From farm to beach

Partly because it’s easy on a Monday morning, and partly because I do believe there’s benefit to giving real life examples of all the fun things our neighborhood offers, I often indulge myself in the summer by writing about my own weekends.  July seems like the right time to kick off the seasonal round-up.

The past two-plus days found us at a number of different in-town and slightly out-of-town locations.  On Friday, we kicked off the weekend with a few hours of middle-of-the-street dancing at the annual Cambridge dance party.  Easily reached from campus by T (subway), the party draws dance fans (thousands of them!) at every point in the age range — from the youngest children to the senior citizens for whom chairs have been set out by the senior center.  Will you be on campus on June 27, 2014?  Plan to join the dance.

With danceable tunes still in our heads, off we went on Saturday morning to pick strawberries at Verrill Farm.  The farm is only a half hour from Fletcher, though you’ll need to organize a few friends and a car to get there.  Verrill offers food and activities throughout the growing season.

The afternoon found us soaking up the air conditioning while watching “20 Feet from Stardom,” which I recommend to anyone with the vaguest interest in music.  We’re lucky around here to be able to choose from several movie theaters that present less than typical options.  Not that there’s any shortage of vampires and superheros on local screens.

Dinner was at a super quirky place in Watertown — accessible by bus from campus.  I had always wondered what Grappa would be like, sitting as it does across from a large shopping plaza, and it turns out to offer quite nice Italian food — well worth the exploratory visit.

After dinner, I relaxed and Paul (my on-the-go husband) went to a local club for a gig.

Sunday started at our favorite summer morning destination:  Revere Beach.  With coffee and guava-filled pastries from our good friends at Lupita Bakery, we enjoyed watching seagulls feasting on clams.  Revere is also easily reached by T from campus, and with a Cambodian restaurant that made the list of top Asian food restaurants in the greater Boston area, you don’t need to worry about what to have for lunch while you’re there.  Don’t want to stop at a restaurant?  Two nearby groceries carry ready-made banh mi sandwiches.  Need I say more?

Simple barbeque for dinner and, to use up some of the 15 pounds of strawberries we picked on Saturday, a strawberry shortcake.

The point of all this, aside from giving me an easy blog topic?  Tufts is in a great location, with transportation links into and around town.  From farm to beach, and everything in between, there’s always something to do around here.