Tag Archives: Boston

South End “Chill Dive” bars

Posted on September 23, 2011 | 2 comments

Earlier this week Matt McQuaid penned in the Boston Globe’s TNGG (The next great generation) 10 Chill Boston Dive Bars. The article which targets Boston’s students and 20-somethings got me to thinking what would be the equivalent for my neighborhood, the South End, which caters to 30- and 40-somethings. I’ve compiled a list based on my personal preferences.  Last month I wrote about some of my favorite S.E. bars, but only one of these would really qualify as a “Chill Dive Bar”.

Anchovies – at 433 Columbus Avenue  – I’m sure regulars may dislike me calling this a “chill dive bar”, but the entire place reminds me of the bar in my grandparent’s  basement.  Filled with regulars and serving good, cheap Italian home style cooking with a TV to catch local games makes this place a fantastic place to chill and relax.

JJ Foley’s Pub –  at 117 E. Berkeley Street – This bar has been in the South End for 99 years.  While the neighborhood has seen a lot of changes, I get the impression the bar has remained fairly consistent.  There’s nothing fancy here and patrons come here precisely for that reason.

Sister Sorel – at 647 Tremont Street – In the past I’ve described this place as “shabby chic” less the “chic”.  This tiny hole in the wall bar is one of the most friendly and cozy places you can belly up to a bar. I’ve made many visits that have extended far longer than anticipated at Sister Sorel.

*If I was cool enough I’d add Wally’s Cafe (427 Chester Square). This jazz bar which features live music 7-days a week has been a mainstay for nearly 65 years in the South End and is nationally recognized.  Despite its acclaim, it remains fairly humble in its nondescript appearance. Don’t be fooled – it’s a gem.

Related Post: My favorite bars in Boston’s South End

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2011 Boston Santa Speedo Run

Posted on September 22, 2011 | 2 comments

With a goal of raising $250,000 the Boston Santa Speed Run opened registration earlier this week only to close in record time.  This fun 1-mile run through Boston’s trendy Back Bay neighborhood in December earns a lot of laughs for both spectators and runners. I’ve included a photo and video from the 2010 Santa Speedo Run.

If you’d like to learn more about this annual run which is now replicated in cities across the US and Canada, you can visit here.

The 2011 charity benefiting from the funds raised in this years race will be Play Ball foundation.  Be sure to mark your calendar to watch, laugh and cheer on the runners on Saturday, December 10, 2011.

 

 

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Posted in Back Bay, Philanthropy

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Welcome to Boston loozah!

Posted on September 21, 2011 | 11 comments

Love or hate Boston its hard to find another city more in love with their sports teams and with good reason.  As the article in ESPN proclaims, Boston is America’s most dominant sports city bar none.  Four teams with seven championship titles in ten years (never mind how many finals Boston teams have been in over the past decade).

Eat your heart out NYC, chew on that LA.  There are few cities in the world that have such a storied history or can point to such an embarrassment of riches with regards to recent success in sports.  I’m sure there are many who don’t care, but it is a point of great pride for me.

To summarize, I’d have to say ‘Wicked Awesome’. Thanks to Kevin from Twitter for bringing this to my attention

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How to survive a Boston winter

Posted on September 20, 2011 | 2 comments

You may not want to think about it, but winter in Boston will be here before you realize it and when it comes to surviving this frigid season, those who plan ahead are best prepared for what will come.

Thanks to Jet Blue which offers more non-stop destinations from Boston than any other airline you can pick from a large number of warm locations to break up the winter doldrums. I’m partial to Puerto Rico and have been making visits there off and on for the past few years.  The photo above is of your’s truly standing in front of an infinity pool on the beach at La Concha Hotel this past February.

Although the weather is still beautiful here in Boston there is no doubt that summer is over and autumn is in full swing.  I find the best way to make it through Boston’s brutal winters is to plan a quick respite for a few nights some place warm. Cheap seats abound for flights in January, February and March if you have some flexibility (hint: airfares on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are cheaper than end of week and weekends).  So book your flights now while cheap seats remain and before the holiday season has you spending more money than you intended.

 

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Boston awakes after its sleepy summer slumber

Posted on September 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

There is nothing better than autumn in Boston.  For those from tropical climates the weather may be a bit brisk for there liking, but there is no doubting that this town comes back to life each fall.  After a sleepy summer where students say so long and residents slip away each weekend to the Cape, Islands and Coast, the fall injects life back into Boston.  As a result, each weekend is chalk full of activities.  This past weekend is the perfect example.

