old & new

I woke up at 5AM yesterday, and upon realizing that I had no direction for my day decided to catch the next bus to Boston. Before I knew it, I was sitting at the top of a double-decker, sipping a glass of orange juice as the New England panorama raced by. Elizabeth Fair, one of my dearest old friends was waiting for me at the station when I arrived a few hours later. Together the two of us and her roommate Caroline made our way into the city. Because they attend Boston College, they were the best tour guides anyone could ask for. We traveled the brick path that leads through the city, along the way visiting sites like the North Church and the graveyard where Mother Goose and Paul Revere are buried. We had cannoli at the famous Mike’s Pastry Shop and paid a visit to Fenway Stadium, home of the Red Sox. Experiencing these iconic places was an incredible feeling. We were all giddy as we walked from street to street, passing beautiful architecture and famously historic sites all the while. The atmosphere was altogether different from NYC: slower, somehow, and with an air of antiquity as if the ghosts of Paul Revere and George Washington are just out of reach. The best part of the day was sitting on a dock in the Boston Harbor, feet dangling in the water as the sun slipped behind the skyline. We took in the city bathed in gold as hundreds of sailboats made their ways back to the shore.

I made it back to NYC around 3 this morning with a new city added to my list of favorites. My day in Boston will always be counted among fondest memories. This week has held many of my top moments of the summer. Earlier in the week I had an event with Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, television and movie actors, and the writers of many movies including Night at the Museum and Balls of Fury. It was my first extended encounter with movie stars, and I got to know them very well over the course of the evening.

I met some less famous authors the following night at the KGB Bar. The name probably should have warned me, but I was still taken by surprise when I walked into a small red bar with communist flags and Russian Socialist propaganda covering the walls. The hammer and sickle were prominently displayed on every surface, including glasses, bar stools—you name it. I couldn’t make this up. I was genuinely disturbed for a greater portion of the event, even though the books were NYT Bestsellers and the authors were very genial. As it turns out, the bar is merely a well preserved former-socialist-headquarters-turned-literary-hotspot. That’s a mouthful. Regardless, it was definitely an interesting (?) experience that I likely would never have had otherwise (for better or worse…).

But the best part of my week—and I know I’ve already mentioned this—was being able to come home after work and hang out with Courtney. There is nothing like sitting on the rooftop of your apartment looking out on the glowing Empire State Building and the city lights with your best friend right beside you and a glass of wine in hand. It’s the simple things, right? We swapped summer stories and caught up on weeks past, and finally bid adieu before the sun could rise again and see her on her way back to Mobtown.

All in all, it has been an absolutely glorious week. As I look back on it now, I’m excited for what this coming week will bring, knowing that my days in the city are dwindling and anticipating the arrival of a few more best friends in the next few days.