Category Archives: Boston Toddlers

Touring Boston – What to Know About Mike’s Pastry (Delicious Eats)

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If you’re in Boston one food/place you absolutely must visit is Mike’s Pastry  for a cannoli.  Honestly before moving to Boston I don’t know if I had ever heard of a cannoli before and I had certainly never tried one, but whenever I asked anyone what I had to do in Boston the answer came back time and time again that I had to visit the North End to get a cannoli from Mike’s Pastries.

We went out on a Friday night in early fall and enjoyed a walk through the city before getting to Mike’s.  There were so many people milling about on the street and stopping in intersections to check maps among other ridiculousness.  I suspect it has lots to do with “the invasion” (what us Bostonians call all the student’s coming back after summer vacation).  There are hundreds of thousands of these students filling the city, and for the first couple of days many of them have their proud parents helping them settle in and touring the area… so yeah, things get a little bit busy.

I think that was part of the madness at the North End.  The line for Mike’s Pastries was out the door and around the side of the building, but the workers at that place have skills and move people through.  We waited only a few minutes before being directed to one of 8 lines in the store and we were quickly helped and on our way with two delicious cannolies.  I got the chocolate dipped (which was fantastic) and my husband got the moca, which was still good, but not as excellent as my chocolate one.

We ate in a little park with splashing fountains that kids were running through in the dark and since it was a nice night we decided to walk home. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Boston is a pretty fantastic city.  I ♥ Boston.

Things to Note:

1) It’s Cash Only, Cannoli’s are between $3.50-$4/piece.
2) Parking is a mess, the closest “T” stop is “Haymarket” so you’ll have to do a little bit of walking.
3) If there is a long line, don’t fret.  It moves really fast.
4) Know what you want before you get to the front of the line. This place moves “Soup Nazi” style.
5) Don’t plan on eating inside, there are only a handful of tables (maybe 8?) and on the weekend or during cold times they are going to be filled.
6) You can bring a stroller, but know things are tight and the shop is small.
7) There is a new Mike’s Pastries open in Harvard Square!

Summary and Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars.  We have really enjoyed embracing the hype about Mike’s Pastries and whenever we’re in the North End visiting Mike’s is a must.  It’s fun to be in the middle of something so fast paced and the cannoli’s are delicious.  If you visit in the summer there are a bunch of park like green spaces near Mike’s that offer a great place to sit down and enjoy you food and if you have children with you they can splash in one of Boston’s many splash pads.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Mike’s Pastry (North End)
300 Hanover Street
Boston, MA 02113 USA

Harvard Square
11 Dunster Street,
Cambridge, MA 02138

Phone: 617.742.3050
Website: https://www.mikespastry.com

Hours: Sun-Thurs 8AM-10PM; Fri & Sat 8AM-11:30PM

Touring Boston – What to Know About Attending a Fenway Park Tour

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I think my sister’s number one thing to see while visiting Boston was Fenway Park (My dad and his fanatical Red Sox fan status is to thank/blame for this) She really wanted to see a game but the playoffs were going on at the time.  (is that what they are called? I’m so not sporty… seems like baseball might have another name for it…) anyway since they are in the “playoffs” tickets are even more expensive than usual.  $120 for a third tier standing room only sections.  I don’t quite have that kind of money and I didn’t dare send Chan alone so we settled for a Fenway Park Stadium Tour, and we choose the right day to do it… kind of.

We walked to the Stadium, (though it’s also really close to the “T” if you want to take the subway), and then ended up walking around the whole stadium looking for gate D where the tour tickets were sold.  There was a reporter/camera man out front and when he saw us (mostly my sister, decked in her Sox apparel) he asked if he could talk to us about the team, but we declined knowing we would sound so silly and clueless since we’re not really that into sports – I wish my dad could have been there, it would have been his moment to shine.

