Have you heard of Blog-Trotting?

I had no idea it existed until my friend Cara (the founder) and MEP asked me to write about Boston for the site.

At first, I was hesitant to do so. I mean I am probably the least qualified Boston resident to write a post about the largest city in New England.

I am not a native.

Nor did I attend Harvard or MIT.

Heck, I never even experienced temperatures below 50F degrees until I moved here 3 years ago.

I have yet to attend a Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, or Patriots game (I can hear the gasps of every New Englander reading this).

And I am also utterly clueless of half the things mentioned in this commercial.  In fact, I still have a tough time sifting through the thicker local accents.

(For a more complete explanation of New England-isms, see this post from Angela)

People here really do pronounce ‘car’ as cah, ‘Quincy’ as Quinzee, and ‘Worcester’ as Woostah. The usage of the “R” sound is as common as turn signals. 

Nevertheless, I love Boston. I fell in love with it at the age of twelve, when I first visited this beautiful city perched along the coastline. I remember being in awe of its diverse skyline sprinkled with tall, sleek modern high rises as well as beautifully intricate, historic architecture dating back hundreds of years.

So although I may not be qualified to write in depth about Boston just yet, I am enjoying every opportunity to explore all that this city has to offer.

However, there is one part of Boston that I visit frequently, and feel quite comfortable showcasing here- Chinatown.

And with Chinese New Year this Sunday, I figured why not?

* Just please excuse my not-so-great photos.  I’m 8 months pregnant, and it’s 20 degrees outside with ice everywhere.  Most shots were taken from my warm, heated car.

Nestled between Downtown Crossing and the South End, Boston’s Chinatown is not your typical place. It is not touristy, and you will be hard-pressed to find any street lined in faux handbags or watches. Rather, you are more likely to see fresh produce stands along sidewalks, roasted duck and pork hanging along storefronts, or live seafood swimming in restaurant tanks.

Chinatown consists of only a dozen or so city blocks, but they are all packed full with what Asians treasure most- Food (and the occasional pirated DVD). The Asian cuisine in Chinatown is as authentic and diverse as it gets.  From Vietnamese Pho‘ to traditional Dim Sum served on rolling carts, there is no shortage of variety (Emperor’s Garden is currently my favorite place for dim sum).  However, if you are just looking for some regular ol’ fried rice and wonton soup, most restaurants will serve them too.

I will fully admit that the motive behind 95% of my visits to Chinatown is bakery related.  There are only a handful of Chinese bakeries in Boston, and I love nearly every pastry, bun, or cake sold in them.  I found Ho Yuen Bakery on Beach Street sells the most delicious buns and pastries for the lowest prices.  I look forward to heading there this weekend, even though I am sure it will be crazy due to the New Year festivities.

Which leads me to some advice for anyone venturing into Boston’s Chinatown.  If you can, make sure to take public transportation to get there. Parking along the few tight city blocks is nearly impossible during the day.

Although we do not reside within the city of Boston, we are fortunate enough to live near a subway stop. Boston’s public transportation, known as the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) or just the “T”, consists of an extensive bus and subway network that can get you almost anywhere in the city. In fact, the Tremont Street tunnel is the oldest subway in North America.

For us, Chinatown is only a 20-minute train ride with one transfer.

See why I go there often?

Those cheap pastries and dim sum do not help either.

So to those who celebrate Chinese New Year…

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

(kinda-sorta means- “Congratulations and be prosperous”)

Click here to read my top 13 bizarre Chinese superstitions and traditions for New Year’s.

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Thanks so much Cara and MEP for allowing me to Blog Trot here.   If you haven’t had a chance to visit Blog-Trotting, head over and see where in the world a blogger is showcasing today.  No passports required.

Although I’m not a huge sports fan, I would still love to attend at least 1 Red Sox game at Fenway. Just don’t tell any of my neighbors I don’t watch their games on TV. They may stone us as we leave the house. People are serious about the Red Sox here, serious as a heart attack.

Also as far as the language goes, I’m still fully capable of pronouncing the letter “r.” Yes, I “park my car”, and don’t “pahk my cah” yet. I’m reminded each time I ride the subway that I’m still not a local when the operator announces, “Next stop Hah-vahrd Square” and I’m the only one who has to stop and think, “Huh? Oh! Okay.”

However, there is one tradition that I have latched onto in the 3 years we’ve been here- apple picking. I mean, what’s not to love about strolling around an orchard, eating apples, and taking bushels of fruit home to enjoy for weeks. We have enjoyed it every year, even though there are a few things we could have done without. One, some fruit farms turn apple picking into an opportunistic seasonal event where they charge nearly $50 at the door for gimmicky hayrides, games, and a tiny plastic bag to fill with apples. Two, the seasonal tradition brings droves of people out to orchards on the weekends, congesting traffic and orchard fields. And three, we have yet had the opportunity to try cider donuts. Many of the fruit farms will sell them during apple picking season, but the lines are congested as well.

So this year, I searched for a smaller, more obscure fruit farm where we could go. Particularly somewhere that used little to no pesticides on their fruit.

