It’s no secret that I’ve been away from Pup & Grub for way too long. Life got a little crazy, but I’ve graduated and I’m finally home in BC for a month before I head back to Toronto to be an adult. You know it’ll be a month of relaxation and food – I’ve been in BC for about a week now, and I’ve already managed to consume an entire bee-sting from Breka and half a dozen macabuns and mochi buns. I’ve already paid Thomas Haas a visit, and I’ve had laksa, nasi lemak and the spiciest wontons twice.

But before I get into that, let’s talk about Boston. After our last exam, we took a few days to visit the city. We expected spring, but got the opposite. It was so cold, but we did our best to make the most of it. Day One was rainy, so we spent most of the day at the Museum of Science. We got to be kids again – we saw a 4D show on penguins (and got sprayed whenever a penguin dove into the water), learned about lightning, saw a black widow spider, and had all the carbs: cheese pizza, garlic rolls and cinnamon twists. Then we bought astronaut ice cream at the gift shop.

Shopping on Newbury Street was cut short because it was cold (probably for the best). But we had some amazing pulled chicken, pulled pork and wings at Sweet Cheeks (twice).

We went on a brewery tour at the Sam Adams brewery, and before the tour, had the best popovers with raspberry jam for breakfast at Ula Café.

We visited Harvard and stopped at Mike’s Pastry for a lobster tail. We took a walk at the Boston Public Gardens, then feasted on lobster rolls, chowder and crab cakes at the public market. We went to a Red Sox game (and a tour of Fenway Park beforehand) and had all the nachos. And then we went to the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library, which was one of the best parts of the trip. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. You literally stand in the middle of a three-storey globe – it’s too bad they don’t let you take pictures.

We also went to the Museum of Fine Arts, took a break for gelato at the café, and went on a food tour where we tried, among other things, fried clams and the Chunky Lola at Flour Bakery – a cookie named after a little bulldog.

I complained about how cold it was the entire time we were in Boston (just ask Adam), but I’m so glad we took the opportunity to visit. It’s a beautiful city, and I’m glad we got to experience it.