I recently traveled to Boston to help a friend gather the last of her belongings before she makes a big move to California. We grew up in Pennsylvania together, and she had been living in Boston to attend school. Although I didn’t have too much time to explore what the city has to offer, my stay turned into an unofficial walking tour of Boston when we had no choice but to forgo public transportation due to the beautiful weather.

She took me around the Northeastern University campus and pointed out her favorite buildings, and the whole perimeter seemed to sparkle in the late summer sun. The next day we walked from the Mission Hill area to Boston’s historic and now-emerging arts neighborhood Jamaica Plain, which was a particularly beautiful stroll. My friend had always been interested in Tres Gatos, a tapas bar-meets-book and music store, so we stopped in for a drink and a browse. We also enjoyed a potato dish which used local, seasonal ingredients and was absolutely delicious. The staff was friendly and extremely helpful, describing upcoming events in the area they thought we’d be interested in. We bought a few books and began our way back, buzzing about our favorite writers and brimming with recommendations for each other. Who knew what a few craft beers, great books and beautiful weather in Boston could do?

— Emily Pudzianowski, intern