Online they said the tour was handicap accessible, which I took to mean I would be fine bringing a stroller, but when were got there it seemed like that was going to mean we would have to go way out of the way and keep catching up with the tour guides, so we left the stroller with security and I hauled my fat baby around the park. Holy crap my son is heavy and giant!

The Red Sox were on the field practicing during out tour which was pretty sweet, I mean we didn’t get to go to a game but it still kinda felt like we were at one, especially ten minutes into our tour when they started blasting music through the stadium for the Sox to warm up to.  It was so loud it pretty much drown out our tour guide, but it made my sister and I dancey, and the tour started to feel like a party where we got to keep moving seats.  It was so loud our tour guide gave up his lecture for half of the tour and just led us over to the Green Monster (giant wall with a great view of the field) to watch batting practice.  I think someone from our group even caught a ball.

Things to Note:

1. Pricing
It’s fairly expensive at $18/person or $12/child/student.  You can buy you tickets online in advance and I think you can also get them at the ticket window when you get there.  My infant son (and kids two and under) are free.

2. Stroller Friendliness… not so much
They say that the tours are handicap accessible, so I’m sure in a pinch you could haul along a stroller, but most of the tour was walking up and down the bleachers and through different areas of the park.  I think you would end up going way out of your way to use the elevators and you would miss out on a lot of the tour.  I would suggest avoiding bring a stroller if possible.  Also, you can bring one to the stadium and leave it with security while you take your tour.

3.  Workout
You will be walking up lots of stairs, beware this could be considered a work out.

4.  You Don’t Get to Touch the Green or See the Dugouts. 🙁

Summary:
Even though we only got half the audio tour guided tour (due to the loud music the Red Sox were warming up to) we still really enjoyed it.  It was great being able to walk around the park, learn the history, see the sights you wouldn’t be able to if you were going to a game.  Most of all we enjoyed seeing the team warm up with the stadium to ourselves.

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Three stars.  We really liked the tour.  It was expensive and I did feel like we missed out on a bit of the information.  It would have been nice to be able to get around a little more easily, but all in all we enjoyed being able to see the team and it was great to be able to see so many parts of the historical stadium.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Fenway Park
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215

Phone: 877.733.7699
Website:
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp

Tour Schedule:

  • Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 
  • Last tour departs at 5 p.m. on non-game days. On game days the last tour departs three hours before game time. 
  • Available year-round. 
  • Public Tours depart at the top of each hour.

Family Friendly Boston – What to Know About Trick or Treating on Beacon Hill

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If you live in Boston with young children one Halloween must do it trick or treating on Beacon Hill.  Beacon Hill is a pretty amazing place to begin with but on Halloween night they block vehicle traffic on the streets and then let the party begin.  The streets and ally ways are decorated, tons of residents dress up or sit on their porches handing out candy and masses of children dressed in costumes flock the streets.

Things to Note: 

1) Start Time
Around 5 PM, when the sun is just starting to set.  If you get here too much earlier than this you can expect the residents to be unprepared to greet you and slightly annoyed that you’re started the festivities so early.

2) Getting There
Take the “T”.  The closest parking is probably at Boston Commons but on Halloween night there is no guarantee you’ll find a spot.  Both the “Park Street” and the “MGH” stops make for a very short walk to Beacon Hill.

3) Stroller Friendliness 
If you can avoid a stroller I would suggest it.  The Beacon Hill streets are really steep, many are paved in brick and hauling a stroller up and down across that bumpiness while navigating the crowds and keeping up with over excited trick or treaters can get a little crazy.  We brought a stroller the first year and I regretted every second of it, even with a 1.5 year old.

