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What’s Open on Labor Day 2014 in Boston, Plus Parking, Trash & MBTA Information

Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Labor Day. We'll also keep up with parking information, trash schedules, and changes to MBTA schedules for Monday, September 1, 2014.

This is an outdated post. We have created a permanent Labor Day holiday resource page that we'll update each year with new information. This will keep our readers from finding outdated pages like this one.

Labor Day In Boston Resource Page

We publish these reminders well before a holiday (especially big ones like this) to give you a nudge to finalize your holiday plans. Follow along on Twitter (@bostonzest) or bookmark this page to check back. We'll update as information comes to us.

We hope you find time to enjoy some of the holiday weekend. How about a walk in the Pubic Garden?

Restaurants, Bars: Open

Update: 08/27/14: Eater Boston has posted a list of specific restaurants that are open.

Convenience stores: Open

Supermarkets: Open

Liquor stores: Open

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

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

Financial Services: In general, as the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open. And, check with your bank, they might have some offices open.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

Update: 08/29/14: Traffic Advisory for College Move-ins

Traffic and Parking Advisory, Student Move-In, 2014 - There are some temporary restrictions from 8/25 to 9/1 in Allston, Brighton, Fenway, Mission Hill details here.

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 Collection:
The City says,

"Labor Day Week: Monday, September 1, 6am – Saturday, September 6, 2014, 5pm

No Delay of trash or recycling collection in Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown, Fenway, Leather District, Mission Hill, North End, Roxbury, South Boston, and the South End.

Allston/Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, Roslindale, West Roxbury and Hyde Park, delayed a day.

*If you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up 2 times per week, do not delay."

MBTA Labor Day Schedule For Labor Day 2014 can be found at this link through the holiday. (updated 08.21.14)

Download MBTA Labor Day Service Schedule 2014

Most of the system will operate on a Sunday Schedule but there are some commuter rail lines, buses, and boats that will not operate on the holiday. Please check the links above for these exceptions.

For additional, specific information on routes, schedules, and fares, please call the MBTA at (617) 222-3200, TTY 617-222-5146, or visit www.mbta.com."

If information like this from BostonZest is helpful to you, support us by beginning all your Amazon shopping from one of the Amazon ads on our site or by Clicking here to go to the Amazon home page.

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

August 18, 2014
Dogs in Danger from the Xylitol Around Your Home

Do you have a dog who likes to explore and can seem to get into everything? Then you should be on watch for xylitol lurking around your home because it is toxic to dogs.

Start checking labels. Low sugar and artifically sweetened items including peanut butter, gum, candy, baked goods, and toothpaste may contain xylitol among their ingredients. Some cooling clothing is even impregnated with it.

Here, from two sources, is what you need to know about this ingredient that could lead to hypogylcemia or liver failure in dogs. (So far, toxicity in cats has not been proven.)

From Veterinary Medicine, here is a report on the effects of xylitol that the ASPCA is making available via their poison control center.

If at some point that link doesn't work, you can Download: Effects of Xylitol Ingestion in Dogs, here.

A more recent report from the site Pet Poison Hotline reports:

"In addition to finding xylitol in gum, sugar-free candies, mints, and baked goods, we are now seeing it in many healthcare products. There is even a line of clothing with xylitol embedded in it! Some of the places we have seen xylitol include chewable vitamins, gummy vitamins, lozenges/cough drops, sublingual supplements and medications (over the counter and prescription), liquid medications (over the counter and prescription), breath sprays, medication/supplement sprays, toothpastes, nasal sprays, mouth rinses/washes, essential oil products, cosmetics, and many sugar-free foods and baking ingredients."

Download Xylitol – It’s Not Just in Gum Anymore – Pet Poison Helpline

The Many Names of Xylitol

In addition to inclusion in many products besides the sugarless gum we learned about initially, it is not always called xylitol. You may see it listed as sugar alcohol, birch sugar, E967, Meso-Xylitol, Méso-Xylitol, Sucre de Bouleau, Xilitol, Xylit, Xylite, or 1,2,3,4,5-Pentahydroxypentane, XyliteXylo-pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol.

