Two ducks follow the trail of water in the Public Garden Lagoon. They can't understand where their wet went or why their habitat is filled with orange fencing and heavy equipment.
In the Public Garden, a five-year, multi-phase project is underway to stabilize the edge of the Lagoon. This year, restoration of approximately one-third of the structural border on the north side of the pond is scheduled to be completed by early April.
Meanwhile, the ducks make do with what they can find.
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Whether you're coming to run or watch the 2013 Boston Marathon or just want to log some miles, it's an exciting time to visit the city.
Right onto Hereford Street – Less Than a Mile to Go!
I remember my first Boston Marathon – as a spectator, I've yet to put in the training needed to actually compete. Penny and I booked a hotel room for the weekend and left the car parked. We took in the runners' expo, pasta supper, and other pre-race activities, then watched a spectacular Boylston Street finish.
As an out-of-state runner staying near Faneuil Hall, I still wanted to get in a run or two, but wasn't sure where to head.
Now, as a Boston resident, I can recommend a couple of my favorite routes.
Charles River Run
If you're a visiting runner staying anywhere near the finish line, you can't beat a daytime run along the Charles River. It offers great views and a more open course without having to constantly cross roadways. This multi-use path is shared by bikes, blades, skate boards, dogs, and walkers. It can get congested as the day wears on, but who knows, you may find yourself sharing the trail with some famous, elite runners. It's easy to make any number of loops between the Boston and Cambridge sides of the river by using the many bridges along the way.
From Back Bay you can access the Charles River Esplanade from Massachusetts Avenue, Fairfield, Dartmouth, and Arlington Streets. If you head West from the Massachusetts Avenue ramp you can also use the parcourse workout station that's located just up-river. Click here for photos and details including a map to find it.
Morning Run Along the Esplanade
Parks in the Heart of the City
For a tree-lined route, try the Commonwealth Avenue Mall – not a shopping center, but a park that runs down the center of this residential street. At Commonwealth and Arlington you can enter the pristine Public Garden for a slower pace. Moving through the center of the Garden will lead you across Charles Street to the Boston Common.
Inside tip: Local-isms
Mass Ave = Massachusetts Avenue Comm Ave = Commonwealth Avenue And, it's Boston Common (singular) not Boston Commons
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Whether you're coming to run or watch the 2013 Boston Marathon or just want to log some miles, it's an exciting time to visit the city.
Right onto Hereford Street – Less Than a Mile to Go!
I remember my first Boston Marathon – as a spectator, I've yet to put in the training needed to actually compete. Penny and I booked a hotel room for the weekend and left the car parked. We took in the runners' expo, pasta supper, and other pre-race activities, then watched a spectacular Boylston Street finish.
As an out-of-state runner staying near Faneuil Hall, I still wanted to get in a run or two, but wasn't sure where to head.
Now, as a Boston resident, I can recommend a couple of my favorite routes.
Charles River Run
If you're a visiting runner staying anywhere near the finish line, you can't beat a daytime run along the Charles River. It offers great views and a more open course without having to constantly cross roadways. This multi-use path is shared by bikes, blades, skate boards, dogs, and walkers. It can get congested as the day wears on, but who knows, you may find yourself sharing the trail with some famous, elite runners. It's easy to make any number of loops between the Boston and Cambridge sides of the river by using the many bridges along the way.
From Back Bay you can access the Charles River Esplanade from Massachusetts Avenue, Fairfield, Dartmouth, and Arlington Streets. If you head West from the Massachusetts Avenue ramp you can also use the parcourse workout station that's located just up-river. Click here for photos and details including a map to find it.
Morning Run Along the Esplanade
Parks in the Heart of the City
For a tree-lined route, try the Commonwealth Avenue Mall – not a shopping center, but a park that runs down the center of this residential street. At Commonwealth and Arlington you can enter the pristine Public Garden for a slower pace. Moving through the center of the Garden will lead you across Charles Street to the Boston Common.
Inside tip: Local-isms
Mass Ave = Massachusetts Avenue Comm Ave = Commonwealth Avenue And, it's Boston Common (singular) not Boston Commons
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
If your favorite food truck is missing from its usual place on April 1st, don't think it's a joke! That's the date when the trucks we know will change their times and places around the city. They will also be joined by a group of newcomers. We all have a flavorful season ahead of us on the streets of Boston.
BostonZest will be out there covering the street food scene and adding reports to our Food Trucks/Street Food collection.
We love the constantly updated information, including links to websites, provided by Hub Food Trucks! Thanks Steve Leibowitz for your devotion to this wonderful Boston community. Be sure to follow Steve on Twitter to learn when he's planning a food truck meet up. (That's Steve hanging out with the Mei Mei Street Kitchen team.)
You can download the Street Food App to have schedules at your fingertips.
And, when you find a truck you love and want to find it often, follow them on social media. That way, you'll find out what's on the menu. You'll know if they are off the road for a day, have a special appearance outside their normal schedule, or are getting ready to open a brick & mortar restaurant near you.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
If your favorite food truck is missing from its usual place on April 1st, don't think it's a joke! That's the date when the trucks we know will change their times and places around the city. They will also be joined by a group of newcomers. We all have a flavorful season ahead of us on the streets of Boston.
