Wishing you a Christmas Day,
As rich & luxurious as
This beautiful garland & bow.
From all of us at BostonZest
(Photo by Penny Cherubino)
Category: Events
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Merry Christmas from the BostonZest Team
Wishing you a Christmas Day,
As rich & luxurious as
This beautiful garland & bow.
From all of us at BostonZest
(Photo by Penny Cherubino)
-
Merry Christmas from the BostonZest Team
Wishing you a Christmas Day,
As rich & luxurious as
This beautiful garland & bow.
From all of us at BostonZest
(Photo by Penny Cherubino)
-
Tour Boston’s Beautifully Decorated Hotel Lobbies
Today, we suggest a walking Friday Link and a tour of Boston's beautifully decorated hotel lobbies. We try to visit some of our favorites each year to see what they've done and enjoy the various ways each place shows their holiday spirit.
From a beautiful gingerbread house reaching to the ceiling in the Sheraton Hotel on Dalton Street (above) to a gingerbread village at the Taj on Arlington (below), these hotels and their talented staff members work their magic to make a holiday traveler feel at home. And, we've found most to be very welcoming to neighbors who stop in to take a peek.
We always find the Lenox hotel lobby with its seating area around the fireplace to be a warm and welcoming place, but this time of year it sparkles with holiday decor.
The Fairmont (above from 2011) glows with golden trim and holiday red and green.
The Mandarin Hotel and the Four Seasons both opt for a more contemporary take on the season.
Over on BostonInno, we read about (but haven't yet visited) the Christmas trees hanging upside down from the lobby ceiling at the Liberty Hotel.
These are great places to take a break on a chilly winter walk. And, during events like First Night, they can be more stops on your schedule.
Do you have a hotel lobby to add to our list? What's your favorite and how is it decorated?
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!
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed CherubinoNote 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.
-
Tour Boston’s Beautifully Decorated Hotel Lobbies
Today, we suggest a walking Friday Link and a tour of Boston's beautifully decorated hotel lobbies. We try to visit some of our favorites each year to see what they've done and enjoy the various ways each place shows their holiday spirit.
From a beautiful gingerbread house reaching to the ceiling in the Sheraton Hotel on Dalton Street (above) to a gingerbread village at the Taj on Arlington (below), these hotels and their talented staff members work their magic to make a holiday traveler feel at home. And, we've found most to be very welcoming to neighbors who stop in to take a peek.
We always find the Lenox hotel lobby with its seating area around the fireplace to be a warm and welcoming place, but this time of year it sparkles with holiday decor.
The Fairmont (above from 2011) glows with golden trim and holiday red and green.
The Mandarin Hotel and the Four Seasons both opt for a more contemporary take on the season.
Over on BostonInno, we read about (but haven't yet visited) the Christmas trees hanging upside down from the lobby ceiling at the Liberty Hotel.
These are great places to take a break on a chilly winter walk. And, during events like First Night, they can be more stops on your schedule.
Do you have a hotel lobby to add to our list? What's your favorite and how is it decorated?
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
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed CherubinoNote 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.
-
Tour Boston’s Beautifully Decorated Hotel Lobbies
Today, we suggest a walking Friday Link and a tour of Boston's beautifully decorated hotel lobbies. We try to visit some of our favorites each year to see what they've done and enjoy the various ways each place shows their holiday spirit.
From a beautiful gingerbread house reaching to the ceiling in the Sheraton Hotel on Dalton Street (above) to a gingerbread village at the Taj on Arlington (below), these hotels and their talented staff members work their magic to make a holiday traveler feel at home. And, we've found most to be very welcoming to neighbors who stop in to take a peek.
We always find the Lenox hotel lobby with its seating area around the fireplace to be a warm and welcoming place, but this time of year it sparkles with holiday decor.
The Fairmont (above from 2011) glows with golden trim and holiday red and green.
The Mandarin Hotel and the Four Seasons both opt for a more contemporary take on the season.
