Didn’t have an SO this Valentine’s Day? No problem! Nothing is better than spending V- Day with the most important girls in your life. Not being in a relationship and seeing couples around this time of year can be hard, but honestly, I wouldn’t want to spend my day with anyone but one of my best friends, roommate, and fellow Her Campus Lasell member, Raegan Cleary.
In honor of our first Galentine’s Day together, we decided to go all out, skip a few days of classes, and travel to Albany, N.Y., where I’m from, and attend a concert of one of our favorite bands, Hippo Campus. Not only that, but it was the first time she had come home with me, so I also got to show her around the area that I grew up in and the best local food spots.
On Valentine’s Day, we took a very long bus in from Boston South Station to the station in Albany and were greeted by my mom who picked us up. After that, it was straight to the house to get ready for our concert. For dinner, I wanted to show Raegan a place she hadn’t been to before, so we drove right into the heart of downtown Albany and to Junior’s, a local place with the best burgers and wings.
After dinner, it was straight to the concert area, which was near my local mall. After standing around for a few hours, the Aces, a girl group from Utah, began the show. After that, Sure Sure, an indie group of older men, took the stage. Then finally, at around 10 p.m., Hippo Campus took the stage and Raegan was more than excited. We were practically front row and she was in front of her favorite member, Nathan. I wish I was kidding, but tears were almost shed by her. They played all of our favorite songs and, overall, it was an amazing show.
The next day, I showed her everything that Albany was about, starting with our infamous plaza that features the Albany Egg and NYS Capitol building, and then the New York State Museum. We both love New York City and we’re both huge feminists, so we had a great time viewing the women’s rights and old-time Manhattan sections the museum had to offer. Of course, I had to take her to see the indoor carousel that is always a tourist favorite that we have inside the museum.
After viewing both, I took her to historic Troy, which in my opinion, has the best views of all the historic buildings. Raegan seemed to think so too because she snapped a few pictures.
Overall, we had two extremely busy days, but we were both happy we got to spend Valentine’s Day together and make memories seeing one of our favorite bands, and also exploring the area. No one from school really comes home with me since I live almost three hours away from school, so this was a first, but it was well worth it.