Boston Emerald Necklace - Kevin and Meredith Baby Shower, and Biking the Emerald Necklace - Jun 2025
Our trip to Boston for Meredith and Kevin’s Baby shower was mix of reconnecting with family, honoring a milestone, and taking advantage of the city for some beautiful urban bike exploration.
⭐ The Occasion: Celebrating Meredith and Kevin’s new baby
Meredith recently married Kevin — our nephew, Serge’s godson, and someone we’ve known and loved since he was a baby. Traveling for her shower felt meaningful and full-circle. We’ve watched Kevin grow into adulthood, and seeing him start this next chapter with such a wonderful partner made the weekend feel special before it even started.
Before the trip, we purchased and sent a beautiful bassinet as our shower gift — practical, elegant, and something she’ll use constantly in the years ahead.
⭐ Friday, June 20 — Travel & a Quiet Family Evening
We left home at noon on Friday and made the drive to Boston, checking into the Hilton Garden Inn in Brookline — a perfect location for the weekend’s events.
Dinner was simple that first night, just the two of us at the hotel restaurant, easing into the trip and unwinding from the drive. It set a calm, cozy start for a full weekend ahead.
⭐ Saturday, June 21 — Urban Exploration by Bike
Saturday was my day to roam.
Boston is a city made for biking — winding paths, historic neighborhoods, leafy parks, and endless corners to explore. I took full advantage, heading out for an urban exploration ride that felt refreshing, energizing, and distinctly Boston. One of the highlights of my Saturday ride was cycling through Boston’s Emerald Necklace — a seven-mile chain of parks and waterways designed in the 1800s by Frederick Law Olmsted (the same landscape architect who created Central Park). The Necklace weaves together ponds, meadows, tree-lined paths, and historic bridges, linking neighborhoods from Back Bay to Jamaica Plain. Riding through it feels like slipping into a green ribbon running through the heart of the city — peaceful, shady, elegant, and full of life. It’s one of the most beautiful urban park systems in the country, and exploring it by bike was the perfect way to experience Boston’s quieter, more natural side.
I rode through: leafy, residential streets, sections of the Emerald Necklace, riverside pathways, and the lively pockets of downtown. It was the perfect blend of movement and sightseeing — the kind of ride that reminds you how alive cities feel when you’re exploring them at bike speed.
⭐ Saturday Night — Dinner at Faneuil Hall
That evening, we met up with the extended family for dinner at Faneuil Hall. The energy was classic Boston — bustling, historic, and full of life. We shared stories, caught up, laughed, and enjoyed being together in celebration mode.
It felt good to be with everyone, especially knowing that these big family gatherings get rarer as the years go by.
⭐ Sunday, June 22 — The Shower in Brookline
On Sunday, we gathered in Brookline for Meredith’s bridal shower. It was beautifully done — warm, elegant, full of joy and anticipation. Seeing her surrounded by family, smiling and glowing and stepping into the next chapter of her life, made the whole trip feel worthwhile.
Kevin and Meredith are an easy couple to root for, and being part of this milestone felt meaningful.
After the shower, we made the long drive home, arriving late Sunday night — tired, happy, and full of that soft gratitude that follows a good weekend away.
⭐ Reflections
This Boston weekend combined everything I love: a meaningful family celebration, time with people we don’t see often enough, a new city to explore on two wheels, the beauty of small rituals — travel, shared meals, and marking life’s big moments. It wasn’t a dramatic adventure, but it was a rich, memorable one — woven from connection, celebration, movement, and the joy of showing up for the people we love.
