Tag: Boston public library

Where to Dine on Mother’s Day, May 10th 2015 Around Boston

Time to make reservations, if you plan to treat Mom to a meal out on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, 2015.

Keep in mind that this "treat Mom to a great meal day" falls at the beginning of graduation season in Boston with Northeastern, Emmanuel College, Fisher College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and Berklee College of Music holding commencements that weekend. (Here's the full list of Spring 2015 Commencement Dates for planning purposes.)

If your budget is tight, take Mom out for breakfast or treat her to breakfast in bed and some lovely flowers.

For Mother's Day dining ideas, here are two excellent lists of restaurants with special menus and hours for May 10, 2015.

Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when people may book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can make the restaurant turn away other potential customers, so a guarantee may be needed to reserve.

OpenTable always does a great job of guiding you to the right reservation. What's more, you can just click through and reserve from this list.

Boston Chefs has a list of specials for the day from their members.

As more great Boston food sites publish their recommendations, we'll post updates here! Follow us on Twitter ( @BostonZest ) for notice of those additions!

Our picks and, for us, al la carte Menus Get Our Nod

Bistro Du Midi has a prix fixe menu in their formal dining room but there are also offering an al la carte menu in the Cafe. With the Swan Boats and Public Garden across the street, this can be a wonderful choice for lunch and a stroll and family photos in a beautiful setting.

Lineage in Brookline is also on the a la carte option plan. Boston Chefs says, "Lineage will be open early for brunch and dinner this Mother's Day, offering up a special a la carte brunch menu, as well as, their regular dinner menu."

The Red Dory in Tiverton, RI: Like many Bostonians, we are long time fans of chef Steve Johnson and miss his food and smiling face at Rendezvous in Central Square. If a road trip to a waterfront destination would make your Mother's day perfect, head to his new place, the Red Dory. We asked about his Mother's Day plans and he wrote, "Open M'sDay/no special menu except many recent seasonal updates + including Sunday Tapas supplemental menu – Cheers!"

For something different take Mom out on Saturday. Would she enjoy afternoon tea at the Courtyard restaurant inside the Boston Public Library? They say, "Join us for a special Saturday opening for Mother's Day! Enjoy our Afternoon Tea Menu complete with savory tea sandwiches and sweet confections from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm."

For a gathering of family members with different food preferences, it's great to know about a place like Eastern Standard where they can please the cocktail lover, the meat-and-taters brother, and the family epicure.

If you are meeting people from outside the city, you might consider La Morra in Brookline.

If Mom is a seafood lover, call now to secure a table at Island Creek Oyster Bar. This Kenmore Square restaurant has established itself as the best fine dining seafood restaurant in Boston. Your family will enjoy the best in seafood in a big, comfortable room with reservations and service that will make Mom feel spoiled.

We also love the Island Creek Team spot out in the Fort Point neighborhood, Row 34. Here's our post on this great addition to the city's dining scene.

And, for the best gift, let Mom choose something from her Wish List. Get an Amazon Gift Card! You can send it by email or print it out to tuck into a greeting card.

Details:
Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: istockphoto.com

Related articles

SELECT Oyster Bar: Our First Taste

April 27, 2015
Where to Dine on Mother’s Day, May 10th 2015 Around Boston

Time to make reservations, if you plan to treat Mom to a meal out on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, 2015.

Keep in mind that this "treat Mom to a great meal day" falls at the beginning of graduation season in Boston with Northeastern, Emmanuel College, Fisher College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and Berklee College of Music holding commencements that weekend. (Here's the full list of Spring 2015 Commencement Dates for planning purposes.)

If your budget is tight, take Mom out for breakfast or treat her to breakfast in bed and some lovely flowers.

For Mother's Day dining ideas, here are two excellent lists of restaurants with special menus and hours for May 10, 2015.

Don't be surprised if some places require a credit card to secure the reservation. This is the type of holiday when people may book multiple restaurants and decide where to go at the last moment. That can make the restaurant turn away other potential customers, so a guarantee may be needed to reserve.

OpenTable always does a great job of guiding you to the right reservation. What's more, you can just click through and reserve from this list.

Boston Chefs has a list of specials for the day from their members.

As more great Boston food sites publish their recommendations, we'll post updates here! Follow us on Twitter ( @BostonZest ) for notice of those additions!

Our picks and, for us, al la carte Menus Get Our Nod

Bistro Du Midi has a prix fixe menu in their formal dining room but there are also offering an al la carte menu in the Cafe. With the Swan Boats and Public Garden across the street, this can be a wonderful choice for lunch and a stroll and family photos in a beautiful setting.

