Category: News

What’s Open in Boston for New Year’s Weekend and MBTA Schedules 2011-2012

This is an outdated post.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 run-down of what's open in Boston on New Year's Day and the MBTA schedules for New Year's Eve December 31, 2011, and New Year's Day January 1, 2012, and Monday January 2, 2012 when the holiday is officially celebrated under state law. This year we have a three day weekend!

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, 2012 New Year's Day and Monday the 2nd.

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 weekend 2011-2012 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 this message…

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 helping to keep 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 for Monday, January 2 – Saturday, January 7, 2012 says: "Delay trash and recycling pickup 1 day only if you live in Allston, Brighton, Dorcheser, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain***, Mattapan, Roslindale, or West Roxbury.

***If you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up 2 times per week, do not delay."

MBTA Service Schedule for New Year’s Weekend. The MBTA says…

"Saturday, December 31, 2011 – New Year’s Eve

FREE SERVICE AFTER 8 PM
COMPLETE SCHEDULE AVAILABLE BELOW

The MBTA is providing extra transit services throughout the First Night festivities and will be offering FREE service after 8:00 p.m. Extra MBTA Police will patrol the system to assist with crowd control and safety.

• Blue, Orange, Green, and Red Line trains will operate on a Saturday schedule. Additional trains will operate and provide rush-hour levels of service throughout the evening from 3:00 p.m. until approximately 2:00 a.m.
• Buses, Silver Line, and trackless trolleys will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Commuter Rail Service on New Year’s Eve will operate on a Saturday schedule with extended extra service provided.

THESE ARE THE LAST COMMUTER RAIL TRAINS TO OPERATE. THERE WILL NOT BE ANY ALTERNATIVE SERVICES AVAILABLE. CUSTOMERS MUST ARRIVE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TIME.

OUTBOUND FROM NORTH STATION

Fitchburg Line:	1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Departure to Fitchburg
Haverhill Line:	1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Departure to Haverhill
Lowell Line:	1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Departure to Lowell
Rockport Line:	1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. Departure to Rockport*
Newburyport:	12:45 a.m. Departure to Newburyport
	*There will be a Newburyport connection at Beverly for the 2:00 a.m. Rockport train.

OUTBOUND FROM SOUTH STATION

Providence Line:	12:45 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. Departure to Providence
Franklin Line:	12:45 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. Departure to Forge Park
Greenbush Line:	1:00 a.m. Departure to Greenbush
Middleboro/Lakeville Line:	1:10 a.m. Departute to Middleboro
Needham Line:	1:00 a.m. Departure to Kingston
Kingston Line:	1:05 a.m. Departure to Kingston
Worcester/Framingham Line:	1:00 a.m. to Worcester

Commuter Boat and Ferry
• Inner Harbor Ferry will operate a normal Weekend schedule.
• Rowes Wharf/ Hingham Shipyard and Logan Airport (Hull) will not operate.
• Quincy Fore River Shipyard to Long Wharf will operate on normal Saturday schedule.

THE RIDE will operate extended hours until 2:30 a.m.

Parking
As a way to manage traffic volume, customers are urged to pay upon entering the parking garages.

Sunday, January 1, 2012 – New Year’s Day

• Blue, Orange, Green, and Red Line trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Buses, Silver Line, and trackless trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Commuter rail trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Inner Harbor Ferry and Commuter Boat services will not operate.
• THE RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule.

Monday, January 2, 2012 – New Year’s Day Observed

• Blue, Orange, Green, and Red Line trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Buses, Silver Line, and trackless trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Commuter rail trains will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Rowes Wharf/ Hingham Shipyard and Logan Airport (Hull) will not operate.
• Quincy Fore River Shipyard to Long Wharf will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Inner Harbor Ferry will operate on Weekend schedule.
• THE RIDE Service will not offer subscription service. Customers should contact their contractors for service information.

