Provincetown’s annual holiday celebration, Holly Folly, starts tonight. Festivities include traditional caroling to the more eye popping Speedo run down Commercial Street.
All the fun starts tonight with parties at both Purgatory and A-House from 9PM – 1AM. Saturday includes the Speedo run, Holiday drag bingo, and multiple sing alongs. The party concludes on Sunday at Purgatory with a leather dance party. For the full list of events visit the website at ptown.org/holly-folly.
He might not be furry enough for some of my most faithful “Furry Friday” readers, but I think he pulls off the shirtless suspender look like a pro.
Two weeks from tonight I will be boarding a plane to fly to Brazil where I will spend the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. This will be the first time in several years that I will be in Brazil for the Christmas holiday and while I’ll miss the holiday traditions Sergio and I have made for ourselves here in Boston, I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and time with my in-laws.
Simon Dunn is an out and proud Olympian who competes in the winter sport, bobsledding. He joins a small but growing group of athletes who in recent years have stepped forward while competing. Simon and his peers are debunking gay stereotypes in their respective sports and in doing so making it easier for others to come out of the closet as well.
Simon’s photographs have been making the round on gay websites since he came out so initially I held off posting until a friend and reader, Jim L., reached out suggesting Simon as a future Furry Friday. Truth be told, I think Simon would make for a perfect Temptation, Tuesday, Furry Friday, Bonus Fur or Scruffy Sunday post but in the end I wanted to feature him on his own. You can also follow him on Instagram here, instagram.com/bobsleighsimon or on Twitter where he is relatively new, twitter.com/bobsleighsimon.
Thank you Jim for the suggestion.
Click on image to enlarge.
I had to laugh last month when I was reading a UK blog I enjoy perusing from time to time when I stumbled upon this quote, “Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it’s one of the best…”
It is unclear to me if the blogger nabbed that from another of if that was their own words. Regardless it made me laugh. I’m sure there are plenty who read this blog who would probably agree with his sentiments.
Photo Credit: Michael von Redlich/MvR Photography
Tomorrow night Ryan Landry and The Gold Dust Orphans open with a new production for their annual holiday theatrical show at the Ramrod Performing Arts Centre in the Fenway.
Jesus Christ, It’s Christmas runs from Thursday, December 4th through Sunday December 21st (a 3 week limited engagement!) Tickets are currently on sale with general admission pricing approximately $43 and reserved seating approximately $53. For more information about this musical based on the 1947 classic, “The Bishop’s Wife” and to purchase tickets follow the link below.
Tagged BosGuy, Boston Guy, Gold Dust Orphans, Ryan Landry, Theater
Have you seen Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker? Do you love a bargain? Then you are going to love the fact that The Welcoming Committee (TWC) has secured tickets to the Nutcracker on Tuesday, December 9th. They have 100 seats (first and second row – front balcony) that normally sell for ~$150 each. TWC is selling them as part of their “Takeover the Nutcracker” for $68 each.
Tickets only last while seats remain available so quickly chat with friends or surprise your significant other with tickets to the show. I’ve seen the performance, and I can assure you that if you are not yet in the holiday spirit this show will help get you there. The sets and choreography are aaaaaaahhhmazing.
For more details and to purchase tickets link here.
After the show join TWC for drinks at the Avery Bar at the Ritz Carlton. Shame on you if you’ve not already been and you let this opportunity pass you by.
This Saturday the 15th Annual SSRun will take place in Back Bay; the starting line is at the intersection of Boylston and Gloucester Street.
You may get more details about the run this weekend from their website, www.ssrunners.org.
Don’t worry if you cannot make it to the run as I’ll be creating a video to share with you. If you’ve never been to this annual tradition which is now replicated in cities through out the US and abroad, check out my video from the 2013 run.
Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is firmly in the past, I wanted to post my annual holiday reminder / request to boycott the Salvation Army by not sharing your spare change with the organization. Just outside malls and retail stores around the country are Salvation Army volunteers who will ask for your spare change to help with their charity work.