Lineage in Brookline is also on the a la carte option plan. Boston Chefs says, "Lineage will be open early for brunch and dinner this Mother's Day, offering up a special a la carte brunch menu, as well as, their regular dinner menu."

The Red Dory in Tiverton, RI: Like many Bostonians, we are long time fans of chef Steve Johnson and miss his food and smiling face at Rendezvous in Central Square. If a road trip to a waterfront destination would make your Mother's day perfect, head to his new place, the Red Dory. We asked about his Mother's Day plans and he wrote, "Open M'sDay/no special menu except many recent seasonal updates + including Sunday Tapas supplemental menu – Cheers!"

For something different take Mom out on Saturday. Would she enjoy afternoon tea at the Courtyard restaurant inside the Boston Public Library? They say, "Join us for a special Saturday opening for Mother's Day! Enjoy our Afternoon Tea Menu complete with savory tea sandwiches and sweet confections from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm."

For a gathering of family members with different food preferences, it's great to know about a place like Eastern Standard where they can please the cocktail lover, the meat-and-taters brother, and the family epicure.

If you are meeting people from outside the city, you might consider La Morra in Brookline.

If Mom is a seafood lover, call now to secure a table at Island Creek Oyster Bar. This Kenmore Square restaurant has established itself as the best fine dining seafood restaurant in Boston. Your family will enjoy the best in seafood in a big, comfortable room with reservations and service that will make Mom feel spoiled.

We also love the Island Creek Team spot out in the Fort Point neighborhood, Row 34. Here's our post on this great addition to the city's dining scene.

And, for the best gift, let Mom choose something from her Wish List. Get an Amazon Gift Card! You can send it by email or print it out to tuck into a greeting card.

Details:
Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: istockphoto.com

Related articles

SELECT Oyster Bar: Our First Taste

April 27, 2015
The Smallest Thaw Brings out the Picnickers

The courtyard at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square is a very popular place for outdoor dining on warm days year-round. But, I didn't expect to find people using it this week. I was wrong. Even the smallest thaw brings out the picnicker in many of us.

It looks like someone planned for the thaw and cleared a small section of the patio. Just a few days before, I took this photo of the opposite patio from where the women were lunching.

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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Colorful, Bright, New Community Workspace at the Boston Public Library

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Snow, Freeze, Thaw, Freeze, Snow in the Back Bay – BostonZest

March 5, 2015
Snow, Freeze, Thaw, Freeze, Snow in the Back Bay

It has been a very photographic February with the cycle of snow, freeze, thaw, and freeze we've endured. Ed said it was as if Mother Nature wanted to add a fresh coat of makeup to the snow piles so they wouldn't look dirty.

Icicles added a touch of frosting to the Victorian townhouses along Commonwealth Avenue.

On Newbury Street, some took on the look of waterfalls.

On Boylston Street, the stonework and icicles set off one another beautifully.

Here's a view of icicles from inside one of the glass crossovers at Copley Place.

Bacchante does not seem to mind the snow at all and just continues to dance in the Courtyard of the Boston Public Library.

As much as we may complain about the endless snow and cold, it's hard to resist photographing the way it changes our neighborhood.

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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

The Hope of Spring …

First Look Inside The Boston Library's Astonishing, Colorful Renovation

February 26, 2015
Where Is This Lion? Fun with Historic Photos!
This lion lives on a fairly busy street in Boston. Do you know where you'll find him?

Photo credit and links are below.

Photo credit and links are below.

Clues:
1. Over the years this building was used for a lodging house, church, undertaker, stores, day nursery, and apartments.
2. In 1943, repairs were made to the buidling after a fire.
3. Today, the building houses seven condominium units.
4. Leslie Jones took these photos.
5. It's in the South End.
Update: 10/25/14: We received a review copy of Dirty Old Boston: Four Decades of a City in Transition by Jim Botticelli, a great new book from Union Park Press and found the second photo on page 37. If you love these historic photos posts, you will love this book.

Here's a photo of the lion, today:

Are you ready for an answer?

This lion lives at 511 Columbus Avenue at the corner of Greenwich Park.

Here are the historic photos with their titles.

Both are: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection, and are used under this creative commons license.

"South End kids pose on stone lion"

"African-American boy with Stowe lion"

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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino
October 23, 2014
Tidbits About William Lloyd Garrison & His Statue on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall

William Lloyd Garrison (1805–1879) was a man of strong words, and strong words are used to describe him – reformer, activist, abolitionist.

