at the hotel while we waited to head out to Harvard Square where we tried out Mike's Pastry before going to mass at Saint Paul's. Mike's Pastry is the famous and most popular Italian bakery in Massachussets. Serving a wide variety of their specialty, the cannoli, Mike's Pastry with its simple yet catchy concept is a must stop, offering both cannolis and other delicious treats. Dating back to the 1940s, Mike's Pastry is a classic that still preserves is charm and flavor of authenticity, I ordered a chocolate chip cannoli that simply put was beautifully made and deliciously elaborated. With a cream filling, crunchy crust and chocolate chips on the side this was definitely a perfect treat to start a Sunday.

After mass our day was pretty much relax, considering the marathon was the next day we were looking to take it easy. We browsed the different shops in the Beacon Hill area, walked by the Charles River and had lunch at the renowned Shake Shack. Now for many Shake Shack may no longer be renowned, but for us west coasters it is still far considering only L.A. has gotten one. Shake Shack with its classic all American fast food with a higher quality taste and feel, provided the perfect lunch, we all got burgers, mango lemonades, french fries and of course…shakes.

That evening we needed to have some pasta…well our runner did…but we all willingly made the sacrifice haha and ate at the delicious Eataly. Now, for those who haven’t been to one of the various Eataly locations (worldwide) you are truly missing out. It's an Italian wonderland with all sorts of authentic products, a wine bar, cheese bar, gelato and café section and best of all a restaurant with pizza and pasta's made in the most original version you can find away from Italy. If you ever see one them in a destination you visit make sure to check them out.

Monday, the BIG day had arrived, it truly does feel like we've been in Boston for weeks when in reality its only been 5 days. Mom, my brother Santi and I ended up walking from the hotel to the finish line. Heads up for those who go to Boston for the Marathon, pretty much all the streets surrounding the marathon close, so transport is not an easy catch even Uber's weren't working Monday morning. We walked a good two miles from Cambridge up to Commonwealth avenue, took a right on Hereford Street and a left on Boylston Street…just like the runners know the way. We were able to score a second row spectator view in front of The Tannery Store, literally 100 meters from the finish line…of course we got there at 10am and runners began to arrive around 12-1pm.

The experience of the marathon (at least in my experience as a spectator) is amazing! There is great vibes all around, people are excited, everyone is supportive of one another. My dad finished with a great time, 3:42:17, and we couldn't be prouder. To all the runners congratulations because a marathon is no easy task and qualifying to Boston itself is a great achievement.

P.S. Our team gear was thanks to the great team over at Custom Ink

That evening we took it slow and headed to a late lunch/early dinner in Cambridge to a restaurant called Glass House were we had a delicious meal that included a lobster roll for dad, steak-frites for Santi, and a salad and lasagna for me and mom.

I could go on and on about Boston, the history, the charm and the endless restaurants and things to do, but like my family always says "We have to leave something for next time." So with that I sign off; Boston, you've been great.