Boston, MA

Oh boy!!! File this post under “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” Sorry, couldn’t help myself. The Smart Car is finally coming the U.S. If you have traveled Europe as widely and extensively as I have (and when I mean extensively, I mean 3 countries…thank you very much), you couldn’t help but point and giggle every time you saw a Smart Car. Seriously, nothing more than a glorified golf cart, this car, built by Mercedes Benz, is the PERFECT vehicle for putzing around Boston. Can you imagine actually parking with no problem in Chinatown or the North End? How about being able to easily zip around double-parked cars without ACTUALLY having to change lanes? This makes BMW’s Mini Cooper as big and clunky as a horse-drawn carriage. You don’t even have to parallel park. The Smart Car is as long as a normal car is wide.  Your toughest decision would be whether to park facing in or facing out! This could easily revolutionize Boston as “not a bad place to drive after all.” However, don’t get rid of your old Corolla just yet. While this car is an errand-runner’s dream come true, this little puppy will have to stay off the Mass Pike or I-93 where the SUVs and semi-trucks play. Also, forget about picking up anybody at the airport unless they like to ride with luggage on their lap.

Isn’t this car just the cutest thing? Makes me want to buy two of them, strap ‘em to my feet and head on down the Esplanade!

To hype up this “car,” Smart USA is actually taking them on the road, so feel free to touch it, drive it, heck, give it a hug. It’s that small!!! This weekend, head over to the Border Cafe at 41 Church Street, Cambridge where you can give the Smart Car a test drive, Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st from 12 to 8. You might also see the cute cars zipping around the city at places like Newbury Street, Faneuil Hall, Fenway Park and of course along the Charles River for the fireworks display!

Now, excuse me as I go move the 2 garbage cans away from the side of the house. Gotta make parking space for my new Smartie!

Smart Car, Mercedes Benz, Boston blogs, small cars, Mini Cooper, test drive, Boston fireworks

Here’s another awesome suggestion from my friend at Asian Boston Magazine for those of you who like to do the “finer” cultural things in life.

A message from our friends at the MFA…

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston celebrates Japanese art this summer and fall with three exciting exhibitions:

Contemporary Outlook: Japan (July 2, 2007 – February 10, 2008) This exhibition features a selection of about 30 works created by Japanese artists between World War II and the present. Spanning a variety of media, by artists such as Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama, many of the works reflect the presence in Japan society of kawaii, or the quality of being “cute.” Western styles such as pop, minimalism, and feminist art are visible in the works, but the results are also uniquely Japanese in interests and approach. Contemporary Outlook:Japan highlights a particularly fertile period of artistic experimentation in Japan, one that generated a unique blend of ideas
and forms from East and West.

Drama and Desire: Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850 (August 28 – December 16, 2007) Drama and Desire explores the “floating world” of Edo-period Japan – a place of fantasy, where drama and desire unfolded in the theaters and brothels of the region’s pleasure districts. It was here that the ukiyo-e painting was born, now the subject of this landmark, MFA-organized exhibition. Drama and Desire will include more than 80 works by such artists as Hokusai, Moronobu, Kiyonaga and Utamaro, showcased in the screens, scrolls, banners and theatrical signboards they created. The exhibition marks the first viewing in Boston since the 1890s of the Museum’s vast ukiyo-e collection (see attached available images).

Arts of Japan: The John C. Weber Collection (September 22, 2007 – January 13, 2008 ): This exhibition, from one of the finest private holdings of Japanese art outside Japan, is the largest loan of its kind ever shown at the MFA, and will give visitors the chance to experience aspects of classic Japanese art not usually accessible to American museum-goers. Arts of Japan, which features approximately eighty masterworks ranging in date from the early twelfth to the mid-twentieth century, encompasses paintings in both scroll and screen format, lacquers, textiles, and ceramics. The exhibition complements
Drama and Desire, and includes some ukiyo-e masterworks, but will also feature works not in the Museum’s collection including men’s and women’s garments, sacred and secular calligraphy, tea ceramics and lacquers.

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, MFA, Japanese art, Japanese exhibition

Independence Day is coming and no one likes their Fourth of July like us Bostonians. We’ll celebrate it over a whole week!!! Starting today, Thursday, June 28th, Boston Harborfest begins and runs until Wednesday, July 4th. So, head on down to Boston’s City Hall Plaza. There is everything from tours, reenactments of old colonial times, live bands, activities for the kids and of course food, food, and more food, especially the not-to-be-missed Chowderfest! It all ends with the massive fireworks display over the Esplanade the night of the 4th starting around 10:00-ish. If you don’t have a friend who lives overlooking the Charles River, one of the best ways to view the fireworks is to be on the water itself with one of the various Harbor boat companies that can bring you a different view of the action than those of us stuck on land. Check out the daily schedule for a complete listing of Harborfest activities and plan accordingly!