Keep it Away

If you have sugarless gum in your bag or backpack, be sure to put it somewhere your dog can't reach. If you have other products in your home, place them out of reach. If you have clothing embedded with xylitol, keep your dog from mouthing it or licking it until we find out if it, too, is dangerous.

In our house, sugarless gum is kept in sealed mason jars and carried in sealed plastic bottles. And, we don't discard gum in any trash can our Poppy can reach.

When outside, we keep a watch for wads of discarded gum. Not only is that dangerous if ingested, but also we recall spending one long session of cutting gum out of the fur and between the pads of a dog's paw. Not fun!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs (and other critters) at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino, edited for BostonZest from her CIty Paws Newspaper Column.
Photography: iStockphoto.com

August 17, 2014
Dogs in Danger from the Xylitol Around Your Home

Do you have a dog who likes to explore and can seem to get into everything? Then you should be on watch for xylitol lurking around your home because it is toxic to dogs.

Start checking labels. Low sugar and artifically sweetened items including peanut butter, gum, candy, baked goods, and toothpaste may contain xylitol among their ingredients. Some cooling clothing is even impregnated with it.

Here, from two sources, is what you need to know about this ingredient that could lead to hypogylcemia or liver failure in dogs. (So far, toxicity in cats has not been proven.)

From Veterinary Medicine, here is a report on the effects of xylitol that the ASPCA is making available via their poison control center.

If at some point that link doesn't work, you can Download: Effects of Xylitol Ingestion in Dogs, here.

A more recent report from the site Pet Poison Hotline reports:

"In addition to finding xylitol in gum, sugar-free candies, mints, and baked goods, we are now seeing it in many healthcare products. There is even a line of clothing with xylitol embedded in it! Some of the places we have seen xylitol include chewable vitamins, gummy vitamins, lozenges/cough drops, sublingual supplements and medications (over the counter and prescription), liquid medications (over the counter and prescription), breath sprays, medication/supplement sprays, toothpastes, nasal sprays, mouth rinses/washes, essential oil products, cosmetics, and many sugar-free foods and baking ingredients."

Download Xylitol – It’s Not Just in Gum Anymore – Pet Poison Helpline

The Many Names of Xylitol

In addition to inclusion in many products besides the sugarless gum we learned about initially, it is not always called xylitol. You may see it listed as sugar alcohol, birch sugar, E967, Meso-Xylitol, Méso-Xylitol, Sucre de Bouleau, Xilitol, Xylit, Xylite, or 1,2,3,4,5-Pentahydroxypentane, XyliteXylo-pentane-1,2,3,4,5-pentol.

Keep it Away

If you have sugarless gum in your bag or backpack, be sure to put it somewhere your dog can't reach. If you have other products in your home, place them out of reach. If you have clothing embedded with xylitol, keep your dog from mouthing it or licking it until we find out if it, too, is dangerous.

In our house, sugarless gum is kept in sealed mason jars and carried in sealed plastic bottles. And, we don't discard gum in any trash can our Poppy can reach.

When outside, we keep a watch for wads of discarded gum. Not only is that dangerous if ingested, but also we recall spending one long session of cutting gum out of the fur and between the pads of a dog's paw. Not fun!

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs (and other critters) at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino, edited for BostonZest from her CIty Paws Newspaper Column.
Photography: iStockphoto.com

August 17, 2014
Could You Be a Lifeguard? Appreciating Those Who Qualify
Do you take lifeguards like these two at Nantasket Beach for granted? Was there a point in your life when you thought being a lifeguard would be a cool summer job? Do you know what you would have to prove to qualify?

Lifeguard Shortage

There has been much written about the shortage of lifeguards nationwide and here in Massachusetts. The state admitted in an interview with the Boston Globe that it can't get all the lifeguards it needs. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) spokesperson S. J. Port told the Globe, "The state has seen 'a significant drop-off' in lifeguard candidates with proper training in recent years."

