One of the longest standing and most useful stores on Newbury Street, Back Bay Hardware is moving a few doors East on June 1st. The new address will be 221 Newbury Street.
If you're a long time Bostonian, you may still call this store Parks True Value. The company has served the neighborhood since 1943. Even longer term residents may remember it as Parks Paint and Hardware on Huntington Avenue before it moved to Newbury Street in 1979.
Current owner Lex Stevens joined Parks True Value in 1995. He purchased the business in 2004 and renamed it Back Bay Hardware in 2010.
Another memory for long time customers is long time employee and everybody's pal Eric Chudnoff. We wrote about him back in 2008. For those who miss him, here's that post:
If you cringe, as we do, whenever you hear the words "moving day," just think about moving the thousands and thousands of items they've managed to pack into that small shop. Be a good neighbor. Stop in and buy a few things so Lex won't have to move them.
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Once upon a time, you could enjoy a quick getaway from Boston by water. In 1899, you could catch a steamer from Lincoln Wharf and sail to coastal destinations for a day or longer. (This photo courtesy of Boston Landmarks Commission image collection, Collection 5210.004, City of Boston Archives.)
Here's another look from above. (This photo courtesy of Boston Landmarks Commission image collection, Collection 5210.004, City of Boston Archives.)
Here's an illustration of the Steamboat Massachusetts, one of the vessels that once served this route. Circa 1820, it ran "… from Boston to Beverly touching each way at Nahant, Marblehead and Salem for passenger and light freight." (That was according to the book, "Some Account of Steam Navigation in New England" by Francis Boardman Crowninshield Bradlee.)
Wouldn't it be nice …
If mass transit in Boston included lots of waterborne options in season.
Once upon a time, you could enjoy a quick getaway from Boston by water. In 1899, you could catch a steamer from Lincoln Wharf and sail to coastal destinations for a day or longer. (This photo courtesy of Boston Landmarks Commission image collection, Collection 5210.004, City of Boston Archives.)
Here's another look from above. (This photo courtesy of Boston Landmarks Commission image collection, Collection 5210.004, City of Boston Archives.)
Here's an illustration of the Steamboat Massachusetts, one of the vessels that once served this route. Circa 1820, it ran "… from Boston to Beverly touching each way at Nahant, Marblehead and Salem for passenger and light freight." (That was according to the book, "Some Account of Steam Navigation in New England" by Francis Boardman Crowninshield Bradlee.)
Wouldn't it be nice …
If mass transit in Boston included lots of waterborne options in season.
Pull out your calendars and mark the dates when you can go and see our Boston area farmers market friends at their summer spots. Our Friday Link today is will take you to your favorite markets.
Here are the opening dates for some of our favorite markets. The links are to maps of the locations.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We use and highly recommend a Rolser Shopping Trolley for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
Pull out your calendars and mark the dates when you can go and see our Boston area farmers market friends at their summer spots. Our Friday Link today is will take you to your favorite markets.
Here are the opening dates for some of our favorite markets. The links are to maps of the locations.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We use and highly recommend a Rolser Shopping Trolley for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
As the temperatures rise, our dining options increase. We love dining on the patio at a select group of area restaurants and we are dedicated to picnics in parks, on a bench, on an oceanside deck, or high above the city on our roof deck.
We admit we prefer picnics that include a glass of great wine. Even simple fare, some bread, cheese, olives and fruit seem elegant with a splash of bubbly.
One of our favorite patios is the one at Coppa in the South End. It's where we can be sure that the food will be as wonderful as the lovely days that draw us to outdoor dining. That's Coppa's "Ricotta gnocchi with nasturtium butter-cacio e pepe," in the photo above.
We'll often pick up a picnic to go from a place like Bacco's Wine + Cheese and try to find a spot in the Public Garden away from the noise where we can relax and nibble an hour away. There, the sparkle has to be sparkling water but that's okay with us.
We're hoping to win a table on the patio at the new Tatte Bakery & Café on Charles Street one of these days. So far, we've had to order our food to go and make our way back to the Garden to dine.
We'll often make a stop at Thinking Cup on Newbury for breakfast while we're out walking. They make great breakfast sandwiches.
While our selection of patios for dining is narrow, Eater Boston has put together a much more comprehensive map of options. Here's a link to their piece: These Patios Are Officially Open for the Season. They have pointed out a few places we've been meaning to try and the possibility of sitting outside will move them up on our list.
Happy Spring, get out and enjoy an al fresco meal at one of your favorite places.
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 the temperatures rise, our dining options increase. We love dining on the patio at a select group of area restaurants and we are dedicated to picnics in parks, on a bench, on an oceanside deck, or high above the city on our roof deck.
We admit we prefer picnics that include a glass of great wine. Even simple fare, some bread, cheese, olives and fruit seem elegant with a splash of bubbly.
One of our favorite patios is the one at Coppa in the South End. It's where we can be sure that the food will be as wonderful as the lovely days that draw us to outdoor dining. That's Coppa's "Ricotta gnocchi with nasturtium butter-cacio e pepe," in the photo above.
We'll often pick up a picnic to go from a place like Bacco's Wine + Cheese and try to find a spot in the Public Garden away from the noise where we can relax and nibble an hour away. There, the sparkle has to be sparkling water but that's okay with us.
We're hoping to win a table on the patio at the new Tatte Bakery & Café on Charles Street one of these days. So far, we've had to order our food to go and make our way back to the Garden to dine.
