Not to sound too much like a ridiculous Southerner, but man was it COLD when we got there on Saturday! Rob in his Patagonia, me in my North Face- the warmest articles of clothing either of us have worn all winter long, and we were ahhh-ing and complaining all the way from the silver-line T stop to our hotel. In our defense it was in the 40s, even people who live in Boston weren't happy about the weather. Luckily the temps warmed up a little on Sunday and Monday.
Big thumbs up to our hotel, the Westin Boston Waterfront, by the way. We didn't know we were staying at the New Balance hotel (elevator doors and room key cards were covered in NB ads, some hotel staff sported NB gear), but it turned out to be a pretty great place to stay for Marathon weekend. Apparently New Balance and Westin have partnered to offer guests a new fitness program, where guests have complimentary use of NB gear (shoes and clothing), in-room fitness workouts, running maps, running guides, etc. They offered special breakfast items at their restaurant geared towards the marathoners, and after the marathon runners were greeted in the lobby with a snack/smoothies/drink bar.
So, lets see how I did on my 10 item checklist/wish list that I came up with last week:
1. Go to Sunset Cantina and have a coconut lime margarita- Check & check...and mmm was it good. Thanks for coming out to sunset with me like old times Rae!
2. Eat in the North End- Check! We had our pre-marathon dinner at our longtime standby/fav restaurant in the North End- Villa Francesca. I knew Boston's little Italy would be super packed the night before the race when everyone wants to fill up on carbs, so I actually made a dinner reservation before we left for Boston. I even got my favorite entree on the menu- fettucine con gamberi.
3. Get a cannoli at Mike's- Check...umm, we bought 8 of them, and the line down the street was well worth the wait.
4. Visit with my ladies from Osborne Path- Check...well, partial check. I got to visit with one of the ladies, Florence, at Dunkin Donuts for a while on Sunday. I would have liked to see all 4 of them at their house, but it was nice catching up with Flo too.
5. Walk through the Common and down Newbury St.- Yes to Newbury St., and No to the Commons...but honestly, it does not look like spring yet in Boston like it does in Atlanta, and I think I would have been disappointed in the lack of green in the Common anyway.
6. See my favorite Boston friends- Check :) It was great to see Rae, Jane, Chris, Millie, Jamie and Jenae this past weekend.
7. Have a beer at Boston Beer Works- Check...blueberry beer, my fav, to be exact!
8. Go to Marsh Chapel- Check- went to the Palm Sunday service.
9. Tapas at Tasca- No...I knew of all the things on my list that this was the most unlikely to happen, mostly because this place is out towards Brighton and not right downtown. But, we did eat at a place I had wanted to try for years- No Name Restaurant. It's an old seafood place hidden in the Fish Pier, in walking distance from our hotel. My grandma talked about this "No Name" place for years and how she had eaten there a long time ago and how great and cheap the seafood was. I'm glad I can finally say I have been to No Name!
10. Battle it out on the T on Marathon Monday and hopefully get a free ride out of it- Check & check! Got a free ride AND a seat, and on Marathon day, getting a seat on the T is pretty much amazing.
On to the more important recap from this weekend- Rob ran an outstanding marathon! He finished in 3hrs 9min 21sec! I am very proud of him. All of the long runs through the Atlanta heat and hills, and his dedication to his training even on early Saturday mornings and late weekday nights. I knew he had the potential to have a great run, but I was very impressed that he was able to shave over 5 minutes off of his finishing time in the NYC marathon this past November. Congrats babe! I don't think I'll ever know what it is like to run 26.2 miles, but being the proud wife of a marathon runner feels pretty good.
Yay Rob!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad y'all tried No Name. It's the first restaurant I ever remember eating at in Boston...I think I was like 10.