The Final Hoorahs – Our Last Days in Boston

Saturday:

We spent the afternoon in Harvard Square, where we then picked up Summer’s best friend from home, Emma, who goes to school at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.  That evening we wandered around Central Square, listened to some live music and got pita and humus at a Middle Eastern restaurant.

Emma and pita :)

Sunday:

Sunday we visited Walden Pond, as Emma is a Thoreau and Emerson enthusiast. It was a little cloudy but the pond was beautiful and warm as ever.  That afternoon Emma headed home on the train. We had a lot of fun and wished she could have stayed longer! But unfortunately she had to get back for work.  In the evening, we hosted a potluck at our house will our roommates Laura and Paul.  Everyone had a few friends over and we played board games and corn-hole in the backyard.  That night Lizz, her friend Brooke, and Sean all came down and we had an adventure of a night at our favorite place in Harvard Square, The Hong Kong.

Emma, Summer, and Ashley at Walden Pond

Missed her!

backyard grilling at our house

night out with the girls

Monday:

We drove out to see Summer’s family friends from Hawaii, The Hapgoods, who were visiting relatives in a nearby Boston suburb (what a coincidence!).  We had some delicious Thai food with the family, then headed back home with Sonny and Russell (the sons, and Summer’s long time childhood friends) and went out, once again, for some fun in Harvard Square.

Summer with Russell, Parker, and Sonny Hapgood

Tuesday:

So hard to believe it was our last full day in Boston!

In the morning Sean came down to say goodbye and we all went to Dunkin' Donuts for the classic east coast breakfast experience before taking Sonny and Russell back out to their relatives’ house.  We then went to work, where they had thrown us a going away lunch with the whole crew from Harlow! It was so nice to see everyone one last time before we had to head out, and they even got us presents- picture books of beautiful photography of the city of Boston, Mad Libs and candy for our road trip home, and card signed by everyone.  But that’s not all- they had also surprised us the week before with Red Sox tickets for that night! Shout out to the Harlow team- you guys are the greatest! We had such wonderful summer and thank you so much for everything!!

The Team at Harlow

That evening we met up with Amos, Rudy, Tim, and Jason for a second in order to borrow proper Red Sox attire fore the game. (Thanks Jason!) Then we headed with the crown to our first Fenway experience!  The game was great, with rousing renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” multiple waves by the crowd, and vendors selling food everywhere in Boston accents.  Our seats were also great; we could see everything from out in right field.  It was a bummer we got killed by the Rays (6-2), but nonetheless it was so much fun! 

view from our seats at Fenway!

Go Sox!

 Afterwards we met back up with the boys as well as Edie at a bar near Fenway to hang out and play some pool, then we said our goodbyes and everyone headed home in different directions. 

last night with the crew in Boston

think this city's gonna miss us

Wednesday: 

Edie spend the night, so we said goodbye to her in the morning, then finished up our packing and loaded up the car.  With one final stop at Dunkin’ Donuts, we stocked up on iced coffee for the road, waved goodbye to our whirlwind Boston summer, and headed west!

going out like a true Bostonian

We had such an amazing time, did so much adventuring and exploring, and made so many new friends and memories.  What an incredible experience and summer; we’ll never forget it.  Already we miss Boston and everyone there and can’t wait to go back!

Ashley made this collage of every one of the friends we saw or met over our summer. Too many to count!

We drove through beautiful upstate New York countryside all day and made it to Niagara Falls in time to see the stunning falls both in the daylight as well as at night for the light show.  The giant waterfall illuminated by all the different colors of light was a spectacular sight.  That night we found a motel and turned in for the evening. 

Niagara Falls

Niagara at night

The next day we continued on the road and reached our destination, Toledo, Ohio, mid-afternoon.  In our two days in Toledo we got to see Ashley’s whole family again- The Delps (the cousins, Uncle Cleves, Aunt Kathy Marie, Grandma Mary Jane and Uncle Brad) as well as the Bonners (cousin Cody, Uncle Dave, Aunt Cathy and Grandma Bonner).  Then, we came full circle with our travels, flying from Detroit to Phoenix.  Robyn picked us up at the airport and that evening we all headed over to Uncle Brad and Aunt Cathy Jane’s for a combined celebration of Ashley’s (early) Birthday, their 10 year anniversary, and Ashley’s sister, Michaela’s, going away to college.  It was a great time and so good to see everyone again (including Cathy’s mom Carol and Mimi and Davis, the 6 year old twin cousins)!

Us in our car,  Marvin Bo.  You did us proud, Marv! We'll miss you! 

…And the final event! 

Sunday morning Ashley dropped Summer at the Phoenix airport for a quick (and surprise from Summer’s stepdad, Brian!) visit home to Hawaii.  We will be reunited again in five days (the longest time we’ve spent apart in three months!) when we get on yet another plane – this one headed into the next chapter of our lives: España!!  We’ll be studying abroad in the city of Granada and having even more escapades until the end of December, when we’ll both go home for Christmas.  But the fun doesn’t end there- after that, we’ll be sharing a studio apartment back at DU and diving into our junior year!