Over on BostonInno, we read about (but haven't yet visited) the Christmas trees hanging upside down from the lobby ceiling at the Liberty Hotel.
These are great places to take a break on a chilly winter walk. And, during events like First Night, they can be more stops on your schedule.
Do you have a hotel lobby to add to our list? What's your favorite and how is it decorated?
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
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed CherubinoNote 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.
-
Seafood Feast for Christmas Eve
Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Link in details below.While you may think of lobster as summer fare, around our house it's a Christmas Eve tradition. Think about it, the reason Maine Lobster is so good is those freezing cold waters that make swimming from Maine’s ocean beaches a shocking experience. This time of year, water temperatures drop throughout our area and lobsters have better flavor.
Our Lobsters will come from James Hook & Company (below) on the Waterfront.
Do you have a traditional Christmas Eve meal? Please share it with us and our readers in the comments or via Twitter.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
For many Italian families, the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, or La Vigilia di Natale, is a tradition. And, because preparing this meal at home can be daunting for the cook, it’s a good time to invite guests who will bring a dish or help in the kitchen – especially if your family’s version actually calls for 9, 11, or 13 fishes.
(Update 12.20.12 @ 5:12 pm) Just found this coversation over on Chowhound's Boston Board about other places doing the Feast with some reviews on past feasts. Feast of the Seven Fishes on Chowhound
Get the Salt Cod Early
One element of most traditional Christmas Eve feasts is salt cod or baccalà. This is the one product you need to buy right away. Soaking it, to rehydrate and remove the salt, can be a long process and is best begun at least a couple of days before you plan to use it.
We’ve purchased excellent salt cod from Salumeria Italiana in the North End. Baccalà is one of those products you want to buy from a trusted specialty shop or fishmonger. There's a very wide range of salt cod quality and if this is for a special occasion, why not buy from someone who's made sure you will have the best.
There was a discussion with Boston Chowhounds about a good place to buy salt cod, earlier this year. Lots of good advice there.
Join a Restaurant Feast
For the non-cooks, there are area restaurants serving their versions of the feast this year. Grotto in Beacon Hill has had rave reviews of their special feast menu in past years. Sister restaurant Marliave is also joining in the feasting with their own version.
Other places for fish feasting are Dante in Cambridge, Davio’s in the Theatre District, and Legal Harborside out in the Seaport area. The North End’s Neptune Oyster is doing it tonight (12.20.12) for those who have to be elsewhere on Christmas Eve. For all these places, reservations are recommended.
Upddate 12.20.12 one of our favorite places, Coppa has added a feast and they are doing prixe fixe or a la carte.
Make Up Your Own
You might decide to have your own taylor made seafood feast during the holidays. You can buy and cook your favorite fish or dine out choosing the menu items that appeal to you. Another option is meeting up with friends at a great seafood restaurant like Island Creek Oyster Bar and sharing a bunch of items that appeal to the group. That could help nudge you out of your seafood comfort zone.
The nice thing about menus for this holiday is that they are less prescribed, letting you start your own traditions. Let us know what you decide to create for your own Chistmas eve menu.
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
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Used under this creative commons license.Crab photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino James Hook photo: © 2008 Penny Cherubino
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.
-
Seafood Feast for Christmas Eve
Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Link in details below.While you may think of lobster as summer fare, around our house it's a Christmas Eve tradition. Think about it, the reason Maine Lobster is so good is those freezing cold waters that make swimming from Maine’s ocean beaches a shocking experience. This time of year, water temperatures drop throughout our area and lobsters have better flavor.
Our Lobsters will come from James Hook & Company (below) on the Waterfront.
Do you have a traditional Christmas Eve meal? Please share it with us and our readers in the comments or via Twitter.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
For many Italian families, the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, or La Vigilia di Natale, is a tradition. And, because preparing this meal at home can be daunting for the cook, it’s a good time to invite guests who will bring a dish or help in the kitchen – especially if your family’s version actually calls for 9, 11, or 13 fishes.
