Saturdays Downtown

There are always perks to living in a city. This weekend, after five years of living in Boston, I finally made it to the Boston Public Library (BPL). Well, let me rephrase that: I finally got the chance to look around without being restricted to the rooms my professors mapped out for class trips.  While I think that I've been there at least three times before, this was a trip that I got to take just for me.

I have to say, it is getting CHILLY here on the East Coast! But I run with Midwestern blood in my veins, and a higher tolerance for cold weather. In fact, sometimes I actually get excited when I see the temperature, because it means that I get to wear my warm boots and coat. The other day, it was 39 degrees and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I don't know what's wrong with me. 

I didn't take my trip downtown alone. At Copley, I met up with my best friend Anna (this is her blog!), and we practically ran inside because the wind had picked up so much that I wondered why I even bothered combing my hair in the first place. 

And while the wind was blowing, and it had to have been close to 48 degrees, we braved the weather to visit the one part of the library that I've only seen from above: the courtyard. It's true what they say: the courtyard is the true jewel of this place. It's huge, it's peaceful, and if you visit at the right time of year, you can get little lunches from the cafe, and just lounge. It really is quite fantastic, and definitely worth a few minutes of shivering.

Though the BPL is huge and historic, and there are things to look at in every room, it is, after all, a library. So unless you're there to study, or check out books, your visit will be rather short-lived.  But it was no matter. Anna and I had tons of catching up to do (we hadn't seen each other in weeks!). It was time for some hot chocolate in a quiet cafe, but before we could make it, Anna suggested we visit a place that should never be refused:

How can you ever say "no" to visiting a chocolate shop? I'll be honest, the things I knew about Lindt before our visit were limited to the commercials I see during the holiday season; presumably their busiest. So to actually go inside a shop was pretty interesting...and delicious. WOW, there is a reason that people can't get over those chocolates! Within the first five minutes of our visit, a nice sales associate approached us and offered a sample of their seasonal chocolate: milk chocolate with white chocolate inside. Heavenly. Those are little balls of Heaven wrapped up in some shiny, blue foil. After that, I was hooked, and kind of sort of impulse-bought a number of chocolates that might be too embarrassing to admit. But it's FINE because I'm totally planning on taking them home and sharing with my family! You know, if they make it home without getting eaten.

Hanging out with Anna is always the most fun. In the six years that we've known each other, there has never been a point when we weren't laughing, or exploring, or even sitting around watching movies. True friendship is when you can do absolutely nothing, but still enjoy every minute of it. That's when you know you'll always be best friends. 

 The start of the holiday season is upon us! Tonight, I've got some speed-packing to do, and speed-collecting my recipes! THIS IS THE YEAR THAT I GET TO HELP COOK THANKSGIVING DINNER. I'm TOO pumped!! 

I want to hear all about what you've got planned for Thanksgiving!!

Happy Tuesday, and STAY WARM!