Category: Arts

Out and About from Paris to Boston

Last week, Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris was in Boston for a few days and we met for lunch. She had been following our food truck coverage, so my friend Laurie and I met her at The Dining Car in front of the library.

After a lingering lunch and some good conversation in the courtyard, we took Mary Kay on a brief tour of a couple of our favorite spots in the McKim building: the main staircase, the Puvis de Chavannes Gallery, the Abbey Room, and Bates Hall.

With a spectacular day outside, this appetizer was enough to tempt Mary Kay to explore more of one of my favorite buildings on her own. The three of us took to the outside world. We made a quick stop at the Society of Arts and Crafts and then strolled down Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

It is such fun to meet the people behind blogs. Mary Kay is as warm, friendly, and interesting as her persona on the web.

What's on your "dreaming of a trip to Paris" shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are some ideas!

From another great blogger Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris

From the wonderful Patricia Wells, The Paris Cookbook

Learn to Speak French

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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March 14, 2012
7 Things We Learned at the BPL Conservation Lab!
After a rebinding, this Liber Chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) from 1493 now opens completely.

Penny and I recently had the chance to go behind the scenes at the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) Conservation Lab to meet the talented experts who are preserving history one piece at a time! These specialists repair and stabilize rare books and documents to ensure that these items remain available to all of us.

Keeper of Special Collections at the BPL, Susan L. Glover (above) put it best, “They are wonderfully skilled, they are passionate, they are dedicated, and what they do looks like magic.”

We were so impressed, here are:

7 Things We Learned at the BPL Conservation Lab!
- The lab is only able to get to about 1% of the work that is needed.
- Some items can deteriorate just sitting on a shelf due to material content.
Conservation Assistant, Chris Letizia tests leather to bind a 12th Century illuminated manuscript.

And, here are their recommendations for your own items.
- Keep your valued pieces out of direct sunlight, away from acidic paper.
- Don’t store personal treasures (clipping, letters, etc) in basements (too humid) or attics (too hot).
- Handle them little, keep them unfolded in folders or archival albums.
- Never use any kind of household tape to make repairs.
- If you discover what might be an important item, contact the BPL Conservation Lab for advice and recommendations. (617-536-5400)
For more information, check out the BPL Rare Books Department

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
February 15, 2012
See Anyone You Recognize?

This is the south facing side of the frieze on the tower of the First Baptist Church of Boston.

This work of art was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the same sculptor who created the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

Bostonian Edward Everett Hale wrote, "…he told me himself that the heads which you will see there are portraits of distinguished citizens of Boston of that time. If you buy the right photographs, and magnify them with the right glasses, you will find Sumner and, I think Garrison, and probably Everett and Phillips."

Next time you're walking near here, stop and look up. The tower is 176 feet high. The frieze was carved by Italian craftmen, after the stones were set in place. They worked up where we see the figures.

Need some Valentine's Day gift ideas? Click over to Amazon and do some planning and if you do buy something there, they'll put a few coins in our tip cup.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

February 11, 2012
Valentine’s Day Live Performances at Half Price

Here's the BosTix booth in Copley Square. There's a second one at Quincy Market.

Treat your Valentine to the serendipity of a live performance at half-price by strolling to one of the BosTix ticket booths and selecting from the available offerings. You could do it on the 14th, the weekend before, or you could present your sweetheart with a gift certifcate or promissory note to do it when the mood strikes!

Add a meal at one of the many inexpensive, ethnic restaurants around the city, and you have a great afternoon or evening at a reasonable price.

BosTix is a program of ArtsBoston. If your budget is flush, you can support the arts with a visit to their main site where you can see all the great entertainment available around the area.

Related Post with links to others:

Valentine's Day 2012 – Romantic Dining in Boston

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 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.

January 24, 2012
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Reopening

We're making the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum our Friday Link, this week, to remind you that it's about to reopen.

Preview events for members are scheduled on Monday the 16th through Wednesday the 18th. It opens to the public on Thursday the 19th and for three days admission is free, if you snag one of the reserved time slots. The Gardner Museum site says,

"The Gardner Museum reopens in January, and admission is free Jan. 19-21! Timed tickets are required and limited, and must be reserved in advance. Reserve online, or by calling the Box Office at: 617-278-5156 ."

Café G

And, of particular importance to those of us who have missed the Café, the wonderful food from Chef/Owner Peter Crowley will be back. They're already taking reservations for the new Café G as it is now called.

It has been relocated to the new wing of the Gardner and after years of working in very tight quarters, we're confident they have provided this fine chef with everything he needs to stretch his culinary reach.

We'll be reporting back on our first visits to one of our favorite places in Boston.

Related Posts:

Hanging Nasturtiums at the Gardner Museum

Romance at the Gardner Museum– Valentine's Weekend Destination

The Gardner Museum Cafe's Edible Nasturtium Menu

Gardner Museum’s “Frank Hatch First Day Free!”

If you are one of our readers from outside the Boston area, you can do your research on the Gardner Museum right there at home and enjoy your visit more when you get here.

Details:

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

280 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115 (map & reviews)

(617) 566-1401

gardnermuseum.org‎

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screenshot: courtesy of the Gardner Museum

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.

January 13, 2012
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.

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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