You read that correctly, car service startup, Uber, is offering free taxi rides in Boston (up to $25 in value) when requested through their app from 5 a.m. Tuesday (today) until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
“No strings — all someone has to do is signup for Uber and they can take as many taxi rides for free as they’d like through Thursday,” Uber’s Boston general manager Michael Pao said in an email. More information about their promotion is here.
Later this week, Boston will host the first Food Truck Throwdown. All the details about this free event are clearly posted above but if you have additional questions, check out the event website foodtruckthrowdown.com.
Rainfall didn’t arrive until later in the day on Sunday so I went to check out this large one-day festival. Cooking demonstrations, food to sample and for sale as well as lots of entertainment and good people watching filled this four block festival along the Rose Kennedy Greenway park. 
Local shops like Southie’s American Provisions and local farmers had all sort of locally grown food and drink. Unfortunately, the weather was gloomy so I was happy when I bumped into the sun at the festival.
The variety of stalls selling so many products made me think twice about how easy it can be to buy from local and sustainable sources.
Want to find out more about this annual festival and the organization that makes this possible? Check out the event website, here.
Click on image to enlarge
The third annual Boston local food festival will take place along Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway on Sunday from 11AM to 5PM. The festival which attracted more than 30,000 last year addresses the virtues of locally grown and produced food and strives to increase accessibility and availability of healthy local food for all.
You can get more details about this free festival by visiting the event website, bostonlocalfoodfestival.com.
Cocktail enthusiasts rejoice! The Boston Cocktail Summit, the first-ever city-wide cocktail event will take place October 4-6, 2012.
Part convention, part festival, the 3-day celebration known as The Boston Cocktail Summit features Boston’s cocktail culture and highlights the city’s fascinating history of mixology, breweries, wineries, and distilleries, while offering educational programs for professionals and amateurs alike. All told there are approximately 75 official events.
The Boston Phoenix does an excellent job helping thirsty summit goers figure out what is available in their article Booze Your Own Adventure.
Want to learn more? Purchase tickets to one of the events? Visit the event website, BostonCocktailSummit.com.
The way this guy was jumping, twirling and scaling walls made me wonder if he was channeling Spiderman. I wish I could do this, but I’d probably end up on a stretcher going to the hospital.
Jazz Fest includes Paula Cole, Bela Fleck, Lyne Carrington and more than 20 other acts Saturday from 12 – 6pm
Boston’s biggest block party takes place on Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Columbus Avenue between Mass Ave and Burke Street in Boston’s South End – and it is FREE!
Paula Cole featuring Kevin Barry is scheduled to perform at 2:15 on the Natix Global Asset Management Stage on the Carter Playground.
This year, the festival celebrates women in jazz, featuring free performances by some of the genre’s most acclaimed female artists. According to the website, previous festivals have drawn 80,000 jazz enthusiasts. More info about Jazz Fest here.
My good friend and fellow blogger over at You Think You Know clued me in to a new local business called Bell Tower Foods (BTF).
Formed by young professionals who met at Boston University’s School of Public Health, this group is passionate about encouraging healthy eating habits and fighting obesity so they have created the city’s first mobile grocery vehicle.
Think of it as a healthy grocery store on wheels
Really cool, right? Want to learn more? Check out their website, belltowerfoods.com. You can also like their facebook page, here.
This past weekend I saw The SpeakEasy Stage production of The Mother-F**ker with the Hat. The attention grabbing and funny name is appropriate for this Tony-nominated play. Performed without intermission, the show is divided into nine scenes. The highly charged and dramatic vignettes are laced with witty lines that drew consistent and hearty laughs from the entire audience.
Cousin Julio proves to be the most lovable character and delivers some of the most humorous lines. However, one unintentional funny moment that caught my attention occurred when Ralph D (played by Maurice Emmanuel Parent) was standing stark naked stage left and Veronica (played by Evelyn Howe) was talking stage right. Looking out at the audience I noticed nearly every man’s head remained stage left on Ralph D. I should note that I happened to see the play on “Out Night” when it seemed as if half the South End was in the room. Do yourself a favor and call the box office today to reserve tickets to this show. You’ll enjoy watching this as much as you will talking about it. Plus, its fun to tell people the name of the play when they inquire what you saw.
