Our final day in Boston was one that was very special to me and I’ll always hold dear. When we were planning our itinerary for the trip, I remembered that my grandma and grandpa had been married in a church in Cambridge (which is right across the Charles River from Boston) where they both were originally from, and thought that it would be neat if we had a chance to pop over the bridge and see the church. We’d already talked about crossing to Cambridge to see the Harvard and MIT campuses as well as a couple other things, so we decided to spend our last day exploring the town.
I got in touch with my aunt to find out the name of the church where my grandparents married and she gave me not only that info, but the address of my grandma’s childhood home! I was so excited to actually see in person a piece of my family history and where I had come from. So we woke up on our last day, walked over to the Charles River Esplanade to sip some coffee and take in the view, and then took an uber across to Cambridge and got dropped off on the corner of the street where my grandma had grown up.
I had a huge smile as we walked up and saw the house for the first time. There were some people on the sidewalk next door so we decided to walk around and see the back and take some pictures of the neighborhood. We rounded the block again and the neighbors were gone, so we crossed the street to see the house up close and take some pictures. After getting lots of photos, we’d started to head to the end of the block to get more pictures of the street when I noticed a man walk out of the yard.
My aunt had also told me that my grandma’s brother (her Uncle Reggie) had moved into the house after their mom passed and that he still lived there. When I saw the man walk out of the white picket fence I knew it had to my Granduncle (totally a word) and Blake and I walked over to meet him. He gave me a huge hug when I introduced myself and immediately asked if we wanted to walk to the Dunkin’ Donuts (which p.s. was started in Massachusetts and they are literally on every corner!). He treated us to coffee and donuts and tons of stories about both of my grandparents growing up, and afterwards he offered to drive us over to the church where they married.
After seeing the church (unfortunately it was locked and we couldn’t go inside), he drove us past both college campuses and all around the town. Not only did we get to know about the history of part of my family, but we also got a first-rate tour of the town from someone who had lived there his whole life. It was truly a treat that I didn’t expect and will always remember it as such a special day!
When it was time to depart, we took the subway back over to Boston to mark off the last things on our list that we wanted to see. The train we took dropped us on the ground floor of the Prudential Center and we rode the elevator up to the Skywalk Observatory, which has the most incredible 360 views of Boston. After that, we stopped at the Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library as we walked back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
The weather was perfectly warm and sunny so I wore this skirt which was another Zara clearance steal with a lace tank that I got from Nordstrom Rack a couple years ago, and of course another pair of Tieks since flats are the only option when we have so much walking to do! I linked similar items below since these are all either old or sold out. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed following along on our trip!
Shop the post:
LACE TANK (OLD, SIMILAR 1, 2) || PINK SKIRT (SOLD OUT, SIMILAR 1, 2) || TIEKS|| MK SUTTON SATCHEL
Vanessa says
Tristan, you are just the cutest! Love your Boston pictures, and the skirt you are wearing is just adorbs! Seriosusly, super cute!!!
Much love,
Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.net
Tristan says
Thank you for the kind words Vanessa! I think your style is FAB so that means a lot coming from you!
Danielle says
I love old churches! So pretty! Love your skirt as well!
Danielle
http://www.blushblossom.com
Tristan says
Thank you Danielle!
kristina says
love the clean lines and pop of color… looks like an incredible trip!
http://dayinmydreams.com/
Tristan says
Thanks girl! It really was a great trip!
Valerie Price says
Wow, gorgeous photos! I’m in awe of how beautiful all the buildings are! Also that is so amazing that you were able to meet your Granduncle and visit the house and church!
http://roadesque.com
http://ourruins.com
Tristan says
Thank you! It was so very special. And we just couldn’t get over the architecture there either!
Seppy says
What a special story!!! How amazing to have met your Great-uncle (totally is a word ;) ) I’m really glad you were able to visit your grand-mother’s hometown and see the church! How special :)
And super cute outfit – that skirt! Adorable!
http://www.elleisforlove.com
Tristan says
Aw thanks dear!! It was an unexpected surprise and so neat! :)