Tag: Boston

Greenough Lane, Then and Now….

Today, we nominate Charter Street Park and Greenough Lane (map) in the North End as a delightful pocket of serenity. Ever since we met Lynn Schweikart author of Peaceful Places Boston, we've been taking note of places to nominate for her consideration in a future edition.

Running through Charter Street Park is Greenough Lane. Early records of Boston’s streets listed this as Greenough's Alley. In 1732, it was called Greenough’s Lane, which changed to Greenough's Avenue in 1848. Finally, the apostrophe "s" was dropped and it has been Greenough Lane, since 1858.

From the BPL collection used under this creative commons license.

As we were researching Greenough Lane, we came across this Henry Blaney sketch of the scene as it stood in July 1891. It is part of the Boston Public Library Collection.

We'd also like to encourage our readers to stand up for and protect a few of these little gems. We need a few places where you can sit and enjoy nature without organized events, street performers, or other diversions planned by all the sad, little, busy minds who need constant distraction to keep from thinking.

Discover more peaceful places here and around the country. And, please nominate your favorite pockets of serentity for one of our upcoming posts.

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover art © 2012 Lynn Schweikart

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.

June 27, 2012
Get Your Fresh, Local Strawberries While They Last

We heard the first warnings that strawberry season may be short this year from Barbara Hamilton of Hamiliton Orchards last Friday at the Copley Square Farmers' Market.

We were telling her how much we've been enjoying this year's crop of super sweet, juicy berries when she said that with the heat, hers may be gone soon. (But, her blueberries are almost ready and a few may show up this week.)

As you can see from the photo, these strawberries are totally ripe and very delicate. Penny carefully carried this container home because she wanted to photograph these plump, rosy jewels in their wooden cradle.

But, most of the time, we tuck our own covered containers into our market backpacks to protect delicate items like berries, ripe tomatoes, or delicate pastries. We pick out the container of berries we want and dump them into a sturdy, sealed bowl for the trip home.

We're also coming to the last week of the Mass Farmers' Market Association Strawberry Festival fund raising event. Choose a special strawberry dessert from a participating restaurant and they will donate to the group that helps our farmers and farmers' markets.

And, speaking of farms, here's a link to find the MassGrown map where you can search for places to pick your own berries.

Related Posts: Here are our Local Food & Farmers' Market Posts

What's on your Summer Food shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and support this site! Here are the containers we use for berry transport. Perfect to keep in your market cooler or tote bag.

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 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.

June 26, 2012
Everyone’s Photographing the Big, Round, Giant Allium

In the Boston Public Garden and along the Greenway, we watched people stop to photograph the Giant Allium plants that have been blooming during the past couple of weeks. For a short time each year, these blooms add a pop of color and fun to the landscape.

Add a link to your favorite Allium photo in the comments section!

What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and 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 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.

June 23, 2012
The Walking Bostonian, Our Friday Link

A very well presented report on MassDOT's meeting about the Bowker Overpass brought The Walking Bostonian blog to our attention. We instantly subscribed and are catching up on back posts.

On the about page, this description made us see a bit of a kindred soul in Matthew, the blogger.

"This blog is a place for me to write down some of my thoughts. I live in the city of Boston, MA and I work in the field of Computer Science. I use my two feet, augmented by mass transit, to get around. Although I am not an urban planner, I try to pay attention to the city around me, many parts of which we take for granted. I am attempting to figure out why some cities decline, why some succeed, and how we can help."

We live in the city, don't own a car, use our feet (goal of 10,000 steps a day), and the MBTA for most of our transport. We're also people who notice things, and we're walking advocates.

We don't understand why walkers are not given top priority in city planning. Hey, we are way less expensive and even more environmentally friendly than bikes!

There is a lot to think about and learn on the pages of the Walking Bostonian. Questions are raised, background information is supplied, throughtful options considered, and some interesting walks are mapped on Google Earth.

Related Posts: For our Friday Link collection click here.

What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and 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 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.

June 22, 2012
Where is this Bridge? Play Attention to Detail.

