Boston First Impressions + Our First Month Living in New England | 5 Things to Do in Boston

You can find my Boston First Impressions + 5 Things to Do in Boston video on YouTube!

September 2020

Lucas and I are entirely new to the northeast side of the United States.  I have been to the northeast twice -- once when I was in high school for a family road trip from Toronto to Washington D.C., and the other was last spring 2019 for a business trip (we were in Boston for only half a day).  Lucas, on the other hand, has never been to the northeast prior to our military relocation.

​That said, our first month living in Boston made for an interesting one as we learned to adjust to all the changes and new norms.  To hear about our first impressions of our new city, followed by some fun touristy things to do in Boston -- keep on reading!

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Our First Impressions of Boston (as PNW-Raised Seattleites)

We officially moved to Boston in early September due to Lucas’ report date.  Although moving in general wasn’t originally in our newly wed plan, I’m grateful for the timing.  We were able to road trip across the country during the summer, and we arrived in Boston right at the very beginning of the most beautiful time of year in New England - fall!

Fall Foliage
Pictures don’t do it justice.  There’s just something about the trees here in the northeast… maybe I’m just used to Washington’s evergreen trees, but to me, it’s fascinating to see all the tree branches mesh together in a way that creates a much more dense array of colors than what fall is like in Washington State.

Flatter Terrain
The weather has also been beautiful for the past month!  Due to the terrain being much flatter in Boston (compared to Seattle), the blue skies seem much grander, and they’re just that -- actually blue!  I’m not saying that there are never any blue skies in Washington State, but let’s be honest that most days of the year, we saw overcast skies in the PNW.  Therefore, I have learned that blue skies are to be celebrated!  Last month, there was the occasional cloudy day in Boston, but by the afternoon, the skies cleared up.

Housing with Charm
In addition to the weather, the housing and architecture here are definitely different than the modern/contemporary style of the northwest.  Almost every house has black shutters by their windows, and brick is also very commonly seen.  It depends on what part of Boston you’re in, but by now, Lucas and I have absolutely started to fall in love with the New England charm.

Enriched History
Boston is known to be very historic.  Although most homes are newly renovated, we’ve noticed that it's not uncommon for houses to be built in the 1800s or early 1900s.  Boston is also known for many firsts -- it’s home to the first college in North America (Harvard), the first American lighthouse, the first chocolate factory in the US, the first Dunkin Donuts, and the first American subway (still in use today).  I won’t dive too much more into the city’s history in this blog post (I could go on for a while… lol), but given that it was the city where the Boston Tea Party and Boston Massacre took place, Boston is known by many to be the birthplace of the American Revolution.

East Coast Driving and Boston Accents
A couple more honest first impressions that Lucas and I experienced in Boston: East Coast drivers drive much faster than West Coast drivers, and Boston accents are more prominent than we thought!  Truthfully, Lucas and I probably stick out like sore thumbs here in the northeast… lol!  The words, “Harvard Yard,” “lobster,” “daughter,” “father,” “door,” and “chowder,” are only a few of the words we’ve noticed that are said differently here!  And on a random note, the good news is that two of the words I listed (lobster and chowder), are INCREDIBLE in the northeast!  Will we ever be Patriots fans? VERY unlikely (#GoHawks), but we may entertain a Red Sox game or two ;)

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Things to Do in Boston

Our first month spent in Boston was filled with touristy adventures to help us get a kick-start at experiencing our new city.  Did we finish furnishing our apartment and unpacking all of our belongings within the first month?  Absolutely not… lol.  We figured that we’d have plenty of time to settle-in to our apartment once the weather gets colder.  For now, we wanted to embrace the beautiful fall weather that consisted of sunshine and cloudless skies!

​There are a TON of fun things to do in Boston, but here are 5 Things To Do in Boston (based on what we experienced during our first month living here!):

1. Book an Old Town Trolley City Tour
   
   Old Town Trolley City Tours can be found at other major cities beyond Boston (such as Washington D.C., San Diego, Nashville, and more!).  However, this was our first time taking an Old Town Trolley City Tour!  Do keep in mind though that Lucas and I very much enjoy tour experiences!  Although non-touristy and more local experiences tend to be more authentic, we both agreed that taking a city tour was a great way for us to discover fun facts about the area (especially given the fact that we didn’t know any locals quite yet!).
   
