Tag Archives: Boston

The Company of Men returns to South End


The Loaded Gun is reporting that shooting for Ben Affleck’s movie, “The Company of Men” has returned to the South End for more filming that will last through May 15th. The film stars Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones among others.

Back in April much of Union Park was closed off for filming at 5 Union Park. If you are into star gazing it might be fun to spend some time sipping a latte or two from The SouthEnd Buttery on Shawmut Avenue.

Thanks for the tip from Loaded Gun. Fortunately, I no longer have to fight to find street parking so I won’t be cursing at all the trailers taking up valuable street parking real estate.

Parking can be tough in Boston…

When I was walking to the BSC South End gym today, I noticed that someone left this driver a note on their windshield.

I feel compelled to make a few comments. First, I’ve seen far worse parking in the city so this seems a bit harsh. Second, I doubt this helps Boston’s image as an unfriendly city. Third, that is damn funny… In case you can not read the fine print, the person has checked off “two spots for one car” as the reason why the person parks like an asshole. Other options on the flyer include, “ummm…a little too close”; “over the painted lines”; “that’s a compact?” among others.

You can go to YouParkLikeanAsshole if you would like to ticket someone in the near future.

Flashback Friday: The Rat


The Rathskeller (known as The Rat for short) was a live music venue for more than two decades in Boston’s Kenmore Square. The Rat was Boston’s version of CBGBs – a dingy place best known for hosting up and coming punk and rock bands. During their years of operation bands like The Cars, Pixies, Police, Ramones, and Talking Heads played here.

However, both the music scene and Kenmore Square changed by the late 90s and so the Rat finally closed its doors for good in 1997 (the year I moved back to Boston).

Now occupying 528 Commonwealth Avenue is the Hotel Commonwealth’s restaurant, Eastern Standard. According to wikipedia, in recognition of the Rat’s place in Boston’s punk rock history, the restaurant’s bar offers a cocktail named after the concert venue, which consists of fernet branca and coke.

For those feeling nostalgic you can check out The Rat’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/rathskeller

South End rumor, new owners have bought space formerly known as The Dish

There is a rumor that the restaurant space occupied by The Dish until it closed in January of this year, has recently been sold. The Dish was a popular neighborhood restaurant on the corner of Shawmut and Milford Street but it’s tiny size probably worked against it during the colder months when their street patio was not available for patrons. I’m hopeful that another eatery will open in its place. Perhaps a delicious sandwich shop or bakery to compliment Formaggio’s across the street.

Buh bye cold… hello spring

Signs of spring started to appear in Boston about two weeks ago, and last Friday, April 17th, when Boston cracked 70 degrees for the first time many of the magnolia trees lining Commonwealth Avenue went into full bloom.

However, starting this past Friday, April 24th, when Boston hit 80 degrees the city erupted. Everyone (myself included) has been dining al fresco, joining friends on their roof decks and patios for cocktails and walking around the city just to be outside enjoying the warmth.

Spring has sprung, the non-stop chirping of birds and the trees now covered in leaves have done more to fend off any possible relapse of GetMeTheHellOutOfHere Syndrome until next winter.

Current weather conditions in Boston: 83 degrees and sunny
Tuesday’s weather predictions in Boston: highs nearing 90 degrees!

And I am happy.

Flashback Friday: October 20, 2004

The Red Sox and Yankees meet for the first time this season at Fenway Park tonight. To draw some inspiration and to help keep the Red Sox 7-game winning streak alive, I thought I would post this photograph from October 20, 2004 when the Red Sox did the unimaginable and rallied to make the greatest come back in sports history; defeating the NY Yankees in a best of 7 series after dropping the first 3 games and earning their victory on enemy soil.

Good luck Red Sox and happy memories to Red Sox Nation with this flashback.

113th Boston Marathon this Monday

Marathon fever hit Boston earlier this week and the street’s of Boston’s BackBay neighborhood are filled with excited runners, visitors and enthusiasts to watch the world’s oldest annual marathon. Unfortunately, the good weather we have enjoyed the past few days appears to be on its way out so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the marathoners and the 500,000+ people the city expects to come in and cheer on runners.

Marathon Monday (held each Patriots’ Day) is a unique holiday universally celebrated in Boston but little known beyond the city limits. Tomorrow I will not be blogging. Rather I will visit a local bar to watch the Red Sox game which begins at 11:05am before I walk over to Mass. and Comm. Ave. to cheer on those running in the 113th Boston Marathon.

Having lived in Boston for more than a decade, this weekend has a lot of meaning and is a wonderful time to be in the city. I would love to welcome people to come and experience Marathon Monday once in their life. It is a fun and unique experience that illustrates Boston’s fierce pride and tradition as well as the city’s love for sports and athletes in general.

If you would like to learn more about the 26.2 mile route or the storied history of the world’s oldest annual marathon, The Boston Globe has a great spread which includes: an interactive guide that breaks down the course mile by mile, photo galleries and videos as well as a spectators guide. To read more link here.

About the Boston Marathon:
Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s most well-known road racing events. It is one of five members of the World Marathon Majors, which also include: London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.

