Linds in New England
When my husband and I decided to move to the greater Boston area for his job opportunity, I had a lot of feelings. I had lived in Michigan for all 28 years of my life. I grew up in Michigan, attended the University of Michigan (go blue!), my job was in Michigan and most of my community of friends and family reside in the Midwest. But I was also excited by the idea of something new.
Honestly, Boston was somewhere I had never considered living, but after the job offer was made and I started doing some research, I was immediately intrigued. I realized how close it was to so many other neat places on the East Coast. I started making lists of all the things I wanted to do in Boston and dreamt of the weekend trips we would take to Portland, Maine and Burlington, Vermont and the shows we would go see in NYC.
Last January, after a hectic 24-hour apartment hunt (which included a lengthy airport delay that almost entirely derailed the trip); we found a lovely apartment in Melrose, Massachusetts. We fell in love with the quaint town, just outside of the Boston city limits. The proximity to the city, access to extensive natural areas, and a welcoming community instantly made the decision feel right.
We made the big move in late February (which now feels like a lifetime ago after the year we’ve had!) and started exploring almost as soon as we arrived. Boston’s charming North End quickly became a favorite destination, with Old World charm, delicious Italian food, wine, and cannolis (but really I ate SO many cannolis those first weeks).
After having just a few weeks to acclimate to our new community, it became clear that COVID was going to be a big deal in the US and we made the sad decision to put our exploring on hold. We stocked up on necessities (thankfully we already had toilet paper!) and hunkered down. And then everything shut down.
During the shutdown, we were lucky to live across the street from the Middlesex Fells Reservation. What a magical place! As fellow apartment dwellers can probably relate, finding anywhere safe for fresh air and sunshine was such a blessing last spring (and still is!). There are also some pretty fantastic hikes - more on that later. We were so thankful for our weekend hikes and tasty brews from Night Shift that kept us sane during the quarantine.
Over the summer while the number of Coronavirus cases decreased in Massachusetts, we were able to begin our, mask-covered and highly sanitized, exploration again. As an amateur writer and avid voyager, I have always wanted a place to document and share my adventures with others and I promised myself I would do just that in 2021. So this is that space.
I want this to be a space for all things New England. Maybe you’re new here as well, or maybe you’ve lived here for years and just want to see New England through the eyes of a newbie. Either way, thanks for joining me as I begin my journey. And if you have ideas of places I should travel to or things we should see nearby in Boston please reach out at lindsinnewengland@gmail.com.