This was our first day in Boston. The flight out was short - especially compared to our earlier trip to London and Ireland. We got to our hotel in the usual Uber fashion from the Boston Airport. We were exhausted so we spent the night snuggled up in our warm bed to stave off the cold.

Waking up refreshed we decided to hit the city early. One of the benefits staying closer downtown is the ability to walk about. So we began our journey by looking for scrumptious food.

One of the places we had heard of as a talk of the town was the “Friendly Toast”. We walked to their location and waited a brief moment before getting bar stool seating. The vibe was very nostalgic for our generation. Lot’s of cool things to look at while deciding what to eat. Speaking of which, the menu was fantastic and had an amazing selection. After a scrumptious meal, we set out again across the city of Boston.

After a long walk and an adventure through some of Boston’s historic parks - as well as a visit to Benjamin Franklin’s parents’ graves, we had already worked off our breakfast and required lunch.

With a chill in the air and us visiting the east coast, what else to have for lunch than clam chowder?

With that as our goal we set out to the Union Oyster House to fulfill our desires. We got seating immediately and ordered our delicious chowder. We were not disappointed. We were glad to partake in something a little touristy that also tasted delicious.

We then went about our goal of visiting the seals, penguins, and ocean creatures of the New Engalnd Aquarium. We also stayed for the seal show - which was an entertaining way of spending time. Once we left the aquarium it was time for dinner (I swear we didn’t just eat the entire time).

Being nearby, we decided to try a place in the North End of Boston. In the mood for some Italian, we managed to get a seat at Pasta AMORE. The noodles were cooked well and the sauce was amazing! We ate everything. Knowing the infamy that lived within the area of Boston we were currently located, we had no choice but to settle the million dollar question: Which canoli is best, Modern Pastry or Mike’s Pastry? Yeah, the answer isn’t simple, depends if you like it sweeter or not, and if size matters to you. But I won’t tell you which is which because trying both is still a treat!

After a full (and filling day) we decided to head back to our hotel and call it a day.

This entire day is dedicated to PAX East, a gift from my spouse.

This was a dream come true. Getting to the convention center was as simple as calling a rideshare and getting dropped off. Entry didn’t take long either - which was a suprise considering the density of people at the show. Once we entered, we took care of logistics - coat check.

From there we hit the Expo floor (since this was my first PAX and I was with my wife, this was the best option for both of us). We started down the side of the hall with the board games that all of the creative developers were actively making or selling. There was an interesting pop-up horror themed mystery game, some humurous party card games along the vein of Cards Against Humanity, as well as oodles of expansions for some of our favorites such as Fog of Love.

We reversed directions and headed towards the video games created by bigger developers. There was the much anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Baldur’s Gate III mega booth sections. Since I only had a day, it was not feasible to stand in line for 3+ hours to get a sneak peak. We had to optimize my time, which meant playing as many mid-sized and indie-developer games as possible.

Some memoriable booths were Cloudpunk, Who’s Your Daddy?, Devolver Digital’s little slice of hell, and a section sponsored by the Polish government for Polish developers (no, CD Projekt Red was not in that spot).

The indie mega booth was also a thrill to experience. A fun 2D/3D platformer I enjoyed was Neko Ghost, Jump! The puzzles gave me enough “ah-ha” moments to be entertaining. There was also a stylistic horror game called Saturnalia that had a good horror vibe and puzzles. We also indulged my inner child by going back and playing Stronghold Warlords - it was a familiary RTS. There were many other game’s demoed but these were the most memorable, either because of the game itself or the developers engaging with us.

To sum it all up, attending PAX East was a momentous occasion. It was alaways a dream to attend and it was very fulfilling.

Brewery Tour Day! This is the day we took an early (around 12:00 PM) brewer tour around Boston. This was part of Brew City Tours, and I would say a good recommendation goes to them. Our tour guide was knowledgable, entertainingly ackward, and full of jokes. This brewery tour took us to some local breweries, and of course the Sam Adams brewery. We tasted a bunch of beer, got plenty of swag, and enjoyed some excellent food near the university campuses in Boston, noteably nearby MIT. Overall it was a debaucherous success. Not wanting the fun to end, we hit up Democracy Brewing after the tour. And, an idea that probably destroyed any semblance of sobriety and diet, we went to Salty Girl, nearby our hotel during the trip. The cocktails there were insane! Melanie ordered one that had a smoke filled bubble filling the entire martini glass. Needless to say it wowed some nearby observers. We also ordered the Lobster Roll there, brown butter, bread, and warm lobster - definitely recommend.

Alas, this was our final day in Boston. We set out early from the historic city with wonderful memories. We thought back on the great sites that Boston has to offer, the excellent food we experience, and the excitement that was PAX East. It was a great way to spend early 2020 before the events that would unfold throughout the year.