For additional information on MBTA services, routes, schedules, and fares, please call the MBTA Customer Communications Department at (617) 222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100 (hearing impaired TDD 617-222-5146)," or visit the MBTA website.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photos: istockphoto.com

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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 14, 2011

Gibson House Museum Holiday Open House

The Gibson House Museum Holiday Open House is our Friday Link. The staff and volunteers have decorated the house in appropriate Victorian style. On Sunday, December 11th, they are opening their doors to friends and neighbors from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission will be free for this event.

They invited us in while they were decorating, so we could give you a sneak preview.

If you can't make the open house on Sunday, or if you have a holiday guest who would love to see what the homes in the Back Bay looked like a hundred years ago, you can take a guided tour of the Gibson House. And if you do that while the decorations are in place, you'll have a bonus dose of holiday spirit at no extra charge!

We hope you've enjoyed another year of recommendations and tips from BostonZest. If you have, you can support the site by using links like this to start your Amazon shopping from here.

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 9, 2011
Where to Dine On New Year’s Eve Weekend 2011-2012 in Boston
This is an outdated post. Click below for the link to:

Where to Dine on New Year's Eve 2015 & New Year's Day Brunch 2016

Time to make your reservations for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day dining in Boston.

New Year's Eve, this year, is on a Saturday night and the New Year's holiday will officially be celebrated on Monday, so you have a long weekend to dine and enjoy the Boston restaurant scene.

Tell us what you plan to do and share some of your best New Year's Eve Dining experiences in the comment section.

What's your goal in finding a place to dine in Boston on New Year's Eve 2011? Are you looking for a place to ring in 2012 with a happy crowd? Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration?

We fall into the food-loving quiet celebration group, and we'll tell you about some places where that's possible. Plus, we'll give you links to find the places where you can celebrate in a more organized fashion.

Everyone can begin at Open Table. They have a list of special New Year's celebrations at area restaurants. Sign-on to the comment feed for this post or follow us on Twitter for updates.

But, you can put a time into the reservation box and see what's available. Remember, many places have specific seatings, special prix fixe menus for occasions like this, and some may require a credit card to hold a reservation.

On the Boston Chefs site, there's a list of member restaurants with details about their menu offerings for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There are plans for some great brunches on the 1st and that can be a wonderful time to gather friends to toast the start of 2012.
- East Coast Grill is always fun. On New Year's Eve they plan, "a special heaven or hell prix fixe dinner menu." On Sunday they're offering a three course prix fixe brunch.
- Either Toro or Coppa would also be a wonderul choice to start the new year with great food. Both have special menus for the 31st, and bunch and dinner on the 1st. Both should be lively.
- The team at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge really knows how to throw a party. Their New Year's Eve Fete will be a four-course holiday menu followed by a New Year's Brunch and dinner the next day.
- Hamersley's Bistro was the site of one of our most memorable New Year's Eve celebrations. They say, "We are offering a four-course prix fixe menu for $125 per person with a champagne toast included at dessert time. Ring in the New Year at Hamersley's!"
- La Morra in Brookline– chef Josh Ziskin says, "La Morra will serve an exquisite 4-course traditional Italian meal with options for each course for $85 and a wine pairing for an additional $45 per person."
- For a more quiet, refined evening, try Clio, Meritage, or L'Espalier.
Where are you spending the evening? What's your favorite way to celebrate? Come back on January 1st and tell us about your New Year's Eve.

Make supporting websites you use to gather information, like BostonZest, one of your 2012 resolutions. Some folks blog for fun, while for others it's a way of earning a living. By clicking over to Amazon from here, when you plan to shop, you'll pay us for our work.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photo: iStockphoto.com
December 7, 2011
What’s Open in Boston on Christmas Weekend and MBTA Schedules 2011

You have reached an old post. Here's the 2014 Information!

Here's a run-down of what's open in Boston on Christmas, December 25, 2011 and on Monday, December 26th when the holiday is officially celebrated in Massachusetts. Remember, many businesses close early on Christmas Eve as well. Call before you leave, if you plan to visit a business on the 24th.

Welcome to all of you who have found BostonZest.com while looking for this information. We hope you'll look around at the other resources we provide, subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter, and come back often.