Boston Freedom Rally – Held the third Thursday of every September on the Boston Common is The Boston Freedom Rally which is the second largest rally to legalize marijuana in the United States.  Although official numbers are not available easily more than 100,000 come to enjoy the rally each year.  The photo above provides an idea of the size of the crowd.

MixFest Concert at Hatch Shell – This past Saturday a local radio station hosted a free concert along the Charles River to welcome students back to Boston.  Artists included Lifehouse, Michelle Branch and a host of others, and attracted tens of thousands to the esplanade.

South End Open Studios – The 25th annual celebration which occurred this past Saturday and Sunday included more than 250 artists in Boston and drew tens of thousands of art enthusiasts visiting local artists in their studios and neighborhood galleries which were open especially for the occasion.


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Posted in Free Stuff

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Boston Ballet Season 2011-2012

Posted on September 7, 2011 | 3 comments

Last week I wrote about how many fantastic local theater companies there are in Boston in my post, 2011-12 season for local Boston theater companies. This week I wanted to encourage people to consider visiting and supporting the Boston Ballet. Many may not realize this but the Boston Ballet is considered one of the major ballet companies in North America and among the top companies in the world.

Ballet can sometimes be a tough sell for people unfamiliar with it, but it is an amazing dance form that beautifully blends athleticism and art. The Boston Ballet’s 2011-2012 season starts in just a few weeks with Romeo & Juliet (Nov. 3-13), followed by The Nutcracker (Nov. 25 – Dec 31).

To see their full season or to purchase tickets visit their website www.bostonballet.org.

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Boston bike program: Hubway is a success

Posted on September 6, 2011 | 2 comments

More than 2,300 subscribers have joined Boston’s bike sharing program called The Hubway combining for 36,600+ station-to-station trips in its first month according to an article in the Sunday Boston Globe.

Analysts say that within 3 months, the system could see 100,000+ station-to-station trips making it one of the most successful bike sharing programs in the country. By contrast similar programs of similar size in Denver and Minneapolis took 7.5 and 6 months respectively to reach the 100,000 trips milestone.

I will admit that its hard for me to go anywhere without seeing a number of people on these bicycles in the downtown neighborhoods. I hope that its popularity continues to grow, because I think its a fantastic concept. If they open a few more bike stations near my apartment I may opt to get rid of my aging bike and join the Hubway as well.

If you find yourself coming to Boston for a visit or a day trip, you may want to consider leveraging the Hubway as a less stressful and certainly more economical choice for getting around. With daily rates for $5 and 3-day memberships for $12 you are hard pressed to find a cheaper / better alternative.

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Posted in Boston

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2011-2012 season for local Boston theater companies

Posted on September 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

In September many of Boston’s local theater companies begin their 2011-2012 season. Many of these companies provide a more intimate setting than their counterparts in Boston’s theater district; and prices for shows are certainly more affordable. Here are a few local theater companies I hope you’ll consider supporting.

American Reportory Theater (A.R.T.) is technically in Cambridge and affiliated with Harvard University, but I’d be remiss not to include it. The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess is currently playing and received strong reviews. I’ve yet to see The Donkey Show in their Oberon theater, which is based on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream and has performances every Saturday. To see the full 2011-2012 performance calendar or to purchase tickets, visit their website at, www.americanrepertorytheater.org.

Company One is a resident theater company that shares space at the Boston Center for the Arts and is known for embracing innovative and socially provocative performances. Their 13th season will begin in October with In the Red and Brown Water. You can see the rest of their 2011-2012 line up or purchase tickets on their website, www.companyone.org.
Huntington Theatre in residence at Boston University with theater space on Huntington Avenue as well as in the South End at the Calderwood Pavilion has been providing Boston with excellent options to shows in the Theater District. A few years back I was able to see Nathan Lane perform in a production of Butley. Their 2011-2012 season starts in two weeks with Candide. More information about tickets is available on their website, www.huntingtontheatre.org.
Lyric Stage Company of Boston consistently has high quality performances. Last spring their production of Blithe Spirit was one of my favorites. Like many of the smaller theater company’s there is not a bad seat in the house so to speak. Their season starts this weekend with Big River. Other notable shows included in their 2011-2012 season include Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Avenue Q. You can read more and purchase tickets from their website, lyricstage.com.

