Category: Boston:101

Belle Isle: Lobster Rolls at the Reservation

We dedicated an afternoon and a few of our Zipcar credits to exploring Winthrop last week. Our dog Poppy enjoys an occasional ride in her car crate so we took her along and were happy to find so many public spaces where our whole family was welcome, as long as we obeyed the rules.

Today, we'll tell you about the Belle Isle Marsh, one of the MDC reservations.

Airplanes landing and taking off are a part of the scene here. Ed was having a great time photographing them. This is a great destination for a photowalk. We plan to gather a group of friends with cameras and come back in the fall. Marshland is often overlooked as a place to enjoy autumn's colorful show.

Boston's last remaining salt marsh, this conservation area is right in the city and you can include houses in some of the views. You can also see the reservation's observation tower in the center of this photo.

Map courtesy of Friends of Belle Isle. Please visit their site for a larger view.

We originally had not planned to include Belle Isle in our explorations but needed a place to have lunch. Our hopes that the new outdoor seating at Belle Isle Seafood might be dog friendly were dashed since you have to go through the restaurant to get to it.

So, we ordered our lobster rolls to go and drove to a lovely picnic table at the Belle Isle Reservation to enjoy all that lovely lobster and great onion rings.

There was so much lobster in our rolls that we had leftovers and took some home for supper!

After a big seafood lunch, you can walk off some of the calories on the winding trails. We saw lots of folks with their dogs enjoying the day.

Here's the info to plan your visit!

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Bennington Street, East Boston, MA (Map)

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Belle Isle Seafood

Has relocated across the bridge to 1 Main Street, Winthrop MA (Map)

Phone: (617) 567-1619

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Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed 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.

August 26, 2013
Belle Isle: Lobster Rolls at the Reservation

We dedicated an afternoon and a few of our Zipcar credits to exploring Winthrop last week. Our dog Poppy enjoys an occasional ride in her car crate so we took her along and were happy to find so many public spaces where our whole family was welcome, as long as we obeyed the rules.

Today, we'll tell you about the Belle Isle Marsh, one of the MDC reservations.

Airplanes landing and taking off are a part of the scene here. Ed was having a great time photographing them. This is a great destination for a photowalk. We plan to gather a group of friends with cameras and come back in the fall. Marshland is often overlooked as a place to enjoy autumn's colorful show.

Boston's last remaining salt marsh, this conservation area is right in the city and you can include houses in some of the views. You can also see the reservation's observation tower in the center of this photo.

Map courtesy of Friends of Belle Isle. Please visit their site for a larger view.

We originally had not planned to include Belle Isle in our explorations but needed a place to have lunch. Our hopes that the new outdoor seating at Belle Isle Seafood might be dog friendly were dashed since you have to go through the restaurant to get to it.

So, we ordered our lobster rolls to go and drove to a lovely picnic table at the Belle Isle Reservation to enjoy all that lovely lobster and great onion rings.

There was so much lobster in our rolls that we had leftovers and took some home for supper!

After a big seafood lunch, you can walk off some of the calories on the winding trails. We saw lots of folks with their dogs enjoying the day.

Here's the info to plan your visit!

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Bennington Street, East Boston, MA (Map)

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Belle Isle Seafood

Has relocated across the bridge to 1 Main Street, Winthrop MA (Map)

Phone: (617) 567-1619

What do you know about Amazon Prime?

We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month, free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed 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.

August 26, 2013
Belle Isle: Lobster Rolls at the Reservation

We dedicated an afternoon and a few of our Zipcar credits to exploring Winthrop last week. Our dog Poppy enjoys an occasional ride in her car crate so we took her along and were happy to find so many public spaces where our whole family was welcome, as long as we obeyed the rules.

Today, we'll tell you about the Belle Isle Marsh, one of the MDC reservations.

Airplanes landing and taking off are a part of the scene here. Ed was having a great time photographing them. This is a great destination for a photowalk. We plan to gather a group of friends with cameras and come back in the fall. Marshland is often overlooked as a place to enjoy autumn's colorful show.

