Boston at Your Leisure

Posted: July 28, 2010

By: Jess Marra

There truly is no better place to spend summer afternoons than Boston. Between the cafes, museums and parks there is always a new part of the city to leisurely stroll around. This week I found myself particularly busy enjoying the simplicity of my surroundings.

Mondays are dreadful; there really is no denying it no matter how much anyone tries. The weekend is over and Friday seems unbelievably distant. Upon leaving my three-hour microeconomics class, I realized I needed to do something enjoyable, anything to get my mind off negative externalities and taxes.

I headed down Newbury in search of a good book and iced coffee. After browsing in The Trident Cafe bookstore, I picked out a funky book and settled into a comfy booth. I got my iced coffee, homemade humus and pita chips. Trident is a relatively unknown venue, which I love. You will never find loud tourists. The ambience is laid back and the staff dynamics is reminiscent of a close family. With a tasty snack and light read, micro was definitely not on my mind.

The weather on Tuesday was perfect. It was hot, but not humid and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. There was no way I could stay inside so I headed over to the Boston Commons. Dating from 1634, and over 50 acres of land, it is one of the oldest and most beautiful city parks in the United States. I wandered around for a little while, eying the Swan Boats. $2.75 later I was sitting among European tourists on a fifteen minute peddle cruise around the tiny pond.

On Wednesday I had economics class again. And again, it was a solid three hours of graphing opportunity costs. And let me just say, the opportunity cost of learning on this particular day did not outweigh the amount of time I lost of basking in the sunlight outside the classroom. Being the studious young adult I am, I studied for a few hours on the esplanade, taking in the scenery, watching the sailboats and kayakers go by.

When my brain couldn’t absorb any more information, I headed over to the Beth Urdang Gallery on Newbury Street to see some prints by my favorite artist, Alex Katz. Starving from my long day, I trekked to the North End for an authentic bowl of pasta at Bella Vista Ristorante on Hanover Street and ended my day at Mike’s Pastry. It had been too long since I treated myself to a sweet cannoli, and there is no better place than Mike’s to indulge in such a delight.

Thursday was unbearably hot. I’m surprised I didn’t pass out during my commute from one air-conditioned room to another. My friend and I hopped on the C line to Coolidge Corner. I Am Love, an Italian film starring Tilda Swinton was playing at the Coolidge Corner Independent Theater.

It was not only an inspiring film about the complications of love, but a nice way to temporarily escape the heat. Across the street from the theater is my absolute favorite snackery in all of Boston: BerryFreeze. Tart frozen yogurt and spoonfuls of fresh fruit tastes light and refreshing on a scorching afternoon, or in my case, any afternoon.

It’s Friday again, the workweek has come to a close and I couldn’t be happier for the weekend. However, after reminiscing on my activities from the past few days, I realized that maybe Mondays don’t have to be terrible. With all Boston holds, there is no reason a Monday can’t be as lovely as any other day.