4) Bathrooms
Eek! Why is the potty such an issue with children?  Better go before you get started and be prepared to do a fair amount of out of the way walking to find a business that will let you use theirs.  There are a few restaurants lining Charles Street that you might be able to beg a bathroom stop from but we ended up walking clear to Massachusetts General Hospital when we needed to use the restroom…

5) Be Prepared for Lots of People and Lots of Fun
Many of the residents dress up, lots of houses are decorated and the streets are flooded with trick or treaters.  We go early and leave early, as our children are young, but at 6:30 it seems like the party is just getting started.  We loved seeing all the kids and all the fantastic costumes and we had so much fun enjoying the celebration with so many people.

Summary and Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars.  The trick or treating experience doesn’t get any better than Beacon Hill in my opinion. Seeing such beautiful homes and being able to enjoy the festivities with so many people was amazing.  I loved seeing all the cute kids in their costumes and the residents were so nice and fun, happily greeting the children, many of them dressed up themselves.  If you live in Boston this is on experience you’ve really got to try.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Beacon Hill Trick or Treating
Beacon Hill
Boston, MA 02114

Hours: 5PM-8PM October 31st

Family Friendly Boston – What to Know About Attending the Annual Frog Pond Pumpkin Float with Kids

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Each year the Frog Pond in Boston Common has a Halloween festival a few weeks before Halloween where you can bring a small carved pumpkin and they will put a light in it and float it on the frog pond.  Hundreds of people show up to this event and it’s pretty magical to see all the pumpkins glowing on the pond, and even more fun when you can point out yours adding to the light.

We had the opportunity to go last year and we loved it.  It was super easy to get to, we could wonder around wherever our son wanted to go and we had a blast kicking off the Halloween season with such a fun festival.

Things to Note:

1) Bring a Carved Pumpkin
Your pumpkin should be smallish, they recommend 8″ pumpkins and it’s a lot more fun to have a carved pumpkin because you can see it when it’s out on the water (ours was a bit last minute and it was painted).  They will provide the light for you and it’s really fun to see all the pumpkins together lighting up the water. (When the festival is over all the pumpkins are donated to a compost company.)

2) Snacks
There are bunch of booths set up circling the pond giving out free stuff or having activities for children.  We walked away with some granola bar samples, cheese, fruit rolls, flavored water and more.

3) Crafts & Fun
There are also a bunch of crafts set up around the Frog Pond.  We made paper bag luminaries (again the lights were provided for us) and got to see our bag set up around the Frog Pond.   There were also magic tricks and scary stories being told at different places.

4) Parade
Children are encouraged to dress up and midway through the night they will be instructed to line up, music will start playing and they can march around the Frog Pond.  (Also, this is about the time that free glow sticks were handed out to all the children).

5) Crowds and Strollers
There were tons of people here and I was so glad that we didn’t bring our stroller.  There were a few people that had them and watching them trying to make their way through the thick masses of people looked super stressful.  If you have children that can walk this is one of the instances where I would suggest leaving the stroller behind, it’s a super short walk from the “T” and the stroller is likely going to cause more stress than it’s going to absolve.

6) Getting There &/or Parking
I would highly suggest taking the “T” to get here as the “Park Street” stop from both the red and green lines drop off literally at the park, giving you a thirty second walk to the pond.  If you must drive there is a parking garage with a limited amount of parking at Boston Common as well.

Summary & Rating ★★★☆☆

Three stars.  We had a lot of fun going and being able to add our pumpkin to the other pumpkins floating on the water, however the crows were crazy!  Trying to get around the pond to see the different vendors took some fancy footwork and if you want to float your pumpkin your best bet is to get there when it starts because toward the middle/end of the event the line to hand off pumpkins was quite long.  We enjoyed going, and I’m glad we tried it at least once but there are so many fun things going on around the city at this time of year that I think we’ll check out some new, less overwhelming, options next time around.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Frog Pond Pumpkin Float
Frog Pond
Boston, MA 02108

Phone: 617.635.2120
Website: http://bostonfrogpond.com/2015/03/pumpkin-festival/

Touring Boston – What to Know About Apple Picking at Russell Orchards

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Let me start by saying we love the Boston tradition of Pick Your Own Fruit.  We’ve loved picking apples each fall and we have loved getting to pick a few different kinds of berries this summer.

