Staycation Week in Boston

I am just ending a lovely “staycation” week here in Boston. It was great! If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that I’ve been sticking close to home due to my dog’s recovery from IVDD surgery in July. So, once he was officially off bedrest, I knew I needed a break. Luckily, his hospital, VCA Weymouth, boards pets and it made the most sense to have them care for him so I could just have a nice week doing some very fun things. Of course, I wanted to share my recommendations for local people – or if you ever travel here.

Staycation – Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum 

The Gardner Museum is a small mansion once owned by Boston socialite and art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner. It’s a gorgeous building which centers around an amazing courtyard. I’ve been to the museum before and wrote some posts back in 2012 here.  The Gardner is famously the site of the biggest art heist in the world, back in 1990. There is a new podcast which is exploring the crime and where the search for these missing masterpieces is now. It’s called Last Seen and I highly recommend it.  I wasn’t on a mission to see the entire museum this visit and limited my time to the ground floor, just taking in the sites and sounds. It’s such a relaxing place and just what I needed.

Amazing architectural details abound.

In the Spanish Cloister, these amazing glazed pottery tiles (nearly 2,000) from the Church of San Agustìn, Atlixco, Puebla. Mexican, 17th century.

Not that I wasn’t still looking at the decorative arts and furnishings. The silk upholstered walls are gorgeous, as were Mrs. Gardner’s 18th Century French and Italian furnishings and art.

After my leisurely time in the courtyard and surroundings rooms and a visit to the gift shop and library, I enjoyed a nice cocktail and salad in the Cafe G. Yum.

Following the museum, I met up with my lovely niece and goddaughter Katie for a delicious dinner at Gaslight Brasserie in the South End. Also yum.

Staycation – Poolside and Hamilton!

On Tuesday, I spent a long, leisurely day with two of my close girlfriends poolside at The Langham Hotel in Boston. It was a chilly, rainy day, but inside the weather was great! If you’re looking for a relatively low-cost mini-break, check out local high-end hotels for day passes to their pool and fitness facilities. For $25, we camped out the entire day and luxuriated in the hot tub. They also have exercise rooms, spa services and poolside dining as well. It’s a perfect getaway. And, one thing about mid-week, midday at a luxe hotel – there are rarely kids around. Nothing wrong with kids – of course – but kids and pools usually don’t make for a quiet experience.

The pièce de résistance of my week was that I had tickets to Hamilton at the Boston Opera House. I’ve had the tickets for 18 months, so as you can imagine, I was very excited. Pro Tip – if Hamilton is coming to a theater near you, the most economical and assured way of getting tickets is to buy a season subscription. I bought a 6-show season subscription from Broadway in Boston for $350.00. That’s less than $60 a show. I went with a friend and we were able to select our seats (mezzanine level aisle seats). I believe when the single tickets went on sale, those still available in my section were going for $500 or so dollars.

My friend and I had dinner at Blu Restaurant and sat at a table overlooking the theater entrance. Our seats (view below) were very good, though a little far back. I was very glad for my borrowed opera glasses. The show was amazing and lives up to all the hype.

On Wednesday I slept in (something I cannot do when RoyRoy is here) and did chores and much needed errands. Not exciting, but some things are easier to do without a little dog underfoot.

Staycation – A little bit of work at the AuthLux Summit

On Thursday, I attended the ROHL Faucet AuthLux Summit which was being held at the Langham Hotel (the pool was calling, but I resisted!). AuthLux refers to “Authentic Luxury”, which was described as:

“ROHL Authentic Luxury is when original design and commitment to craft come together, connecting touch of hand, truth in materials, and place of origin.”

The day started with a delicious luncheon at tables beautifully decorated with flowers, Mally Skok’s Botanica fabric and ROHL faucet centerpieces.

This beautiful faucet is the Acqui Deck Mount Bridge Lavatory Faucet with crystal levers in Italian brass finish.

After lunch, we learned about luxury and marketing from industry professionals including Mally Skok, who is a ROHL brand ambassador, Greg Rohl of ROHL, Walker Zanger tile company, Martin Goebel of Goebel & Co. a custom furniture company and Annsley McAlleer who specializes in boutique hotel design. It was a very interesting and inspiring day!

And today, after some last minute vacuuming (RoyRoy hates the sound) and errands, I finally picked my little boy up. He was such a good boy at the “spa” – though apparently he decided to give some lip (aka barking) to an Irish Wolf Hound. Those doxies, they forget how little they are. He ran around the house smelling his smells then climbed up onto the pile of his beds. The King returned to his throne.

Have you ever gone on a “staycation”? I found it very relaxing and that I loved every single day.

You may also enjoy:

Gardner Museum Courtyard