Boston, Harborfest, Chowderfest, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Esplanade, fireworks display

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a BIG FAN of the prix fixe meal. Three courses, four courses, seven courses…doesn’t matter to me. It’s just so easy! I’m always the last one to order because menus just overwhelm me. I want to read every single entree’s description, down to the last ingredient like *twice* and then start all over again before I can make a decision. So, having only a few choices is better for me and my fellow starving dinner companions.

Sel de la Terre, a “boulangerie” (say that three times fast! ) located close to the New England Aquarium offers a special Wine Wednesdays prix fixe meal every week during the summer, which is centered around a particular theme and wines to go along with it. This Wednesday, June 27th, is their “Cool Wines for Hot Times.” The menu looks mighty tasty, and at $45 per person, good for the eyes, stomach and wallet! Also, with the weather warming up big time, it’s nice to go for a stroll along the Waterfront after dinner! Here’s to the start of summer!!!

Even though this article is really a restaurant review about Rocca, I agree with the author’s first few paragraphs regarding the explosion of sidewalk dining here in Boston. It seems everywhere you turn, restaurants, delis, cafes, even the tiniest ice cream parlor, can set some folding chairs and a wobbly bistro table out and call it “patio dining.” Just goes to show you how starved for the outdoors Bostonians are when the weather is “so nice.”

Just this past weekend, I was driving by Tantric near the Theater District. Granted, they have a large enough sidewalk space to accommodate about 6 tables of 4 comfortably without pedestrians gawking right beside you. However, the 3 tables that were occupied had to endure the sounds, smoke and traffic of NStar digging up the pavement not even 20 feet away! Gross…who wants asphalt dust in their mesclun greens?

Now, if a restaurant has an actual patio, some sort of outdoor area in back, a courtyard, atrium or a balcony would be the best, then that’s something special. If I have to share the space with tourists, bike couriers, shoppers and pigeons; sit in the muggy air and try to keep my napkin from blowing away, then I’ll be seated inside, thank you very much.  Just like these people…

Well, here’s a treat for you all this weekend. In case you missed it the first time around, the movie Serenity is being shown again at the Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, on Saturday, June 23rd, at midnight, in honor of Joss Whedon’s (the director) birthday. The profits will go to a nonprofit human rights group called You Can’t Stop the Serenity who advocates change, “not through politics, but by basic human decency.”

I’m all for helping out worthwhile organizations, but this is an EXCELLENT movie in its own right, and I don’t go out to the movies very often. However, (INSERT BIG WARNING SIGN) I’ve never watched a movie that left me seriously mental for days after. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If not, be warned. It is by no means a horror movie, but there are characters in “Serenity” that will disturb you to the core. Other than that…ENJOY!!!

Serenity, Joss Whedon, Can’t Stop the Serenity, Firefly, Coolidge Corner Theater, movies, Brookline

First the stemless red wine glass, now this. Leave it to a Boston brew company to not only improve their beer, but the beer glass! It’s so innovative, some restaurants who are currently using it, are having it stolen right under from the servers’ noses. Hey, it’s got to be easier than stealing a half yard! So, say good-bye to the pilsner, the stein, the pint and say hello to the ????????

Boston Beer Company, Samuel Adams, new beer glass

June seems to be miniature month here in Massachusetts. Too bad it wasn’t in March or May. Ahem..right then, let’s get on with it.

First up is the story of Ducky, the chihuahua. Weighing in at just 20 ounces and standing 4.9 inches tall, he was declared on June 19th by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s smallest dog by height. He and his owner live right here in Charlton, Mass. I’ve never even heard of Charlton until yesterday.

Who knew the tiny pooch business could get so competitive? Apparently, the title was originally held by Dancer of Lake County, Florida (at a towering 5 inches) who was declared the teeniest on June 8th. Ducky’s owner didn’t even know there was such a category, so they contacted Guinness to cry foul. Ducky is 3 years old while Dancer is only 1, so Ducky could have held the title years ago. Sorry Dancer. The Florida canine couldn’t be reached for comment. He had fallen into his water bowl…again.

On a related note, albeit less dramatic, the Boston Public Library’s dedication to tiny things comes in the form of…books. It is a library after all. From now until September, they will have on display Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures. What’s interesting is that some of these minuscule books are perfectly legible, printed with movable type, illustrated in full color and just slightly bigger than your thumbnail. Some items in the collection include a full set of the works of Shakespeare and the world’s smallest Bible.

