Touring Boston – How to Welcome Spring with a Trip to Sullivan’s

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Boston, unfortunately, has long and awful winters.  Winters that just seem to drag on and on and on, and being stuck indoors for long periods of time with young ones can be enough to drive you mad.

In an attempt to get out of the apartment we’ve been having Stellar Saturdays, where we go exploring. This week my husband took the initiative and planned a trip to Fort Independence, on Castle Island… mostly because he discovered there is a little burger/hotdog joint there, and the locals all go on opening day to welcome in spring, and Saturday, opening day, was suppose to be warm.

We looked up the trip and we could take the Red Line to within two miles of the place and then taken a bus the rest of the way there… but buses are really stressful with a stroller and the day was warm.  So we decided we could walk it. It was a longer walk than I expected and we kept going up and down hill after hill until finally we saw the simmering blue of the ocean.

I must admit this is the first time I’ve been to a beach half covered in snow.  Lame. We walked along the ocean around Pleasure Bay (ha) until we came to Sullivan’s.  Holy crap there was a million people there.  The line was out of the build, across the parking lot and nearly to the ocean.  We had a short debate about if we should wait, but we decided we had just walked two miles we get there, we should just make it happen.  So my husband waited in line while I took our toddler to explore the fort.

There is a great path that goes around the fort with an amazing view of the ocean, but it was breezy and too cold for me to sit and enjoy it.  Also the days have been warming up which means the snow has been melting so there were soggy snow puddles everywhere… which is not the best environment for a toddler to crawl through.  As we rounded the fort we also saw that they having some picnic areas and a great playground.  I think we’ll have to try adventuring here again come summer when we can use more of the great beach.

Eventually we met back up with my husband as he got into the building, ordered, and our food came quickly, but there was no seating inside, it was too cold to sit around and eat outside, and our boy made it very clear he was done with our adventure.  Oh to have a car.  This is one of those times when a vehicle would have been magical. *Sigh*  Instead, I enjoyed my burger while pushing the stroller and my husband snacked on a few fries while carrying, warming and shielding the baby.

Things to Note:

1) Transportation
There is a big, free parking lot here.  If you have a car, drive.  If you don’t the Red Line will take you within two miles and there are buses from there.  We walked after the Red Line, but if we go back I think it would be worth our time to figure out the buses.

2) Opening Day
First day of spring.

3) Food
Totally fast food.  Burgers, fries, milk shakes and the like.  Greasy, fresh, artery clogging and delicious. My fries were hot and crispy, my burger was amazing!  Ten out of ten for fast food.

4) Seating
There is none.  You order your food, then wait by the side while it’s prepared then go on your way.  There are few benches out front near the parking lot (none indoors) and if you’re willing to walk a little bit there are even more tables near the playground

5) Beach
In early spring it’s still freezing and the sand is covered in snow.  There is also a good chance the wind will be blowing up from the water and you’re going to want some good protection from it.

6) Sullivan’s First Day of Spring Line
The line is forever long, but they move surprisingly fast.  If you get there late morning I would expect to wait about 1/2 and hour… maybe less, but still a decent wait especially if you’re going with kids.

Summary and Rating:  ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  I thought the food was amazing and Castle Island was really pretty.  Going the first day of spring might not have been the best call because there were so many people there, the line for food was super long, and it was too cold and wet for our toddler to enjoy the outdoors.  However, since our first visit we’ve been back (during the summer) and the food was still amazing, the line was much more manageable, and being able to walk around the fort, play at the playground and splash in the ocean made it wonderful!

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. 

