Years ago I lived in Boston’s North End, on Charter Street so this last visit, we wanted to experience some of the delicious food that the North End is so famous for and that I remember so well.
We turned on Commercial Street and headed into the famous North End of Boston….
We drove around some to get our bearings, as it had been more than 10 years since I was in the North End.
We saw signs for religious feasts that were coming later in the month.
And we saw political signs that reminded us of where we were.
The North End is a nice walk from the downtown area of Boston. I used to walk this every day when I lived here.
We turned to drive up Salem Street, one of the central streets of the North End and characteristically crowded.
The problem with visiting this area is a lack of public parking spaces on these streets. Notice that the sign on the right says “Resident Permit Parking Only” meaning that we could park if we wanted to, but risked getting a ticket.
On Salem Street is a very famous Boston landmark that I wanted Hui-chen to see: The Old North Church, of Paul Revere fame.
Just as we were approaching the church, a group of cyclists went by. Cycling is a great way to get around Boston.
This plaque is on the Old North Church. Do you know how many lanterns were on display that night, and for how long?
The Old North Church is quite tall and an impressive structure when viewed from the street.
As was continued walking down Salem Street, we saw typical alleys such as this. These streets date from times before the automobile.
As we were walking along, Hui-chen took some shots of the interesting architecture, since we don’t have buildings like these in Taiwan.
We continued down Salem Street in the direction towards Boston downtown. I had some place in mind to show Hui-chen.
More architecture photos.
On the right is a famous North End bakery: Bova’s, open 24 hours! Our article is geotagged here.
Bova’s was there in the early late 70′s and early 80′s when I lived in this neighborhood. I used to love stopping there on my way home to get some Italian pastries like cannolis, and almond cookies. Bova’s is under the same family management as always, and they graciously allowed us to photograph the display case contents for our readers!
The first 2 cases are cookies and bread products. The photos do not do the items justice!
These are the more famous items they make. On the second row center, there are various types of cannolis starting with lemon filling on the left, chocolate chips on the vanilla filling just to the right of the lemon, and then we see some chocolate shells all the way to the right. I’m telling you, everything in this case is beyond description.
This is the left side of that same case above.
In the center shelf, on the left side are lobster tails, which are stuffed with the most delicious cream filling you’ve ever tasted.
The right side of the above case.
These are calzones stuffed with all sorts of excellent ingredients.
Bova’s even makes pizza, by the slice. Great for taking some with you on a walk into Boston.
Bova’s also features deli meats and can make you a sandwich on their famous bread, baked right there.
Needless to say, Hui-chen and I got a healthy sampling of offerings from Bova’s and took them with us!
Another shot of the outside of Bova’s. If you visit the North End, you must go there!
Hui-chen and I walked back to the car and decided to head over to Hanover Street, where the restaurants are.
Parking was difficult, but we managed to find a place and then proceeded on foot to find a restaurant.
We settled on the Cafe Pompei.
The decor of the Cafe Pompei is nice.
First up, soup of the day: minestrone.
Next, my Chicken Parm with spaghetti.
Hui-chen’s spaghetti bolognese.
Despite some bad reviews (which we did not know about at the time) we found the Cafe Pompei to be quite good, and we’ve traveled to quite a few countries together, enjoying the food along the way. In between courses, we ate some of the items we bought from Bova’s Bakery. No one complained. Behind us, people were conversing in Italian. It was easy to forget that we were in Boston.
After a fine meal at the Cafe Pompei, Hui-chen and I decided to walk around a bit more, but….
Suddenly the floodgates of the heavens opened up and it started pouring!
Photos by Hui-chen & MJ Klein, including food photos.
Former field engineer MJ Klein now lives in Taiwan, and writes articles that primarily feature photographs of travels of MJ and wife Hui-chen, plus daily goings on in the bustling island nation of Taiwan, and other places in Asia. Articles feature people, culture, food, situations and sometimes the trials and tribulations of traveling in places such as China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos and of course Taiwan.
