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.

All Saint's Church

St. Brendan's Church

Calvary Baptist 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.

Scallion Pancakes

Spicy Garlic Pork Chops and Lo Mein

Spicy Garlic Combo with Calamari and Shrimp 

Black Pepper Beef with Bed of Broccoli

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.

Suppli

Rana Pescatrice in padella con carciofi

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.

Recommended Places to Visit: Sutton

Recreation

Parks

Tricentennial Park
Blackstone Street

Manchaug Falls
Main Street and Manchaug Road

Kids
Waters Farm
End of Waters Road


Camping
Sutton Falls Camping Area
90 Manchaug Road

Dams
Lackey Pond
South side of 55 Lackey Pond Road


Beaches
Lake Singletary
End of Tuttle Road


Water Bodies
Manchaug Pond
Torrey Road and Holt Road


Meadow Pond
North side of 55 Lackey Pond Road

Marble Pond
39 Marble Road

Woodbury Pond
96 Boston Road

Welsh Pond
113 West Sutton Road

Number One Pond
198 Town Farm Road

Tucker's Pond

391 Putnam Hill Road

Hiking
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
198 Purgatory Road



Recreation

Historical Buildings
Manchaug Mills

9 Main Street


Monuments
Town Common
Circuit Road and Uxbridge Road


Architecture
First Congregational Church
307 Boston Road

St. Mark's Church

356 Boston Road

First Baptist Church
659 Central Turnpike

St. John's Episcopal Church
3 Central Street

St. Anne's Church

31 Main Street

Town Facilities
Town Hall
4 Uxbridge Road

Recommended Places to Visit: Douglas

Recreation

Kids

Breezy Picnic Grounds and Waterslides
520 Northwest Main Street

Dams
Lower Hunt's Pond Dam
Cottage Street and Main Street

Water Bodies
Whitin Reservoir
Wallis Street and Northwest Main Street

Wallum Lake
End of Wallum Lake Road

Badluck Lake
Southwest Main Street near Cedar Street

Mumford River Reservoir
7 Potter Road

Gilboa Pond
99 Gilboa Street

Dudley Pond
10 South Street

Architecture

Monuments

Civil War Monument
North Street and Northeast Main Street

Ice Cream Lady
67 Main Street

Town Common
Common Street and Main Street

Places of Worship

East Douglas United Methodist Church
333 Main Street

St. Denis Church
23 Manchaug Street

Second Congregational Church
289 Main Street

First Congregational Church
3 Common Street

Historical Buildings
Mumford River Lodge

Depot Street and Cottage Street

Town Facilities
Post Office
331 Main Street

Simon Fairfield Public Library
290 Main Street

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

Tucker's Pond, 391 Putnam Hill Road

Welsh Pond, 113 West Sutton Road

Number One Pond, 199 Town Farm 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).

3 Brothers Twister

Fire Ball Pizza

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.