Category: City Life

Changes to Boston Street Sweeping Schedules 2012

The Street Sweepers are back! Give ‘em room!

And, make sure you know when they will arrive at your car!

Boston’s “Daytime” Street Cleaning Program returned on April 1st, and that means paying attention to parking restrictions.

Changes to the Street Sweeping days in the South End, Allston/Brighton, Charlestown, East Boston, Roxbury, and South Boston:

"The Public Works Department will be implementing a new schedule of posted street sweeping days for many streets in the neighborhoods of Boston over the next two years beginning in the Spring of 2012. The goal of the alterations is to provide mechanical street sweeping services to more closely follow residential trash and recycling collection days. This new schedule will alleviate much of the litter generated by the weekly collection in a faster and more efficient manner. To view the new schedule, please visit our No-Tow page."

Now, let’s see, is this the first or second Tuesday of the month? And, on which side of the street did I park?

Wait! Relax. There is another way. Instead of trying to remember when to move your car for the street sweeper, let the City of Boston remind you. Sign-up for Street Sweeping Alerts now, and avoid headaches later.

Take a few minutes to check out the city’s website. You’ll find a complete series of services that’ll help you avoid a ticket, or worse. And, to make it even faster, we’ve listed links to prepare you for almost any car-related issue in Boston.

State Roads Also Have Restrictions

And, you also have to check the State Street Sweeping Schedule for Department of Conservation roads, like Day Boulevard, parts of Park Drive and Boylston Street. You'll find a complete list at that link.

Links:

Register for No-Tow™ email reminders/Street Sweeping Schedule Finder

Manage Your No-Tow Subscription

Parking Ticket Notification Service

Locate a Towed Vehicle

Street Occupancy Permit Finder & Alerts

Related Posts:

Scary Stack– Boston Parking Tickets

Parking Your Car for Boston Marathon Weekend

Begin all your Amazon shopping at BostonZest to keep information like this coming your way. How? Just click here to be transported to Amazon and then shop as you always do. They'll reward us for sending you their way. And, if you plan to be a neighborhood sweetheart who sweeps the sidewalk to the curb before the street sweepers arrive, here's a great selection of tools for that job.

Details:
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

April 2, 2012
New Food Truck Schedule: Food Truck Tracking April 2012 Update

Our Friday link is to the new schedule and new locations for food trucks approved by the City of Boston and set to begin on April 1, 2012. On Sunday, it won't be an April fools joke if you can't find your favorite food truck in its usual place. Here are links to the city's information, including a schedule and map of approved locations.

And, don't forget the food truck sites in our neighboring cities like Cambridge and Brookline.

The folks at Roaming Hunger aggregate the tweets from Boston area food trucks so you can see who is out and about and what they're tweeting.

If you know of other maps and schedule locators, let us know and we'll add them to this collection.

And, remember, if you're going out of your way to find a certain truck, you should check their twitter feed, facebook, and web pages. These guys are always dancing, trying to make a living, so they may have a catering gig or they may have run out of food. Lots of them give out phone numbers so you can call ahead to check on their status.

What are your favorite food trucks, and where do you find them?

If you know of other maps and schedule locators, let us know and we'll add them to this collection.

How do you find great food when you travel? We highly recommend the book from our pals over at Serious Eats. Here are some references for great Road Food.

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

March 30, 2012
Parking Your Car for Boston Marathon Weekend 2012

UPDATE: Parking Your Car for Boston Marathon Weekend 2015

Now's the time to plan where you'll park for Marathon weekend, so you don't end up on the hook. And, be warned, the city does tow every car left in the way of the racers.

If you normally park on the streets along the route of the weekend's races, you may want to begin looking for spaces off-the-route. If you can do without your car for a few days, consider stashing it in a safe spot before everyone else has the same idea. And, remember the bike lanes on Massachusetts Avenue have eliminated more than 70 spaces so finding on-street parking will be harder than ever.

Here's a Google map that locates public parking facilities using the Boston Marathon Finish Line as the central point.

And, if you'll need your car on Monday, you should make sure it's on the side of the Marathon route where you can reach it and get to your planned destination.

Here are some transportation restrictions & parking tips for Boston Marathon volunteers from the B.A.A. Site.

Sunday, April 15, 2012 – The B.A.A. 5K

Again this year, there's a major race on Sunday in addition to Monday's marathon.

Thousands of runners are expected to compete in a 5K (3.1 mile) race one day prior to 116th Boston Marathon. This race will start at 8 AM and cover a route through parts of the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, ending at the traditional Boston Marathon finish line.

Here's a link to the 5K course map on the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) site.

