This Week's Top Five

Today’s post is a bit of a roundup of the new and noteworthy things I’ve been up to this past week.  From a trip to the movies, to soaking up one of winter’s finest sports on the coldest day of the year (and at an outdoor venue no less), it’s been a whirlwind week to say the least!

I will say that since I’ve had Ben hanging around at home, I’ve been doing a lot more than I would normally do during any holiday period. So don’t think for a second that my life is normally this exciting!

Also, I think I should note that I have a big travel post coming up for next week, so I’m trying to save every last morsel of my creative energy for that!

Seeing La La Land //

I know that this movie has been hyped to no end over the past month or so, but it is absolutely deserving of all the buzz. From the energetic tunes and euphoric choreography, to the rainbow of colors in every scene, this film was perfection from start to finish. Not to mention, the talent of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was unfathomable. You don’t get many actors nowadays who can also sing, dance, and play piano.

We saw La La Land at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, adding to my list of favorite independent cinemas. Oh, and before we sunk into our seats, we filled up on carbs and sugar at Paris Creperie- another Brookline favorite!

Modern Art at the MFA //

The Museum of Fine Arts has been a favorite museum of mine since I was little. I loved traipsing around the museum with my mom, where we would haunt the paintings in the American wing. While I’ve always found myself drawn to the old-world American and European art at the museum, this time I took the time to explore the modern art exhibits in more detail- and I was absolutely floored by how incredible it was! I’ll let these photos speak for themselves.  

Downton Day (minus Downton) //

The four-year old tradition has been retained despite our beloved show being over, and the tea party is just as fun! Last Thursday, we spent the entire afternoon whipping up delicious treats to pair with tea and champagne. Everyone dressed up and reminisced about our favorite Downton characters. Okay, maybe we just stuffed our faces and drank a good few glasses of champagne and didn't talk much about the show but hey, a tradition's a tradition! 

Old-School Sledding //

We had our first big snow storm of the year on Saturday, and while we were meant to go to an outdoor hockey match (see below), those plans were quickly thwarted by the mini-blizzard. Having not seen heavy snow since last year (if at all), I was excited to get outside and make the most of it! Ben, my neighbor and I trekked out through what felt like arctic conditions to head to a park around the corner to indulge in a bit of nostalgic fun. We even brought out my mom's 45-year-old wooden toboggan from Sears!    

Frozen Fenway // 

Whenever Ben comes to visit, a sports game is always on the cards. Whether it was a basketball game last winter or a baseball game this past summer, he can never get enough of Boston's sports scene. And it certainly helps that we are a city of champions. This time, though, we opted out of the expensive professional sports games, and instead tried our luck with a winter classic- Frozen Fenway. 

Essentially an ice rink plopped into the centre of Fenway Park (a baseball venue) where college teams duke it out, this game is definitely not for anyone from out of town who can't stand the cold. It was truly a "frozen" Fenway experience in all senses of the phrase. While I'll admit that the venue was truly unique, the cold made watching more than two periods absolutely unbearable. And if I'm being honest, I've never really liked hockey. Ben soon found out that he didn't really like hockey either. Well, at least we tried!

I'm hoping to get back to a regular schedule (ie. Mondays) with my blogging in two weeks time (I would promise this coming week but seeing as I'm going to be more traveling than I initially thought that might not be the case). So look out for a big, meaty travel post next week!