Being that I live off lists, find satisfaction in checking boxes and act as the family chef, it is no surprise I came on this trip with a list of foods I wanted to track down while traveling throughout New England and parts of Canada.

To my surprised delight, we exited our hotel in Cambridge and bumped right into the entrance of Legal Seafood. Legal Seafood first opened in 1950 and has set the standard for quality sea food for the decades that followed.

Starving and needing some fuel for our walk to Harvard Yard we dipped inside and enjoyed fried shrimp, crab cakes, and from the list:

• New England Clam Chowder… check
• Raw Oysters fresh from the waters on the Massachusetts coast… check

Mom and dad washed it all down with some red ale from Cambridge Brewery.

Off to a great start!