His statue, on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall near Dartmouth Street, is inscribed with one of his powerful statements. “I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch- and I will be heard!”

Garrison’s Abolitionist Advocacy

In his 1913 biography of Garrison, John Jay Chapman wrote, “From the moment he founded the Liberator he was the strongest man in America. He was affected in his thought by no one. What he was thinking, all men were destined to think.”

Chapman’s book has been called “adulatory.” Later writers, like Gilbert Hobbs Barnes, questioned Garrison’s extremism, saying it had contributed to a polarization that led to the Civil War.

In 1835, sentiment in Boston was so strong that at one point a mob chased Garrison through the streets threatening to lynch him. He was rescued by then Mayor Lyman and spent the night sheltered in the Leverett Street Jail.

Garrison championed causes beyond abolition.

He was a lifelong supporter of the temperance movement.

He might have enjoyed seeing Lucy Stone honored on the Boston Women’s Memorial two blocks from his statue. He is said to have been influenced by her ideas, and became her ally in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.

Today, Garrison is seen as a role model for those who embody the principles he espoused. The Museum of African American History’s “Living Legends Awards” recipients are given a replica of a silver cup that was presented to William Lloyd Garrison in 1833 by black community leaders.

The Garrison Statue

In The City Observed: Boston, Donlyn Lyndon wrote a vivid description of the Garrison sculpture. “It’s larger than life, relaxed but attentive, with piles of loose papers and a thick book under a comfortable-looking armchair, as if he were still in his publishing office, immersed in work, just leaning back for a moment to have a word with a visitor.”

Olin Levi Warner created the sculpture in 1885. “Although most of his works were portraits, the superb statue of William Lloyd Garrison in Boston and the impressive doors for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., testify to the wide range of his abilities,” says Warner’s Smithsonian American Art Museum biography.

The statue bears a true resemblance to photographs of Garrison. Warner is said to have used a life mask created by another sculptor, John Rogers, when Garrison was about age 63.

Here is a photograph of that life mask from the New York Public Library Collection.

The Boston Public Library has a Garrison Death Mask that was on exhibit during the Homefront Exhibition. The library description of this item follows:

"WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, Death Mask. 1879.

Death masks–plaster or wax casts made of a person’s face soon after death–saw a popular revival in the 19th century. Generally created for the wealthy or for famous artists, writers, and political figures such as Garrison, death masks were often used as models for future portraits and busts. BPL Rare Books & Manuscripts Department"

Does the Statue look like Garrison?

Here's a portrait photograph of the man taken by "Warren's Portraits, 465 Washington St., Boston" and now in the New York Public Library Collection.

The Smithsonian’s report on this work of art says, “The statue was presented to the City by a group of Boston citizens. The group, established in 1879, included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Wendell Phillips, Samuel Cobb, and William Endicott Jr.” They note that the base was designed by John W. Wells of the McKim, Mead and White architectural firm.

Photo from the files of Daedalus, Inc., the conservators that did the restoration.

Restoration in 2005

The Garrison sculpture was restored in 2005 as part of the Friends of the Public Garden sculpture restoration and maintenance program. That same year, 150 Garrison descendants held a reunion to honor the 200th anniversary of his birth.

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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino (some of this material was previously published in a feature article we wrote about this statue.)
Photography: except as noted © 2014 Ed Cherubino

September 18, 2014
So Happy Bacchante and Infant Faun Returned to the BPL Courtyard

The sculpure of Bacchante and Infant Faun with its ring of sparkling, splashing water add a refreshing, lively note to the Boston Public Library Courtyard in summer.

She is one of my favorite photo subjects. Every angle offers a new challenge to capture the vivaciousness of this work of art with my camera. The architecture of the courtyard creates a perfect backdrop and, in the photo above, an arched frame.

Here is the only photo I could find of the original artwork in place in the Courtyard in 1896. (From the Boston Public Library collection.) It was on display for just two weeks in November of that year.

The original statue, given to the library by the architect Charles Follen McKim, is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The notes on it in their collection include this information.

"After a great storm of public protest stirred by temperance unions, clergy, and other angry Bostonians against the statue's "drunken indecency," McKim withdrew the gift and then offered "Bacchante" to the Metropolitan in May 1897. The Board of Trustees enthusiastically accepted it, and the bronze was displayed for many years in the Museum's Great Hall…"

The statue on display in the BPL Courtyard today is a casting made in 1993 from a second bronze in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts.

