A Content-Batching Trip Turned Boston, Mass. Appreciation Post

Welcome back to The Next, New You!  Thank you for joining us again for another bi-weekly blog post.  Today, we’re sharing our experience in the North-End of Boston, Mass.  Although AKCstyle is not based too far from Boston, (we’re in Framingham, Mass.), we still enjoy visiting familiar locations within the city through the eyes of a local. 

Among the list of our priorities for the weekend is walking alongside the waterfront, stopping to take in the sights of the sailboats and yachts alike, and of course taking time for Italian food and fresh seafood.

As much as traveling to the North-End includes a much needed mini-vacation, our visit to this section of the city isn’t all for fun and games.  The main reason for our trip is for an annual session of content-batching.  Unable to travel for our 2020 fall essentials video series, this trip more than made up for lost time.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “content-batching”, here’s a brief definition according to the social media planning company Later: “Content batching is a productivity technique where you create all of your captions or visual content during a set period of time.”

We have been producing content through batching at AKCstyle for over a year.  It’s done wonders for us!  Being able to spend a few days creating a month’s worth of future posts for our blog, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest continues saving us time and energy.

To tune into our harbor side adventures from our trip, be sure you’re following along @akcstyle across all our social channels.  View our “Boston” highlights on Instagram for a sneak peek of everything.

Since this trip is mainly about content creation, we’re intentionally overpacking.  First off, all our creature comforts and essentials for a busy weekend of photo shoots and filming short-form videos are loaded into the car.  Just a few of our essentials include a cozy fleece blanket, Lysol wipes, tons of snacks, herbal-tea, and a cooler full of water bottles. 

Next, an oversized suitcase full of clothes, shoes, jewelry, camera equipment, our trusty ring-light, a few props, and makeup are thrown in the backseat.  Although necessary for us, we don’t recommend you doing the same level of packing for your next trip. 

Boston is a place which lends itself to a casual and laid-back aesthetic.  So, it’s not too difficult to pack light.  Packing cotton tees, denim jeans, one to two pairs of shoes, and one to two jackets are all you need for your weekend getaway to any part of the city.

If you’re planning on travelling in the winter or summer months, your packing list will need to be updated.  However, to plan for ideal weather, we prefer the fall months of September and October for a visit to Boston.  The weather this time of year couldn’t be more perfect for a walking tour, late night adventure, or early-morning jog (if you’re into that type of thing). 

The theme of your packing list for a trip to Boston should be, “Things That Don’t Easily Wrinkle”.  If you can roll-up your tops and pants military style, you’ll easily be able to save space for souvenirs for the return trip home.

Continue reading for your complete packing list for your future trip to our favorite Massachusetts city.

As a local visiting the North End, the sights, and attractions most travel sites recommend like the Paul Revere House, the Freedom Trail, Hanover St., and Old North Church, are more like via points than final destinations.  Instead, we set our sights on the everyday activities of the residents in the area. 

As the sun sets over the harbor, the narrow streets adjacent from the waterfront quickly empty out.  Residents returning home after a busy Saturday full of errands are unloading trunks full of groceries, furniture, and plants.  Some even look like they may be moving into new apartments leased for the coming fall semester, or possibly moving-in to start new careers in a new city. 

Among the residents, small groups of two or three people pass by occasionally, looking like they’re on the way to a local bar for a casual night out.  They bob-and-weave between parked cars as they j-walk across the streets and do their best to avoid clusters of tourists meandering through the streets aimlessly.

A few blocks away from where Paul Revere’s legacy is immortalized, tourists stop every two feet to take photos with brick residential buildings as their backgrounds.  Runners, joggers, and walkers stop on the sidewalks to take selfies with their leashed dogs as the sun continues setting on the horizon. 

Seeing strangers’ full faces after so long hiding behind masks, causes pause, allowing appreciation for this sight.  The wide bike lanes situated between clean sidewalks and busy roadways stay active, even past sunset. 

As we walk back to our hotel, bellies full of a fantastic entrée of Penne al Vodka, the cool ocean breeze delicately knocks curly brown leaves from the trees around us.

Even though the intention of this brief trip started solely as a content-batching mission, it turned into something else.  This trip made us take note of this new world we’re all trying to navigate post-2020. 

What’s the best part about Boston, you ask? 

We think it’s the small-town vibe you feel when you’re here.  Despite having many neighborhoods, zip-codes, area-codes, and diverse groups of people, we always find the small-town culture persists.  No matter how much time passes between visits.

If you enjoyed this post, we think you’ll love our recaps about our trips to Nantucket, Mass.  Check out Nantucket Round One & Nantucket Round Two for all our island recommendations.

Be sure to pin our packing list to your travel board on Pinterest and follow along on Instagram @akcstyle for all our photos from the North-End.

Stay Well!

-Ashleigh

Here are a few places to visit and take in the sights of the North-End:

The Battery Wharf Hotel

The Bell in Hand

Rocco’s Cucina and Bar

Joe’s Waterfront

Café Amalfi