We'll often make a stop at Thinking Cup on Newbury for breakfast while we're out walking. They make great breakfast sandwiches.
While our selection of patios for dining is narrow, Eater Boston has put together a much more comprehensive map of options. Here's a link to their piece: These Patios Are Officially Open for the Season. They have pointed out a few places we've been meaning to try and the possibility of sitting outside will move them up on our list.
Happy Spring, get out and enjoy an al fresco meal at one of your favorite places.
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!
May is one of those months when we like to get out and enjoy our city and perhaps schedule a few day trips or short getaways to places around the area. After this winter, we have worked to get our assignments ahead and will now take some time off to enjoy spring.
When if comes to events, we tend to enjoy the quieter side of the happenings roster. Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum on May 10th is more our style. It is the only day you are allowed to picnic on the grounds and they now have a small fleet of food trucks available for the event.
Food Truck Season
Speaking of food trucks, by May it's normally warm enough to dine al fresco and that means we can do more food truck sampling. The city seems to have lost interest in supporting this great aspect of Boston. So rather than recommend you use the city's site, we suggest you depend on Steve Leibowitz's site, Hub Food Trucks.
One of our favorite food truck spots is near the fountain at the Christian Science Plaza. It's listed as Belvidere on the schedules. In addition to more trucks and more choices, it has great seating for eating and fun people watching. Here's a link to the Hub Food Trucks schedule.
May in Boston is dominated by what we call “Graduation Season.” This is the time of year when students graduate from more than 100 colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area. Friends and families arrive to attend the ceremonies and treat the new grads to meals around town.
Families also come to Boston to pick up and move out many of the 250,000 students who spend the academic year around here. That can mean traffic issues and parking headaches in some neighborhoods.
All year long, the locals who volunteer to assist visitors over on the Boston Trip Advisor forum explain that these May happenings and other events explain the scarcity and high cost of hotel rooms.
Here is our post with all dates for many of this year’s graduations.
This is one of the very best things about May. We look forward to great local food and the wonderful community that exists at our local farmers markets. The tremendously popular and busy Copley Square Farmers Market opened on May12th.
Reservations at area restaurants will be harder to find May 8th through 11th with Mother's Day and 5 commencements, and scarce May 15th through 18th when 15 schools, including BU and BC, will hold ceremonies. Harvard commencement is May 28th and MIT June 5th – each of these schools is large enough to have an impact on its own.
Holidays in May
Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10th. You have a short time to make plans to celebrate if that day is on your calendar. On Mother’s Day, you'll find special menus in many restaurants. If you have suggestions for places not doing this or alternative dining suggestions for Mother’s Day please add them. Here's a link to our post with suggestions for places to dine on Mother's Day.
Conventions that Impact Hotel Pricing & Availability
April 29-May 2: American College of Physicians Internal Medicine 2015, estimated attendees: 7,000
May 6-7: UBM Canon – BIOMEDevice / Design & Manufacturing New England / Electronics New England 2015, estimated attendees: 6,050
May 14-16: Heart Rhythm Society – 2015 Annual Scientific Sessions, estimated attendees: 15,000
May 26-28: NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2015 Annual Conference & International Education Expo, estimated attendees: 7,000
Watch for our upcoming post on what we’re looking forward to in May. We'd love to include some of your suggestions. Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email.
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!
May in Boston is dominated by what we call “Graduation Season.” This is the time of year when students graduate from more than 100 colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area. Friends and families arrive to attend the ceremonies and treat the new grads to meals around town.
Families also come to Boston to pick up and move out many of the 250,000 students who spend the academic year around here. That can mean traffic issues and parking headaches in some neighborhoods.
All year long, the locals who volunteer to assist visitors over on the Boston Trip Advisor forum explain that these May happenings and other events explain the scarcity and high cost of hotel rooms.
Here is our post with all dates for many of this year’s graduations.
This is one of the very best things about May. We look forward to great local food and the wonderful community that exists at our local farmers markets. The tremendously popular and busy Copley Square Farmers Market opened on May12th.
Reservations at area restaurants will be harder to find May 8th through 11th with Mother's Day and 5 commencements, and scarce May 15th through 18th when 15 schools, including BU and BC, will hold ceremonies. Harvard commencement is May 28th and MIT June 5th – each of these schools is large enough to have an impact on its own.
Holidays in May
Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10th. You have a short time to make plans to celebrate if that day is on your calendar. On Mother’s Day, you'll find special menus in many restaurants. If you have suggestions for places not doing this or alternative dining suggestions for Mother’s Day please add them. Here's a link to our post with suggestions for places to dine on Mother's Day.
Conventions that Impact Hotel Pricing & Availability
April 29-May 2: American College of Physicians Internal Medicine 2015, estimated attendees: 7,000
May 6-7: UBM Canon – BIOMEDevice / Design & Manufacturing New England / Electronics New England 2015, estimated attendees: 6,050
May 14-16: Heart Rhythm Society – 2015 Annual Scientific Sessions, estimated attendees: 15,000
May 26-28: NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2015 Annual Conference & International Education Expo, estimated attendees: 7,000
Watch for our upcoming post on what we’re looking forward to in May. We'd love to include some of your suggestions. Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email.
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!
for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
. It's full of chefs, farmers, and food producers you know, and we highly recommend it. Remember,