My annual reminder / request to boycott Salvation Army
I like to remind people that The Salvation Army is an Evangelical Christian group with a homophobic history and leadership. While they do provide meaningful services to the poor there are many organizations who do this as well (without the evangelical bent that preaches Leviticus and how homosexuality is a sin). These other charities would greatly benefit from your support no matter how small the donation.
If you feel the same as I do, you may even consider speaking to the mall / store manager to ask if they would grant the space to a more accepting charity.
Much thanks to Kenneth in the 212 for posting this last month. It gave me a good laugh and called to mind some funny captions that might be appropriate like…
“It was all fun and games until Michael unexpectedly farted.”
Impress me with your creativity and share some funny captions.
Last month I paid a visit to one of the South End’s better wine shops, The Urban Grape. One of their recommended wines was the Sonoma County 2012 Banshee Pinot Noir. While I don’t often purchase Pinot Noir to drink at home, I was still thinking about the delicious 2012 Anthill Farms from Comptche Ridge Vineyard I had at Bar Boulud Boston the week prior.
The Banshee retails for less than half the cost of the Anthill Farms Pinot Noir, making it more accessible and affordable. While I preferred Anthill Farms, for the money it is hard to argue the value of the 2012 Banshee Pinot Noir. The wine has a sweet scent with a hint of dark cherries when you initially pour it and a relatively soft finish. This is an easy wine to drink socially with or without food.
Photo Source: EaterBoston
Bar Boulud Boston opened in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Back Bay in October 2014. The decor is quite different from the previous restaurant and made me think of a wine cellar or wine barrel with the oak coloring and arched ceilings. The bar area has also expanded and is far more comfortable than Mbar.
After reading the Boston Globe’s disappointing review, 2 stars out of 4, I didn’t know quite what to expect but after dining there I think the review was unnecessarily harsh. However, I do agree that Boston’s iteration of Boulud doesn’t live up to the reputation or name. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like my food – quite the contrary, it was very good – it just wasn’t the amazing experience I was expecting.
However, for those eager to try a new high end French restaurant, Bar Boulud should certainly be on your radar. The menu is comprised of House Pates ranging from $14-$23; Fruits De Mer, Soup and Salads which range significantly in price from $12 – $38; Main plates are divided into Pasta, Fish and Meat ranging in price from $17 – $37; and two burgers that seem somewhat out of place unless you might be in the bar are on the dinner menu $17 and $19 respectively.
Salade Provençal $15
My colleagues ordered Foie Gras, Escargots and Oysters. I ordered the Salade Provencal ($15) and while it may seem quite basic, the presentation was beautiful and I really enjoyed the crisp greens, cheese, croutons and anchovy vinaigrette. The table seemed to approve of their choices and when the plates were removed to make space for our main dishes there were only crumbs remaining.
Coq au Vin $29
It was a cold, blustery night when we visited Bar Boulud so I looked to one of the menu’s heartier options and settled on the Coq au Vin for $29. The chicken was rich and flavorful with the red wine, and I used the handmade pasta to absorb and scoop much of that sauce. I love this meal in the winter and while it wasn’t the best I’d ever had, it was good enough that I would encourage others to try it. The aroma of the plate with the chicken, herbs and wine was intoxicating. I suppose it is a testament to my dinner that I was so distracted by the coq au vin that I failed to snap photos of what my colleagues’ ordered.
While I’d recommend Bar Boulud to anyone interested in trying it, the service was at times slow and sloppy (repeatedly spilling water). Nothing that happened was a deal breaker but nothing captured my imagination or lived up to the hype either. Should you go, let me know your thoughts.
Bar Boulud Boston is at 776 Boylston Street (617) 535-8800
I’m not a fan of using traditional travel sites because I can’t always find the cheapest and most convenient travel destinations. However, I do like Google Flights, because it allows me to select dates and shows me the prices of multiple destinations near and far that I can travel to if I just want to get away.
If you find yourself looking for a quick break from winter, I’d suggest you check out Google flights to see what airfares cost from your closest airport. At one glance you will be able to see airfares to multiple destinations in the US, Caribbean and beyond.
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