Sunday funday: ultimate edition

Aug 1

Aug 1 Sunday funday: ultimate edition

July was a pretty slow month for me, as I no longer simply had the excuse of recovering from the road trip to excuse me from being productive. But the month ended in spectacular fashion, as I can safely say I had the best day in a long time, and arguably the coolest experience of my life.

It started with Lia and I getting brunch at a new restaurant in Copley Square, Dig Inn. We went for lunch a few days before, and had enjoyed the locally sourced, hearty bowls of food we'd been served by my friend Dan (who it turned out worked there, small city). But we also heard they served a popular breakfast, so went to get something in our stomachs before attempting to find UK singer/songwriter Passenger busking in the square.

I didn't take a picture of breakfast, but here's our lunch from the other day. I got grilled chicken and mac and cheese in my bowl, because I'm a bad person.

My brother told me he'd Tweeted the day before he'd be playing some songs around midday, but the weather was foul, so last minute changed up to play in a pub just off the square, next door to Dig Inn. How convenient. I love grey and rainy days. I'm not sure if it's my ancestry at work or if I just enjoy that I can wear jeans and sturdy footwear, as is my want.

Grey days are the best days because they make all the various stone colours of Boston's buildings pop.

The day was starting well, and despite a later start time of 1 p.m., Passenger arrived and played some songs in the incredibly intimate space. It was really cool seeing him so close, and hearing his music in a quieter environment.

My brother and I had seen him play at the House of Blues a couple of years ago, and I'd been really impressed with his live presence. He seemed to really enjoy playing the smaller crowd too, and it felt very authentic.

Lia got trapped after using the bathroom, and couldn't move. She had a terrible view for the rest of the session. What a tragedy.

Passenger improv-concert over, we headed to our next activity for the day. We were going on a tour of Downeast Cider's factory in Charlestown, MA. We showed up early and had about an hour to kill, so we hung out in their taproom, playing Jenga, Connect 4, and Battleships while drinking one of my favourite cider brands.

There was an American flag made of Downeast Cider cans on the wall in the taproom. What a patriotic time we had.

Lia neglected to tell me that she was in fact awesome at board games. I lost convincingly at all three. I'm far too competitive for my own good, and decided I hated her and board games. Thankfully, I was getting a little drunk from all the free cider on the tour, so my misery was short lived. So much so that I decided to buy a case of 24 ciders from the taproom. Economics, man.

I had no better luck playing Jenga either. And don't talk to me about Battleships.

Three of Lia's sophomore year roommates also showed up for the same tour, so her day got even better too.

We popped home to eat some food and chill for a minute before heading to our final event of the day: The Last Shadow Puppets concert. After a dinner of Mac and Cheese, we rolled out my front door, crossed the street, and were at the concert. We timed it just right so as we found somewhere to stand, the opener took the stage. His name was Cameron Avery, and he had an awesome vibe. Check him out!

Who the fuck are the Arctic Monkeys? Both Miles Kane (L) and Alex Turner (R) are such showmen.

I'd been looking forward to this concert for months, and standing in the middle of it, I realised this may be the coolest thing I ever do. If I had grandkids to tell about my coolest memory, this would be it. Seeing a concert by an elusive supergroup of some of Britain's best and coolest musicians, at a small venue in Boston just steps from my apartment, I was elated. I don't think it gets much more rock and roll than that.