The Boston Diaries 3: The Fairmont Copley Plaza. Newbury Street.


Happy, Hoppy Easter from the lobby of the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
I was told that an after brunch petting zoo was also on offer.  But where, I wonder?  I just can’t see an inch of the lobby that would be animal proof….
Easter brunch was in full swing when I checked in.  Little ones on their semi-best behaviour in their best dresses and suits scampered this way and that across that beautiful carpet clutching baskets of eggs as they sized up the guy in the bunny costume.  There’s something about US childrenswear.  The adults have given the world The Bachelor and The Kardashians but common sense seems to have prevailed with their children and all I see is practical, age-appropriate yet on point clothing that stands up to repeated cycles in the dryer.

My promised in-room fridge was wheeled in shortly after my luggage was delivered.  It didn’t take me long to give it that homely Australian treatment.

This is what the inside of my fridge looks like.  I know, it’s everything a woman could want as they settle down for a week in a new city.
The bubbly in a can with .. a straw(!!!) is a Californian one made by Sofia Coppola’s winery.  The cans take pride of place in my fridge after I walked them home from a store where I was carded at the checkout.  I won’t lie, handing over my drivers licence totally made my day.
Everything else in the fridge came from my local Trader Joe’s.
Living my dream of being a Money Diary girl for Refinery 29.  Every journal writer seems to vist TJs or Dunkin’ at least once in their diarized week.  I have now done both in one day!  Go,.  Me.

Aside from the usual berries and fresh milk I buy, I also found a bag of six pre-peeled hard-boiled eggs.  I will discuss them in more detail when I finally get around to eating them.  Suffice to say I also had to get a bottle of TJ’s (organic) ketchup and some pepper but it still worked out cheaper and less stressful than having to look for breakfast each morning.

The side wall of a large complex of food outlets including Starmart, the place I shall always remember as the place I got carded at 43.

One thing I learned pretty quickly over my first few hours in Boston is that supermarkets and shopping centres seem to blend into the landscape of the CBD.  There’s none of the floor length windows, mad lighting and massive, almost pulsating flat screens that signify a Westfield from the next suburb in Boston.  Rather, there’s a discrete sign on a wall next to pretty non-descript entrances that lead to escalators that lead to the shops.  As someone who needs both retail and historical landmarks to navigate around a city, it’s made getting my bearings in Boston pretty challenging.

I’m pretty happy with my room.  Aside from my fridge, I have a stash of Le Labo toiletries scented with Rose 31 and….

a kettle!!

I wonder if it was my request for the empty fridge that prompted housekeeping to add a kettle to the room as well.
My first impressions of Boston are that it’s youthful, cultured, friendly, vibrant and the less uptight younger sibling to New York City.  As I stumbled my way to Newbury Street I bumped into lots of people dressed for some kind of cosplay convention that the city was hosting.  Other fresh-faced youngsters were punctuating their lively conversations with hits from devices that could either be diffusing nicotine or cannabis (cannabis has recently been legalized in Massachusetts).
Everyone outside of cosplay and mull demographic appears to love food and shopping.

I walked through Eataly in search of lunch.  It’s Wholefoods after a gap year in Italy.

The massive footprint of the store is divided up into precincts that offer take away food and drink, fresh produce for purchase or fine dining in relaxed dining spaces.  It was heaving so I didn’t stay long but I intend to return later in the week to get some cannoli from the ground floor cafe.

Lunch ended up not being terribly fancy but it did tick off a few things on my bucket list.

I got a Rainbow Wrap from Trader Joe’s that not only matched my scarf, it also tasted great for something that’s meat-free and pre-made.

Oh that chocolate frosted Dunkin’ Donut was good.  I’m sure eating it with cutlery added that something something to the taste….

It stopped raining just as I scraped the last bit of frosting off the paper bag so I decided to go to the Newbury Street shopping precinct after dropping off my groceries at the hotel.

Newbury Street is the epicentre of people watching and shopping in the Back Bay neighbourhood.

It’s a tree-lined road studded with brown stoned houses and terraces that feature some pretty stunning little gardens.

 The daffodils are in honour of the recent Boston Marathon.

Pots of them with Boston Strong stickers on their wrapping can still be found with fresh blooms on steps and walls around the city.

Like all shopping districts globally, Newbury Street has its share of national and global brands in its retail mix.  It’s the way of the world whether we like it or not.

In between the Shake Shacks, Lulu Lemon, UNQLO and COS stores there are still a few independents to be found but you do have to look hard for them.

Not only does Newbury Street feature an Aesop store, it also has its own T2.

 And, wait for it…

The Halal Guys are in Boston and on Uber Eats!!!

I’m off to explore the city under the close supervision of a tour guide tomorrow.  We will be covering a lot of territory and I’m so relieved I decided to join the tour because I don’t think I’d be able to get myself to even half the places the tour will take us in the whole week that I will be here.


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