December 31st 2013: Counting Down to the New Year with Friends

Today after work, I headed into Downtown Boston to go watch the 7pm fireworks on the Boston Common, like I did last year. I left work a little early, anticipating heavy traffic, ending up arriving early in the area as well. I decided to do some sightseeing instead in the Dorchester area first.

St. Brendan's Church

Calvary Baptist Church

All Saint's Church

Elmhurst Park, 31 Elmhurst Street

After parking in South Boston, I made my way to Copley Square, where the party had already started.

There were ice sculptures here,

as well as at the Prudential Center.

At this point, the parade started, and I managed to take a few pictures

before having to head back to the Boston Common to meet with the rest of the group.

There was a few stuff going on at the Common today,

including ice sculptures,

skating performances on the Frog Pond and

art installations.

Soon the fireworks started.

The fireworks were as per normal I guess, although the grand finale was pretty awesome.

After the fireworks, it was on to China Pearl in the Chinatown area for dinner. Unfortunately, the menu was very limited tonight, and the food we got was just so-so.

Spicy Garlic Combo with Calamari and Shrimp

Gyoza

Scallion Pancakes

Spicy Garlic Pork Chops and Lo Mein

Black Pepper Beef with Bed of Broccol

Kung Pao Chicken

After dinner, which took quite a while because other tables took a much longer time to order food, we headed to Avenue One at the Hyatt Regency Boston for drinks. As a group of us had an after party at a friend's place in South Boston, we sneaked out after a bit, and had a fun time the rest of the night playing Pictionary. After counting down to the new year, we also watched the fireworks from where we were in South Boston, although they were a little far away and I could not get any good pictures. 

Overall, it was a pretty fun night, and I'm glad I managed to spend the New Year with friends.

December 30th 2013: Upscale Italian Food at Ristorante Via Alto 27, Clinton

Today after work, I decided to venture into the town of Clinton for an Italian dinner at a pretty upscale looking restaurant, Ristorante Via Alto 27.

After looking at the menu, I settled for the Suppli (Arborio rice wrapped around meat ragu and mozzarella and fried till golden) for an appetizer,

and the Rana Pescatrice in padella con carciofi (pan seared monkfish stuffed with pistachio and sauteed artichokes) for my main dish.

The riceball was a pretty interesting concept, but it tasted pretty plain, and the rice a little hard. The fish was pretty well cooked, being fresh and with the right texture. It was a little bland though, although it means that only the pure flavor of the pistachios and the artichokes are present in the dish. Not too bad though overall.

To end it all, I decided to get some dessert, getting the Via Alto 27 Cheese Cake (white chocolate and peach cheese cake served with fresh peaches and whipped cream).

Thankfully, it pretty much saved the rest of the meal. The peaches were a little frozen though. Overall, not too bad a meal, especially for a relatively high end restaurant in a small town.

December 29th 2013: Dimsum with Friends at Sun Kong Restaurant, Malden

My friends and I decided to have a late brunch at Sun Kong Restaurant, a dim sum place located in the town of Malden.

The place was pretty crowded by the time we arrived, but thankfully my friend had already gotten a table for us. Instead of push carts, the waiters brought dimsum around on trays, although there were still some pushcarts around. We got several dishes, which were pretty decent, as can be seen below.

By the time we left, it had already started raining, and would be so for the rest of the day. After my friend dropped me off at home before heading back to NYC, I decided not to let the rest of the day go to waste, and headed out to Sutton to view a few water bodies.

Marble Pond, ~39 Marble Road

Woodbury Pond, 96 Boston Road

Welsh Pond, 113 West Sutton Road

Number One Pond, 199 Town Farm Road

Sutton Pond, Manchaug Road and Old Mill Road

Tucker's Pond, 391 Putnam Hill Road

Manchaug Mills

After being done with Sutton, I still had time before the sunset, so it was on to the town of Douglas.

Mumford River Reservoir, 7 Potter Road

Gilboa Pond, 99 Gilboa Street

Dudley Pond, 10 South Street

Finally, it became too dark for pictures, so I decided to go grab a pizza dinner at Italian Pizza and Grill, a takeout place in the town of Bellingham.

I got the 3 Brothers Twister (Ranch, buffalo chicken and bacon)

and the Fire Ball Pizza (Meatballs, linguica, bacon and cajun spices).

The twister, which is kinda like a hot pocket, was actually surprisingly good, partly because of the buffalo chicken in it, as was the Fire Ball Pizza. Not a bad end to a dreary day.