boston in the fall

Once upon a time, my friend Meghan and I met up in Boston for my fall break.

We ventured to Cambridge...

...and wandered through the alcoves of Harvard.

The campus was stunningly beautiful...

....and I'm pretty sure we got smarter just walking through it.

We traveled to the fishing village of Rockport, MA out on the Atlantic Coast.
By the way, there's a large building on the left side of the photo. It has a big set of
windows facing the sea. On the other side of those windows is a Steinway grand.
What a place to perform...

The weather could not have been more perfect,
and there happened to be a harvest festival going on that day as well.

We wandered down little alleyways and enjoyed the view.

We meandered through fall-colored foliage.

We wandered up the coast a bit to a state park,
and enjoyed some quiet time on the rocks above the water.

We felt our souls exhale as we gazed out into the open sea.

And, when it was time, we climbed back up the hill and headed back to town.

We watched the sunset behind sailboats and lobster crates.

We met Robert McCloskey's ducks in Boston Public Gardens.

We couldn't resist the urge to enjoy the leaves.

We happened upon a NW treat...and may
or may not have gone back for more a few hours later...

We made friends with some fish.

We hiked up to the Bunker Hill monument...

...and looked back to the bottom, after climbing the 294 steps to the top.

We couldn't resist a few more leaf photos.

We took a walk on the Freedom Trail...

...and ran into Paul Revere and the Old North Church.

We wandered through Beacon Hill.

We sat on the banks of the Charles and watched the sailboats.

We enjoyed being together.

Sea spray.  Crunchy leaves under foot.  Gas lantern-lined streets.  Crisp autumn air.  New England charm.  Lobster pots.  One if by land; two if by sea.  Creamy seafood chowder.  Real coffee.  Cobblestone streets.  Businessmen on bicycles.  Morning strolls on sandy beaches.  Crocs and fleeces and flannel.  Downton Abbey marathons.  Good conversation.  Great food.   Drivers that stop for pedestrians.  Tour guides in Colonial dress.  The open sea.  Sun-kissed faces.  Tired feet.  Happy hearts.

You may have heard about Boston in the fall.

I will tell you that it's all it's cracked up to be.