Spring 2014

Year 2014 - Part 1 

I always thought Spring was the king of the seasons, though that was before I experienced the New England fall. Like most of the people, spring is my favorite season of the year. This year spring was extra special because it was the first one with my baby Zain.

This post will feature some glimpses of spring time flora and fauna around Boston, MA.   

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard

The above shot was taken at Arnold Arboretum. It stretches over 281 acres around Boston and Brookline area. It is a public-private partnership of Harvard University and the city of Boston. I came to know about it after living here for almost two years and I can't believe how much I was missing out on. What I love about this place is that it is equally beautiful to take a leisurely stroll in any season. There are trees, shrubs, vines and hundreds of varieties of plants. For a person like me who isn't much interested in plants, it is still an incredible place to just roam around and be fascinated by nature's beauty.

Public Garden Boston

For my love of tulips

My favorite parks in Boston are situated in the heart of the city. There are two parks located side by side; the Common and the Public Garden. They were created two centuries apart. Boston Common was the first public park in America created in 1634, while the Public Garden was the first botanical garden in America established in 1837. I obviously like the latter more because of it being more flowery and pretty.

Colorful Tulips all around the Public garden

Vibrant blooms of Spring time

The Public Garden is famous for its Swan Boats, which are essentially paddle boats carrying passengers on a tour around the lagoon in the park. There are lots of ducks roaming around but there is one pair of 'Swans' who rule this garden. Every spring they arrive at the garden with much show and pomp and make it their home till October when they return to the Franklin Park Zoo for the winters. For the past 12 years this current swan pair named very aptly, Romeo and Juliet, has been the center of attention. I love going to the garden no matter what the season is because it is always so peaceful and serene but during spring time it is always busy. You see children running around, people sitting or lying idly or reading a book. 

A wandering duck around the pond ares in the Public Garden

Romeo or Juliet swimming around the pond

I await next year's spring and look forward to making more beautiful memories with my cute little family. I'm going to end the post with a photograph of my son from our picnic on Mother's Day in the beautiful blooming Arboretum. It was the best gift ever. 

My own precious bloom

Hope you enjoyed this post. Keep reading and send me your feedback. Have a great day!

Thanksgiving Weekend- NYC stroll

Every year since I got married and moved to Boston, we have been making a trip to New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with our family here in America. Thanksgiving is mainly an American and Canadian holiday, although it is celebrated in some other countries too.  In America, it is celebrated on the forth Thursday of November while the Canadians celebrate it on the second Monday of October. Thanksgiving has both cultural and religious connotation. However, in America, the Thanksgiving tradition dates back to the Puritans who first came over from England in the 17th century and wanted to give thanks for a good harvest.

I am first and foremost a Muslim, born in Pakistan. We have many customs and traditions that we already follow but having moved into a new country and accepting it as a new home, I thought it would help us assimilate more if we adopted some of its ways and holidays. Afterall, if we decide to live here permanently then this will be the home of our kids and I wouldn't want them to be alienated from the society they live in. The good news is, most of our extended family that lives in America has already adapted to the Thanksgiving tradition and why wouldn't they because its a holiday which basically gives an excuse to get the whole family together and have an elaborate dinner. How can you not like that? The only new thing to the menu for us is the Turkey, which I still don't like as much as chicken but once a year I don't really mind.

Last year we didn't really have a Thanksgiving because Zain was only a few weeks old and I wasn't up for it yet. So this year was basically his first and boy did he enjoy it. For the most part of the long weekend we stayed at my husband's Aunt's place but we also met a few dear friends around the area and then for just a few hours we made into New York City, which happened to be my favorite part of the trip because I got to take tons of photographs.

Here are few random clicks from our walk around the 5th Ave. I tried not to focus just on the holiday decor but it was hard not to.

St Patrick Cathedral

Atlas Statue outside Rockefeller Centre

We stopped in NYC for a couple of hours. We were a little skeptical initially because it was extremely cold that day and we had a toddler in tow. However, the freezing temperatures could not do anything to spoil our fun. We had a great time roaming around the busy streets of New York. During the Thanksgiving holidays the city is devoid of its inhabitants as everyone leaves to visit their family. So the Big Apple is just full of good ol' annoying tourists like us.

The stores on 5th Ave

Henri Bendel- Are you a Bendel Girl?

I love the city during this time of the year because it is all lit up with the festive Christmas decor. All the flagship stores which always have impressive displays are trying to out do each other with the beautiful lights and colors. It is just fun to look and walk around. A little bit of shopping doesn't hurt either if you know what I mean :)

Zain does not like to stay in his stroller for too long and he was dying to get his legs moving. After a while we decided to grab a bite. The perfect cosy setting of Trump Grill served as our lunch spot. It was just what we needed to make it a special outing. We had a wonderful meal, then some coffee and dessert. 

Ah the Christmas-y ambiance

Father/Son cosy moment

My other favorite father/son moment

After that we headed back to our car. This time Zain was not in the stroller but walking hand in hand. He couldn't wait to just let go and run around. Luckily on the way to the car there was a less busy street and we thought it was ok for him to run around a little since we had a long drive back home and my poor baby would be strapped in his carseat. 

He did not want to hold hands with his Mama

Little guy walking the big city

The shot above melts my heart and I think the decision to make this stop-over for a fun afternoon in the big city was worth it.

Hope you enjoyed this little piece. Have a nice day and come back soon!