Restaurants, bars: Some will be open. Check for special hours and menus and take a look at our piece on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dining in Boston 2011.

Convenience stores: Some will be open. Check for special hours.

Supermarkets: Closeddue toMassachusetts "Blue Laws"

Retail stores: Closeddue toMassachusetts "Blue Laws"

Liquor stores: Closeddue toMassachusetts "Blue Laws" both on Chrismas Day, December 25th and on Monday, December 26th.* (Here's the official word on that!)

*Note: Update 12.9.11- a bill is moving through the Massachusetts legislature that could change this December 26th closing of liquor stores. See a well-reported story about that in the Salem News. Check back here for updates to this status.

Update 12.18.11- According to Boston.com this bill is has passed the house and senate and has been sent to the Governor.

Update 12.21.11- Liquor stores may open on Monday, December 26th, if they choose. The Governor has signed the bill allowing this to happen.

City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service. Only emergency services are available.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply. The Tow Lot will be open Monday – Friday 7am-10:30 pm, Saturdays 9 am- noon, and it is closed on all city holidays. That means it's closed on the 26th. (I would also call before going on Christmas Eve.)

Boston Trash Collection: The city says, "Trash & recycling collection will be delayed by 1 day for all neighborhoods."

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.

(MBTA information after this message.)

If BostonZest helps you by delivering information you need and use, consider helping us by starting all your Amazon shopping from here. Just click on a link like this or an Amazon ad, and you'll be transported to their site. They pay us a small commission on anything you buy on that shopping trip.

Here's the MBTA Christmas Weekend Service Schedule. (Updated 12.21.11) The MBTA says…

"Sunday, December 25, 2011 – Christmas Day

• Blue, Orange, Green, and Red Line trains, buses, and trackless trolleys will operate on a regular Sunday schedule.
• Commuter rail trains will operate on a regular Sunday schedule except the Mount Wachusett Ski Trains to and from Fitchburg, which will not operate.
• Inner Harbor Ferry service from Charlestown and Long Wharf will not operate.
• Hingham, Quincy, and Hull commuter boat service will not operate.
• THE RIDE Service will operate on a modified holiday schedule.

Monday, December 26, 2011 – Christmas Observed

• Blue, Orange, Green, and Red line trains, buses, and trackless trolleys will operate on a Sunday schedule.
• Commuter rail trains will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Inner Harbor Ferry service from Charlestown and Long Wharf will operate on a regular Weekend schedule.
• Hingham and Hull commuter boat service will not operate.
• Quincy ferries will operate on a Weekend Schedule.
• THE RIDE Service will not offer subscription service. Customers should contact their contractors for service information.

For additional information on MBTA services, routes, schedules, and fares, please call the MBTA Customer Communications Department at (617) 222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100 (hearing impaired TDD 617-222-5146)," or visit the MBTA website.

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 6, 2011
Boston Area Commencement Dates Spring 2012
This is an old post here is an updated page with the current information!

Boston Area Commencement Dates for Spring Impact Hotel Prices, Availability, Restaurant Reservations and More.

With or without a Boston area college graduation in your family, you'll likely need to coordinate your dining and travel plans around the spring 2012 commencement ceremonies. We're running this a bit early, because so many readers have been making their way to last year's post.

Reservations at area restaurants will be harder to find May 11th and 12th, and scarce May 18th through 21st when 11 schools, including BU and BC, will hold ceremonies. Harvard commencement is May 24th and MIT June 8th– each of these schools is large enough to have an impact on its own. Harvard can also interfere with traffic as they move busloads of people from one place to another around event time.

To help you plan your dining options in May and early June, here are the dates of the major commencement ceremonies for your 2012 calendar.

If you know of a college or university graduation date that we missed, send us a comment.
Thanks to everyone who supports us by beginning your Amazon shopping from here. It doesn't cost you anymore but when you click on an Amazon link like this one, they put a few coins in our tip cup.

The perfect gift for a graduate!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photo: iStockphoto.com
November 29, 2011