Qualifications for a DCR Waterfront Lifeguard Position

What does it take to prove you could do this job? In additon to certification in CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguard training, you must pass a rigorous test of your ability to swim and retrieve a person in trouble in the surf.

Here's the full list of requirements. Here are the highlights:

The DCR’s test for pool/inland lifeguards requires candidates to:
- Finish a timed 500 yard swim in 11 minutes or less
- Retrieve a 10 pound object in water that is 12-15 feet deep
- Pass the Lifeguarding, First Aid, & CPR written exams with a score of 80% or higher
- Demonstrate passive victim recovery skills
- Demonstrate active victim recovery skills
- Demonstrate submerged victim recovery skills
In addition to the above, the test for “surf” or ocean beach lifeguards requires candidates to:
- Run 100 yards before entering the water
- Swim for 150 yards
- Run 100 yards after the swim
- Complete the timed 500 yard swim in 9.5 minutes or less (not 11 minutes)
This job needs an Aquathlete!

It makes you appreciate those who sit and scan the beach, count heads in the water, watch the lone swimmers, and are perpared to run if they see someone like you in danger.

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: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino
August 15, 2014
Could You Be a Lifeguard? Appreciating Those Who Qualify
Do you take lifeguards like these two at Nantasket Beach for granted? Was there a point in your life when you thought being a lifeguard would be a cool summer job? Do you know what you would have to prove to qualify?

Lifeguard Shortage

There has been much written about the shortage of lifeguards nationwide and here in Massachusetts. The state admitted in an interview with the Boston Globe that it can't get all the lifeguards it needs. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) spokesperson S. J. Port told the Globe, "The state has seen 'a significant drop-off' in lifeguard candidates with proper training in recent years."

Qualifications for a DCR Waterfront Lifeguard Position

What does it take to prove you could do this job? In additon to certification in CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguard training, you must pass a rigorous test of your ability to swim and retrieve a person in trouble in the surf.

Here's the full list of requirements. Here are the highlights:

The DCR’s test for pool/inland lifeguards requires candidates to:
- Finish a timed 500 yard swim in 11 minutes or less
- Retrieve a 10 pound object in water that is 12-15 feet deep
- Pass the Lifeguarding, First Aid, & CPR written exams with a score of 80% or higher
- Demonstrate passive victim recovery skills
- Demonstrate active victim recovery skills
- Demonstrate submerged victim recovery skills
In addition to the above, the test for “surf” or ocean beach lifeguards requires candidates to:
- Run 100 yards before entering the water
- Swim for 150 yards
- Run 100 yards after the swim
- Complete the timed 500 yard swim in 9.5 minutes or less (not 11 minutes)
This job needs an Aquathlete!

It makes you appreciate those who sit and scan the beach, count heads in the water, watch the lone swimmers, and are perpared to run if they see someone like you in danger.

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: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino
August 15, 2014
Broken Bricks Boon to Boston Bandits

Ed and I came upon the aftermath of this incident. I don't know if the other part of the brick was inside the car whose window was broken. Another vehicle, with all its windows intact, had taken the parking space at this point.

Bricks or large rocks used in some landscaping, or broken bricks from sidewalks and walkways can become tools of opportunity when one of the area denizens sees something inside a car. I recall one Boston police woman who told me these guys will break your car window to get a single quarter you left in the cup holder.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. What's on your "Off to College" shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your back to school needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Poppy's Provincetown Report

Snow Show: Back Bay Scene

August 14, 2014
Broken Bricks Boon to Boston Bandits

Ed and I came upon the aftermath of this incident. I don't know if the other part of the brick was inside the car whose window was broken. Another vehicle, with all its windows intact, had taken the parking space at this point.

