These days best-selling author, and critically acclaimed screenwriter Michele McPhee finds herself spending most of her time in Los Angeles. Don’t let that west coast address fool you though; the 5x Emmy nominated investigative journalist will always truly consider only her beloved ‘Eastie’ home.
WHO wouldn’t want to live on a Massachusetts island? Think salty breezes off the bay, stunning panoramic views, sunsets that bath the inky darkness in a mimosa-colored glow. When I ransacked my meager 401k nearly two decades ago to invest in my own little hideaway, it was on an island most Bostonians had never heard of, at least not by its original name. Over here – well, at least up until recently – the likelihood of running into a gaggle of Chads wearing lobster-emblazoned pink chinos or Staceys wearing spiky heels in the sand, was pretty slim. You can still get a lobster roll for under fifty bucks, not to mention the best old school pizza in the United States.
I am talking about Noddle Island, a critical location for the New England Patriots (the ones with muskets, not footballs) during the Revolutionary War, a hub for master clipper ship builders like Donald McKay, who made some of the fastest vessels in American history. Noddle Island is rich military history, once home to Fort Strong, a monument to the middle finger our forefathers had given to the Brits, after Royalists retreated from our beautiful city on a hill after taking a brutal Boston-style beatdown during the very first “No Kings” day protests.
These days its better known as East Boston, the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood that I call home because, well, it’s got everything that Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard offer to its swarms – great restaurants and water ferries and sail boats – only without the inherent snobbery. East Boston has always been a vibrant, international destination for new immigrants stretching back to when it was our very own Ellis Island, the place where new arrivals disembarked from European ships headed for the Golden Stairs, the final climb to freedom in a new land. And who knew it has long been a literary hub as home to the nation’s first library and the place where renowned 1800’s author Catherine Crowley, who was a pioneer of young adult lit.
Anyone who knows me knows I love Eastie and for good reason. Take the East Boston Greenway for one. This gorgeous morph of green space links our rich six park system – Piers Park and Piers Park II with commanding views of Boston’s skyline, Memorial Stadium, which is home to semi-pro level baseball, football and soccer, Bremen Street Park and its splash pad, the nature trails of Wood Island Bay and Bell Isle Marshes – all linked by a miles-long bike path that loops through the heart of Eastie without ever having to see a city street.
We have a beach. Granted, Constitution Beach and the not-so-soothing roar of jet engines flying overheard doesn’t exactly conjure images of swaying dune grass or lapping ocean waves, but it is a mostly uncrowded place to plop down a beach chair and take a dunk into the Boston Harbor that is easily accessed by the blue line.
And we now even have cultcha with the ICA Watershed, a seasonal – and always free – outpost of the Institute of Contemporary Art, whose main museum is across the harbor in what old Bostonians like me call “new Southie.” I argue, vehemently, that our museum has a much better view, and access to the city’s working shipyard and marina, where one day I am determined to own a little liveaboard houseboat. Not to mention we even have a picturesque tall ship.
Admittedly, Eastie residents have been waiting through two City Hall administrations for a promised boutique hotel on Porter Street (don’t get me started on the political shenanigans that have allowed the site of that project to become an ugly blight on our neighborhood for about a decade). Still an island getaway can be had in Eastie, either by checking into the airport Hyatt with its breathtaking skyline views or doing it staycation style with a multi-day Charlie card. Year-round islanders on the Cape islands can even fly in and take the airport 33 bus to the blue-line Airport stop for a mini vacay that allows for a, well, grittier version of island life, only one with a much better selection of international food.
These days I spend a lot of time working on the left coast, living in a tiny little studio right on Venice Beach. When I come home to my Eastie loft, one of more than 200 in an amazing old brick behemoth – once home to the fabulously-named Goddess Bra Factory before it became a General Electric Lamp Works facility – I feel like I am on vacation, one that doesn’t require a car. It starts from the minute I disembark at Airport station for a walk through Memorial Park with my adorable little banged up dog Vincenzo aka Vinny the Ears.
Eastie lifer Lisa Capogreco, who is the Event Director for the Greenway, puts it this way: “We are separated from the hubbub of the city, but there is always something going on here. The vibrancy is contagious. We are now a destination point.”
Here is a bespoke itinerary for a weekend visit to Noddle Island.
Friday
Drive to Memorial Park, or take the blueline to Airport station, and stroll through either Bremen Street Park or Memorial Park toward world famous Santarpios, a place that Frank Sinatra loved so much he would order pies to be flow to him all over the country. Pack a picnic blanket and enjoy the pizza while watching a Suffolk University baseball game, or a pickup soccer match with players from all over the world yelling in a plethora of languages. Then follow the walking path toward the waterfront for the best views of Boston, anywhere, hands down. Take selfies in Piers Park and end the night at Mida, the fine dining restaurant helmed by Chef Douglass Williams.
Grab sandwiches to go from Maverick Square’s newest hotspot Florenza, famous for its Roman pinsa, before heading out and you will absolutely be writing me social media thank you notes. Better yet, get a shrimp scampi pie at local hang Kelly’s where its owner Johnny Mastrangelo is rife with stories from the boxing ring.
Saturday
Walk up East Boston’s Golden Stairs to experience what it felt like for newly arrived immigrants and take in the views of Boston’s last working shipyard. Wander Jeffries Point, maybe walk through the ICA Watershed and take in the area’s outdoor art, before a visit to the Tall Ship Boston, a sprawling entertainment emporium and floating oyster bar.
Wait in line for a table at Rino’s, which, like the Old Goddess Bra building and its neighboring condo building the Gumball Factory, had served as interior shooting locations for the 1978 classic crime caper film “The Brinks Job,” for the best lobster ravioli known to man.
Grab a coffee at the North End’s Dello Sport in Orient Heights or grab steak tips at its sister eatery, Pazza on Porter. We all love to wait in line ice cream at Slush King.
Sunday
Explore the Harborwalk through Logan Airport. I am serious. Boston’s Logan Airport has spectacular access to the waterfront run by Massport. Get Peruvian ceviche at Rincon Limone in Day Square or an empanada at its Salvadoran neighbor, Pikalo. Rent a bike to take in every bit of Eastie’s unfettered beauty and end the day playing Bocce in Bremen Park. To feel like a local, or at least a transplant who loves Eastie as much as I do, pop by The Quiet Few on Sumner Street, a fancy dive bar on our very own Comm Ave-ish stretch lined with architectural gems, which is also the location for the amazing Koro, the new sushi/ramen joint.