Plus, there are the Invitational Mile races that will also be held on Sunday, April 15, 2012. For details, including streets affected by this event, go to Invitational Mile 2012.

Street Closures and Parking Restrictions for Marathon Monday, April 16, 2012

Parking restrictions for the Marathon often begin on Boylston Street five or six-days before the event. From this point, until the last runners are safely across the finish line, you'll see more and more "No Parking/No Stopping" signs pop-up along the marathon route and some adjacent streets.

Remember, many streets in the Copley Square area will be impacted by the marathon. The best advice is to park your vehicle and walk and/or take public transportation.

For more information on road closures, here's the City of Boston's:

2012 Boston Marathon and Patriot’s Day Traffic Advisory

The City says: "Patriot’s Day Holiday – Monday April 16, 2012 … Street Cleaning: No MONDAY cleaning (resumes 12:01AM Tuesday on posted arterials)"

Related Posts & Helpful Links:

What's Open in Boston on Patriots' Day 2012 (Marathon Monday)

Parking and No-Tow alerts

Tracking a Boston Marathon Runner 2012

Routes for Visiting Runners 2012

Views from Hereford Street 2009

How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston

Details:

Words: Ed Cherubino

Photos: © 2008 Penny Cherubino

March 29, 2012
The Cupcakory – Food Truck Tracking
Visiting The Cupcakory is like sitting down at a friend's kitchen table, if your friend happens to be a fabulous baker. Making desserts with well-balanced flavors (sweet, but not too sweet) is an art that this baker has mastered. Here's a profile of one of the area's original food trucks.

What's your favorite cupcake flavor?

This one is Nutella– chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream

Name: The Cupcakory, a mobile cupcake truck.

Truck Description: Her name is Tillie, short for Utilimaster. She was a catering truck that was put out to pasture until Diane and Mick rescued her and got her back in the food business. She's a simple, unassuming girl with a white paint job and gentle green lettering.

Don't you love a cupcake baked by the person who hands it to you?

Chef & Team: Founder and head baker Diane turned a recession job loss into an opportunity to follow her heart and passion as a baker. Now, she puts smiles on a lot of faces. Her husband Mick is, "assistant baker, dishwasher, driver, mechanic, handy man, you name it, he does it."

What’s on the Menu: Cupcakes are $3 each or $16.50 for half a dozen– a great excuse to gather some pals and head for the truck. "We try to have 5 to 6 rotating flavors each day, we also include a seasonal flavor and will test something new every so often, so please check Twitter or Facebook for the day’s menu."

Drinks: BYOM, Bring your own milk, or coffee, or tea… Just cupcakes onboard, unless it's hot, and then Diane will bring some bottled spring water to keep her customers cool.

Known for/must try/signature dish: Salted Caramel, "chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream on top."

They say: "We love cupcakes and are passionate about what goes into them, so we’ve taken extra care in testing and picking out the best ingredients. For us, quality and taste comes first."

Nice Touch: Diane says they offer, "both vegan and gluten-free options upon request for pick-up on the truck, please request at least 48 hours in advance."

Philosophy/Mission: "Most of our ingredients are locally sourced and organic where possible. When fruit and berries come into season we will opt for local and organic, but if organic is not available we will use local for the quality of flavor and for our continued commitment to supporting local farms and sustainability practices."

We love this little showcase window where you can see exactly what cupcakes haven't been gobbled up by the Cupcakory regulars.

Regulars say: Brandon Rigolini called them, "Best cupcakes in Boston."

Talking about a Guinness Chocolate cake topped with Madagascar vanilla buttercream, Erika Bee said, "That one was my breakfast this morning …"

Asking Diane to hold a cupcake on facebook, Raquel L. Auriemma said, "I need a salted caramel, but can't be there until about 1:30."

Order and Pick up routine: There is one window with Diane's smiling face ready to put something wonderful in your hand.

Payment: Cash or credit cards

Website: www.cupcakory.com

Twitter: @cupcakory

Facebook: Cupcakory

Check The Cupcakory site for this week's schedule.

The Cupcakory's new schedule beginnng April 1, 2012
- Tuesday, Financial District at Milk & Kilby Streets (11:30 am – 3:00 pm)
- Wednesday, Back Bay at Stuart Street (11:30 am – 3:00 pm); Clarendon St. (3:15 pm – 7ish)
- Thursday, Financial District at Milk & Kilby Streets (3:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
- Friday, Copley at Clarendon Street (11:30 am – 3:00 pm); Financial District at Milk & Kilby Streets (3:15 pm – 7:00 pm)
- Sunday, SoWa Market in the food truck lot
For more of our Food Truck/Street Food coverage: click here. Or, anytime you visit BostonZest, you can click on the Food Truck/Street Food tab at the top of the page.