Sullivan’s, Castle Island
Castle Island, next to Fort Independence, Pleasure Bay
2080 Day Boulevard, South Boston, Massachusetts

Open 7 Days a Week: August hours are 8:30-9:00 p.m. every day weather permitting. Closed if there are more seagulls than cars in the parking lot. Call ahead before heading out if the weather is bad: 617.268.5685

Phone: 617.268.5685
Website: http://www.sullivanscastleisland.com/

Seasonal Opening: Late February – Sunday after Thanksgiving  

Toddler Letters – “E” is for “Easter Egg”

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Supplies Needed:

  • Craft Paper
  • “E” cutout
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Tissue Paper
  • Stickers (If wanted, we didn’t end up using them)

 

Set Up:

I cut out the “E’s” and we glued them to our blue paper.  Then we cut our tissue paper into little strips using ridged craft scissors.  We covered the “E” with glue and glued our tissue paper to it. In hindsight this might have looked more like an Easter Egg if we had just used water colors and painted it.  🙂

When we finished we talked about how holidays are special days where we take time to do things we wouldn’t usually do, including coloring Easter Eggs at Easter time.

Tracing Letters:

*Courtesy of http://bogglesworldesl.com/

Have you made this craft?  What was your experience like and do you have an suggestions to make it better?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

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Touring Boston – What to Know About Union Square Donuts (Delicious Eats)

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If you’re looking for a good and unique food experience you should check out Union Square Donuts.  It’s a small donut shop, but it’s been named Boston’s Best Donuts by Boston Magazine… so, I’m just saying… if you like donuts you really ought to try some of these.

These donuts are handmade, unique, and totally delicious.  The shop for them is pretty small and they often sell out, so if you’ve got a favorite (like maybe the maple bacon donut) that you’re dying to try you had better get there at least by mid-morning.

Someone brought in a box of these donuts to my husbands lab and since that day he’s been super excited about going back with us so that we could enjoy some crazy donuts with him.  We went and ended up bring home half dozen which included the following donuts: two Maple Bacon, a Birthday Cake, a Carrot Cake, a Chocolate Covered, and a Vanilla.

Maple Bacon was surprisingly not disgusting, it’s got the sweet salty thing going for it and is kind of like kettle corn, however the favorite by far was the Birthday Cake. … Ha, it was the one we got for our toddler to try since it was covered with sprinkles, but the Birthday Cake donut was still warm and super soft on the inside, but a little bit crisp on the outside and full of goodness.  My husband spent the rest of the day marveling that he had fallen in love with a sprinkle donut that looked like it was made for a two year old. 🙂

Things to Note:

1. Price
These are fancy gourmet donuts, and you pay for it.  They are about a million times better than Dunkin Donuts, but for us they are more of a special occasion food.  They run between $3 – $3.50/donut

2. Location
You’ll probably want to drive here.  I didn’t look up public transportation, and I’m sure at least a bus goes near it… but it seems like it could be a lot of effort to take a bus for a donut… on the other hand, these were amazing, so it might be worth it.  They are also sold at a handful of farmers markets around the city.

3. Flavors
They have a whole bunch of flavors to choose from, most of them are pretty unique, and they change all the time.  If you fall in love with a donut buy another asap because there is no guarantee that it will be there next time.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  These donuts are amazing, mouthwatering works of art… but their brick and mortar store is pretty out of the way and the donuts are fairly pricey.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know what you think of their crazy flavors in the comments section below. 

Union Square Donuts
20 Bow St
Somerville, MA 02143

Phone: 617.209.2257
Website: http://unionsquaredonuts.com/ 

Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 7AM – 1PM
Saturday-Sunday 7AM – 3PM

Review – Crayola Slick Stix

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This review is 100% my own opinion and sponsored only by myself.

I first experienced the Crayola Slick Stixs at a toddler playgroup my son and I attended.  They were learning about the letter Z and coloring some Zebras.  I was there, playing with and also enjoying some new kinds of art supplies, while I attempted to keep my son from painting his neighbor.

