Yesterday was an unseasonably warm day in Boston (I’m talking t-shirt and no-jacket-necessary weather,) which set the tone for a morning of joy and reflection for the Red Sox rolling rally to celebrate their World Series win. While some of my friends opted to get up before dawn to find themselves a spot at Fenway, where the parade began, I was content with getting a couple of extra hours of sleep and then squeezing in between the masses at Government Center right as the parade was getting underway. There, I drank my coffee and talked about the team’s unbelievable season and favorite moments of the series with a few other people who had gathered to watch while we waited for the duck boats carrying the team to come by.

Dropkick Murphys!

After the parade passed by my section on it’s way to the Charles, the crowd eventually dispersed. Some headed off after the duck boats, following along the parade route, and plenty of others began crowding into nearby pubs and restaurants. I decided to walk over to Boylston Street to meet with a few people for lunch. As I approached the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, the overall mood was refreshingly upbeat. Nearly everyone was in Red Sox and Boston Strong garb (myself included,) and lined up outside many of the establishments waiting to get inside, but even those who weren’t- or who just happened to be in the area- were smiling, snapping photos, throwing around some of the confetti left over from the duck boats, talking to & laughing with the numerous police officers milling about on the sidewalk and keeping an eye on everyone by the bars- and even participating in different chants and cheers of enthusiastic (and maybe slightly drunk) parade-goers.

It was just such a nice feeling. Truly the best way to spend a beautiful November morning.