Island Hopping Boston

A summer ESL student of mine from Taiwan, a man dressed up in 19thc clothing working on a Boston Harbor Island Tour, and me. The man is dressed as a ghost of an island resident. In the 1800's Boston Harbor Islands had a population of about 2,000. Now just visitors come to pass time.

One of Boston's lesser known attractions is the islands just off the coast in the Boston Harbor. When you take the ferry from Long Wharf and arrive on one of the islands, you feel so far away from the big city. There's not much to do on the islands, but you can have a picnic or a walk and enjoy the view. Its a relaxing yet adventurous way to spend a day.

Boston's Chinatown

For my summer job, I took my students from Spain to Boston's Chinatown for a Chinese Dim Sum lunch. None of them liked the food, but it was an eye-opening experience since they said they don't have Dim Sum in Spain.

Boston's Chinatown is one of the biggest in the US, but smaller than San Francisco or NY. I recently visited Chinatown in Honolulu, HI and apart from some Chinese owned lei and flower shops, there wasn't a very good variety of shops or restaurants and overall was a bit more seedy than I expected. For example, at lunchtime we saw an Asian girl(?) standing on one corner decked out in clothes that made no mistake she was a prostitute. At that point, I realized how good Boston's Chinatown is. It can seem a little seedy, but I would never expect to see prostitutes so openly out on the street in the middle of the day. Boston's Chinatown is a little more family friendly. It has a great variety of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Japanese restaurants. Presently one of the most hyped Japanese restaurants in the country, O YA, is located on the outskirts of Chinatown close to South Station's bus terminal. It is where you can get a $20 piece of sashimi that reviewers say is worth it because of the intense, intricate flavor. I don't know about the food inside, but I did walk by it and it has a very interesting entrance door, big and wooden like a castle from the middle ages.

One of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown is the Vietnamese sandwich shop at Beach St. & Oxford St. There are big delicious sandwiches for just $2.50 each and they also serve milkshakes and boba tea.

In Chinatown there are several Asian grocery stores where you can find the most scarce ingredients, and cheap. There are of course several jewelry stores where you can buy gold and jade items. And there's even Asian fabric stores for making Thai dresses, Asian salons, Asian martial arts schools, and probably many more hole-in-the-wall places I have not yet found. It is really a treat to explore Boston's Chinatown. Even though it is not geographically that large, maybe 6 blocks, the population and storefronts are packed in to those blocks densely.

New York City Student Tour - I love my job!

Myself, Carmen and Desi in Times Square. They are student group leaders from Spain. Coincidentally the majority of the students I am working with this summer are from Spain. It has nothing to do with the fact that I teach Spanish, but I am really happy to be able to keep up my Spanish while I teach English!

A group of Spanish students I am working with
Another Staten Island Ferry and The Statue of Liberty in the distance
Central Park in the view from the top of the Rockefeller Building
The M&Ms store near Times Square... colorful!

During the month of July, I am working for EC in Boston. They have offices all over the world in English-speaking countries. In Boston, I am teaching English for 3 hours in the mornings and leading activities for 3 hours in the afternoon. The weekday program is a great experience and gives me the opportunity to help lead extra weekend activities, such as last Saturday's day trip to New York City.

Our first stop was 47th & Broadway, or Times Square. Whenever I come here, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by all the people, buildings and lights. It is not a large area, but it is a very special area. The herds of people walking every which way make it impossible to walk quickly from one end of the Square to the other, making it seem larger than it really is. The City has blocked off traffic in Times Square and deposited about a hundred lawn chairs for people to rest in. We sat out in the middle of Broadway, ate our sandwiches and people watched!

We also went to the top of the Rockefeller Building for the view and then took a ferry to Staten Island and back to see the Statue of Liberty. It was amazing to see it in person after so many years of just seeing pictures of this national icon. After visiting these three places in New York City, we drove down 5th Ave, Madison Ave., and through the East Village on our way out. It was a short trip, but the time we had was well spent.

I am always impressed by the number of free events, entertainment, museums and generally interesting things going on in New York City. Its energy is actually tiring in a way, but also inspires creativity.

Also for someone like me who enjoys studying language and trying out different cultural foods and activities, it is a mecca for all things from other countries, since it is truly the world's meeting place.

Boston's North End Hot Spots

I wonder if the North End is still an authentic ethnic neighborhood, as its been a while since the Italians started immigrating to Boston.  But you can still here plenty of Italian spoken on Hanover St., the main drag.  Boston's North End is one of my favorite areas in this city.  I've spent several Saturdays wandering through the narrow old-world style streets on my way from Haymarket, Fanueil Hall or Downtown Crossing, just a short walk away.  There are several great Italian style cafes, including ones that specialize in gelatto, pastries, espresso, cigars, wine and liquors.  Also you can find small Italian markets with cheese, olives, salami and fresh pasta.  Lastly, there are small clothing and jewelry shops that are fun to wander in and out of.    Here are some pictures of my favorite places.

Photos #6, 7 - GQ magazine's June 2009 issue featured Galleria Umberto #19 out of #25 of the Best Pizzas on Earth, reporting "it represents what Boston's North End once was: bedrock Italian, absolutely old-world..." I had to see if it was true.  In fact, the best part of Galleria Umberto is the feeling you get as you walk in, that you are suddenly in a more simple time and place, say a Goodfellas movie.  The pizza was really good (not excellent), but the prices are fantastic.  Only $1.45 a slice!  Also they serve beer, which is a big deal for a small pizza place in Boston where it is difficult to get a liquor license.  The menu is simple, the prices are really low and the food is good.  Beware, they are only open for lunch and close at 2pm.

#3, 4, 5 Mike's Pastry: this place is in all the tour guides, as it should be.  It is just the coolest place because they have all the Italian desserts you could think of.  They are always super packed and you have to be a little aggressive to get your order (cash only), but its worth it for an indulgent sweet and some fun people watching.  I've tried the canolli, Boston cream puff, tiramisu and oreo cake, all good.  And they serve espresso with really cool rock-candy sugar on a wooden stick (to sweeten to taste).

#2 Modern Pastry: similar to Mike's Pastry but not as much seating and usually a longer line, so its been a really long time since I've been there, but I remember it was good when I did go.  Next door is the Paradiso, a cafe where you can order just about anything you want: coffee, wine, beer, ice cream, food, etc.  I remember meeting my friend Kate Tighe and her friend Tezeta there a while ago and it was really nice.

#1 A Great little Italian market, The Salumeria Italiano