Link: Boston Food Truck Location Map
What's on your party shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 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 a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
March 27, 2012
Meet the Hellebores, Winter Blooming Perennials

We were noticing more and more of these blooms in Back Bay gardens. A friend with plant expertise told us they are Hellebores and are also called Lenten Roses and Christmas Roses because they bloom in winter.

We are grateful for any plant that brings the thought of spring our way in the darker months. So think about adding a few of these as you plan additions to your garden. This year, they've had lots of company with some pansy, crocus, and snowdrops springing up early. But, in colder years these will bring smiles to the faces of winter weary neighbors.

But, since we were just formally introduced to the Hellebores, we'll let them star alone today as our photograhy models. Above is a carpet of them that we found on February 5th.

What's on your gardening shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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

March 26, 2012
Tranquil Cloister

On a quiet morning,

Sun streaming through the arches,

Turquoise tiles shimmering in the light,

Marsh Chapel's cloister was tranquil.

Sunday coffee with friends

And, one very good dog.

What's on your relaxation shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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

March 24, 2012
Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Our Friday Link

Living in Boston, you think you know all about the Emerald Necklace, the glorious string of parks created by Frederick Law Olmsted between 1878 and 1896. But, how many of these parks have you explored? This spring, we suggest you pick a section of the necklace that you haven't visited and spend some time there.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy site has a wealth of information about the parks. Explore their site and then get out and see the parks in person.

Slowly, even these treasured places are being destroyed by special interest groups who insist on having passive areas and natural open spaces chopped up to create dedicated spaces for one type of park user.

Enjoy them while you can before every inch is filled with playgrounds, ball fields, tennis courts, statues, memorials, and special gardens. Olmsted knew the value of passive places and time spent with nature. It's sad that many who admire his work today don't understand that concept.

What's on your outdoor shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

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

March 23, 2012
First You Spiff Up the Dock: Swan Boats Step One

The Paget family set to work on the Public Garden dock this week, preparing for the April 14th Swan Boat opening day.

They reinforced, painted, and spiffed up Swan Boat HQ.

While to rest of us lounged, I'm sure they were happy to have an empty lagoon and fine weather for this annual chore.

What's on your spring chore shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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

March 22, 2012
It’s Spring, Mother Nature Says So…

The trees agree that it's Spring. If you love the Commonwealth Avenue Magnolias and come view them around Patriots Day each year, move that date up to this weekend.

This cherry tree was in full bloom outside the Prudential Center yesterday.

And, on Sunday, BU students made a beeline for the "BU beach" as they returned from Spring break.

What's on your Spring shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

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

March 20, 2012
Tracking a Boston Marathon Runner 2012

UPDATE: Tracking a Boston Marathon Runner 2016

Here's how to track a friend or any runner competing in the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, 2012.

Whether you're following a leader, or a happy middle-of-the-pack pal, the computer chips worn by the runners will allow you follow their progress.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) Website explains:

The B.A.A. will post split times to its website during the race. This feature, complete with search access directions, will not show up on their official site until race day.

To learn how to Track a Boston Marathon Runner, Click Here then select, “Q: How can family members at home track me in the Boston Marathon?”

Mobile Phone Alert System

The Boston Athletic Association also has set up the "AT&T Athlete Alert Program." It allows you to receive updates on a runner’s progress. Here’s how to sign-up!

Where are the Leaders & Crowd Favorites?

For a rough idea of where the race leaders are, in relation to your viewing position, watch the sky for the helicopters that hover above them.

For favorites (like two-time Boston champion Joan Benoit Samuelson in the 2011 photo above) you must rely on the roar of the crowd as they approach. Or, you can track your favorite by using the mobile alert system.

Related Posts: A collection of tips for Marathon weekends

Parking Your Car for Boston Marathon Weekend 2012

Routes for Visiting Runners – Boston Marathon Weekend 2012

Work Out on a Public Parcouse along the Charles River

How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston

What’s Open in Boston on Patriots’ Day 2012

Do you have enough memory for all the photos you'll want to shoot at the Boston Marathon? Do you need a new camera for the race? Begin your shopping by Click righ here to check the prices at Amazon on great items like Transcend SDHC Flash Memory Cards and our favorite cameras the Canon G12 Digital Camera and the Nikon D300s & NIKKOR 18-200mm Lens.

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Details:
Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) Website
Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

March 19, 2012