Haute Secrets Boston: Rebecca Pacheco

Photo Credit: Rebecca Pacheco

Yoga has been taken to a new level in Boston (literally) when Rebecca Pacheco decided to take her classes to the Rooftop Pool at The Colonnade Hotel. She got her start when she was just 16 when yoga was not as popular as it is today. “Studios didn’t exist back then,” Pacheco said. “It was rare for a teen like me to have an interest in yoga. When I went my first time, all of the other participants were senior citizens. It was an unlikely circumstance, but I felt incredibly welcome and stuck with it.”

Photo Credit: Rebecca Pacheco

Pacheco’s classes are always fresh, welcoming, inspiring and challenging. “Yoga requires a different way of moving in a new way that is fun for people,” she said. “The Colonnade Hotel reached out to me and it has been a fabulous partnership. Last spring, they renovated the rooftop pool and were open to creative ideas. Yoga was a great fit and it has been such a success from day one. It’s a beautiful space and gives students a nice treat in a staycation way. You can take my class for $15 and stay for the day for $35 at the pool. If you go to the beach from Boston, it’s quite an endeavor. Here, you can stay, read, eat and relax. It’s a really nice gem that some Bostonians are just learning about through yoga.”

We caught up recently with the popular yoga teacher, writer, former master teacher at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute and author of Do Your Om Thing: Bending Yoga Tradition to Fit Your Modern Life to find out what she loves most about Boston.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Pacheco

Where were you born?
Falmouth, MA

How long in Boston?
Since graduating college in Virginia. It’s been 14 years, so I feel like a full-fledged Bostonian now.

Where do you live now?
The South End.

Occupation?
Author, yoga teacher, entrepreneur.

Favorite Restaurant:
Coppa

Best Sushi:
Uni

Best dessert:
Flour Bakery

Best place for a romantic date:
Oleana

Best Sunday brunch:
I’m self-employed, and Sunday is my Monday. I love the idea of brunch. As a concept. But it just doesn’t happen in my life.

Best place for a power business meeting:
Depends what kind of business you’re doing… I like the Bristol Lounge for the serious stuff and colder seasons, but I tend to favor more casual spots that suggest a friendly, collaborative vibe, like Trident Booksellers & Café. It also never hurts to hold a business meeting in a place that sells your book.

If you have out of town guests, which hotel would you recommend?
The Colonnade. It’s an ideal location and perfect upscale experience without ever being stuffy.  I love their willingness to think outside the box—by approaching me to teach rooftop yoga, for example.  They always impress me.

Favorite shopping venue/boutique:
For athletic gear, I have to say my future husband’s run specialty stores, South End Athletic Company and Heartbreak Hill Running Company.  For the rest, I like Anthropologie, J. Crew, Nordstrom’s The Rack, All Saints, and Diane Von Furstenberg. I’d like to be a fly on the wall in one of her power business meetings…

Best place to buy Jewelry:
Jewelry: Hefez & Sons. We just picked out our wedding bands there and truly had a blast. Beautiful people, impeccable service, exquisite jewelry.  For everyday stuff, try M. Flynn.  I just received the most amazing bracelet for my birthday from there.  It’s solid brass and fashioned out of the device used to measure lobsters.  It’s appropriately called “The Keeper” bracelet.  My fiancé, Dan, gave it to me before a weekend getaway in Maine.  It was so fitting!  You have to pronounce it “keepah,” though;)

Watches:
Lux, Bond, & Green. I favor men’s watches, and they are the best in terms of selection but, also, maintenance.

Best Spa:
Bella Sante

Favorite Charity Event:
I have two that are close to my heart.  Night of 1,000 Stories by 826 Boston.  This year’s guest of honor was David Eggers.  I mean—for a literary crowd—where do you go from there?  And Yoga Reaches Out’s annual Yogathon.  Full disclosure: I’m the emcee.  Fuller disclosure: it’s the biggest, best yoga event in New England.  It happens in April.  Mark your calendars now.

Favorite Cultural Event:
Boston Ballet.

Favorite Cultural Institution:
Boston Public Library.  The lions, the ceilings, Bates Hall… it’s heaven to me.

Best Steakhouse:
I don’t eat meat. I have failed you here.

Best Pizza:
Picco. They also have amazing salads.

Best Gym/Athletic Facility:
Equinox. No contest.

Best Massage:
Wendy at Equinox.

Best Driving Service:
My Linus bicycle.

Best Museum/Exhibit:
Isabella Stewart Gardner if you’re feeling timeless.  ICA if you’re feeling edgy.

Favorite historic/legendary place to see or explore:
Commonwealth Avenue during the holidays, alight with a tunnel of twinkling trees down the middle.

Describe Boston in three words:
Smart, sporty, and discerning.

All-around favorite locale in Boston, whether a neighborhood, restaurant, venue, or other:
The Charles River. Its views, especially at sunrise or sunset, never get old.  Runners, in particular, understand this.

Best aspect of Boston:
What I love most about Boston is its self-possession.  We are who we are.  We own it.  There are plenty of bigger cities with better weather, maybe lower rent, or nicer drivers, but there’s a sense, here, that if you’re a Bostonian, you earned it.  We like it that way.