SpeakEasy Stage is a well-respected local theater company now entering it’s 20th season. I have probably seen more productions from the SpeakEasy Stage than any other local theater company. Their 2011 season starts in just a couple weeks with Next Fall a Tony nominee for best play, but I’m intrigued to see their production of Xanadu later in the season. To see the complete line up for their 2011-2012 season and to purchase tickets to upcoming shows at www.speakeasystage.com.
Support Boston’s local theater scene and reserve a couple of tickets to a show this September. I promise, you will enjoy yourself.

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Dinner w/ Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci

Posted on September 2, 2011 | 1 comment

Last week I was invited to join my friend at 40-something life blog for a dinner with Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci and France Posener, the winery’s East Coast Sales representative at one of Boston’s premiere restaurants, L’Espalier. I loved the Summer Degustation which we ordered. It included 4 savory courses, followed by their grand fromage, signature sorbet and dessert. All told the 6 plates each accompanied by a different wine took us approximately 5 hours to eat – if you’d like to read in more detail what we ate, please link to my friend Tracey’s blog, here.However, I would like to write a bit about the dining experience, starting with the exceptional service and attention we received due to Michael Silacci’s presence. The chef and proprietor of L’Espalier, Frank McClelland came over to meet us personally and chatted briefly with France and Michael. After seeing so many raging chefs on these quasi-reality cooking shows, chef McClelland’s calm, polite demeanor was a welcome dose of reality. We were also well tended by the sommelier, Erich Schliebe, who poured a new wine with each course and freely joined in our ongoing dinner repartee. Lastly, the restaurant’s Captain, Daniel Floyd, provided us with the most attentive service I can recall in recent memory. I know this was all for the benefit of the well respected winemaker to my right, but I enjoyed being privy to the opportunity.

One of the reasons Michael Silacci and France Posener were in Boston was to premier the Opus One 2008 vintage. It was pretty cool to be among the first to try this new vintage. They brought a bottle of the award winning 2007 and the new 2008 and poured both for us to try side-by-side. The picture to the left is of last year’s vintage. Between courses and wine, conversation flowed easily from start to finish. Michael is quite interesting and is equally comfortable talking about subject matter completely unrelated to his areas of interest or expertise. He is an attentive listener and has a dry wit. One of the things I really enjoyed learning about my dinner companion is that he’s allergic to chocolate – it causes him to sneeze. He joked the better the chocolate the more he sneezes. I was able to witness the reaction first hand when dessert was served and it caused all of us to laugh (again).

Dinner was filled with both personal stories from each of us as well as some interesting insights into the Opus One winery. I started my dinner not knowing the two guests who were treating my friend and me to this decadent dinner but left with a deeper appreciation for the work and attention they bring to their wines as well as some interesting insights into what makes them tick.
Should you be interested in visiting the beautiful Opus One estate and winery, make a reservation today here.

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Posted in Back Bay

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Mass Brewers Fest 2011: Friday, Sept 2nd

Posted on September 1, 2011 | Leave a comment

Are you a beer lover? Will you be in Boston this weekend? You may want to consider checking out the Mass Brewers Fest over in the Seaport district on Friday, September 2nd from 6-9:30pm.

With more than 80 beers from nearly 2-dozen Massachusetts breweries this provides beer lovers an unique opportunity to try tough to find and new brews from companies like Clown Shoes, Mayflower Brewing, Wormtown Brewery and Gardner Ale House as well as from well known and respected breweries like Harpoon and The Boston Beer Company.

For more information about this event and to buy tickets link here.

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Moving day in Boston

Posted on August 31, 2011 | 6 comments

I was once told that 1 out of every 4 apartment leases in Boston starts on September 1st. This may or may not be true, but what is true is most of Boston and it’s surrounding suburbs will be in gridlock starting today and much of the day on September 1st as tens of thousands move into their new apartments.

The large number of September 1st rentals is a result of the college population moving back to Boston and getting ready to start the new academic year. I cannot think of another large metropolitan area that is so significantly influenced by the local college population. Within the metropolitan area there are more than 100 colleges and universities, and according to Wikipedia there are more than 250,000 college students in Boston and Cambridge alone. If that figure is correct then that means college students comprise more than 35% of the population.

