Columbia has a few road-trip worthy neighboring cities. They’ve got St. Louis, which is always good for a Cardinals game (that is, if you’re sophomoric enough to cheer for a second-rate team–just a joke coming from a die-hard Cubs fan). And there’s always the Plaza in Kansas City, which is perfect for a shopping day trip. However, both of these locations pale in comparison to Boston, the best day trip near New York City.

My fellow travellers (Matt and Zach) and I boarded the Boston-bound Fung Wah bus in Chinatown at 7:30 am. Three hours and a brief stop in Connecticut later, we arrived in Boston without a map or any direction beyond a Post-It note of scribbled ideas of places to visit. Once we found a map of the subway, we were set.

First stop: a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery. After thirty minutes of babble from an unenthusiastic tour guide, we sat in the small bar set up so we could taste samples. That’s were the fun began. We tested the famous Boston Lager, the Summer Ale, and Boston Ale among young couples, families, and a rowdy bachelor party group. And we got a free key chain!

Then it was off to the Cheers Bar, the inspiration for the hit TV show. What a disappointment! Slow service, decent food and an attitude of we-don’t-have-to-act-nice-because-tourists-will-always-pack-the-place made it just bearable. The highlight of our meal was thinking that the kid sitting a table over from us was wearing a Mizzou hat. Our biggest disappointment (besides the food)? It was a Michigan hat.

Then we moved on to Fenway Park. On the sub ride over, we encountered a paranoid (and probably schizophrenic) woman wearing a raincoat who babbled to us for the entire ride. Once we got off the subway and away from the nutso woman, we saw huge crowds surrounding the stadium. Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow were performing that night, and the crowds of soccer moms and hip high schools made it difficult to see the ballpark. The parts we saw, however, were historic and beautiful. We were half-tempted to grab a pair of scalped tickets for the concert, but we had a conscience a Post-It note itinerary to follow.

And besides, we couldn’t skip our last stop, Harvard. Forgive me if I begin to gush about Harvard. Basically, I’m in love with it’s beauty, history and academic attitude. They had me at hello. To get onto the campus, we walked through an archway with the words, “Enter to grow and learn.” We walked among shady trees and red bricked columned buildings, and I felt intelligent the entire time, despite the fact that we had no clue where we were wandering. As to not let the people around us think we weren’t students, Zach and I joked that we were going to be students in the fall with comments like, “Oh Zach, there’s my dorm!” or I would ask him if he was in my 8am chemistry class and he replied, “Oh no, I’m in advanced chemistry.” We then shunned Matt for choosing Yale over Harvard. It sure is fun to act snooty and smart while walking through Harvard. To prove the fact that we were definitely going to be students there, we had to stop at their bookstore, The Coop, to buy Harvard insignia items. Of course, we had to walk through a three-story bookstore to get there. Harvard is lovely, and I can’t wait to attend school there in the fall. (I just won’t let the dream die, sorry.)

Even if I don’t attend Harvard, I know I will be back to visit again soon. Boston is beautiful. It’s clean, uncluttered, and inviting. It’s history and modernity are impressive, and I cannot wait to return (and try some Boston Creme Pie).