4 Nights in New England

August 3rd, 2022 - August 6th, 2022

I’ve never been a travel nurse nor could I ever, but when my best friend left us for a year to work in Boston, I admired her bravery and independence so much I had to witness it first hand. Of course I’m a Yankee at heart so I’m reluctant to say it was the best city in the Northeast US I’ve ever been to but there was plenty of timeless appeal that will certainly bring me back someday. Here’s my guide for making the most of a long weekend in Boston, MA and Portland, ME.

First night in Boston

I made a quick escape from Jacksonville, FL on a 8pm flight and arrived just in time for a night cap. I met P up near the Bostonian about 10 minutes from the airport. We wandered the Blackstone Block Historic District till we stumbled upon live music at Bell in Hand Tavern. Not bad for a Wednesday night if I say so myself. We should’ve done the responsible thing and gone to bed early before our roadtrip the next day. But like I said, we should’ve…

Night two in Portland, ME

We took our sweet time the next day, I did some work and we headed out for Portland, Maine sometime after 5:30pm. Just about two hours later we checked in to the very whimsy Black Elephant Hostel. P and I’s first time staying at a hostel and I’m honestly glad it was at Black Elephant, the staff was kind and the space felt really safe which was just what we needed to reduce any nerves we had. After check in we went back out to taste some delicious soup and lobster rolls at Luke’s Lobster while enjoying a nice view of the bay. However that was probably the best part about Portland as we rushed back to our hostel after dinner to avoid the several night crawlers. But I’m open to the idea that maybe we didn’t explore the right part of town.

Return back to Boston

This time we did the right thing and managed to wake up at the crack of dawn to explore Acadia National Park. Not without a few hiccups of course, the timed entry reservation was new to us but thankfully we got in in good time. We managed to get a few noteworthy hikes in including Thunder Hole, Ocean Path, and Cadillac Loop Summit. We left the park before the sunset and made our way back towards Boston.

Much needed Sunday Funday to decompress

Alas it was almost time to leave my best friend after our adventurous weekend. But what better way to close things off than to roam the city one last time and enjoy rooftop cocktails. We strolled through the Boston Public Gardens, browsed the Seaport Summer Market, and watched the sunset from Deck 12. But we couldn’t stop there! One more walk through Boston City Harbor inspired us to catch one last drink at Cisco Brewer’s. The 4 am wake up the next day was surely a tough one, but it was back to Jacksonville I went, leaving my best friend and killer memories behind. <3