Taste Life Twice: Boston Excursion

So since the last soup entry subject matter, I took a trip to Boston. It wasn't my first time there, but the only things I remember from my first trip, which lasted about 2 days, was the Firsts:

First time at Dunkin' Donuts
First time at a Mongolian-style grill

Other than that, I was with my cousin and helping her move, sort of. So THIS time, even though I was dealt a rough hand of cards in how I arrived and with whom (for work and with no one), I adjusted my thinking cap and thought I wasn't going to cry over spilt milk-- I was going to go out and taste the cheese!
Or oysters, as it were...

At the lovely Neptune, Oyster Bar Extraordinaire. Apparently one of the "it" places. You know, the kind that makes you wait outside for 45 minutes to an hour, just because. Except that I knew the concierge at the Ritz, so he called ahead, and even 45 minutes later (I walked), the seat was held just for me. Another first!

Other highlights (which I can't manage to get near or wrap around the photos, so you'll just have to guess the description that fits the photo):

Bova's Bakery bread, which lasted in its paper bag in another plastic one for several days while still maintaining crazy levels of freshness, both crumb and crust. Something an unreasonable person might kill to get the secret of.
Macaroons. Not the French-so-called, scone-like, coconut-festooned versions you may have seen around in American bakeries. No, sir: the kind that have a mysterious ability to be chewy and fragile and the least bit sticky, and with a pleasant crispness to the outside. The photo is of a pistachio specimen.
Pastries in the North End, Boston's Italian neighborhood. Ok, so maybe everything in the North End was a highlight. It was like a landed in the frickin' Godfather! There was a saint festival, with an icon, with lights, with singing, at night! It was awesome. I spied these clam-shaped pastries which looked so fun, but turned out to be filled with a sickly-sweet cream that kind of made you want to stop after 3 bites, but there was So. Much. More. Ohhh...
Gelato Italiano: Cinnamon! I found a very good substitute for the Cinnamon Ice Cream of my dreams, otherwise known to be that of a certain Berlin establishment, also extant in the Netherlands, called Australian Ice Cream. Divine. Anyway, THIS stuff was also top-notch, and benefited a homeless shelter-services agency to boot. That like, erases the guilt of the calories, right?
Finally, best for last: cannoli so fresh you see the shells being filled in front of your eyeballs, at the street festival! Very yummy. By the way, is it trying to tell me something with that logo: "Very Agile" i.e. You Will Not Be If You Eat Too Many?? Hmm.