Looks like Ducky and Dancer now have something for their summer reading lists!

tiniest Chihuahua, Ducky, Dancer, Guinness World Records, Boston Public Library, tiny treasures, miniature books

If you’re like me and not a Red Sox fan (don’t everyone slaughter me at once - I’m not a Yankee fan either; just not a baseball fan at all), you avoid the Fenway area during the summer months like the plague. I always have a printed out copy of the Red Sox schedule in my purse, so I know when it’s home game time and to steer clear of Kenmore Square.

However, this Thursday, June 21st, there’s not a game scheduled, so head on down to the area without fear! Steve Carell of “The Office” fame will be at the Boston premiere of his new movie Evan Almighty at the Regal Fenway Cinemas, 201 Brookline Ave. Tickets will be $75 for the 7:00 showing. Don’t worry, if you haven’t gone to see a movie for a while, ticket prices haven’t gone up that much. The proceeds go to benefit the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Call (617) 332-0728 for more information or to reserve tickets.

So, meet the funny man himself while also contributing to a worthwhile cause…that and you might actually find parking near Fenway Park!

Boston movie premiere, Evan Almighty, Steve Carell, The Office, Fenway, Red Sox, Regal Cinemas, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, celebrities in Boston

First Venus de Milo…then Narcissus. Back in the 90’s, these were the clubs that I loved going to on Lansdowne Street. Well, technically Narcissus wasn’t on Lansdowne Street. It was in Kenmore Square. Fights and stabbings were the norm. Oh, it also had the nickname of Nar-Syphilis. I guess I really didn’t love going there. But I digress…

With the impending closing down of other dance club giants Axis and Avalon, I am truly heartbroken. According to Jeff Miranda of the Northeastern News, “Avalon and Axis will be torn down to make way for a larger music venue at 15 Lansdowne St.”

Click here for the full article.

Not only is it a dance club, but Avalon is a common stop for many musical acts. The new venue will still showcase bands, but these are my fondest memories of a place soon to be “renovated.”

1. Avalon is where I first saw Bjork in concert. I had seen her when she was still with the Sugarcubes, circa oh maybe 1992?, just after the release of “Stick Around For Joy” and then saw her solo 2 or 3 years later when she was promoting “Debut.” She had her hair done up like horns and she wore a white paper dress. That was back when she was breathtakingly cute and not a freaky dresser like she is now.

2. I also saw Lush at Avalon. Oh my Hypocrites and Ladykillers…I miss you dearly.

3. Finally, I saw No Doubt there as well after “Return of Saturn” came out. Pink-haired Gwen Stefani was gorgeously stunning live and in person.

So, I’ll miss the dancing. I’ll miss bands that are so close to you that they seem more hanging out at the club than performing. Maybe I’ll try to hit Avalon one final time this summer before the velvet ropes are gone. Maybe I’ll see you there…

Boston clubs, nightlife, Avalon, Axis, Lansdowne Street, Boston music scene

I apologize first off that my post today will not be about Boston. However, the topic is about blogging, so is relevant. I was a call-in listener on National Public Radio yesterday, On Point with Tom Ashbrook, to be precise. Now, I’m not the type of person who tries to call into radio shows or tries to win tickets, so I was surprised that I had the desire to do so. Ironically, the topic of the day was Blogging: The End of the Private Life. So, I was intrigued and turned up the radio. About halfway through, I decided there was a connection between blogging and the popularity of reality TV, which no other listener was addressing, so I decided to call in. I was surprised that I got through; they thought my point was valid and next thing I knew, I was on queue to speak to the man himself.

All I can say is that I was prepared to make my comment and then get off the air. So, when Tom asked me a question about this kind of fame being faux, I was like, uhhhhhhh. Oh crap. What was my response? “Well, I’d hate to quote Dane Cook here, but we all want to leave behind a legacy.” DANE COOK? For real? Did I just say Dane Cook to Tom Ashbrook? Before me, they were talking about the political implications of blogging and the ramifications on today’s society. I’m the retard who gives a line from a stand up routine that prefaced smashing an ice cream cone into a kid’s face.

Wow…I was nervous, but I didn’t think THAT nervous. I guess I don’t handle well the pressures of live talk radio!

NPR, National Public Radio, On Point, Tom Ashbrook, blogging, private life, Dane Cook

Last night I went to News, which is in the Leather District sandwiched between South Station and Chinatown, for a late dinner. Ummm, let me recap first. The evening started when 3 friends (2 guys and 1 girl), my husband and I decided to eat dinner around 9:30-ish. We were in the Downtown Crossing area, so we headed over to Peking Tom’s. Whoa…the host immediately put his hand up and said “we’re closed.” Hooookay…so we go across the street to the Good Life. Same thing…”sorry, we stopped serving food.” Dang people…it’s not even 10:00 yet! So finally, I remembered that News has a late night dinner menu, so they won’t fail us like these other places have. Then, my girl friend said “oh yeah, and it’s Wednesday too!!!”