Do you pay attention to the architecture around you in Boston? Penny’s Attention to Detail newspaper columns run in the Back Bay Sun and Beacon Hill Times. But, often, we see great details in other neighborhoods. Like this one…

Do you know where this bridge between two buildings is located? Hint: it’s in Kenmore Square.

Think you know? Add your guess to the comments. Tweet with @BostonZest in your message. Or Send us an email.

Click through below the ad or scroll down for the answer.

(more…)

June 18, 2012
Friday is all Grown Up– We Revisit a Sunday Dog

This week, we revisit a lovely boxer named Friday. We first met this beauty as a young pup.

Penny saw Friday this week and says she is just as sweet and charming as she was two years ago. She was out walking with her good friend Riley and both girls were more than willing to give some attention to a dog-deprived pal.

Watching dogs grow up is one of the nicest aspects of city life!

See Lola & Riley Digging Their Way to China

Lola & Riley – The Sequel

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

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

Details:

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 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.

June 17, 2012
The Boston Stinkers Are Blooming

We see readers popping in to read our posts about Boston's stink trees. And, we walked under this one in full bloom in the Back Bay. If you're seeing sidewalks covered in yellowish, green bloom debris that gives off a strong smell, you've found an Ailanthus.

For more information check our posts on the topic.

Boston's Stink Trees (Ailanthus) Are In Bloom

The Stink Trees are Back and….

And, to read what others think about them, click over to these conversations on Universal Hub. Adam Gaffin just loves to write headlines about these trees.

The Back Bay stinks

Return of the stink trees brings gasps of disgust, runny eyes to tony Back Bay

The stink trees of Boston are in bloom

What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and 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 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.

June 16, 2012
Friday Links to Free Music!
Summer in Boston is full of opportunities to enjoy free and low-cost concerts. Today, we're linking to some of the free ones but we invite you to add links to other low cost options in the comments section.
Click on any small photo to see a larger version in the space above.

Shannon Selig (photos above) opened the Prudential Center Lunchtime Concert series on Tuesday. This free concert series is part of the Berklee Summer in the City program.

Keep your eye on Shannon and get out and see her whenever you can. She's piling up awards and we think this young singer/songwriter has a very bright future. These and few additional photos of this concert are in our Smug Mug gallery.

Berklee Summer in the CIty

Berklee will be treating us to music at dozens of locations in and outside the city. If you get out to one of the concerts be sure to pick up the Berklee Summer in the City brochure. It features concerts by series, by location, by date and featured artists. You can also find the information on line here.

Boston Public Library Courtyard

Bacchante and Infant Faun are dancing on water in the courtyard of the Boston Public Library. Mark your calendars! The popular, free, Friday lunchtime concert series has returned to the courtyard and continues through the end of August. Here's a link to details of the full schedule.

Hatch Shell Concert Series 2012

In 1939, the trustees of Maria E. Hatch’s estate entered into an agreement to give the Commonwealth of Massachusetts $300,000 to build a concertorium, or music shell, on the Storrow Memorial Embankment in Boston. It would be a memorial to her bother, Boston real estate auctioneer, Edward Hatch.

The agreement was very specific as to the use of the structure. It would be for “musical and artistic purposes… of general public interest and entertainment, except, however, that it shall not be used for sectarian, political or controversial purposes.” Here's this year's list of musical presentations!

More Series at More Locations

Boston: City Hall Plaza and Christopher Columbus Park Series

Boston: Boston Harbor Hotel Free Entertainment Series on Rose Wharf

Boston: Downtown Crossing Street Music Series

Boston: Post Office Square Summer Lunch Concert Series

Cambridge: Regattabar Courtyard Series with Berklee College of Music

Cambridge: Club Passim/Berklee Summer Concert Series at Kendall Square and Harvard Square

Okay, we have the list started. Add your favorite free, or low-cost, summer concerts in the comments.

Related Posts: For our Friday link collection click here.

What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and 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 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.
June 15, 2012
What’s Open on July 4th, 2012 in Boston & MBTA Schedules

Here's a run-down of what's Open & Closed in Boston on Monday, July 4th, 2012 and changes to MBTA schedules.

