Boston

So this was my first time to Boston! I was pretty stoked, as Boston was pretty hyped up by a bunch of friends, and I became a pretty big fan while I was there!

The trip was put together at the last minute. By the time we booked everything, the hotels around the convention center were fully booked, so we stayed at the airport hotel.

I was kind of annoyed at first, but the view from the hotel was pretty rad… also, there was a public bus that ran directly to the convention center, so everything worked out 🙂

The first night we got in, a co-worker wanted to get steaks at some steak place, Abe & Louie’s, by the main library (one of the spots I was told to go). The steaks looked ridiculous, so I ended up getting some lobster mac and cheese or something. I also unexpectedly took a lot of photos of light fixtures during the trip…

Then we just explored the town and walked back towards the waterfront

The conference started the next day, and afterwards, we found a bar to go. Next to the bar, was the fanciest bathroom hardware and fixture shop. Also, who really has hanging light fixtures in their bathroom?

THIS VALVE!

View from the conf center.

One of the nights, I wandered over to Harvard Square and got dinner at Alden & Harlow. It was probably the best meal of the week… if you end up in Boston, check it out. A close second would be Coppa, for Italian food.

The conference was split up between two convention centers, so we got to ride the commuter train one day. It reminded me of the commuting scenes on Mad Men…

The train station was kind of neat.

So the second convention center was near the library, and the conference was also hosting a happy hour at the library, so I killed some time there. Seattle has a neat library, but I think I liked Boston’s a bit more… It essentially had a new and old wing. The new portion had most of the books, great lighting, a public radio studio, and all sorts of modern things.

The stacks were super wide and nicely laid out

The reading and working areas were spacious and well lit

There was a ridiculously large area for the stairs… but I liked that indoor plant…

The old part of the library was the complete opposite. There were domes and things

There was marble everywhere…

Really fancy ceilings, arched windows, and light fixtures

and murals galore!

I think the library is best known for their reading room, and well, look at it!

But most of the week was spent at the conference… one of the evenings we got a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry, because that’s what people are supposed to do! Their light fixtures were kind of weak…