Boston's last remaining salt marsh, this conservation area is right in the city and you can include houses in some of the views. You can also see the reservation's observation tower in the center of this photo.

Map courtesy of Friends of Belle Isle. Please visit their site for a larger view.

We originally had not planned to include Belle Isle in our explorations but needed a place to have lunch. Our hopes that the new outdoor seating at Belle Isle Seafood might be dog friendly were dashed since you have to go through the restaurant to get to it.

So, we ordered our lobster rolls to go and drove to a lovely picnic table at the Belle Isle Reservation to enjoy all that lovely lobster and great onion rings.

There was so much lobster in our rolls that we had leftovers and took some home for supper!

After a big seafood lunch, you can walk off some of the calories on the winding trails. We saw lots of folks with their dogs enjoying the day.

Here's the info to plan your visit!

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

Bennington Street, East Boston, MA (Map)

Open year-round, 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Belle Isle Seafood

Has relocated across the bridge to 1 Main Street, Winthrop MA (Map)

Phone: (617) 567-1619

What do you know about Amazon Prime?

We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and tv shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month, free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed 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.

August 26, 2013
Do Not Block Intersection! State Law, $150 Fine

As one of the key alternate routes, traffic coming across the Harvard Bridge (Mass Ave Bridge) onto Massachusetts Avenue in both directions was under careful scrutiny at the start of the Longfellow Bridge Project.

We don't know if the new grid patterns painted on intersections and the addtion of signs to the lights was a direct result of having a police officer on every block. But, these things did happen at the same time.

Obviously, it will take more than signs. It will take enforcement and a few fines to make any progress towards the goal of avoiding gridlock by convincing Boston drivers to obey the law.

That law says, "The driver of a motor vehicle shall not cross or enter an intersection, which it is unable to proceed through, without stopping and thereby blocking vehicles from travelling in a free direction. A green light is no defense to blocking the intersection. The driver must wait another cycle of the signal light, if necessary." Here's a link that that section of the Massachusetts laws.

It is also illegal to stop in any crosswalk:

"…nor shall any such operator enter a marked crosswalk while a pedestrian is crossing or until there is a sufficient space beyond the crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating, notwithstanding that a traffic control signal may indicate that vehicles may proceed." Here's a link to that section of the Massachusetts laws.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

August 20, 2013
Do Not Block Intersection! State Law, $150 Fine

As one of the key alternate routes, traffic coming across the Harvard Bridge (Mass Ave Bridge) onto Massachusetts Avenue in both directions was under careful scrutiny at the start of the Longfellow Bridge Project.

We don't know if the new grid patterns painted on intersections and the addtion of signs to the lights was a direct result of having a police officer on every block. But, these things did happen at the same time.

Obviously, it will take more than signs. It will take enforcement and a few fines to make any progress towards the goal of avoiding gridlock by convincing Boston drivers to obey the law.

That law says, "The driver of a motor vehicle shall not cross or enter an intersection, which it is unable to proceed through, without stopping and thereby blocking vehicles from travelling in a free direction. A green light is no defense to blocking the intersection. The driver must wait another cycle of the signal light, if necessary." Here's a link that that section of the Massachusetts laws.

It is also illegal to stop in any crosswalk:

"…nor shall any such operator enter a marked crosswalk while a pedestrian is crossing or until there is a sufficient space beyond the crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating, notwithstanding that a traffic control signal may indicate that vehicles may proceed." Here's a link to that section of the Massachusetts laws.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

August 20, 2013
Do Not Block Intersection! State Law, $150 Fine

As one of the key alternate routes, traffic coming across the Harvard Bridge (Mass Ave Bridge) onto Massachusetts Avenue in both directions was under careful scrutiny at the start of the Longfellow Bridge Project.

We don't know if the new grid patterns painted on intersections and the addtion of signs to the lights was a direct result of having a police officer on every block. But, these things did happen at the same time.

Obviously, it will take more than signs. It will take enforcement and a few fines to make any progress towards the goal of avoiding gridlock by convincing Boston drivers to obey the law.