You see, on Wednesday nights, News Restaurant and Lounge offers a free 3-course meal to those of the female persuasion. Now, last year when they first announced this brilliant piece of marketing, of course I went…and was sorely disappointed. You had a choice of salad, either regular or Caesar. Then you had a choice of 3 entrees, which surprisingly was all pasta. Finally, the dessert was either cheesecake or tiramisu. Now, I don’t mind the spartan choices. It is a free meal after all. However, when the food came out, it was definitely appetizer-size portions. I was seriously still hungry after the entire meal.

Fast forward to last night. What a difference a year has made! The salad was a tasty mix of mesclun greens, dried fruit and walnuts in a balsamic vinaigrette. They actually had steak tips as a choice on the menu, along with a pasta and a chicken dish. Heck yeah! I got the steak tips which were small, but a generous portion, along with excellent crispy French fries. As a side note, I believe since we were there at 5 minutes to 10 and they actually stop serving for Ladies Night at 10:00, we got a big portion since it was all the food that was left! So, keep that in mind if you’re down for eating late. Dessert was cheesecake and a teeny portion at that (again), but I didn’t mind so much this time as I was stuffed with steak tips.

For beverages, they have EXCELLENT mojitos that come with a swizzle stick of rock candy! I tend to like my mojitos on the sweeter side, so it’s nice that you can customize the sugar content yourself. Try the raspberry…it’s my favorite! So remember ladies, next Wednesday night, get a tasty and free meal at News!

News Restaurant, Boston nightlife, mojito, Ladies Night, Boston lounge

It’s the middle of the week, so of course I’m dreaming about what to do this weekend. Alas…as I’ve mentioned before, I pine away in the city (since I work my real job on Saturdays) while cool people get to go to Cape Cod. However, here’s a way you might beat all of them to the Cape! Why not take a scenic ferry ride direct from Boston to Provincetown and avoid hot, annoying traffic and that darn Sagamore bridge?

From May until September, one service that offers this is the Baystate Cruise Company. For a cheap $33 round-trip, you get a leisurely ride to Provincetown. They call it their “excursion service” and when I say leisurely, I mean it takes about 3 hours. They don’t run all the time, so check their schedule before making your plans. Or you can take their fast Provincetown ferry for $69 if you wanna get to the Cape pronto…in 90 minutes!Another quick option is Boston Harbor Cruises. It’s comparably priced at $70 for adult round-trip. That’s a big chunk of change, however when you consider gas that you would be wasting (not only from driving, but from sitting in traffic), the amount of time you’ll save and not having to deal with parking (good luck!), that’s $70 worth spending. Plus, you’re not sitting on some garbage scow. Boston Harbor Cruises offers a 600-passenger catamaran that has a small bar and concierge service. So, picture you sipping a cocktail while the ocean spray refreshes your face and the breeze blows through your hair…while your friends are getting overheated on the highway!

We live in a world now where charging is a must. No, I don’t mean the credit card variety. If we don’t remember to plug in our cell phones, digital cameras, camcorder battery chargers, Palm pilots, etc, we’re at the mercy of running out of juice in the middle of something important. We don’t have Star Trek technology yet, but that may all soon change as a research team from MIT have successfully powered up a 60-watt light bulb wirelessly from 7 feet away…substantially increasing the range garnered by this guy.

Seriously, once WiTricity becomes fully realized and implemented, we can say goodbye to ugly charger wires running all over the place, as well as not being able to find the phone because the battery is dead, so you can’t even call it to find it! Ahhhh…now if we can just get those MIT guys to work on transporter technology, THAT would be energizing!!!

MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, WiTricity, wireless electricity, research, Science Express, Star Trek

One of the more popular places to eat outside of Boston is an area known as Restaurant Row on Moody Street in Waltham. It’s a quarter mile stretch of road that offers all kinds of cuisine…everything from all you can eat sushi, Indian and Tex-Mex…from upscale Italian to down and dirty takeout chicken wings. It’s an area I definitely have to explore more, but my friends always seem to want to eat in Boston. If you’re truly going to eat for the pleasure of eating and not to “see and be seen,” then mark this on your Google Maps and head out west!

An excellent starting point is Jake’s Dixie Roadhouse. It might be a rough way to start off your work week, but they are having their Texas Death Match Rib Competition starting at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 11th. For $25 per person, you can chomp down on ribs to your heart’s (or heartburn’s) content as the teams vie to become the Rib Master!!!

Boston, Waltham, Restaurant Row, barbecue, Rib War, rib competition, Jake’s Dixie Roadhouse