Back to Boston, Veteran's Day 2012

Following a new tradition, I returned to Boston for another Veteran's Day weekend. This time, I brought along my friend Johnny, a fellow UF student and Heritage Greece alum. Rather than staying with Kathryn, we stayed with Chloe from Heritage Greece. Our first day we spent exploring the Harvard campus. Then, Chloe went to lacrosse practice, so Johnny and I ventured across Cambridge to MIT. Chris gave us a brief tour of his dorm and we climbed the archway above the entrance to it. After that, Johnny and I headed across my favorite bridge, Mass Ave, and casually strolled down Newbury Street. We stopped in to one of the buildings near Newbury to get something to drink. As Johnny was paying for his Gatorade, the woman behind the counter asked us where we were from. We said Florida, but she asked again, this time asking specifically about our families. We told her that we were Greek and she responded that she could tell, she just knew it. She was a quarter Greek and recognized that we were Greek too. 

When we returned to Harvard, Chloe took us to a Harvard hockey game. We cheered on the guys but I honestly had no idea what was going on. The injuries in hockey seem especially brutal and this game was full of them. Afterwards, we met up with Elena, another HG student in Boston, and the four of us had dinner at a random pizza place in Cambridge. Looking for some adventure, we headed over to MIT. I introduced the Greeks to Chris, another Greek friend. We didn't stay long, however, and continued to search for entertainment. Insert karaoke here. Chloe led us to a karaoke seafood restaurant owned by local Greeks. Obviously, we fully embraced our Greek roots, recapturing the essence of our summer escapades abroad.

The next afternoon, after eating breakfast and spending the morning with Chloe and Johnny, I headed out to meet Kathryn for lunch. We spent the rest of our afternoon relaxing around Boston and Cambridge, even splurging for s'mores at Cosi in Kendall Square. The s'mores were delicious and it's one of the coolest restaurant concepts I have ever encountered. They bring you a mini stove fire with marshmallows that we could roast to our own liking as well as chocolate and graham crackers. That night, we went out with some of her friends from Wellesley, ending up at MIT like usual. Since the T stops running at 12, I ended up staying at MIT and going to brunch with Chris in the morning. 

I know I tend to get excited about restaurants but Cafe Luna was legitimately one of the best brunches I have ever had the pleasure of eating, and I have a ton of brunch experience. You're probably thinking to yourself "wow, that sounds amazing. Do they have a website?" Yes, yes they do. 
http://cafeluna-centralsq.com/
I highly recommend this place though I will admit the wait for a table is lengthy. However, the owner is extremely friendly and the wait to sit outside (which is way better than inside in my opinion, particularly on a sunny Boston day) is significantly shorter than the wait for an inside table. Our waitress was also very friendly and expedient with everything. 

When I returned to Harvard, we headed back out into the city, exploring the North End. In the North End, my food advocacy is aimed toward Mike's Pastry. Cash only with lines out the door, but still I have never regretted a visit there. We wasted the rest of the day running around Boston before heading back to Cambridge again. The next day I spent by myself, wandering up and down Mass Ave from Harvard to Newbury while Chloe and Johnny went to Fenway and the Fens. I said good bye to my favorite city, knowing that I would be returning less than a month later.  

Events occurred: November 9-12, 2012