That law says, "The driver of a motor vehicle shall not cross or enter an intersection, which it is unable to proceed through, without stopping and thereby blocking vehicles from travelling in a free direction. A green light is no defense to blocking the intersection. The driver must wait another cycle of the signal light, if necessary." Here's a link that that section of the Massachusetts laws.

It is also illegal to stop in any crosswalk:

"…nor shall any such operator enter a marked crosswalk while a pedestrian is crossing or until there is a sufficient space beyond the crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating, notwithstanding that a traffic control signal may indicate that vehicles may proceed." Here's a link to that section of the Massachusetts laws.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

August 20, 2013
Fall 2013 Boston Hazardous Waste Collection, E Waste, and Shredding

The City of Boston has announced the 2013 Fall Household Hazardous Waste collection dates with September 7th and November 23rd next on the list.

And, on Saturday September 7th, you will also be able to drop off e-waste for Electronics recycing and shred paper at the Bayside Expo Center. So, dump those old files, checks, and such into a big box and take them along.

It's time to clean out under sinks, storage areas, and garages and remove all those unwanted hazards from your home.

Saturday, September 7th, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

University of Massachusetts-Boston Harbor Campus, Parking lot D, Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester (Map)

With Electronics Recycling and paper shredding at Bayside Expo

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

West Roxbury Public Works Yard, 315 Gardner Street, West Roxbury (Map)

Here are highlights of the city's published guidelines from their Hazardous Waste page:

For a complete list of acceptable materials, download the flyer here.

For Boston residents only. No commercial waste will be accepted. Proof of residency required. The City reserves the right to reject materials. For more information call 617-635-4500.

TVs & Computer Monitors

The City says, "… call 617-635-4500 to schedule curbside pickup of TVs and computer monitors or place an online service request."

Latex Paint & Acrylic Paint

The city advises, "Latex/Acrylic Paint Is Not Hazardous. Latex and Acrylic Paint can be disposed of with regular trash." "… must make sure any paint left in the paint can is [be] completely dried before putting out with trash."

Get rid of the junk, and then don't bring more of it back into your home.

Clean out under your sink, your cleaning closet, gardening shed, garage, and storage areas. Once your home is free from toxic, flammable, and other dangerous materials, learn how to avoid bringing more of this stuff back into your life.

Here are three great books to help you change your hazardous ways.

And, remember, when you start any of your Amazon shopping from here, you support BostonZest and keep information like this flowing your way.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Screenshot: From City of Boston website

August 16, 2013
Fall 2013 Boston Hazardous Waste Collection, E Waste, and Shredding

The City of Boston has announced the 2013 Fall Household Hazardous Waste collection dates with September 7th and November 23rd next on the list.

And, on Saturday September 7th, you will also be able to drop off e-waste for Electronics recycing and shred paper at the Bayside Expo Center. So, dump those old files, checks, and such into a big box and take them along.

It's time to clean out under sinks, storage areas, and garages and remove all those unwanted hazards from your home.

Saturday, September 7th, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

University of Massachusetts-Boston Harbor Campus, Parking lot D, Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester (Map)

With Electronics Recycling and paper shredding at Bayside Expo

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

West Roxbury Public Works Yard, 315 Gardner Street, West Roxbury (Map)

Here are highlights of the city's published guidelines from their Hazardous Waste page:

For a complete list of acceptable materials, download the flyer here.

For Boston residents only. No commercial waste will be accepted. Proof of residency required. The City reserves the right to reject materials. For more information call 617-635-4500.

TVs & Computer Monitors

The City says, "… call 617-635-4500 to schedule curbside pickup of TVs and computer monitors or place an online service request."

Latex Paint & Acrylic Paint

The city advises, "Latex/Acrylic Paint Is Not Hazardous. Latex and Acrylic Paint can be disposed of with regular trash." "… must make sure any paint left in the paint can is [be] completely dried before putting out with trash."

Get rid of the junk, and then don't bring more of it back into your home.

