Beantown.

Greetings from Boston, guys! It’s been a long day.

So I’m going to confess: the last time I visited Boston (which was some time ago), it was not my favorite city. Today, however, after a long bus ride (over four hours, but the time flew by with a good book and some packed green juice), I got to experience the city in the best way possible: that is, in the hands of a good guide. The lovely Ms. Katherine, with whom I’m crashing this weekend, gave me a terrific tour. Highlights included:

Scenic Boston alleys:

boston

boston2

dome

Quincy Market:

quincy-market

Katherine and I at the market:

gena-and-katherine

The gorgeous haymarket — not quite the Union Square farmer’s market, but impressive nontheless!

market1

market2

A lone seagull:

seagull

And the waterfront:

waterfront2

waterfront

And finally, two shots of our lovely little apartment — thank you to Katherine’s friend Allison for letting us stay here while she’s away!

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kitchen

Tonight was the blogger cocktail party before the big Summit event tomorrow. Hosted at an Italian restaurant, it was a nice affair. It was great for me to meet so many bloggers whose work I’ve read, or whom I’ve corresponded with! As for food, there was a beautiful spread of Italian goodies. This said, the only raw/vegan option was a salad. I had asked my pal Heather, one of the summit organizers, about options before the event, and she’d advised me to hit up Whole Foods beforehand. Which I did.

This was a perfect example of when honesty is the best policy! I told Heather that I wouldn’t want to be a pain if there was a formal sit down dinner, but that I wanted to be sure I had options if it was a buffet. And she very candidly told me to follow instincts and grab a bite! This means that I had a tasty, filling dinner, rather than showing up to the event hungry and eating a plate of greens. And hey, if there had been more food, I could have simply eaten more. But better safe than sorry. Remember, rawcurious friends — plan ahead! There is no shame in sweet and honest inquiries, and the payoff is a happily full belly.

Katherine and I are off to read before crashing. It’ll be a long day tomorrow, so I’ll update in the late afternoon or evening! Have a great night.

xo

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    26 Comments
  1. i have only been to boston once and my opinion is meh…maybe i need another trip to give it a second chance. anyways, your pics are gorgeous.

  2. I’ve never been to Boston, but it looks so beautiful and there is something wonderful about all that history in one city.

  3. It is so cool that you and so many other bloggers are at that convention. Is it an invite-only kind of thing? I’m still somewhat new to the food blogging world. 🙂 I’ve always wanted to go to Boston – it looks like such a cool place! I love NYC and D.C. – I’m hoping to visit more places on the east coast. The apartment you’re staying in is so cute and cozy! I wish we had huge Farmer’s Markets like that around here.

    Have fun! Oh and thanks for the plan-ahead tips on eating raw. Good points!

  4. I have nothing nice to say about the lack of accomodations for you at the “healthy” living summit, so i won’t say anything at all.

  5. beautiful photos! 😀
    i haven’t been to boston since sophomore year in high school- i totally need to go back
    have a lovely weekend <3

  6. Incredible Boston photos – you’re making me miss it so much, since I haven’t been there since my first year of college!!

    So glad that you were prepared ahead of time, before the cocktail party – you know I would have had to do the same, haha 😉 Amen to planning ahead!!

  7. I almost always bring my own food to food centered social events. It’s just easier, safer, and I feel like less of an inconvenience. I even brought my own food to my friends wedding reception! I’m glad you are having fun on your mini Boston vacay!

  8. Hi Gena!

    I meant to say hello last night at the cocktail party, but gosh it was soooo crowded and almost impossible to move anywhere. I hope to see you today at the Summit!

  9. Thanks for the photo tour of Boston. I’ve never been, so what a great glimpse! I enjoyed reading your honest account of getting nourished while on the road at a soiree where veggie/vegan/raw food was not going to be in abundance. In years past, I have always made concessions when I am out such as a. I eat things that I wouldn’t prefer to eat due to sheer hunger or b. endure sheer hunger. Neither are appealing. Now, if I am going to be out I plan ahead as you did but b/c of my life path right now with a small child and limited time and money to be going out for dinners, I really don’t have the issue per se. There’s the issue however of other moms thinking that just a little dairy/soy/gluten/HFCS/name your allergen/hot button food group/etc is “okay” for small children so I fight that fight these days. Enjoy your weekend!
    Averie

  10. Hi Gena,
    While I do read food blogs from all kinds of eaters, I am a little disappointed that most foodies (even the healthy ones) have not switched to a more ethically and environmentally friendly diet. I know that even being veggie much less vegan or raw is not for everyone but I still feel that high profile healthy food bloggers should promote better eating and living habits. I am likely too judgmental (unlike you!) so that is probably why I do not have a food blog! Also, I think that a conference focusing on healthy living should have more than one or two vegan/raw options.
    Thanks for your post!
    Valerie

    • Before you so quickly judge, maybe it would be wise to do some research. A vegetarian blogger actually planned the meals at the Healthy Living Summit and therefore both lunch and breakfast options had sufficient vegetarian options. In fact the only non-vegetarian item provided for lunch was a slice of deli turkey. In addition, one of the Healthy Living Summit speakers was an organic farmer who directly addressed having an ethically and environmentally friendly diet, one in which meat can be included coming from farms that practice ethical methods of raising their cows on grass fed diets free to roam as they please. There are a number of other things I can get into addressing your comment but I think it would just be easier for you to read some of what the Summit was about as well as the girl’s blogs who put it together before you judge.

      • Hey guys!

        Thanks for both of your remarks. Valerie, I appreciate (and applaud) the dietary changes you’ve made recently! In general, too, I am highly supportive of vegan/vegetarian options being a mainstay at all healthy living events. In this case, there were a number of vegetarian friendly options at dinner and lunch/breakfast the next day — they just weren’t options with a raw/vegan specialty that appealed to me personally. And this was FINE. The event was not advertised as having a raw or vegan slant, nor should it have been, given the food perspectives of the vast majorities of the bloggers.

        I think that the summit organizers did their very best to cater to the audience as broadly and healthily as possible — my point in this post was that I chose to proactively seek out the more specialized kinds of foods I like, not that I felt in any way excluded. In fact, I think that Heather was very gracious in not finding my email high maintenance! I’ll share many more thoughts on the food options and gift bags later today. Valerie and J, thank you BOTH for your kind feedback and constructive criticism!

        Gena

        • Thanks for the clarification, Gena. I was in no way criticizing you. In fact, I would have done the exact same thing in your shoes. Unfortunately, judging by some of the comments you received, I felt some readers needed clarification about the healthy living summit and all the ladies who worked hard to make it happen. Judging by your recap on the latest post it looks like you enjoyed yourself!

  11. I LOVE Boston – my brother lives there and I try to visit as often as possible. There’s a great bookstore/cafe on Newberry Street called Trident that has fresh vegetable juice, check it out if you’re hanging out in the neighborhood!

    I’m passing on a blog award to you, you can redeem it on my site at http://gluten-dairy-sugarfree.com/?p=1203. Thanks for all the info on going raw, I’ve learned a lot from you! Enjoy the rest of your time in Boston!

    Angie

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