(Update 12.20.12 @ 5:12 pm) Just found this coversation over on Chowhound's Boston Board about other places doing the Feast with some reviews on past feasts. Feast of the Seven Fishes on Chowhound
Get the Salt Cod Early
One element of most traditional Christmas Eve feasts is salt cod or baccalà. This is the one product you need to buy right away. Soaking it, to rehydrate and remove the salt, can be a long process and is best begun at least a couple of days before you plan to use it.
We’ve purchased excellent salt cod from Salumeria Italiana in the North End. Baccalà is one of those products you want to buy from a trusted specialty shop or fishmonger. There's a very wide range of salt cod quality and if this is for a special occasion, why not buy from someone who's made sure you will have the best.
There was a discussion with Boston Chowhounds about a good place to buy salt cod, earlier this year. Lots of good advice there.
Join a Restaurant Feast
For the non-cooks, there are area restaurants serving their versions of the feast this year. Grotto in Beacon Hill has had rave reviews of their special feast menu in past years. Sister restaurant Marliave is also joining in the feasting with their own version.
Other places for fish feasting are Dante in Cambridge, Davio’s in the Theatre District, and Legal Harborside out in the Seaport area. The North End’s Neptune Oyster is doing it tonight (12.20.12) for those who have to be elsewhere on Christmas Eve. For all these places, reservations are recommended.
Upddate 12.20.12 one of our favorite places, Coppa has added a feast and they are doing prixe fixe or a la carte.
Make Up Your Own
You might decide to have your own taylor made seafood feast during the holidays. You can buy and cook your favorite fish or dine out choosing the menu items that appeal to you. Another option is meeting up with friends at a great seafood restaurant like Island Creek Oyster Bar and sharing a bunch of items that appeal to the group. That could help nudge you out of your seafood comfort zone.
The nice thing about menus for this holiday is that they are less prescribed, letting you start your own traditions. Let us know what you decide to create for your own Chistmas eve menu.
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
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Used under this creative commons license.Crab photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino James Hook photo: © 2008 Penny Cherubino
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.
-
Seafood Feast for Christmas Eve
Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Link in details below.While you may think of lobster as summer fare, around our house it's a Christmas Eve tradition. Think about it, the reason Maine Lobster is so good is those freezing cold waters that make swimming from Maine’s ocean beaches a shocking experience. This time of year, water temperatures drop throughout our area and lobsters have better flavor.
Our Lobsters will come from James Hook & Company (below) on the Waterfront.
Do you have a traditional Christmas Eve meal? Please share it with us and our readers in the comments or via Twitter.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
For many Italian families, the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, or La Vigilia di Natale, is a tradition. And, because preparing this meal at home can be daunting for the cook, it’s a good time to invite guests who will bring a dish or help in the kitchen – especially if your family’s version actually calls for 9, 11, or 13 fishes.
(Update 12.20.12 @ 5:12 pm) Just found this coversation over on Chowhound's Boston Board about other places doing the Feast with some reviews on past feasts. Feast of the Seven Fishes on Chowhound
Get the Salt Cod Early
One element of most traditional Christmas Eve feasts is salt cod or baccalà. This is the one product you need to buy right away. Soaking it, to rehydrate and remove the salt, can be a long process and is best begun at least a couple of days before you plan to use it.
We’ve purchased excellent salt cod from Salumeria Italiana in the North End. Baccalà is one of those products you want to buy from a trusted specialty shop or fishmonger. There's a very wide range of salt cod quality and if this is for a special occasion, why not buy from someone who's made sure you will have the best.
There was a discussion with Boston Chowhounds about a good place to buy salt cod, earlier this year. Lots of good advice there.
Join a Restaurant Feast
For the non-cooks, there are area restaurants serving their versions of the feast this year. Grotto in Beacon Hill has had rave reviews of their special feast menu in past years. Sister restaurant Marliave is also joining in the feasting with their own version.