BostonZest will be out there covering the street food scene and adding reports to our Food Trucks/Street Food collection.
We love the constantly updated information, including links to websites, provided by Hub Food Trucks! Thanks Steve Leibowitz for your devotion to this wonderful Boston community. Be sure to follow Steve on Twitter to learn when he's planning a food truck meet up. (That's Steve hanging out with the Mei Mei Street Kitchen team.)
You can download the Street Food App to have schedules at your fingertips.
And, when you find a truck you love and want to find it often, follow them on social media. That way, you'll find out what's on the menu. You'll know if they are off the road for a day, have a special appearance outside their normal schedule, or are getting ready to open a brick & mortar restaurant near you.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Since we all walk in the city – no matter what our primary means of transportation – you might think that walkers would be a top priority for the Public Works efforts. Clearly we are not.
Here's a snowbank-blocked crosswalk in Kenmore Square. This was taken on Monday. I think the city has had time to clear it since the last snowfall. But, it seems to have been there for a few storms. What's more, it is in front of a building that houses seniors.
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, street sweepers were working hard a couple of blocks away to clear every speck of sand from the bike lanes surrounding the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. That shows what the City of Boston deems important.
Here's some recommended reading for those, like me, who think there is something wrong with this picture.
When I read this book, I learned in detail how many of the bad decisions made in Boston's effort to make bikes a prioity hurt my pedestrian experience.
I knew I was no longer comfortable walking on Mass Ave after the bike lanes were installed but didn't realize that any comprehensive urban planner should have known I would feel this way. Parked cars offer walkers a barrier and sense of security.
I wonder how avoiding these sidewalks, now unprotected from high speed traffic, will impact Mass Ave businesses? What about other places that walkers will instictively avoid?
Do you walk around the city? Do you think walking is the top priority for city planners? What are your pet peeves as a pedestrian?
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Since we all walk in the city – no matter what our primary means of transportation – you might think that walkers would be a top priority for the Public Works efforts. Clearly we are not.
Here's a snowbank-blocked crosswalk in Kenmore Square. This was taken on Monday. I think the city has had time to clear it since the last snowfall. But, it seems to have been there for a few storms. What's more, it is in front of a building that houses seniors.
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, street sweepers were working hard a couple of blocks away to clear every speck of sand from the bike lanes surrounding the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. That shows what the City of Boston deems important.
Here's some recommended reading for those, like me, who think there is something wrong with this picture.
When I read this book, I learned in detail how many of the bad decisions made in Boston's effort to make bikes a prioity hurt my pedestrian experience.
I knew I was no longer comfortable walking on Mass Ave after the bike lanes were installed but didn't realize that any comprehensive urban planner should have known I would feel this way. Parked cars offer walkers a barrier and sense of security.
I wonder how avoiding these sidewalks, now unprotected from high speed traffic, will impact Mass Ave businesses? What about other places that walkers will instictively avoid?
Do you walk around the city? Do you think walking is the top priority for city planners? What are your pet peeves as a pedestrian?
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
We're ready for sunshine, warmth, and the colors of spring. These crocus were blooming back on St. Patrick's Day. We've even seen some brave pansies in bloom on the sunny sides of the city streets.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
We're ready for sunshine, warmth, and the colors of spring. These crocus were blooming back on St. Patrick's Day. We've even seen some brave pansies in bloom on the sunny sides of the city streets.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
We like to have some kitchen access even when we stay in hotels. And, with more hotels offering a tiny kitchen with refrigerator, coffemaker, and microwave, we travel with the gear to take advantage of this.
This is our full kitchen bag unpacked in a Provincetown apartment. While some of these items are duplicated in a furnished apartment, they are all needed in a hotel room.
We admit to being wine glass brats so we like to have a nice glass to enjoy a sip of wine in our own quarters. We pack champagne flutes because they're trim and can be used for any wine. They also give us an excuse to opt for sparkling wine on vacation.
We pack a couple of plates and bowls, along with a cutting board, when we're headed to a hotel. With this we can make a late night supper of cheese, wine, and fruit or a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit if one of us is sleeping late.
That small bottle wrapped in plastic (far left center, above) is dish washing soap. We always have a few paper towels with us and two dish towels that can double as napkins and backdrops for food photos.
Since the trip to Provincetown when this was photographed was not for weeks, we included a bit of olive oil and vinegar from home. For a longer stay, we'd buy some on location.
Here's an example of a tiny kitchen area at the Garden Hilton in Portland, Maine. You can find a bit more equipment in extended stay hotels. But, with this set up, we're able to finish the leftovers from a restaurant meal or stay in after a long day of exploring. We can also enjoy shopping food stores and farmers' markets in a new area and making a lunch or dinner from what we find.
In an upcoming post in this series, we'll tell you how we make great coffee in hotel rooms.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