Thanks to everyone who’s been following us on our journey. We hoped you enjoyed reading about the adventure- we sure enjoyed living it!

Lots of love,

Ashley and Summer

New Hampshire

Again we spent the days of the week in our 9-5 work routine and nightly workouts and yoga at the gym. Then on Thursday night, we picked up Ashley's high school friend, Sophia Di Biase, who's family was vacationing in a nearby town in Rhode Island. We reunited with Amos, Fran, Jamie, Derek for the night and the next day we spent the day relaxing and basking in the sun on our lovely back porch. Edie showed up later that afternoon and the four of us girls dressed up for a nice dinner out before meeting up with Sean and some of his friends at a club downtown.

On The T (Boston Subway)

On Saturday morning we bid farewell to Sophia and drove with Edie to her house in New Hampshire. Our first event once we arrived was Zip-lining!! Edie's mom treated us to the adventure of zipping through the New Hampshire beauty at heights of up to 300 feet. It was incredible!

Zip lining!

 That night we had an evening full of Rock Band and movies. On Sunday, the weather was somewhat cloudy and drizzly, so we took a short hike in the little town. It led to spectacular views of winding mountain sides that serve as ski slopes in the winter. Later in the day, it warmed up a bit and we took another hike to a nearby waterfall named Bridesmaids Falls. It was amazing how close all these natural beauties were to her house!

Hiking in NH

Monday morning on our way out of town we took one last hike into Franconia Falls. These falls could be better described as rock water slides that have been carved from years of the rushing water. The water was cold but we braved the chill and had a blast sliding down into pools of crystal clear water.

Edie at Franconia Falls

After, we dried in the sun and enjoyed the views of lush mountains and rushing falls before making the drive (complete with Dunkin Donut stop, of course) back home to Boston. It was a great weekend and definitely the most relaxing adventure we have yet to take.

Full House

Even though we were done with our travels for the week, that did not mean it was time to rest. On Thursday night, we had dinner with Clay Maker, a DU friend who was in town from Maine, Amos, and Tim at a delicious pizza place in Harvard Square. Then, on Friday afternoon, more friends arrived from all over the country. Trevor, Summer's friend from high school, came in by plane from Florida where he attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In from New York came Stephanie Caruso and Kelly Lavin (more DU friends) and Kelly’s friend from Ireland, Aiden.  As a group, we made our way to our now somewhat crowded house. Shortly after, Edie, Tim, and Amos arrived with Zak Madelen, another DU friend vising from Kansas City. Together, we headed out to show our guests a good time in the city of Boston. On Saturday, Summer took Kelly, Aiden, Stephanie, Trevor, and Edie to Manchester-by-the-Sea, in northern MA to spend the day on the coast with yet another DU friend, Hunter Swanson. They had a wonderful time in the sun at the gorgeous white sand beach and in the picturesque town.

the girls

High School Reunion and delicious seafood
with Ann and Trevor!

That day, Ashley stayed home to await the arrival of her dad and grandma, who were driving in from Toledo, Ohio. After a nice dinner with them, she rejoined the group and we all went out in Harvard Square for the evening. On Sunday, all of the visitors, including dad and grandma, explored Quincy Market and The North End, where a small Italian festival was taking place.  We had more delicious cannoli- this time from Mike’s Pastry.  It was a nice day and that night we rested after such an eventful past few weeks.

The Bonners!

Our younger guests left early Monday morning and Ashley took the day off to go with her dad and grandma to The New England Aquarium. There, they saw green sea turtles, small sharks, and even touched a few sting rays. That night, Summer joined them for dinner at the famous Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, voted number one in America for burgers and onion rings. Delicious! After, we ended the evening with a game of cards before bidding farewell to the last of our guests.

Washington, D.C.

On Sunday morning, again at 7 am, we boarded a train from NYC to DC. It let us off right at the Historical Mall of Washington, where we met up with our friends Edie and Rudy, who we have spent a lot of time with already this summer, as well as Tanya and Julia, two friends from DU who are living and interning in DC for the summer. We were very surprised at the state of our National Mall, which encompasses the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument in the center. For a site that receives approximately 24 million visitors each year, the ground was barren and dry and the air was smoggy and grey. Apparently, National Park funding has been cut and the watering of the lawn was seen as a disposable commodity.

Once at The Mall, it was a short walk to the National Museum of American History. This Museum holds treasures from The Ruby Slipper from the Wizard of Oz to the inaugural dresses of all the First Ladies to the original Muppets.   It was then time to check in at the AIPAC  Leadership conference that we would be attending for the next few days. The conference kindly provided us boarding at The Capitol Hilton, which served three delicious meals each day. That night, we attended several workshops before exploring the city with Rudy and another DU friend, Sam White. We even made a late night stop at The White House and conversed with the attending Secret Service men out front. We were surprised at how close we were able to get to the actual house!