Other places for fish feasting are Dante in Cambridge, Davio’s in the Theatre District, and Legal Harborside out in the Seaport area. The North End’s Neptune Oyster is doing it tonight (12.20.12) for those who have to be elsewhere on Christmas Eve. For all these places, reservations are recommended.
Upddate 12.20.12 one of our favorite places, Coppa has added a feast and they are doing prixe fixe or a la carte.
Make Up Your Own
You might decide to have your own taylor made seafood feast during the holidays. You can buy and cook your favorite fish or dine out choosing the menu items that appeal to you. Another option is meeting up with friends at a great seafood restaurant like Island Creek Oyster Bar and sharing a bunch of items that appeal to the group. That could help nudge you out of your seafood comfort zone.
The nice thing about menus for this holiday is that they are less prescribed, letting you start your own traditions. Let us know what you decide to create for your own Chistmas eve menu.
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
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Lobster photo by Man Pikin. Used under this creative commons license.Crab photo: © 2012 Penny Cherubino James Hook photo: © 2008 Penny Cherubino
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.
-
What’s Open in Boston New Year’s Eve and Day & MBTA Schedules 2012 – 2013
This is an outdated post. Click the link below for the latest information:
What's Open in Boston New Year's Eve and Day & MBTA Schedules 2015 – 2016 plus Parking, Trash & More
Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston on New Year's Day and the MBTA schedules for New Year's Eve December 31, 2012 and New Year's Day, January 1, 2013.
What's closed? Do I have to feed the parking meters? What about street sweeping? Are the liquor stores and packies open? When do I put out my trash? And, what changes are there to the MBTA schedules? We have the answers for you, all organized in one post!
Some businesses close early on New Year's Eve but with the crowds expected for First Night, others, especially those in the hospitality business, stay open. Call before you leave if you plan to visit a business on the 31st.
Here's what we've learned about January 1st, 2013 – New Year's Day
Restaurants, bars: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Here's a link to our post on restaurants that are open for the celebration: Where to Dine on New Year's Eve 2012 and New Years Day in Boston
Convenience stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Supermarkets: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Liquor stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
More after the ad…
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
Make your own holiday wish come true. Find the gift you really want on Amazon! And, by starting from here, you'll be supporting BostonZest and keeping the information flowing your way.
Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open.
Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.
Boston Trash Collection: The announcement from Public Works from the Recycling & Trash Holiday Collection Schedule:
"Tuesday, January 1 | 7am – Saturday, January 5, 2013 | 5pm
New Years 2013
- Monday December 31st. Regular trash and recycling for all sections of the City.
- Tuesday January 1, 2013. Bay Village Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown, Fenway, Leather District, Lower Roxbury, Mission Hill, North End, South End, and Sections of Back Bay: regular schedule, no delays.
- Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, South Boston, West Roxbury. Regular schedule on Monday, December 31st. Delayed a day on, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
- *If you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up 2 times per week, do not delay."
MBTA Schedule Changes for New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day-MBTA has full information up on their events page. (If you are coming to this post after the holiday, that page will have changed.)Here are the important points for New Year's Eve, Monday, December 31, 2012- The Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines will run on a modified weekday schedule
- The Siver Line will run on a weekday schedule
- The Commuter Rail will run on a modified weekday schedule – the last trains out are listed here
- Buses, trackless trolleys, and Express buses will run on a regular weekday schedule
- Boats: Charlestown will operate a regular weekday schedule; others a modified weekday schedule
- The Ride will operate on a regular weekday schedule with extended hours until 2:30 a.m.
Here are the important points for New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1, 2013- The Silver, Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines will run on Sunday Schedule
- Some Commuter Rail lines will run on a Sunday schedule. Fairmount, Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth, and Needham will not operate.
- Buses will run on a Sunday schedule with a long list of buses not operating. Check those here.
- Boats will not operate
- The Ride will operate on a Sunday schedule.
For more information call the T’s Customer Information Center at 617-222-3200 (TTY 617-222-5146) or visit the MBTA website."Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © iStockphotoNote 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.