How barren the courtyard looks in this 1927 photo. It lacks the statue, furniture, and people we find there today. (From the Boston Public Library collection.)

While Bacchante's dance upset Bostonians, Emerson College students were allowed to perform the Butterfly Dance in the courtyard in 1926.

Don't forget, this year's free Concerts in the Courtyard continue through August 29th.

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!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino with historic photos from the Boston Public Library Collection used under this creative commons license.

August 7, 2014
So Happy Bacchante and Infant Faun Returned to the BPL Courtyard

The sculpure of Bacchante and Infant Faun with its ring of sparkling, splashing water add a refreshing, lively note to the Boston Public Library Courtyard in summer.

She is one of my favorite photo subjects. Every angle offers a new challenge to capture the vivaciousness of this work of art with my camera. The architecture of the courtyard creates a perfect backdrop and, in the photo above, an arched frame.

Here is the only photo I could find of the original artwork in place in the Courtyard in 1896. (From the Boston Public Library collection.) It was on display for just two weeks in November of that year.

The original statue, given to the library by the architect Charles Follen McKim, is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The notes on it in their collection include this information.

"After a great storm of public protest stirred by temperance unions, clergy, and other angry Bostonians against the statue's "drunken indecency," McKim withdrew the gift and then offered "Bacchante" to the Metropolitan in May 1897. The Board of Trustees enthusiastically accepted it, and the bronze was displayed for many years in the Museum's Great Hall…"

The statue on display in the BPL Courtyard today is a casting made in 1993 from a second bronze in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts.

How barren the courtyard looks in this 1927 photo. It lacks the statue, furniture, and people we find there today. (From the Boston Public Library collection.)

While Bacchante's dance upset Bostonians, Emerson College students were allowed to perform the Butterfly Dance in the courtyard in 1926.

Don't forget, this year's free Concerts in the Courtyard continue through August 29th.

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!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino with historic photos from the Boston Public Library Collection used under this creative commons license.

August 7, 2014
Courtyard Concerts Return to Copley Square BPL
One of our favorite entertainment programs of the year, the Boston Public Library's (BPL) Courtyard Concert Series returns on June 4, 2014 at 6pm. Notice the day and date.

As, the BPL announced, "In addition to Friday lunchtime concerts at 12:30 p.m., this season the library now offers evening concerts on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. All the concerts are free and last approximately one hour."

The Fernando Holz Band delighted audiences last year and is scheduled to appear again this summer.

Here are the rest of the details the library provided for the series.

The month of June features Berklee College of Music students and alumni performing everything from jazz, pop, and funk to works with Arab, Latin American, and Scottish influences:
- Daniel Rotem Trio, Wednesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. The Trio performs original compositions that integrate world influences with improvisation and the jazz tradition.
- KeL, Friday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. KeL combines elements of jazz and pop with Brazilian melodies.
- Wambura Mitaru, Wednesday, June 11, at 6 p.m. The artist’s eclectic music blends funk, soul, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop as well as sounds inspired by her African background.
- Jenna Moynihan and Mairi Chaimbeul, Friday, June 13, at 12:30 p.m. Rooted in traditional Scottish and Appalachian old-time music, Moynihan and Chaimbeul developed a sound which celebrates and explores beautiful melodies.
- The Western Den, Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. Deni Hlavinka and Chris West blend folk harmonies with ambient textures to produce unique sounds and songs.
- Ahmad El Haggar, Friday, June 20, at 12:30 p.m. The Egyptian singer-songwriter and oud player performs original songs and rearranges music from the Arab world to create modern sounds.
- 3 Sudacas, Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m. Performers at the 2014 Latin Grammys with Alejandro Sanz, the group plays both traditional and unique compositions arranged for voice, percussion, mandolin, guitar, and bass.
- Miriam Elhajli, Friday, June 27, at 12:30 p.m. The folk singer-songwriter combines the sounds of Joan Baez and Buffy Sainte-Marie with the crudeness of Delta Blues.
The complete Concerts in the Courtyard schedule, which is generously sponsored by the Boston Public Library Foundation (www.bplf.com), can be viewed at www.bpl.org/concerts. The concerts continue in July and August with the following schedule:
- Kendall Ramseur, Wednesday, July 2, 6 p.m.
- Cruzamente Quintet, Wednesday, July 9, 6 p.m.
- Erika Van Pelt, Friday, July 11, 12:30 p.m.
- Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble, Wednesday, July 16, 6 p.m.
- Lindsay Straw, Friday, July 18, 12:30 p.m.
- Patrick Coman, Wednesday, July 23, 6 p.m.
- Cardamom Quartet, Friday, July 25, 12:30 p.m.
- Susan Cattaneo, Wednesday, July 30, 6 p.m.
- Properly Unprepared, Friday, August 1, 12:30 p.m.
- Darlingside, Wednesday, August 6, 6 p.m.
- Boston Lyric Opera, Friday, August 8, 12:30 p.m.
- Caitlin Canty, Wednesday, August 13, 6 p.m.
- The Jason Palmer Quartet, Friday, August 15, 12:30 p.m.
- Fernando Holz Band, Wednesday, August 20, 6 p.m.
- Bill Lowe, Friday, August 22, 12 p.m.
- The Ron Murphy Band, Wednesday, August 27, 6 p.m.
- American Century Music, Friday, August 29, 12:30 p.m.
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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino
May 30, 2014
Courtyard Concerts Return to Copley Square BPL
One of our favorite entertainment programs of the year, the Boston Public Library's (BPL) Courtyard Concert Series returns on June 4, 2014 at 6pm. Notice the day and date.

