B.good burger joint…

The best thing to happen to Boston since the Red Sox won the world series.

I’m confident that I’ve eaten at least 100 b.good burgers, especially since I went through a 3 month phase where all I ate for lunch was their blackbean veggie burger topped with avocado, cilantro, and Chipotle salsa. Let’s just say that working around the corner from their Dartmouth Street location and having no concept of money was a dangerous combination my first year after college.

As fate would have it, they just opened up a sixth location around the corner from where I was staying for the weekend.

I was downright giddy when we walked inside to place our orders, especially since I hadn’t enjoyed one of their burgers in over a year, and also because I have a profound respect for their philosophy on food (i.e. raising cattle right, and buying produce from local farmers!).

Everything, down to the potatoes, is grown locally and grown right. They even have bios hanging on the walls of the farmers they use for each ingredient. Love it!

I ordered my favorite (the”West-Side”), except I swapped out my usual veggie burger for a turkey burger.

Perfection = Avocado, cilantro, tomato, and homemade chipotle salsa.

Below is Michal’s order (the “Cousin Oliver”), which is lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, all atop a homemade veggie burger.

We wanted so badly to order the sweet potato fries, but after all the food we had consumed in the past 48 hours, we didn’t think our bodies could handle it, so we opted for the healthier option, and split a side of crisp veggies.

And now I must place my vanity to the side to show you what happened next:

wait for it….

Believe it or not, these were the  “classiest” photos of the bunch. All the others were even more disturbing, and looked as though I was brutally attacking my burger with my mouth (apparently I like to inflict pain on my food and those who watch me eat).

On a final note, if you live in the Boston area, and haven’t yet tasted the mouthwatering wonders of b.good, then you’re missing out on what’s sure to be a Boston trademark in a few more years.

The Boston Public Library is one of those places that makes me happy for no reason. I could basically be in the worst mood ever, and the minute I pass through its doors, a sense of calm washes over me. The best part is, admission is free!

Now I know that all libraries are free, but the architecture of the BPL is so impressive, that you will feel like you should be paying someone to enter.

And how can you not be in awe of Bates Hall…

I spent many late nights here in college studying and writing papers–mostly because Bates Hall always made me feel smarter than I was.

And lastly, the courtyard. Although it’s not yet in full bloom, it’s still a site to behold, and on a warm day it’s probably the best place in all of Boston to enjoy a good book.

Tonight I discovered that the BPL has a twitter account, so I relish in the fact that my stalking can now progress from people to inanimate structures.

When I woke up Sunday morning in Boston, all I could think about was oatmeal. After looking at a multitude of menus online, I came to the conclusion that no where in Backbay serves a proper bowl of oats.

After day-dreaming about the grand opening of my future upscale oatmeal cafe, I decided I would have to get creative if I wanted to enjoy my favorite breakfast cereal.

Being that Boston was a mini-vacation for me, the thought of cooking oatmeal seemed too labor intensive, so I stopped by the neighborhood Whole Foods to see what I could come up with.

I ended up making the following purchases:

Fresh ground almond butter, coconut flakes, and fresh fruit.

Sadly, they had no hot oatmeal, but as fate would have it, there was an Au Bon Pain across the street.

With their powers combined, I created this:

Coconut Almond Oatmeal with Mixed Berries

It’s quite easy to re-create this oatmeal. Just dump an obscene amount of almond butter over the top of your oatmeal, and then garnish it with coconut flakes and fruit.

I’m actually pretty proud of this impromptu creation, and considering it fed Michal too, it ended up being a budget friendly breakfast. The real treat though is that I now have a lovely container of coconut flakes to add to my oatmeal at home.

After breakfast, we took a beautiful walk through the neighborhood I lived in my last year in Boston. Since I’m staying for the weekend in my old apartment, it’s literally like re-living the past…

Special thanks to Alice and Jason for letting me stay with them (again).

You guys rock.

This afternoon was crazy. I can’t believe how much ground I covered in Boston today. I guess I’m just so glad to be here, that I want to be moving towards some sort of destination at all times.

The afternoon started at the Trident Cafe, which probably ranks second to The Otherside for places I’ve eaten at the most.

I met some friends from college there…Kate and Drew…..

What pretty people! It was so nice to catch up with them, and I’m excited about hanging out with them again later on tonight.

After lunch, Michal and I headed to the Apple store, because he was dying to try out the new iPad.

It was very difficult to rip Michal away from the iPad station.

I on the other hand, was just excited about the idea of pulling up my own blog on the iPad, and then taking a picture of it to post here (so dorky, I know, but at the time it seemed so cool).

After the Apple store, we headed over to Marathon Sports, which is the best place I’ve ever found for purchasing running sneakers.

I went here for the first time as a senior in college, and they assessed my running stride, and matched me to an amazing pair of Brooks sneakers. I wore the sneakers into the ground, and never once got a shin splint. Once I moved away from Boston though, I sort of bought sneakers haphazardly at other stores, and have had problems ever since.

After assessing my running stride again, they hooked me up with a new pair of sneakers which felt incredible!

Coincidentally, they were Brooks again. I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

After Marathon Sports we decided to make one last stop at the Boston Public Gardens before heading back to my friends apartment.

How is it that the Boston Public Gardens NEVER get old?

After the gardens, we headed back, and got in at around 5:30 from being out the entire day. I was so tired that I actually got a coffee from Starbucks (haven’t drank coffee in maybe a year). This was followed by three advil.

Now I just need to figure out how to get my legs to move again.

Oh Boston, how I’ve missed you…

I got into Boston pretty late last night, but I was way too excited to sleep in this morning, so I woke up at around 8am and decided to go for a run along my old route along the Charles River.

How can you not want to be a runner if you live near the Charles River…

Don’t let the sun and greenery fool you though. This mornings run was extremely windy and cold, but luckily I’m familiar with Boston weather, so I knew that bringing a fleece and running gloves is still a necessary precaution when visiting Boston in April.

I think my face in this picture is sort of saying “why did I ever leave.”

On the run back, I took a short detour to pass the apartment where I lived during my Junior and Senior year of college. Seeing this place brought back lots of fond memories…

I then took Michal for a loop around the block so we could eat a hearty breakfast at The Otherside Cafe.

I’ve probably eaten here more times than any other restaurant in my life. And it’s not even really because of the food. It’s more that this place was just always part of my neighborhood. Even when I moved apartments after college, I ended up moving just one street away.

Michal and I started with some tea, but sadly, these are the last pictures I have of our Otherside experience. We were so hungry, that when the food came we inhaled it, and completely forgot to take photos.

It was really good food though. There were lots of eggs, cheese, and potatoes involved–with oil being the main ingredient.