From left: Jaime Carrillo, Maurice Emmanuel Parent, and Alejandro Simoes from the SpeakEasy Stage Company production of “The Motherf**ker with the Hat,” Photo: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo.
The SpeakEasy Stage production runs through Saturday, October 13th so hurry to get tickets by phone at 617.933.8600 or online here.
Last year at this time Smith & Wollensky opened their second location in Fort Point Channel at Atlantic Wharf. The restaurant is large – 10,000 sq feet – complete with an outdoor patio near the water and oyster bar. A working lunch with colleagues is what brought me to Smith & Wollensky (sometimes my job has great perks).
The staff was very helpful through out, making the entire experience pleasurable. Smith & Wollensky’s lunch menu includes more than a dozen starters ranging from smoked Clam Chowder – $9 to an appealing looking tuna crudo on Himalayan Salt Block – $17 (mental note to try that on my next trip). Salads, sandwiches, seafood and of course their filet mignon as well as other red meat classics round out the lunch menu options.
I opted to carb overload by indulging in their flat bread of the day – $12. The flatbread was topped with cheese, tomatoes, arugula and grilled sirloin and served on a long wooden cutting board. It was extremely satisfying, and the flatbread served as a trusty vessel holding the toppings as I piled piece after piece into my mouth. I’m not a steak house guy, but I really liked dining there and think you will too.
The annual Allston Street Fair takes place this Sunday between Brighton Avenue and Cambridge Street from 12-6pm. Never been? Expect a vibrant mix of families and college students who come together to enjoy delicious food, enjoy music from local bands, see / buy artists and craftspeople’s creations. This years the fair has a Mardi Gras theme.
More information about the free fair here.
Looks like the Mayor and the Boston Redevelopment Authority just approved a cool new mixed use building in space that is currently occupied by a parking lot in my neighborhood, the South End.
Located at 275 Albany Street, the development includes a 3-story parking garage, 19-story residential tower, and a 11-story hotel. I have no idea what micro style rooms means, but I’m just happy it will bring more people to the neighborhood. The development will be just one block away from the Ink Block.
More about this project and others approved by the city of Boston here.
Opus Affair is a social group who meet each month around town. They are a diverse group who share an appreciation for the arts community in Boston and want to see it grow and thrive.
Never been to an Opus Affair event? No worries, its a friendly group of people who range in age and profession, but all agree that going out, sharing a cocktail and chatting with people is the perfect way to spend a Monday evening.
Tonight’s Affair: Forum at 755 Boylston Street from 6-9PM
Come on your own or bring a friend
Yesterday was the 23rd Boston Freedom Rally. This annual event has grown in popularity and the 2012 event on the Boston Common attracted more than 50,000. I made my annual trek to the event to walk around and people watch. There was a definite haze of smoke from the tens of thousands who were lighting up, but the crowd was friendly and subdued (with the exception of the speakers). It always strikes me as funny how these impassioned speakers try to rile up a stoned crowd.
Most appeared to be enjoying a beautiful day outside with their friends. Aside from the speakers, the festival included many items for sale, live music and of course plenty of food for everyone to fend off munchies.
Source: Purple Shamrock facebook page
Instead of lamenting the passing of the Purple Shamrock, The Glynn Hospitality Group, which owns the Purple Shamrock, hosted an Irish Wake today. An empty casket, trailed by bag pipers paraded from The Black Rose Pub to a final resting place inside the Purple Shamrock.
Only in Boston are pubs elevated so highly. I missed the wake but from what I understand, despite taking place during the middle of the day, it was well attended. I’ve not been to The Shamrock in quite a few years, but it does have the distinction of being where I celebrated my 21st birthday (all those years ago).
Sláinte Purple Shamrock
BosGuy 