Clean out under your sink, your cleaning closet, gardening shed, garage, and storage areas. Once your home is free from toxic, flammable, and other dangerous materials, learn how to avoid bringing more of this stuff back into your life.

Here are three great books to help you change your hazardous ways.

And, remember, when you start any of your Amazon shopping from here, you support BostonZest and keep information like this flowing your way.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Screenshot: From City of Boston website

August 16, 2013
Fall 2013 Boston Hazardous Waste Collection, E Waste, and Shredding

The City of Boston has announced the 2013 Fall Household Hazardous Waste collection dates with September 7th and November 23rd next on the list.

And, on Saturday September 7th, you will also be able to drop off e-waste for Electronics recycing and shred paper at the Bayside Expo Center. So, dump those old files, checks, and such into a big box and take them along.

It's time to clean out under sinks, storage areas, and garages and remove all those unwanted hazards from your home.

Saturday, September 7th, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

University of Massachusetts-Boston Harbor Campus, Parking lot D, Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester (Map)

With Electronics Recycling and paper shredding at Bayside Expo

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 from 9am to 2pm

West Roxbury Public Works Yard, 315 Gardner Street, West Roxbury (Map)

Here are highlights of the city's published guidelines from their Hazardous Waste page:

For a complete list of acceptable materials, download the flyer here.

For Boston residents only. No commercial waste will be accepted. Proof of residency required. The City reserves the right to reject materials. For more information call 617-635-4500.

TVs & Computer Monitors

The City says, "… call 617-635-4500 to schedule curbside pickup of TVs and computer monitors or place an online service request."

Latex Paint & Acrylic Paint

The city advises, "Latex/Acrylic Paint Is Not Hazardous. Latex and Acrylic Paint can be disposed of with regular trash." "… must make sure any paint left in the paint can is [be] completely dried before putting out with trash."

Get rid of the junk, and then don't bring more of it back into your home.

Clean out under your sink, your cleaning closet, gardening shed, garage, and storage areas. Once your home is free from toxic, flammable, and other dangerous materials, learn how to avoid bringing more of this stuff back into your life.

Here are three great books to help you change your hazardous ways.

And, remember, when you start any of your Amazon shopping from here, you support BostonZest and keep information like this flowing your way.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Screenshot: From City of Boston website

August 16, 2013
Brunch on Hamersley’s Patio: A Sunday Sojourn

Yes, we had a sojourn, a delightful break in a busy week, a feeling of being away in a special place. We had brunch last Sunday at Hamersley's Bistro.

Merriam-Webster defines sojourn as, "a temporary residing as another's guest." They give this example of its use, "spent a relaxing sojourn in her friend's summer home."

While new restaurants can be fun to try, you don't always know what to expect, even if they have rave reviews. There may be annoying music, indifferent service, or food that is more about the chef's ego than your appetite.

At a long time Boston gem like Hamersley's the wonderful food, a calm atmosphere, and excellent service is a given. We've been eating here for more than 20 years and our memory banks are full of enjoyable Hamersley's stories. We smile when we say the word, "Hamersley's."

When we want to be certain of a special meal, we depend on this kitchen, this staff, and the steady hands on the tiller that have made this the choice of Bostonians like us, legends like Julia Child, and visiting VIPs.

Cold Lobster Salad with Summer Vegetable Confetti and Tarragon Vinaigrette

You know you will have a great meal. You know the wine list will have a few new entries to tempt you and an old favorite like Rollin Soles' Argyle Brut to toast a new week ahead.

After raising our glasses of Argyle, we ordered the lobster salad, and the poached eggs.

Poached Eggs with Morbier Cheese and Shaved Country Ham on a Toasted English Muffin with Herb Sauce

Dessert was an easy choice, Peach Cobbler with Crème Fraîche. No, you won't see a photo because by this time we were so relaxed that we forgot about our faithful readers and just enjoyed our dessert.

At one point, one of us said that this was more like being on an island than within walking distance of our home. It was delightful. It was a sojourn. You should make a reservation for Sunday, right now.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed 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.

August 14, 2013