The Rowdy Girl's Guide...: Day Trip on a Dime: Getting into the Christmas Spirit in Boston!

Boston skyline from North End Marina.

These days, it's tough to find the money to get away from it all, especially during the hustle-and-bustle of the holiday season. My hubby and I both love to travel, and someday hope to make it to Italy and France, but for now, we satisfy our traveling needs by picking nearby places to explore together. We always make sure to travel with our survival kit (aka water bottle, Mio, snacks and IBprufen!) so we save money on little things, like bottled water at the store or small snacks if we're munchy. We have always enjoyed going to Boston around Christmastime to take in the lights, people-watch, reconnect and to kick our butts into holiday-spirit mode, and this year, budget or not, we were going!!

We decided to take the Downeaster train out of Portland (about an hour and a half away from our house) rather than driving directly into Boston and having to pay to park all day, plus pay for gas and tolls roundtrip. Our train tickets (with our AAA discount) came out to a fabulous $74, and we got to sit and hang out on the ride down and the ride back...way cheaper and much more relaxing than swearing at drivers and getting stuck in insane traffic for the 3+ hour drive, and with free Wi-fi too!

Once in Boston, we usually have a routine: buy our subway pass (Charlie card), walk around at the huge Copley Mall, then head over to Quincy Market to binge on Boston Chowder and Regina Pizzeria. This year, we decided to add a little adventure to our visit and hit up Chinatown and the theatre district, where we stumbled upon Boston Commons. The theatre district was interesting and full of gorgeous architecture, old theatres and (as my husband decided) "the best Chinese dumplings ever!"

Majestic Theatre

Paramount Theatre

After walking through Chinatown and Boston Commons, we decided to head over to walk by the Boston Library and through the Copley Plaza Mall.

Boston Library

View of the Westin/Copley Plaza entrance

Hancock Building

Once in Copley Plaza, we came across a Starbucks and decided to walk and recaffeinate as we took in the views, the people and the holiday spirit! May I just say, Salted Caramel Mocha...mmmm!!!

Huge Christmas ornaments suspended from the ceiling in Copley!

Gorgeous fountain in the center of Copley

Finally time for some grub (and ready to plant my buns somewhere for a bit!!) we rode the T to Government Center, where Fanueil Hall, Quincy Market and the huge Boston Christmas tree are!