Despite the fact that parking will soon become near impossible with tens of thousands of college students (many for the first time) moving into Boston, I look forward to their return. The soul of Boston is tied to the students who come here and make it their home (at least for awhile). Its partly why Boston remains one of the youngest cities in the US despite the Northeast having one of the oldest populations. The students and those who stay after graduating shape and influence this city as much today as the immigrants who are a part of this city’s history or the large employers who have helped draw people here with good jobs.

Boston Trivia: name the college / university shown in the 2nd photo

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Après Irene

Posted on August 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Work on Monday kept me busier than anticipated and I did not have a chance to get to the gym so last night I went for a walk through the neighborhood as an excuse to get outside. Boston was largely spared from significant damage resulting from hurricane / tropical storm Irene.

Of course there was some flooding, random branches and trees that were toppled from Irene. A large tree near the corner of Union Park and Shawmut Ave came crashing down on a car during the storm and yesterday crews removed the felled tree. All that remains is this stump and the mangled walk way

We were lucky that damage was so minimal here. My thoughts are with those who weren’t as fortunate.

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New cafe to open in Boston: Bourbon Coffee

Posted on August 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Coffee lovers rejoice! A small, new coffee chain named bourbon coffee is rumored to be opening their third location in Boston very soon. Bourbon coffee currently has two locations in the US: Washington D.C. cafe @ 2101 L Street NW and New York City cafe @43 W 14th Street.

On my recent trip to NYC, I stepped in the coffee shop in the Village for breakfast. I liked it so much I snagged a card and chatted briefly with the helpful manager who indicated Boston was the next market they would be opening a coffee shop and the company’s website confirms this.

About bourbon coffee:

Bourbon coffee is an international brand of specialty coffee and the first retail brand to originate from Africa. Our retail brand is built around the philosophy of producing great coffee from “crop to cup.” By building the brand in this manner we are able to directly impact the value equation for coffee farmers in Africa.

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Boston Sports Bars

Posted on August 25, 2011 | 1 comment

Some of Boston’s best sports bars are located just outside Fenway Park and over by the Boston Garden. For many people who cannot get tickets to a game, heading to one of the bars there is the next best thing. However, Boston is a great sports town with a long and proud history of supporting their local professional and college sporting teams. As a result there is no need to head down to Fenway Park or the Boston Garden. Nearly every neighborhood has a handful of excellent sports bars to check out. Here are some of my favorite places.

BackBay: Champions is located just outside of Copley Square in the Marriott Copley and it includes a 12′ x 24′ plasma screen that is pretty awesome. If you haven’t visited this place since their renovation – come back. It’s in a great location and affords great views from anywhere you sit as well as a huge bar. You can follow them on twitter at ChampionsBoston.

Fenway / Kenmore: Cask’n Flagon may be the most famous of all Boston’s sports bars. It’s location just outside Fenway Park is second to none and since its renovations a few years ago, it is far easier and more comfortable to watch a game. You can follow them on twitter at thecasknflagon.



North End / West End: The Fours is nestled between the North End and West End across from the Boston Garden. Despite having multiple locations outside the city, the best remains the original if only because its a stone throw from the Garden.

Seaport / Fort Point Channel: Jerry Remy’s at Liberty Wharf this place is relatively new and is already a favorite. Situated between the Fish Pier and Harbor Lights, this bar also sports an excellent view of Boston harbor. I far prefer this location to the original just outside Fenway Park. You can also follow them on Twitter here, JerryRemysGrill.

South End: Fritz is first and foremost a neighborhood bar that also happens to be a sports bar. With trophies showing their support for neighborhood sporting leagues and TVs everywhere you can always watch whatever game is of interest to you. Located in the South End, patrons are nearly all gay.

Southie: Stadium Sports Bar is just a few blocks from Andrew T stop along the Dorchester border. It has a second location down in Foxwoods which may be why many people think it sounds familiar. The Boston location has multiple oversized screens and plasma TVs everywhere you look. You can follow this location on twitter at StadiumSBoston.

Just in case someone thinks I forgot about Beacon Hill or Charlestown, I couldn’t think of a single place to watch a game. It has been awhile since I’ve spent much time there. Any suggestions?

What are some of your favorite places in Boston or where you live to watch games? Have any others to suggest or are you thinking, “Hey BosGuy… I never watch these games. I’m far more preoccupied with my drink order.”

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Zipcar: Low-Car Diet Update

Posted on August 21, 2011 | 1 comment

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Posted in Video

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