Ashley, Tanya, Sam, Katherine, Summer, and Rudy
The DU Crew

dinner at the conference

On Monday morning, we partook in more conference meetings and then that night we went to a local club with a large group of other students from the conference. It was a lot of fun to meet a variety of student leaders from around the world. Tuesday was more of a free day and we took the opportunity to explore Georgetown. The shops in the town were very quaint and there was even a water front that we enjoyed walking on. Wednesday was the last day of the Conference and after saying goodbye to our new friend we toured the Capitol Building (led by our personal tour guide, Julia, whose internship is at the capitol). In addition to walking the halls of our nation’s capital, we were able to sit in the gallery at the Senate as it was in session, which was very neat. Our last stop took us to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was very heart wrenching but enlightening to witness memories of the historical event. From there, Ashley's friend from middle school took us to the airport where we said goodbye to Washington and our whirlwind trip!

at the capitol building

New York

The following Monday-Thursday, we laid low in preparation for our big excursion so New York and Washington, D.C. On Friday morning, we woke up with the birds and caught a 7 am bus from Boston heading to New York City. We arrived four hours later in the heart of the city and immediately set out to explore. First, we visited Ground Zero.

Ground Zero

It was incredibly intense to be at the site of such a tragic event, but it was also very educational as we toured a small museum that has been set up in its honor. After, we took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry which passed by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

on the ferry

Next we hit up Canal Street and scored ourselves some high-class knockoff sunglasses and jewelry. As evening approached, we toured Union Square and visited a restaurant specializing in chocolate delicacies (chocolate pizza?!).

Canal Street

big apple in the Big Apple!

That night, we met up with Kelly Lavin, a one of Summer's sorority sisters at DU, at one of her friend's apartments in Brooklyn. From there, we went to another friend's birthday party in the city and met tons of local New Yorkers. That night, we stayed at a friend's apartment in the Bronx.

Kelly (far right) and friends

The next day, we woke up and made our way to Central Park. We walked through the park to reach the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts (The MET), where Summer fell in love with the historical museum full of works from famous artists around the world and got to google over rooms full of her favorite- Monet, including the original “Water lilies.” We had never seen so much beautiful artwork in one place!

Central Park

The Met

Monet's Water lilies

After, took the subway through Grand Central Station to Times Square. We were overwhelmed by all the bright lights, vendors, and amazing shops! We stopped into M&M World and passed by dozens of enormous shops and elegant restaurants as well as The Broadway and Paramount Theaters.

Times Square

 Our next stop was the beautiful little Chelsea apartment of Summer's family friend, Matt, where we planned on crashing for the evening. He was so hospitable and kind to let us stay the night! After spritzing up a bit, we met two of Amos' friends from high school out for dinner and then spent the evening with some of their friends in Midtown.

in the cab driving down 5th Ave

 New York was big, bustling, and quite an experience- different than anything we could have expected- but we had fun and pride ourselves in hitting four of the five boroughs in just 48 hours, backpacks in tow!

Week 4

Ashley had an absolutely terrific time with her mom and Summer enjoyed meeting all of the relatives. Thank you so much for having us!!
On Tuesday night, we went out to dinner in Beacon Hill with Tim and his sister, Corey. We talked about studying abroad in Granada, as Corey had studied there a few years ago. It was nice to experience Boston food with our the locals.

The Paramount with Tim and Corey

Wednesday called for hanging out at Amos' house with some of his high school friends. We are really expanding our social network! On Thursday and Friday, we met up with friends and had a great time exploring Harvard Square. Then on Saturday, we headed to Newport, RI where Amos has a house on the ocean front. We enjoyed another weekend of boating, tubing and playing in the water before touring the beautiful city of Newport. There, we saw the famous historic Newport mansions and shopped on Thames Street, an adorable shopping district on the bay.

boating

Newport, RI

A Visit from Robyn

Ashley's mom, Robyn, arrived in Boston late Thursday evening. The next day, we took a walk through Quincy Market before heading downtown to the TD Center to see Keith Urban. It was a fantastic concert and we even made new friends with Sean, the guy sitting next to us. 

Keith Urban

On Saturday, we drove to Lebanon, Maine where Ashley's aunt's family has a cabin on the lake. We had so much fun with her family out on the boat, tubing, and taking jet ski rides. 

the cabin

So happy you're here!

That night, we met up with Liz and took part in late night boating and wake surfing with some friendly Mainers.  Sunday called for more fun on the lake and of course some yummy lobster and clams.

Hanging with Lizz and her friends

Maine's finest!

On Monday, we returned to Boston and went on a Duck Tour. This replica of a World War II amphibious vessel drove both on land and in the water as we explored the historic city.

Ashley driving the Duck on the Charles River

For dinner, we ate on the bay at The Barking Clam for some classic New England chowder.

mmmm