This is an old post. Here's a link is the 2015 resource page for July 4th:

What's Open on July 4th, 2015 in Boston, Parking, Trash & MBTA Schedules

We publish these reminders before a holiday to help you make your plans, and we update the information as more official word is released. Follow us on Twitter to be notified of updates. Or, scroll down to the bottom of this post and subscribe to the comment feed to receive email notice of updates.

Photo: John Schinker used under this creative commons license. Here's a link to his wonderful July 4th photostream!

Restaurants, bars: Open

Convenience stores: Open

Supermarkets: Open

Retail stores: Are allowed to open, if the owners choose.

Liquor stores: Open

City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities: Closed. This includes: Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.

Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a "Bank Holiday" with both banks and the stock markets in the United States closed. Some international markets are open. Also, some banks may open certain branch offices– often those inside supermarkets. Check with your own financial institution for details.

Photo: John Schinker used under this creative commons license.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply. There will be some temporary parking restrictions and some street closures in the areas surrounding the Charles River Esplanade on July 4th.

Street Sweeping: The city says, "Daytime street sweeping is suspended on city holidays, but nighttime sweeping schedules remain in effect. Constituents are advised to call 617-635-4500 for exact details."

Boston Trash: from the city's site, "Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4 | 7am – Saturday, July 7, 2012 | 5pm. Delay trash and recycling pickup 1 day only if you live in South Boston, Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, Roslindale, or West Roxbury AND your trash and recycling is normally collected on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. *If you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up 2 times per week, do not delay."

Here are some of our related posts about July 4th, the Charles RIver, and the Esplanade

    How to Get to the Esplanade from Boston

    Once Grand, Now Unnoticed

    Charles River Clean Up Boat Update

MBTA Schedule Changes

Here's a link to the information released by the MBTA. With all the special schedules for the tall ships in addition to the July 4th schedule changes, we feel you need to look at the original material.

Remember! Fare increases and some changes to MBTA services including The Ride are "effective July 1, 2012." Check www.MBTA.com in advance to be certain the bus, or train, and the stop that you intend to use is still available.

Save storage space with these collapsible coolers. Perfect for small city homes. We have an older version of the Arctic Zone 30 model, and it's amazing at keeping things chilled. We not only use it for picnics, but grab it to go grocery shopping.

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: By John Schinker used under this creative commons license. Here's a link to his wonderful July 4th photostream!

June 12, 2012
Dragon Boat Weekend in Photos!
The Boston Dragon Boat Festival participants could not have imagined a better weekend than this one. And, we were very happy to have had two perfect days to capture photos for an upcoming project.
Click on any small photo to see a larger version in the space above. All photos © 2012 The Cherubinos, all rights reserved.

The time trials used to determine the seed order for the final races were held on Saturday. It was fun to watch the boats set up, start, and the teamwork onboard each dragon boat. We also enjoyed seeing the pre-race workouts and coaching. And, the people who are part of this sport.
Click on any small photo to see a larger version in the space above.

On Saturday, we walked back to Boston with Sheryl Mendlinger a member of the Wellness Warriors team. You'll see a lot of this crew and their pink boat in the photos. They won our hears and our cheers!

"It’s a cancer team for men & women– all cancers. And, we paddle on the Charles River,” Sheryl told us. “It’s just phenomenal! It’s one thing having to go through cancer, it’s another thing being on a team where you’re out there and you feel physically alive again.”
Click on any small photo to see a larger version in the space above.

Sunday was race day and the day of a culture festival on the banks of the Charles. It's an event that we highly recommend. And, if you're looking for a new obsession in life, we recommend dragon boats. The looks on the faces of almost everyone taking part in this sport make you want to try it.

We've put a full album of photos in our gallery over at SmugMug. The folks over there take care of all our photo printing and can put a photo on a full line of items from postcards to mousepads. We do our part and let them do theirs!

Here are the photos from the Saturday time trials.

Here are the photos from Sunday, Race day with a few of our favorites from the festival.

What's on your summer sports (or father's day) shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino, all rights reserved. Use requires written permission.

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.
June 11, 2012