As I made my early morning circuit of the Public Garden yesterday, I watched the crew ready the Swan Boats for their migration to winter quarters.
One-by-one, under the careful supervision of members of the Paget family, the boats are disassembled and packed into a truck for the trip. (Unlike the Canada Geese living on the lagoon, the swans don't form a "V" and fly South.)
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing the spring build of the Swan Boats and was very impressed by the planning, checking, and thoughtful work that goes into the stewardship of these Boston treasures.
I look forward to seeing the swans return to the lagoon in the spring and would like to say a public thank you to the Paget family for their continued protection of this iconic part of our neighborhood.
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!
As I made my early morning circuit of the Public Garden yesterday, I watched the crew ready the Swan Boats for their migration to winter quarters.
One-by-one, under the careful supervision of members of the Paget family, the boats are disassembled and packed into a truck for the trip. (Unlike the Canada Geese living on the lagoon, the swans don't form a "V" and fly South.)
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing the spring build of the Swan Boats and was very impressed by the planning, checking, and thoughtful work that goes into the stewardship of these Boston treasures.
I look forward to seeing the swans return to the lagoon in the spring and would like to say a public thank you to the Paget family for their continued protection of this iconic part of our neighborhood.
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!
Here's one of my top tips for newcomers to Boston. If you want news that really matters to your life in Boston, you need to know about Universal Hub.
It's usually the first site I visit each morning. And, when I want to know what's going on: why traffic is stopped on Storrow Drive or why I'm hearing helicopters or non-stop sirens, I call up Adam Gaffin's @universalhub timeline on Twitter.
Stories are updated not only by Adam, but also by commenters, photographers who contribute to the Universal Hub photo pool on Flickr, and by members of the UH community who send additional information to the site via twitter.
Local TV news has lost me as a viewer because more and more of these programs have become promotional vehicles for the station, the network, or a sports team. They may present stories, but they are from who knows where, about things that have no impact on your life. Why? Because they have video and because they are really about entertainment rather than news.
Instead of a half hour of news, you get seven minutes of local news, endless sports and political blather, and lots of hype. They just take the feed from the network to fill the time. If I want local news, I have to turn to sites like UH.
Support Universal Hub
As with many other sites, Universal Hub is supported by advertising, affiliate programs, and contributions.
Last year Adam added a link that asks readers,
"Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) donation."
You'll find the place to click by scrolling down in the right-hand sidebar. (Or, if you are a long time user, click here and make that contribution now.) The next time you get a great, timely, local answer to your question, "What's going on right now in Boston?" click the link and drop a few coins in the UH tip jar.
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!
In this post, you'll also find assistance from federal, state, and local authorities – including medical institutions and retail stores. There are sites to track flu activity, plus suggestions that could help save you time and money.
As always, check with your doctor or other healthcare professionals for any flu-related advice.
Do federal, state, and city health officials have any updates on flu or flu vaccinations?
In this post, you'll also find assistance from federal, state, and local authorities – including medical institutions and retail stores. There are sites to track flu activity, plus suggestions that could help save you time and money.
As always, check with your doctor or other healthcare professionals for any flu-related advice.
Do federal, state, and city health officials have any updates on flu or flu vaccinations?
Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2017. We'll also keep up with parking information, trash schedules, and changes to MBTA schedules. This is now a permanent page that we'll update from year-to-year.
All information is updated as of 08/30/17
Rather than an end to summer, we call Labor Day the beginning of the golden days of summer that last well beyond the Autumnal Equinox (September 22nd is this year's date.)
We feature these reminders well before a holiday (especially big ones like this) to give you a nudge to finalize your holiday plans. Follow along on Twitter (@bostonzest) or bookmark this page to check back. We'll update as information comes to us.
Restaurants, Bars: Open
Convenience stores: Open
Supermarkets: Open
Liquor stores: Open
Retail stores: Are allowed to open, if the owners wish to open.
City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and thePostal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
Financial Services: In general, 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.And, check with your bank, they might have some offices open.
The city press release advises,"The student move-in process at Boston’s colleges and universities will significantly impact local streets and parking."
"Students and their families are asked to plan accordingly to ensure a smooth transition. Drivers are asked to allow for extra time and to pay extra attention to all posted signs."
Street Sweeping:The City says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."
Boston Trash Collection:
The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information.
Subway, Commuter Rail, Buses, and The Ride will operate on a Sunday schedule.
The Hingham and Hull boats will operate on a Sunday schedule.
The Charlestown boat will operate on a Weekend schedule.
For additional, specific information on routes, schedules, and fares, please contact the MBTA at (617) 222-3200, TTY 617-222-5146, or visit www.mbta.com.
If information like this from BostonZest is helpful to you, support us by beginning all your Amazon shopping from one of the Amazon ads on our site or by Clicking here to go to the Amazon home page.
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!
Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2017. We'll also keep up with parking information, trash schedules, and changes to MBTA schedules. This is now a permanent page that we'll update from year-to-year.
All information is updated as of 08/30/17
Rather than an end to summer, we call Labor Day the beginning of the golden days of summer that last well beyond the Autumnal Equinox (September 22nd is this year's date.)
We feature these reminders well before a holiday (especially big ones like this) to give you a nudge to finalize your holiday plans. Follow along on Twitter (@bostonzest) or bookmark this page to check back. We'll update as information comes to us.
Restaurants, Bars: Open
Convenience stores: Open
Supermarkets: Open
Liquor stores: Open
Retail stores: Are allowed to open, if the owners wish to open.
City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and thePostal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
Financial Services: In general, 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.And, check with your bank, they might have some offices open.
The city press release advises,"The student move-in process at Boston’s colleges and universities will significantly impact local streets and parking."
"Students and their families are asked to plan accordingly to ensure a smooth transition. Drivers are asked to allow for extra time and to pay extra attention to all posted signs."
Street Sweeping:The City says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night."
Boston Trash Collection:
The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information.
Subway, Commuter Rail, Buses, and The Ride will operate on a Sunday schedule.
The Hingham and Hull boats will operate on a Sunday schedule.
The Charlestown boat will operate on a Weekend schedule.
For additional, specific information on routes, schedules, and fares, please contact the MBTA at (617) 222-3200, TTY 617-222-5146, or visit www.mbta.com.
If information like this from BostonZest is helpful to you, support us by beginning all your Amazon shopping from one of the Amazon ads on our site or by Clicking here to go to the Amazon home page.
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!