As, the BPL announced, "In addition to Friday lunchtime concerts at 12:30 p.m., this season the library now offers evening concerts on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. All the concerts are free and last approximately one hour."

The Fernando Holz Band delighted audiences last year and is scheduled to appear again this summer.

Here are the rest of the details the library provided for the series.

The month of June features Berklee College of Music students and alumni performing everything from jazz, pop, and funk to works with Arab, Latin American, and Scottish influences:
- Daniel Rotem Trio, Wednesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. The Trio performs original compositions that integrate world influences with improvisation and the jazz tradition.
- KeL, Friday, June 6, at 12:30 p.m. KeL combines elements of jazz and pop with Brazilian melodies.
- Wambura Mitaru, Wednesday, June 11, at 6 p.m. The artist’s eclectic music blends funk, soul, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop as well as sounds inspired by her African background.
- Jenna Moynihan and Mairi Chaimbeul, Friday, June 13, at 12:30 p.m. Rooted in traditional Scottish and Appalachian old-time music, Moynihan and Chaimbeul developed a sound which celebrates and explores beautiful melodies.
- The Western Den, Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. Deni Hlavinka and Chris West blend folk harmonies with ambient textures to produce unique sounds and songs.
- Ahmad El Haggar, Friday, June 20, at 12:30 p.m. The Egyptian singer-songwriter and oud player performs original songs and rearranges music from the Arab world to create modern sounds.
- 3 Sudacas, Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m. Performers at the 2014 Latin Grammys with Alejandro Sanz, the group plays both traditional and unique compositions arranged for voice, percussion, mandolin, guitar, and bass.
- Miriam Elhajli, Friday, June 27, at 12:30 p.m. The folk singer-songwriter combines the sounds of Joan Baez and Buffy Sainte-Marie with the crudeness of Delta Blues.
The complete Concerts in the Courtyard schedule, which is generously sponsored by the Boston Public Library Foundation (www.bplf.com), can be viewed at www.bpl.org/concerts. The concerts continue in July and August with the following schedule:
- Kendall Ramseur, Wednesday, July 2, 6 p.m.
- Cruzamente Quintet, Wednesday, July 9, 6 p.m.
- Erika Van Pelt, Friday, July 11, 12:30 p.m.
- Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble, Wednesday, July 16, 6 p.m.
- Lindsay Straw, Friday, July 18, 12:30 p.m.
- Patrick Coman, Wednesday, July 23, 6 p.m.
- Cardamom Quartet, Friday, July 25, 12:30 p.m.
- Susan Cattaneo, Wednesday, July 30, 6 p.m.
- Properly Unprepared, Friday, August 1, 12:30 p.m.
- Darlingside, Wednesday, August 6, 6 p.m.
- Boston Lyric Opera, Friday, August 8, 12:30 p.m.
- Caitlin Canty, Wednesday, August 13, 6 p.m.
- The Jason Palmer Quartet, Friday, August 15, 12:30 p.m.
- Fernando Holz Band, Wednesday, August 20, 6 p.m.
- Bill Lowe, Friday, August 22, 12 p.m.
- The Ron Murphy Band, Wednesday, August 27, 6 p.m.
- American Century Music, Friday, August 29, 12:30 p.m.
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!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino
May 30, 2014