Over the weekend my husband and I decided that we really wanted to go apple picking this year and since I had a baby due in less than a month we decided that sooner would be better.  We got everything ready in the morning and packed into the car but when I pulled up the address to Tougas Orchard (my personal favorite) we found out they were closed for the day so we decided to try out Russell Orchard since we had seen flyers around campus for an outing the rest of the school was planning there.

The drive to Russell Orchard was beautiful and the parking lot didn’t seem to busy as we pulled in,

which was what we expected going on a weekday rather than a weekend.  As I mentioned I was less than a month away from my pregnancy due date so after a long car drive I really needed to use the bathroom.  Unfortunately my very first experience with Russell Orchard was with a row of very poorly maintained port-a-potties.  Ugh.  Being unbalanced and pregnant the last thing I wanted to do was squish my roundness into the stinky cesspit.  Toilet paper and urine was everywhere, there was no clean toilet paper to be found, the toilets were super full and looking at their little service dates marked on the inside of each port-a-potty it has been weeks since they had been serviced.  Using them myself and then taking my two year old to use them was absolutely revolting, and I’m sad to say it but that initial experience may have tainted the rest of my view of Russell Orchard.

Anyway, moving on to the Orchard Summary.

1. Bathrooms
This place has been around over a 100 years (or so they claim) and they still only have a line of port a potties for bathrooms.  Gross.

2. Pricing
The price for the apples was quite low compared to some of other orchards.  You paid an admission fee $3/person and that would later be credited toward your fruit.  Apples were $1.75 a lb.

3. The Orchard
I felt like we really could have used a little more help and direction when it came to this part.  After we paid our fee and were given a bag to put our apples in we were simply sent on our way and told not to get on the tractor tailor because that was only for kids on field trips.  Great.  … but we didn’t know what to do or where to go, there were no maps and no further instructions given.  We ended up wandering down the long main road looking for any kind of signage that suggested apples ready for picking.

It was a fairly long walk and I wish we would have brought a stroller, since my toddler is pretty big and a pain to carry, but we didn’t know how far away the apples would actually be.  However the trail was fairly rough so I don’t know that a stroller that wasn’t a jogger would have done much good.

Eventually we found the apples and they had a bunch of different ones clustered together.  Each row being a different type of apples so you could get a good variety without additional walking. There were apples everywhere, mostly all over the ground, which was kind of sad, and I suspected it was because they didn’t have any people there giving directions or telling you to be careful what you picked because anything you pick should go in your bag like many of the other orchards do.

Also we went the last week of September, and I don’t know if it was the time of year or the location or something else all together, but the flies and mosquitoes were out in swarms. We all came home with multiple bug bites.

4. Other Fruit
I was pretty excited that this orchard also had raspberries that were still available to pick so after we got our fill of apples we again headed to the main desk to try to get some direction to where we could find the berries and again we were pointed in a vague direction back into the orchard.  Still poor signage and no maps.

However when we did find the berries they were great.  Tasty, delicious, ripe, and they cost a fair amount less to pick than they do at the grocery store… which does not seem to be the case for most of my apple picking experiences.

5. Other Features
They have a few animals enclosed in a fence, mostly chickens and geese and a sign warning that they are not tame and to be careful around them.  There was no playground that I could see and only handful of benches.  The general store was nice and they had some really tasty ice cream there, but other than that there wasn’t much that stood out to me.

Summary & Stars:

★★☆☆☆

Two stars. Gross bathrooms killed this place for me, and having that added to a complete lack of direction and instruction left me pretty disappointed.  I feel like there are so many great orchards in New England that I would not waste my time returning to this one.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Address:

Russell Orchards
143 Argilla Rd.
Ipswich, MA  

Phone: 978-356-5366
Website: http://www.russellorchards.com/