A Quick Trip to Boston and Cambridge

Through TrustedHousesitters, I booked a trip to watch two adorable cats in Cambridge. I’ve been trying to go to easily accessible places in my time zone that I don’t need a car for. This is in hopes of doing some international trips in the near future.

If you don’t know what TrustedHousitters is, it’s an online organization in which sitters, like me, look for sits wherever they want and apply to the owner of that home and pets. The owner then selects the person they feel are most suited for the job and from there, the sitter has a free place to stay in return for taking care of pets, plants, and homes. This was my second one.

How did I get there from Brooklyn?

• Left work early and took the Q train (subway) to Port Authority, which is the main bus hub.

• Took a 5hr Greyhound ride to South Station. Not ideal and uncomfortable, but for a round trip it was $86 which wasn’t the worst price by any means.

• From the bus I transferred to the T (subway) in Boston on the red line. In NYC, the subways are numbers and letters, while in Boston they are colors! This costs $2.40 per ride.

• I took the T into Cambridge and then the woman whose house I was staying in picked me up. She wasn’t leaving until the following morning, but invited me to come that night. She lives in a really nice house about a 10 minute walk from that station, which was perfect for exploring.

Phew!

Since I got there Monday night, it was really only Tues, Weds, and most of Thursday that I had here. What to cram in while still having to work remote and take care of two cats? I managed, but it took a bit of cheating from work…

I mostly stuck around the house Tuesday, but stopped at a nearby cafe for breakfast. That night, I took the T into the city and got dinner at a place with Detroit style pizza. Having grown up in the Detroit area, I hardcore judge and I have to say it’s my favorite not Detroit Detoit style pizza!

If you can, stop at Night Shift Brewing to have some. I didn’t walk around the city very much, at that point it was dark and I’m not a fan of walking in big cities I don’t know well about alone in the dark.

Wednesday- Harvard! The house I was staying in was about a 20min walk from Harvard University and I of course had to stop there to see what I assumed would be a gorgeous old campus. I was right.

I definitely didn’t see all of it, but I wandered around for about an hour or so taking picture.

I thought the Sanders Theatre was easily the most beautiful building. This day did involve a bit of cheating from work. I kept track of my emails and responded when needed, but really I left in the afternoon while it was still light outside. I couldn’t help but think of Legally Blonde while I was looking at the buildings, now I need to watch that to see what I recognize.

Thursday- Boston!

I woke up extra early, fed the cats, then headed out on the T towards Boston Harbor.

I wandered around the waterfront area for close to an hour. I would have sat for a while longer at the harbor, but it was chilly and there was a person who decided to stand directly in front of the best view and take a loud phone call.

From there, I went to a coffee shop to start my work day. Not cheating yet at that point.

I got through a few meetings and some work before I took a ‘lunch break’ and headed out. It was a rush walk, but I saw the Paul Revere House (with a car in front, of course),

the Old North Church and Paul Revere statue,

and the Skinny House (Spite House), also with a car in front, of course. What's the Skinny House you ask? It's the skinniest house in Boston, the widest point being just over 10 feet! And who knows where the entrances is...

The cats were really cute and easy to take care of, so overall my stay with them and at the house

I wish I had had my days wide open to explore as much as I could, but alas, I need my income. I’m lucky to at least be remote and do this. I’m working on ways to make money digitally and on my own schedule, but it’s not easy! All I can do is keep trying in hopes of being able to support myself on my own time.

Wrap up quote:

“Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul.” ― Jamie Lyn Beatty