I think I put on deodorant five times yesterday.

Walk outside ➔ sweat. Unpack things ➔ sweat. Laugh too hard at a friend’s joke ➔ sweat.

But that’s all okay, because Rachel arrived in Boston yesterday!!! Although I only have a little less than two days with her, we are making the most of this time together.

the best breakfast I’ve eaten in Boston so far, thanks to the multigrain bagel I snagged from the Catholic Center 😀

When I picked her up from the airport, I ran up from behind to scare her as my greeting. She said, “Alison, you can’t make people scream in an airport!”

True. But I pride myself in my dramatic greetings.

We caught up all day while we took transit, ate food, and walked a lot. After checking out her new apartment for the year (where I will also be next semester), we headed to lunch at Mei Mei for the classic “Double Awesome” scallion pancake sandwich.

double awesome = scallion pancake, two eggs, white cheddar cheese (LOTS of it), and pesto + spicy ketchup and maple ginger soy for dipping

Highly recommend.

We walked around the city while catching up — probably our favorite pastime!

I forget how yellow I am until I see photos like this lol

After tons of walking and talking, it was already almost time for dinner. We commuted to Newton for dinner at one of our Boston food bucket list places, Johnny’s Luncheonette.

I got the meatloaf dinner (half came home for a second meal, buh-bam), and Rachel got the huevos rancheros. My meatloaf was delicious!

But the real star was the bucket list item— the crunchy french toast. We split an order for dessert and absolutely loved it! The crunch of the cereal added something special, and the french toast itself was very well-executed.

Rachel and I noticed that our waiter was a little bit judge-y of our eating abilities. The main thing was that, after we finished the whole order of french toast, he said, “You guys HOUSED that,” before walking away with our empty dishes.

Yeah. We did. Thanks for pointing it out, sir. We ladies like to be told we’re houses for diner food.

He may not have meant any harm, but it was funny to us. WE EAT A LOT OKAY.

Back at the apartment, we hung out with friends for the rest of the night. Then the real goodbyes had to happen. All of us talked about how we hate goodbyes, partially because they’re so sad, and partially because they’re too sad that you don’t even know how to conduct yourself.

Sob?

10 minute hug?

Mini speech/ode to the other?

Just walk out the door?

I’ve come to like less dramatic goodbyes but with big hugs. Daliza and I still say, “See you later,” to one another, because we hate sappy goodbyes. The real sadness washes over a few days later when you realize: Oh, I’m ACTUALLY not going to see them.

I leave back for New York tonight, and it hurts my heart a little bit for sure, but I’ll see my family and home here in Boston soon.

So tell me:

How do you handle goodbyes?

Has a waiter/waitress ever commented on the amount you ate?

Do you like french toast?