Boston Day 2, New Year's Day, Newbury & Chinatown ~ Boston New Year's Day Things To Do
Updated: May 14
Thursday, January 1st, 2026
We woke at the crack of dawn to get our day started and fit in as much sightseeing as possible! Haha, maybe in my dream world, but of course, like the rest of the world, we slept in on New Year's Day after staying up to ring in the New Year and recover from our long travel days. Timmy was a top-tier host and did get up before all of us to make sure that we had everything we needed. Knowing the lay of the land, I volunteered to wake up earlier to take the first bathroom shift to shower.
It was nice to feel clean and refreshed, and the only thing that could wake me up to the perfect level was some coffee. With his coffee set up, Timmy made a homemade latte which I'd been looking forward to! We also went to pick up breakfast for the crew while we waited for them to shower. I had the request for PopUp Bagels as I knew they had a vegan cream cheese, so for vibes, I joined Timmy, taking the train one stop south, picking up the piping hot bagels to bring them back to the apartment to try.
PopUp Bagels is a popular New York bagel spot, known for getting an unsliced, hot bagel that you rip and dip into a tub of cream cheese. The warm, soft bagel was so delicious and the vegan cream cheese made it better. We got poppy seed, sesame seed, everything, and salt bagels. We got extra bagels for the following morning which was genius, as we ate out every meal so it saved us a trip.
We finally got moving out of the apartment around 11 AM and headed to Newbury as I was the only one that got to see it yesterday. Timmy recommended that we buy the unlimited rides public transport pass for the week and thank goodness we did because we surely got our money's worth out of it. We took the train everywhere, and I adored that.
We started checking off our Boston New Year's Day things to do - commencing at a cafe called the Thinking Cup to get another caffeine boost. Thinking Cup was a cozy cafe with quality coffee and a must-stop on a Boston cafe crawl. From there, we went to Newbury Street for some shopping. We followed a similar agenda as what Timmy and I had done the day prior, hopping into different stores, bookstores mostly, and walking along the beautiful building facades. We didn't really think through what it would mean it being a holiday, but a lot of stores ended up being closed. At least half were closed and none of us had expected that to occur.
Because of that, we spent a lot of time walking outside on a very chilly winter day. To get a bit of reprieve from the cold, we stopped at a Michelin-recognized boba shop, and funny enough, they had the door open for repairs so we all kept our coats on to stay warm, customers and staff alike.
It was time again for some food and having originally planned to go to a different food court, we had to pivot because it was closed and we headed to Quincy Hall for lunch. I wasn't in love with the options they had, as it was a lot of seafood, but I found a Mexican place that made a burrito bowl for me. I wasn't a massive fan, I feel like it would have been very fitting, for sure overpriced, to have gotten a lobster roll here.
It might not sound like we did a lot, but I underestimated how many steps we had taken today. We were all wiped from walking around Boston, checking for open stores and shops, and finding closures more often than I'd like to admit. The food comas we were in convinced us to head back to Timmy's apartment and relax before our plans that evening.
The book I am reading is so good (current read: The Secret of Secrets), so I took the time to make progress in my book. The others either napped, edited photos, or had some phone time, the usual afternoon slump activities. But, I reframe it as fuel for a fun evening.
Chinatown in Boston has incredible restaurants, and Timmy picked out a fantastic place for us to try, Fuchun Ju. We ordered family style, and there were a few menu items I could have. I loved the sesame green beans and chef's special tofu. It was both an amazing experience and incredible food, I would highly recommend a stop in Chinatown if you are ever in Boston.
After dinner, we walked around Chinatown to pick up some desserts at the bakeries and we took our sweets to Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar. There was a healthy mix of students studying with a coffee or tea or friends gathered around a table to hang out. I enjoyed the vibe as it was a very casual place to chat outside of the apartment.
By the end of today, I was well acquainted with Newbury and excited to explore more of the city in the days to come.
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