Then I picked up a slick stix and ran it across the paper.  Then again.  It was like magic.  Ha.  It was so smooth and the color was vibrant I felt like I was coloring with lip stick.  I loved it!  I ended up coloring a good portion of my sons neglected zebra just because these crayon/markers were so interesting to use…

And then I went home, hoped on Amazon and bought us a set.  I feel like they are fairly expensive (they end up being about a $1/piece, so $5 for the set of 5 and $12/for the 12 pack) but in my opinion they are worth it.  Suddenly coloring time with my son was also coloring time for mom and it’s funny but coloring with these crayons felt relaxing in a similar way to painting, they stick to the paper and slide, you’re left with a super bright colorful spaces.  Pretty much they are just fun.

I love coloring with them and when our 5 pack was used up I splurged and got the 12 pack, however there are a few set backs.  First, they are pretty expensive for a crayon in my book,  second if you don’t have the lid on them they will dry out and lose their lipstick like feeling, though they will still color.  Third, they smear, at least right after they’ve been put to paper, which meant after coloring time my son needed his hands washed from touching the paper and I needed to make sure he didn’t lean on the art work while it was still freshly done, after an hour or two of sitting the Slick Stix art work seemed to dry and smearing was less of a problem.

Pros: 

  • The Feel Amazing to Draw With, Like Coloring with Lip Stick
  • They are Super Bright
  • They Glide 
  • They are Fun for Adults and Children to Color With
  • You Can Feel A Lot of White Space Quickly (This Could Also Be A Con)
  • They Show Up Really Good on Craft Paper 

Cons: 

  • Expensive 
  • Can Dry Out
  • Smear When Wet

Have you tried these before?  What are you thoughts?  Awesome or not worth the price/mess?

    Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum with Children

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    Before moving to Boston I participated in a book challenge at my local library and as part of it I ended up reading “The Gardner Heist” a book about an unsolved major art heist.  The book was interesting but hearing about how the museum responded to the heist was even more facilitating.  

    I’ll summarize:    
    Two people broke into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum one evening dressed as police officers. They did a smash and grab and stole a total of 13 art works from various rooms in the museum before escaping.  To this day they haven’t been found. 
    What I found even more interesting is that in Isabella’s will she said she wanted her estate to become a museum, but because she had put so much time and effort into each of the rooms of her estate nothing was to be moved or changed.  Ever.  If there were changes made then she would no longer allow her house to be opened as a museum.
    What that means is that while walking in the museum you will occasionally see empty picture frames on the wall. Since the curators are not allowed to change anything they have simply left the empty frames in their spots on the wall awaiting the day when the paintings might be recovered.  
    I thought it made the walk through the museum so much more fun having read the book first and slowly dawning on the realization that this was the museum I had read about and then looking for the empty frames.  Some are fairly subtle and some are impossible to miss, but it makes for a unique viewing experience for sure.  

    Things to Note: 

    1) Price 
    $15/Adult (Students with ID $5)
    18 and under Free
    2) Stroller Friendliness 
    Stroller are permitted… kind of.  You can bring a single stroller, but double and oversized strollers are not allowed and can be checked in at the coat check.  This is unfortunate, but necessary because some of the entry ways are fairly tight and your not going to be able to fit through them with a huge stroller. 
    3) Kid Friendliness
    Semi kid friendly.  In the sense that children of all ages are welcome and encouraged to come and learn more about art, but there are a lot of things that might be tempting for little hands to touch that aren’t suppose to be touched.  

    Summary & Rating ★★★★☆

    Four Stars.  If I was just going as an adult I would have given this a solid five stars because I thought the price was fair (especially since we’re students) and the museum was gorgeous. Plus having the additional background from my heist book made the whole thing a bonus as we saw the empty frames and the realization that this was the place I had read so much about dawned on me.  However, keeping little hands away from delicate works of art is not an easy feat and it’s something you should certainly keep in mind if you want to go with little ones.   
    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. 
    Isabella Steward Gardner Museum 

    25 Evans Way
    Boston, MA 02115

    Phone:
    General Information: 617 566 1401
    Box Office: 617 278 5156
    Website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/

    Hours:
    Open daily from 11 am to 5 pm
    Thursday until 9 pm
    Closed Tuesday