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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Romantic Weekend Getaway...Playing Tourist in Your Own Town

Hooray for long weekends! We are winter weary, so this mid-January escape is the perfect remedy to carry us through to Spring. This weekend, we are playing tourist our own town...beautiful Boston.

Go, Pats!

If you're looking to love up your own long weekend, here's five easy tips we use:

1. Check Priceline. The ability to bid on a hotel price may intimidate some, but you can learn the game and come out a winner. Start low and gradually increase, $5-$10 at a time until you win your bid. This weekend, we hit the jackpot and until Monday, we will be calling the Boston Park Plaza our home.

2. Check discount sites like groupon, living social, goldstar and whofish for things to do in town. Often, you can find deals for tours, restaurants, shows, and museum discounts that might be exactly what you're looking for. 

3. Theme it up. We were engaged in Paris, so it becomes fun to reminisce about our time there and sip coffee in Parisian-style bistros. Love Rome? Sip cappuccinos in a local coffee bar. Barcelona your thing? Find a tapas bar and buen provecho!

On a weekend like this, when football fans gather to watch playoff battles, a sports bar may be just the thing to rally hometown loyalties, or to root for the team who can beat your rival. Go Pats!

Photo courtesy of www.patriots.com

4. Culture Club. Find a local museum and see what's on exhibit. Who's playing at the local jazz club or acoustic open mike? See what's going on in town and try something new.

Boston has scores of options, and this weekend we may be headed to the Museum of Fine Arts to see John Singer Sargent's Watercolors or to the Museum of Science to explore Our Global Kitchen...Food, Nature and Culture.

Photo courtesy of the Museum of Science, www.mos.org

Also, trade shows may be a draw. For example, here in Boston, we have a camping and RV show this weekend that may give us some ideas for summer trips or more extensive long term travel.

5. Second Honeymoon. Weekends away are a great time to break from the routine. It's fun to let romance rule the day and soak up the love. We'll have to go back to work soon enough.



Our tentative itinerary is set and we can't wait to get away. Enjoy the weekend and let everything you do come from a place of love and gratitude.

18 comments:

  1. This is such a good idea!! Last fall my husband had some vacation days he had to take so he took a weekday off and we "pretended" we were on vacation …. went out to a special place for breakfast, went to a matinee movie and then hit one of our favorite happy hours … it was SOOO much fun!! … and we didn't even have to leave town LoL

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    1. Thank you so much for your visit and your comments! Play dates are the best! Low budget and low key, but high on the romance scale. Fabulous! Love it! Thanks again! Please come back again soon.

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  2. This is perfect, I was just talked in therapy yesterday how I need to do more 'local travel' until long distance travel is more of a possibility. Thanks for reminding me to check sites like Groupon!

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    1. Hi Christy! Thanks for visiting. Local trips can be just as satisfying if you go at it with an open mind. And you're not spending all day in a car, train or at the airport. :-) Groupon and priceline are fabulous for deals, and through priceline, we got a great deal. Explore your options and keep saving and planning for that big trip. Have fun! Please come back and visit again soon.

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  3. We love going to Central Park, or to a new restaurant, or gallery. Museums are great, as are local hotels.or spas.

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    1. New York is the perfect staycation locale! There is always something new. New Yorkers are lucky. But, so are Bostonians. ;-) Thanks so much for stopping by! Please come back again soon.

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  4. I really want to be a tourist in Boston too. I don't go into the city nearly enough but there is so much to do there I could explore something new every time I go in there. Hope you had a great time!

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    1. Kerry, we agree completely. My husband and I were talking about why we don't go into the city more often. We had a great time. There is still so much to see, do and explore. And supporting our home economy and "keeping it local" is a win-win. :-) Thanks for your visit!

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  5. Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen, the welsh valentines day is on the 25th of Jan, in case you wanted another excuse to celebrate. Daffodils in hand naturally! Potted history below.
    Romantic Inspiration from North Wales

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  6. Sounds like a great idea! I love to stay local and enjoy our area too. We spent Saturday shopping in local shops as they are trying to revitalize a small town nearby and we did our part by shopping local. I love to go into NYC for fun time instead of just going into work. We did watch the game, sorry your team is out. Ours has been for some time, but I am looking forward to the Superbowl being in the area this year!

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    1. Hi Winnie! We agree. There is always something new to explore or some new restaurant to try. You don't have to spend hours in an airport or in the car or on a train, and you support the local economy. It's a win-win. Thanks so much for stopping by! :-)

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  7. You live in the perfect town for this. Boston is def on my bucket list.

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    1. Hi Lissa! I agree...Boston is a fabulous, walkable, historically and culturally rich, foodie destination. It's affordable and very user friendly...but a word of advice...use public transportation. The "T" is affordable, color coded and very easy to use. Driving can be frustrating, with the one-way streets and non-gridded layout. I hope you get a chance to visit Boston soon....I think it will be a place you will want to return to again and again. :-)

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  8. Great get-away tips and a fine way to get away for a weekend! Boston is a nice destination with plenty to do and I really enjoy the walking trails. In the warmer climate I've enjoyed the boat ride and believe Boston has quite a nice aquarium, which continues to be one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Peggy! Yes, Boston is a great city to explore. The New England Aquarium is a big draw. They offer whale watches in the summer, which is always a fun time. And walking the Freedom Trail is eye opening and fun for history buffs. So much to see and do. :-)

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  9. I love this! I wrote a similar article about how to be a tourist on your own city. My husband and I just moved from Texas to California so we really are tourists in our own city right now. Thanks for the tips!

    Sandra
    www.notesfromtheslife.com

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    1. Hi Sandra! Welcome! What an adventure to move and explore a new home city. I did that when I moved from the Northeast to South Florida. Every day was an adventure. I'm back in New England, but cities always change...there's always something new to see. Thank you again, for stopping by. Please visit again soon. :-) Cheers. And thank you for your blog link. I look forward to exploring notesfromtheslife. :-)

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  10. We're used Priceline once before and did get a good deal! Have fun at your getaway!!

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