Bricks or large rocks used in some landscaping, or broken bricks from sidewalks and walkways can become tools of opportunity when one of the area denizens sees something inside a car. I recall one Boston police woman who told me these guys will break your car window to get a single quarter you left in the cup holder.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. What's on your "Off to College" shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your back to school needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Poppy's Provincetown Report

Snow Show: Back Bay Scene

August 14, 2014
Something’s Missing at the Prudential Center
You may be here, as the arrow says, but something that was there for a long time is missing. What has been removed from this scene?

Hints:
- It is forty-seven years old and in great shape
- It was created by Donald De Lue (1897-1988)
- It is 27 feet tall
- It weighs 5 tons
- It was made of bronze and granite
- It was cast in one piece, despite its size, most likely at the Vittorio Lera Artistic Foundry at Viareggio, Italy.
- It has been moved to a storage facility while plans for its future are in progress. (According to it's entry on the Boston Public Art site. )
Yes, seen here with a group of young swing dancers is the missing statue – Quest Eternal. It was on this plaza on the Boylston Street side of the Prudential Center since 1967. It was removed for the upcoming construction of a building in this space.

When we walked by Monday there was a frontloader instead of the statue and the concrete barriers were being set in place.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. What's on your "Off to College" shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your back to school needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012-2014 Penny Cherubino

Vittorio Lera Artistic Foundry, at Viareggio, Italy

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Living Stump Project to Fight Dutch Elm Disease

Sunday Dog – Watching Natty Grow!
August 12, 2014
Something’s Missing at the Prudential Center
You may be here, as the arrow says, but something that was there for a long time is missing. What has been removed from this scene?

Hints:
- It is forty-seven years old and in great shape
- It was created by Donald De Lue (1897-1988)
- It is 27 feet tall
- It weighs 5 tons
- It was made of bronze and granite
- It was cast in one piece, despite its size, most likely at the Vittorio Lera Artistic Foundry at Viareggio, Italy.
- It has been moved to a storage facility while plans for its future are in progress. (According to it's entry on the Boston Public Art site. )
Yes, seen here with a group of young swing dancers is the missing statue – Quest Eternal. It was on this plaza on the Boylston Street side of the Prudential Center since 1967. It was removed for the upcoming construction of a building in this space.

When we walked by Monday there was a frontloader instead of the statue and the concrete barriers were being set in place.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. What's on your "Off to College" shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your back to school needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012-2014 Penny Cherubino

Vittorio Lera Artistic Foundry, at Viareggio, Italy

Related articles

Living Stump Project to Fight Dutch Elm Disease

Sunday Dog – Watching Natty Grow!
August 12, 2014
Raspberry Infusion from Silferleaf Farm in Concord

I fell in love with the Raspberry Infusion Sweet Vinegar from Silferleaf Farm in Concord back in the early days of Boston Organics. They used to have it as an add-on item and I ate a lot more salads when I was making my favorite raspberry vinaigrette with this important ingredient.

I have tried other raspberry vinegars but they are not loaded with rich, thick raspberry goodness the way this one is. I decided to track it down and a quick email to Jeff Barry at Boston Organics set my feet on the right trail.

A call to the farm and a conversation with farmer Tom Johnson gave me the details. If you call ahead, you can pick it up at the farm while supplies last. I happened to mention on Chowhound that I was looking forward to going to the farm to pick up some of this special vinegar and a regular poster, PinchOfSalt, wrote,

"That raspberry infusion is sooo good. My favorite way to use it is in salad dressings (with almond oil, some salt and pepper, maybe something like some thyme). However you don't have to go to the farm to buy it. I have seen it (very recently) at the Fresh Pond Whole Foods (almost wrote Bread & Circus!), by the refrigerated salad dressings."

I found it right where PinchOfSalt described but I'll still be going to the farm to pick up a large supply. This has always been a favorite gift item for me to have on hand.

The dressing I was making in the top photo was used on a salad of lovely greens dropped off by a friend and neighbor. (Thank you Margaret!) Her greens, some scallion, along with bacon, eggs, and avocado made a fabulous supper.

Here are more of our Local Food/Farmers' Market posts.

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: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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August 11, 2014