Work Trip(s): Lost in Boston, Fenway for the First Time and a Sweaty Memphis Excursion

While traveling to Nashville, Dallas and LA were fun, shooting outside of Boston was my first gig this year that was truly exciting. Chinatown was my first stop after getting out of the airport and through outskirts of the city.

Of course he goes to all the cool cities when the kids are in school. 

I'd done my typical Reddit search, but it was an old school Google Maps search that got me to Dumpling King.

Everyone in line waited, waited and waited. We were all a bit confused. This college dude had apparently ordered a weeks worth of dumplings. You can't blame them when you get 10 for $6.50 in 2025?

Oh, this is a real city.

I took my dumplings over to Boston Common where I enjoyed some live music and, well, dumplings.

The park was full of tourists, locals and apparently bible thumpers in front of Massachusetts State House.

I walked back through Downtown Boston to Chinatown before finding my hotel and somewhere to park my car for the next couple of days.

I parked near the Revolution Hotel, where I was staying in Boston's South End, and spent my evening walking around the row house-lined streets.

Nice.

Like any great urban city, Boston is of course incredibly expensive. But somehow I've got to find a way to live here when Brooke and I retire.

This was the only house I could find in the neighborhood that was a little rough around the edges.

Oh, hey, it's the lobby of my hotel.

After getting back from parking my car, I went on a really, really long walk.

I texted Brooke about this point wishing that the kids and her could've tagged along. Unfortunately school wasn't out for a few more days.

Someday I'll get here. 

The backyards looked very, very small or nonexistent, but there were a few beautiful community gardens.

I mean come on.

Eventually I stumbled into Roxbury, which looked like it went through a lot of urban renewal.

The public housing in the neighborhood was impressively well taken care of.

Once past Northeaster University, I made it over to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood. Should I walk all the way over to Fenway?

Why, yes I did.

I got a drink at Fenway's Bleacher Bar because, why not? Now I just had to decide whether I would go to a Red Sox game after my gig the next day.

I was leaning towards, yes.

I finished my loop around the heart of Boston through the Back Bay, which was once a bay, but filled in long ago.

Early city planners loved building over water. 

In the morning I had to drive out to Lawrence Academy, about an hour outside of Boston, in Groton, Massachusetts, for my shoot.

I can't say I'd ever been to a boarding school, but I had a great time photographing the school.

On the way back I decided to make a pit stop in Concord.

I took a tour of the newly opened museum in the Wright Tavern. Built in 1747, it was witness to the Revolutionary War.

So jealous. 

They hope to do some more restoration work and make it a living museum with revolutionary-era bar in the coming years.

Concord was exactly what I'd imagined a New England town would be.

Until next time, Concord. I had to get back to Boston if I was going to a Red Sox game.

Back in Boston, I stopped by my hotel before finally deciding, that yes, I'd go see a game at Fenway.

There's not much say, this city is right up there with New Orleans, Chicago and San Francisco as a great American city.

Once at the game, I was really more interested in walking around the park then watching the game.

After a few innings, I watched the game from the concourse.

The stadiums a bit of a maze, but I did manage to walk almost all the way around.

I say almost, because the seating and walkway behind the Green Monster is only open to ticket holders.

The Red Sox won, the fans belted Sweet Caroline and I even got to chat with a nice Seattleite. 

30,000 or so steps later, I was back in the South End.

I got a quick breakfast and then made my way back to the airport.

Until next time, Boston.

A few days later, I had to fly down to Memphis for another college campus 360 shoot. After a long day of work, bbq was had. One and Only BBQ, well worth the drive to suburbs. Or in my case a short drive from my hotel.

I had a bit of work left the second day, but once I was finished I tried, Southern Hand Home Style Cooking.

The southern-style pork chops in gravy were special.

Didn't have a ton of time to explore Memphis, but I did manage a nice, albeit hot and humid, walk through Cooper-Young and Central Gardens. 

Feel like there's always a few decently walkable neighborhoods in most major American cities. It's a bit harder to find them in the south, but they're there.

It was hot out. Like way more humid than it ought to be the first week of June. So I drove over to the only place I had to visit, the Memphis Pyramid.

Weird.

Walking around the Bass Pro Shop/Pyramid before leaving Memphis this month was totally worth it. Pure 21st Century Americana. Right up there with a pilgrimage to Buc-ee's for better or worse. 

Until next time, Memphis and Boston.