7:40am If the Common is Boston’s Central Park, then the Rose Kennedy Greenway is our High Line. A patch of modern green parkway along the river, the perfect place to soak up summer. After yoga I follow the greenway to Columbus Park, where I encounter Midsummer foreshadowing: a labyrinth. [more on this next week].

7:55am Coming up is the New England Aquarium, and though it isn’t open yet, the harbor seals are out to play. I stop to watch, and so do many others, a little pre-work meditation it seems. Seal-watching in suits.

8:21am I cut through the Harbor Hotel in its swish sophisticated glory. There’s a bench overlooking the water, so I stop for morning journalling.

8:35am Over to Fort Point Channel, a well-kept secret of an up-and-coming neighborhood. It feels modern and European, with empty brick buildings that are slowly filling up with swanky coffeeshops, offices, and restaurants. I grab an iced chai at Barrington Coffee and work with their wifi.

10:41am Time for a walk to Channel Center. I sit outside with my Graze box before going inside to find Nourish Your Soul, where I’m picking up a juice cleanse I won in a Boston Bloggers raffle. Heading back downtown, first I spot Templeton General, an adorable rustic-urban chic shop in the middle of nowhere, with paper bunting and desk displays. 

10:55am Last stop, Flour Bakery, a Boston favorite, where I sample their vegan chocolate muffin for some more coffeesquatting, reflecting on my adventures of the morning.

There is nothing like a seascape to bring calm to my morning. Even in the city, nature peeks in, waiting to be noticed and enjoyed.

> monday mini adventures: making the most of one’s surroundings through conscious exploration and appreciation 

P.S. Why I write in coffeeshops.