   What makes this city tour unique is its hop-on/hop-off style, which Lucas and I loved!  You’re not limited to staying on the bus the entire time, so if you plan your route ahead of time - you can start at any point on the bus route, and get off at another with unlimited boarding all day!  The tour includes 18 stops, which include popular sites like Faneuil Hall, downtown crossing (where the Boston Massacre took place), the North End (you can find Paul Revere’s house here!), Cambridge, Boston Common, Beacon Hill and much more!
   
   On the day that Lucas and I went on our tour we had dinner reservations on Newbury St, so we wanted to start/end the tour where we parked the car.  We adored our tour guide (who went by the name of Batman)!  He was witty and knowledgeable and made the whole experience something to remember!  We ended up riding the last leg of his first tour to Quincy Market.  His next tour was about an hour later, but we wanted to ride with him - so we grabbed lunch at Quincy Market (lobster rolls and New England chowder) and hopped back onto his tour!
   
   
2. Walk the Freedom Trail
   
   If it’s a sunny day and you feel like walking, you’re in luck because Boston is extremely walkable!  Hills are very few and far between in Boston compared to Seattle.  Following the Freedom Trail allows you to visit 16 historic sites throughout the city, including the burial grounds of Samuel Adams, the Old Corner Bookstore, the Old State Meeting House, Paul Revere’s House, the Bunker Hill Monument, and much more!
   
   Some of these historic sites will be duplicative of some of the sites from the Old Town Trolley City Tour, but it’s still a fun experience to get to walk around the city.  Spend a few hours along this trail, and you’ll be able to see almost all of Boston!  There are also plenty of stops in between the main ones to check out as well (like the Samuel Adams Tap Room!)
   
   
3. Visit the Quincy Market
   
   This place is quickly becoming a favorite for us!  The Quincy Market is located right next to Faneuil Hall and consists of diverse food vendors!  From pizza, to lobster rolls, to smoothie stands, to coffee shops and bakeries, there’s so much food to be discovered at Quincy Market!  Typically there is also great seating to enjoy your meal, but unfortunately due to Covid, we’ll just have to wait until we get to experience that!  For now, we’ve been snacking outdoors and with such sunny weather in September, we can’t seem to complain!
   
   
4. Go Whale Watching from the Boston Harbor
   
   Highly, highly recommended!  Lucas and I are big fanatics over whales and marine life.  We’ve been on a dolphin and turtle watching tour in Hawaii, but have yet to go on an official whale watching tour (although there are tons in WA).  It was 70 degrees and blue skies when we went on our tour.  But do keep in mind that even though it was 70 degrees, the ocean breeze can still bring a chill regardless.  Since we were all bundled up, we chose to ride at the top of the boat.  We could definitely feel the windy and salty ocean air as we made our way over to the whales, but the bottom deck was much rockier and we didn’t want to get sea sick!
   
   Nevertheless, the voyage over to them was 1000% worth it!  Lucas and I rode with Boston Harbor Cruises, and they provide a whale-sighting guarantee.  Whales are wild and unpredictable, so in the off-chance that you don’t get to see any whales, they’ll give you a rain check for a future tour (with no expiration date)!  Luckily for us we were blessed with not only 4 humpback whales, we were also met with hundreds of dolphins!  A real treat!
   
   
5. Hang Out in Beacon Hill
   
   Although Beacon Hill is a stop along the Old Town Trolley City Tour, I wanted to emphasize it a bit more as our 5th suggestion.  The architecture of this part of Boston is entirely charming.  The brick buildings with the cobblestone roads are truly a sight to see and can’t be missed!  In addition to the iconic Acorn St. that is found in Beacon Hill, there are also many boutiques, ice cream shops, cafes, and antique shops to check out along Charles St. as well.  You can easily spend a good portion of your day wandering around these beautiful streets!

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The PNW will always be home, and we are very ready to return once we are able to do so.  However, I have to be honest with you that we’re slowly falling in love with New England’s charm.  As we continue to explore, we end up finding more things to celebrate in the northeast!  Can’t wait to see what else we find and experience!

Cheers to our first month living in New England!
Gen