After sifting through a long list of farms, I found Kimball’s Fruit Farm along the Massachusetts and New Hampshire border. It was a bit of a hike from Boston, but well worth the drive.

If you look in the distance in the photo above, you can see the rows of apple tress.

Notice, there are no lines of people anywhere.  No hayrides.  And we brought our own reusable bags.

Not only were the trees here dripping with apples, they were delicious.  They sold the apples by the pound at a very reasonable price (cheaper than most supermarkets).  All of the fruit is minimally treated, so the apples are not waxy, shiny or perfect.

They are incredibly tasty though.

They also had the largest variety of apples we have found.  I usually prefer Fuji apples, but after discovering Spencer’s (a cross between McIntosh and Golden Delicious), I definitely have a new favorite.

It was a beautiful, crisp morning.  There were no cider donuts, but a TON of apples were picked as well as consumed along the way…

Lots o’ fiber all around.

Good thing there were no crowds.

In hopes of one day getting getting pregnant again, I kept all of my maternity clothes. But as you can imagine, the selection consists of tank tops and more tank tops.

Now after calculating my due date, I’ve come to realize that I will most likely reach epic whale-ish proportions in the dead of winter next year (February 2010).

Tank tops are not going to cut it here in Boston.

And did I mention that at less than 3 months pregnant I am already larger than I was during my 4^th month of pregnancy with my daughter?

I’m a little skerred.

Anyhow, since we’re doing our best to tighten our belts these days, and blowing $100 on a maternity winter coat is out of the question, I headed down to The Garment District in Boston in hopes of finding a deal on a large coat. The department store is a huge building filled with costumes, new and used clothes, as well as clothes by the pound.

Their clothing by the pound is a heaping pile of hundreds of pounds of used clothing that is changed out daily. It’s like digging for treasure in a sense. I was surprised to see so many brand name items from stores such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and LL Bean.

I was especially excited to find this gem in the pile…

… a lovely wool coat from the GAP.

With a lovelier price tag of $4.00.

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom to see other Wordless Wednesday participants.
Or visit Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

Places like the internet.  Forums.  Chatting.

All which could ultimately lead to meeting in person.

I mean, you never know who you may end up face to face with, right?  Although you might end up meeting your future husband.

While I was adventurous enough to seek out my geek spouse online, there is still one thing I have yet to do with my online identity.  I have not attended a large-scale blog conference.  I have yet to be in a room with hundreds of other people who do exactly what I do everyday online.  However, in just a few weeks, I will be in Chicago attending my first BlogHer.

Yes, I am a BlogHer virgin.

But last weekend, Susan Getgood was kind enough to open her home for a pre-conference meet-up, in order to get myself and other Boston area bloggers to…well…second base.

I entered her home with such nervous jitters, I completely forgot to take photos throughout most of the event. Actually. Scratch that.  I was just too busy yammering. Being in a house full of amazing bloggers and having the chance to actually speak with a voice, rather than through text, was almost surreal.

It was an incredible afternoon getting the chance to meet everyone.  Some even brought along their families and I recognized their faces immediately.

The meet up was just enough to wet my palate, but still leaving me thirsting for more.

‘Til Chicago…

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Just some of the bloggers from the BlogHer Boston meet-up…

Angela from MommyBytes, Christine from BostonMamas, girl who did not use her camera
(BIG thanks to Angela’s hubby Doug for snapping this wonderful photo. Photo courtesy of MommyBytes)

Me with Karen from 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
Karen has also put together a fabulous video of the event.  Check it out here…but please fast-forward through my awkward 3 seconds. KThx.

Oh, and just so you don’t think I’m only into Asians, here I am with two other smokin’ hot ladies.

Me, Mishi from The Rest of My Life So Far, Alana from The Good Girl Gone Blog

Wait.  Maybe that didn’t sound right.

I’m not that adventurous.

Dadisodes and Babisodes were there too for crying out loud!

Many thanks to Susan and her family for hosting the event, and to the sponsors. It was also my pleasure to meet Daddy Scratches, Catnip and Coffee, Miguelina, Transient Travels, Fairly Odd Mother, Chicky Chicky Baby,  Mommy Niri, The Coupon Goddess,  Meal Makeover Moms, More Than Mommy, and others whose names fail me at the moment (forgive me).   I hope to meet again soon!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

People cook for you. Bathe you. Chauffer’s even drive you around town to the places you need to go.

However, aside from what seems to be a life of leisure, there really is work to be done.  Work in the form of play.

And there is much of it to be done.

Don’t be mistaken though.  It is no easy task.  There are many potential roadblocks along the way.  Things such as colds, flu, and other hazards that come with falling temperatures.

But with youth, comes resilience; the ability to find your feet quickly, always adaptable.

Especially when you move from warm southern California, to the bitter cold of Massachusetts at the unripe age of 15 months.

The transition was seamless.

Now at 3, she even complains of being “too hot!” when the mercury barely reaches 50 degrees F.

Unfortunately, the same laws do not apply to those lacking youth.  Especially when you’ve been raised in sweltering, hot, and humid south Florida for over 25 years.

The adaptability curve is a little bit steeper.

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**Don’t forget to enter the free giveaway for a $25 gift certificate for See’s Candies here!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek