It's October in Boston and the RedSox are in the playoffs. I must get there to root, root, root for the home team! Well it just so happens that Bob is able to scare up some tickets for the series opener against the Yankees, so GAME ON! Literally.

I've decided to try a new hotel in the Seaport area, The Envoy. It's supposed to be funky, with a good restaurant and one of Boston's best rooftop bars. Good enough for me. The Envoy is a member of Marriott's Autograph Collection, upscale and independently owned boutique-type places. Why not, I say? We'll Uber over to Fenway and then Uber ourselves back. Decision made. Oh, and I made lunch reservations at their Outlook Kitchen. My son and his adorable girlfriend are joining us. I managed to score them some standing-room-only Green Monster seats for the game. It's gonna be fun!

The Rooftop Bar does not open until 4pm, so I head to the lobby bar to wait for the kids, who arrive and seem ready to go. We make an executive decision to cancel the lunch reservations at the hotel and head across the street to The Barking Crab, a Boston institution. This place has been around forever. Looks like lunch will be lobster at a picninc table. I'm into it!

Bob, however, is not into it. We consider The Daily Catch, another Boston institution, but Bob kills that idea too. Been there, done that. The bartender saves the day by suggesting Row 34, an upscale seafood place just a quick walk from the hotel along the waterfront. We have a plan.

Eventually we turn onto Congress Street and promptly arrive at Row 34. It looks promising! Piles of iced seafood plus a great menu. We go with some oysters (of course), some shrimp sliders with chipotle, cucumber and mint (amazing), lettuce cups with crispy oysters and pickled vegetables (also amazing) and some type of smoked salmon mousse/tartare thing with toast points, pickled onion and dipping sauce (delicious). The beer and wine selection is outstanding as well. The bartender at the Envoy did right by us. Row 34 also has a Portsmouth NH location, by the way.

After lunch we go our separate ways. The kids head back to their new apartment in town to walk the dog and we head back to the hotel to kick back before heading over to the park. Bob does some work and I get some beauty rest until game time. Finally it is time to go.

Ahhhh, friendly Fenway Park, complete with the sights and sounds of baseball. Vendors hawking their wares, the smell of cooking sausages and stale beer! While I love Yawkey Way, we make our way towards the EMC Club Bar to meet my brother and have some more family time! The EMC Club is also our favorite place to grab a burger or lobster roll, but we decide to save our appetite for the suite where we will be hosted. People-watching here, by the way, is always a treat, as you are almost guaranteed to see local celebrities, sports figures and maybe an announcer or two.

Well, we have a night as we always do, the Sox squeak out a 5 - 4 victory. Time to call it a night. We will do some more exploring of the Seaport area in the morning before heading back to New Hampshire. Our hotel awaits.

The next morning is a little overcast but still pleaant, so we decide to head out, do a little more exploring and maybe catch some brunch before heading home to Jack the dog. We set out and promptly Bob finds a men's clothing store which catches his eye, Peter Millar. Like a moth to a flame, he goes in. This is gonna take some time, I can tell, so I stick my head out the door to take a few more photos. Lots of people getting coffee, walking their dogs. It is pretty residential if you have millions of dollars to spend on a condo. The woman at the clothing store gives us a few brunch tips, so when Bob eventually complets his shopping, we head towards Gather.

Gather is a full service restaurant and bar inside District Hall, which claims to be the world’s first free-standing innovation center. The hall is designed for hosting events and meetings in Boston’s bustling Seaport District, and today is no exception. They are selling tickets to the 4th Annual "Brunch Battle", where 8 local restaurants will compete for the best brunch dish, with proceeds going to charity. Neat! Except it does not start for an hour and we are hungy now. So we sit at the bar and grab a menu. And then I see it. The most ridiculous brunch item ever and I am gonna have it: Tater Tot Poutine. This thing gets a picture all of its own.

I have never had poutine, and I can't remember the last time I ate Tater Tots, but the tots were perfectly done, covered in pulled pork (sans barbcue sauce) and then drizzled in a light cheese sauce and garnished with some chopped chive. It is delicious beyond my wildest dreams! And then I decide to order an egg over easy and put it on top. I get about 1/3 of the way through the whole thing and take the rest home. Just fantastic! Bob has a breakfast sandwich which is great, but boring in comparison. All in all, outstanding! There is probably some champagne involved as well, just sayin'.

By now this Brunch Battle has begun and I decide to walk through and see what it is all about. Basically, (8) local restaurants, includimg Gather, prepare one brunch dish to go against the others. Proceeds go towards a local charity, Community Servings, which provides meals to people recovering from catastrophic or chronic illness. This all sounds fabulous, so I do a quick peruse of the room to see these competing dishes. The first thing I come across is "The Boozy Donut", a donut infused with alcohol. Check these things out!!

Other entrees include breakfast tacos, chicken and waffles and a few other concoctions, but those donuts are gonna be hard to beat.

Well our brunch comes to a close and we head back to the hotel to gether our things. Never did make it to that rooftop bar, maybe another time. All in all, a great trip to Boston, and staying at the Seaport was great! Next time I will choose yet another hotel, but the Envoy was comfortable and a fun change of scenery, well-located with efficient service. I would recommend it! And, GO SOX!!