This Old House

We have had a few requests for more pictures of the inside of our house, but before posting the photos, here's a short history...

Our neighborhood was etablished in the mid 1800s, and our house was built some time around 1880 according to the stories I have heard. It's crazy to think that I am living in a house that is older than the city where I grew up!

So, with those 125+ years of history comes a lot of "charm." Like the original baseboards and wood flooring. Beautiful they are, but there is definitely no sneaking around--the second you think you've made it, the floor will creak in such a way that it is practically screaming, "I'm tired--stop walking on me!" And, of course, I can't forget the radiators. If the water coming through the pipes gets a bubble in it or has any flow issues, it sounds like an old lady is downstairs banging on the pipes with a frying pan. It scared the @#$% out of me the first few times it happened, but now I'm used to it. Some friends told me to slip pennies underneath the feet on one end to "balance" them, and the old lady has only come back a few times since we made the adjustment.

A few additional interesting traits about old houses like ours are that over the years many, many people have made their own repairs the way they thought it should be done, and it is definitely apparent that not everyone who lived here along the way was qualified to be making the repairs. This is not as noticeable inside our house because it was renovated in the last 10 years, but the basement is a total disaster. There are so many wires and pipes running every which way that it's hard to know which ones work and which don't.

Here are some photos:

The living room complete with our new C&B couch and Ben's original artwork. ;-)















Another living room view.

















One more living room view. This one has a great view of the radiator. ;-)











Ben's favorite spot with his favorite chair.

















More chairs...I like to call it the "reading nook." ;-)

















The dining room is my next project. We need a bigger table, and I am working on convincing Ben to let go of his prized cafe table so that our guests don't have to cram themselves in when they come over. He loves cooking for large groups, but protests the idea of a bigger table. It just doesn't make sense.











Our bedroom.
















The kitchen, office, and bathroom are probably not photo-worthy, but I will try to post some photos of the basement to show you guys what a "garden apartment" in Boston looks like. I can't believe it, but in the 1970s when our neighborhood was overcrowded and was one of the most densely populated areas of the county, someone lived in our 300 sq. foot basement. There is a bathroom, a sink, and only two tiny slivers of windows. I can't imagine living down there, but people do it all the time around here. In fact, our 1000 sq. feet is considered a luxury by some of city dwellers I have met here--life in yankeeland doesn't come with much personal space. ;-)

Girls Weekend in Boston

We had a blast this weekend having Jenny and Meryl in town for a visit! Jenny arrived around lunch time on Friday. We had a wonderful lunch on the harbor, then did a bit of sightseeing in the city, and of course a little shopping, too. Ben made a delicious dinner for us Friday night, then we went to meet up with Meryl (she and Marco drove down from Montreal after work). It was so much fun being able to catch up!

We spent most of Saturday in the city exploring the Back Bay, the Boston Common, the Fenway, Chinatown, and the North End, and of course we made a pit stop at the Cheers bar because we needed a break from all of the walking! Jenny was exicted to see Cheers, though it looks nothing like the bar from the TV show and neither Ted Danson nor Woody Harrelson were there. It was fun to see some old photos and souvenirs from the show, and the food is actually pretty decent! Then, Saturday night, we all met up with Hyemi and her boyfriend, and had a great evening of tapas and drinks at one of my favorite restaurants here, Tapeo. After dinner, as we had promised Jenny, we went out to the Foundation Lounge, an upscale lounge where star sightings occur frequently. :-) Meryl ran into Nick Lachey there when she was in Boston last fall, but unfortunately, he was not able to make a showing for us this time. All the more reason for Jenny to come back and visit again!

I have posted some pictures of us by the harbor, in my living room, at the Chinatown gate, and at Cheers. I have also posted some photos of the exterior of our house, and the park by our house that is the historic site of the Powder House where the American troops held their gun powder while fighting off the British in the American Revolution. It is a beautiful park that I am lucky to have practically in my backyard! We loved walking through it and picnicking there before it became covered with snow--now we sled through the park instead of walk! Jenny couldn't believe that even though the Charles River that runs through town has frozen over and my driveway could double as an ice skating rink, the city still keeps moving. The city doesn't shut down until there is at least a foot of snow! A few months ago, I would have also been shocked at this realization, but it seems completely reasonable to me now. I guess that's a sign that I am getting settled in to my new home. Only a few more weeks until Spring arrives!