LB, Boston. Boston, LB.

After picking up and moving to a new place and still vowing not to join Facebook, I thought a blog would be a cReaTivE way to keep in with touch with people that don't live here and to let them in on my Bostonian adventures!

I live here.

Where is here might you ask? I have been asked that a lot in the last two weeks and then I hear my own voice reply "Over in the South End." Haha, because I live in Boston. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Allow me to summarize:

I found out Thursday night after 5:00pm that I got the apartment I wanted. Friday I had my last day of work for a job I have been at and loved for 5 1/2 years. Friday night I picked up the 17 foot UHaul *please note the park job, I backed that beast in myself - thank you Stace for guiding, partially loaded it *more thanks to Stacy, and then went to a semi-surprise going away party *thank you Tony & Vanessa! (with all these thank you's this is starting to sound more like an Oscar acceptance speech than a blog post). I digress...

Got up at an unspeakable hour Saturday morning, finished loading the truck with the help of my Dad, stepmom, 2 stepsisters and 1 boyfriend of a stepsister, and no sooner do we pull away when it starts to downpour. Not a light rain. I'm talking a monsoon. This little deluge added almost an hour to an already two hour long trip so by the time we got there (b/c we still had to UNload) people were on edge. Little did the 3 of them know what awaited them. Stairs. FOUR FLIGHTS of stairs, count 'em:

Those lovely railings you see? They're original. From 1867. My landlord had them restored and is very proud of them, rightfully so. To add just a dash more salt to the already hemorrhaging wound. I'll spare you the gory details but you get the idea: it was a miserable move in. I am forever indebted to my family for their blood, sweat and tears and am not allowed to move out until I can afford to pay someone else to do it for me.

Good friends took a zombie like version me out to dinner that fated first night to an awesome spot called Tremont 647. We toasted with a much needed, rather good, Cosmo. To start, we split the Asian Style BBQ Pork Lettuce Wraps and the Jumbo Lump Crab-Avocado Bruschetta. Both delish! For my entree I had the Grilled Pan Seared Wild Striped Bass. It was out of this world. I'll be going back many, many times, not only is the food fantastic but it is dangerously close to my apartment...at the end of my street.

Since then I've started my new job (so far so good), unpacked most of my belongings (most being the operative word) and have begun to explore the amazing city I live in. I walk to and from work every day - approximately 3m and pretty much anywhere else my feet will carry me. I'm back on the running horse and sometimes wish I ran with a crash test helmet on so I could install one of those helmet cams and you all could see what I see. My clumsiness hasn't necessitated one yet so you'll have to settle for my witty descriptions. Take my word for it when I say it's a great way to see and learn my way around the city.

Last Saturday night I went to Island Hopper which is Asian fusion (Chinese meets Thai meets Malaysian) and really good.I'm a huge dumpling fan (called Hainanese Ravioli here) and these did not disappoint. Not for the faint of heart - one dumpling must have weighed easily a pound - and they give you 6. Then it was time for the main course. Lychee Duck. Wow. The sauce was hands down what made the dish, described on the menu as "a coconut and kaffir lime based broth. Lychee mixed in." Every bite was like a dance party on your taste buds. I need to learn to make sauce like that.

Thanks for reading my first official post...

More tales to come!