Zakim Bridge lights go back on tonight

Hooray! The Boston Globe is reporting that after the April 9th announcement by the Massachusetts Turnpike that the Zakim Bridge would no longer be lit at night due to budget cuts, there was a huge public outcry and enough donations have come in to ensure the bridge can and will remain lit at night. The familiar blue lights will reappear starting tonight.

Photo from The Boston Globe and staff photographer, Evan Richman.

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater

Every year the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater comes to Boston for one week of breathtaking performances and each year I purchase my tickets to see one of the performances. This year I am going to see the show on Thursday, April 30th and I can hardly wait. If you’ve never seen the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, do a search on YouTube or Google Videos. I think even on the small screen the music and dance will capture your imagination.

If you’ve never been – consider spending some of your hard earned cash to come down and see the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at the Boston Opera House. Tickets can be purchased online here.

About Alvin Ailey:
Alvin Ailey was an African-American choreographer who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey’s career as one of the nation’s most prominent choreographer’s was cut short when he died from AIDS in 1989. His choreographic masterpiece Revelations is believed to be the best-known and most often seen modern dance performance. You can see this beautiful dance if you link here.

Willie Wanker and the Hershey Highway

Ryan Landry has been cranking out one parody after another and his latest creation, Willie Wanker and the Hershey Highway, will open April 24th and run through May 24th. You can buy tickets online here.

The twisted take on the Ronald Dahl classic, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is sure to be filled with witty and sarcastic dialog. You can read more about the show, the cast, and the Gold Dust Orphans by linking to their homepage here. If you’ve never been to a Ryan Landry show or if it has been awhile – check it out and stop by the Ramrod Center for Performing Arts for a show. All performances start at 8pm.

Flashback Friday: Boston Red Sox

As I mentioned late last week in my entry, Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox and the team’s ballpark, Fenway, symbolically represent the very heart of Boston.

With the 2009 season starting this week it seemed only appropriate to flashback to an earlier era in Red Sox history. The photo of Clemens (pre-steroid) in 1983 contrasts with the Red Sox new ace pitcher, Josh Beckett.

It is hard to believe that Clemens joined the Red Sox some 26 years ago, but it is even harder for me to get my head around the fact that Josh Beckett was only 3 years old then.

Good luck Red Sox…

Lights out for Zakim Bridge

The Boston Globe is reporting that in an effort to save money the MA Turnpike Authority will no longer light the Zakim Bridge at night. I recognize that in tough economic times budgets get tightened, but I think this is terribly sad. The bridge is a symbol of the “new” Boston and is beautiful at night. Read the article from the Boston Globe, here.

Picture is courtesy of The Boston Globe and staff photographer, Evan Richman.

Layers

Sometimes I wonder if residents of Boston are aware that there are alternatives to brick for building materials. Much of this city is built with brick and while the city is beautiful – a little diversity is also greatly appreciated. That is one reason I think I like this photo so much. You can see the top corner of the Louis Boston building in front, New England Life Insurance Building is the greyish building just to the right, followed by the Houghton Mifflin building (a personal favorite) with the decorative rounded top and the distinctive Hancock skyscraper is the last of the “layers” in the picture. It appears as if the photo was taken from the corner of Newbury and Berkeley Street looking south. The photograph is from Saturated City.

I have followed this blog ever since I was contacted by Alex Miranda. His photograph incorporates one of my favorite buildings in Boston but I’ve never noticed it from this angle on Newbury Street. If you would like to see more of his photosgraphs visit, http://www.saturatedcity.blogspot.com.

Good news… Motley lives!

Back in January I wrote about Motley closing in my blog entry, “Motley to close its doors”.

I was really bummed about the news and had not ventured down Tremont near the store, because I was afraid to see it sitting vacant or worse… as another nail salon or real estate office. However, today was so beautiful that I spent much of the afternoon walking around the South End and I happened near Motley only to see that they had a huge sale sign (all jeans are $39 right now). The person working there this afternoon said that the store was purchased from the original owner and would remain open for business.

If you’ve never been to Motley, you should definitely check it out. It is a tiny, tiny store located at 623 Tremont Street. You can also check them out online at ShopMotley.com.

Did I happen to mention that I scored some great jeans and they were only $39?

Flashback Friday: Harrison Avenue

The South End has probably changed more than any other downtown Boston neighborhood. Real estate values remain high even during the current housing crisis. I found this picture of the Boston Elevated Railway Central Power Station which resides on Harrison Avenue. The picture was taken in the mid 1990s and depicts how much of a wasteland “SoWa” South of Washington remained until recently.

Now this section of Harrison Avenue is vibrant. During the day, thousands come here to work in the refurbished mills that GTI Properties purchased in the mid-90s and renovated and at night many come back here to live (like I do) and play.

This particular block of Harrison Avenue hosts the BSC South End as well as Rocca and Gas Light – two respected South End restaurants. I’ve included a quick video of the building which is currently being renovated and will hold an antiques fair every Sunday to coincide with SoWa Open Market.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player