Boston for grownups. BostonZest is your guide for enjoying a full-flavored life in an unbeatable city. We'll show you that there is life in Boston beyond the "club kids" and students.
Whether you live in Boston, plan to visit Boston, or you are moving to Boston; we'll help you locate great food, fun events, and reliable resources.
Yesterday, we were out taking photos of a beautiful event on a beautiful day. The marathon flags were flying from the Old South Church. A few hours later, we were grateful that we were back home downloading photos when the explosions happened.
We're thinking about our neighbors, local businesses, and all of Boston's visitors. In a moment everything changed for them. We'll all carry a piece of this day in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.
We also saw the city come together to help the runners, their families, and one another. Bostonians are good people. And, we are so proud of our emergency responders and the BAA volunteers who stood their ground and did a difficult job.
We believe that getting back to normal is an important part of healing, and of not giving in to those who would have us live in fear. Tomorrow, we'll resume our scheduled posts about getting on with life in Boston.
Since we all walk in the city – no matter what our primary means of transportation – you might think that walkers would be a top priority for the Public Works efforts. Clearly we are not.
Here's a snowbank-blocked crosswalk in Kenmore Square. This was taken on Monday. I think the city has had time to clear it since the last snowfall. But, it seems to have been there for a few storms. What's more, it is in front of a building that houses seniors.
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, street sweepers were working hard a couple of blocks away to clear every speck of sand from the bike lanes surrounding the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. That shows what the City of Boston deems important.
Here's some recommended reading for those, like me, who think there is something wrong with this picture.
When I read this book, I learned in detail how many of the bad decisions made in Boston's effort to make bikes a prioity hurt my pedestrian experience.
I knew I was no longer comfortable walking on Mass Ave after the bike lanes were installed but didn't realize that any comprehensive urban planner should have known I would feel this way. Parked cars offer walkers a barrier and sense of security.
I wonder how avoiding these sidewalks, now unprotected from high speed traffic, will impact Mass Ave businesses? What about other places that walkers will instictively avoid?
Do you walk around the city? Do you think walking is the top priority for city planners? What are your pet peeves as a pedestrian?
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Are there restaurants you don't go to because of the noise level? I have a long list of places I've put on my, "not worth it because of noise level" list.
Do you miss those old high back booths that gave you some protection from the sounds crashing around the interior of an otherwise great place to dine?
Photo: iStockphoto photo
I saw a link between two discussions over on the Boston Board of Chowhound. One was about "Great Booths." Someone was looking for the highest back booths they could find. Members of the community gave a few suggestions like Doyle's Cafe in Jamaica Plain.
From the answers, came an interesting twist to Irish Snugs. These were small rooms within Irish Pubs where you could have a tipple in private if you were a woman or perhaps a policeman on duty.
If you put the word "quiet" into the Chowhound Boston seach box, you'll find dozens of conversations.
While I know that it's not going to happen, wouldn't it be nice if a few spots were set aside in some of the unreasonably loud restaurants so that those of us who would like to try the food could reserve a snug or high backed booth with no speakers nearby or a private volume control for the nearest ones?
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photography: iStockphoto.com
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We recently learned about The Yellow Dog Project thanks to our friend David Ziegler. (Thanks David!) This is an attempt to give an easy to recognize signal that a particular dog needs a bit of space.
The project asks that those of us who have a dog who needs a bit of space for whatever reason (health issues, training, rehab, behavior) put a yellow ribbon or marker on our leash. Then, those of us who see this signal can keep ourselves and our dogs away.
Even dogs you know well may occasionally need a bit of space and can't play with your pup. They may have a GI upset that is going around the neighborhood and a considerate guardian who doesn't want to spread it to your dog. They may have an injury that means they can only have a quiet walk and have to avoid the movement and excitement of greeting pals. The may be out as a part of a training exercise and should not be distracted.
We used to walk with a dog that was perfectly happy strolling with her usual pack but would turn growly and fierce if a strange dog approached. You can imagine how we all reacted every time a dog, often off-leash, came bounding our way with a guardian trailing behind yelling, "He's friendly!" Yes, your dog may be friendly, but the one on a leash may not be. One more reason why no dog should be off-leash outside of dog recreation spaces.
Spread the word to your dog loving friends. Ask your veterinarian, groomer, pet supply shop, and dog group to sign on as a supporter of both sites and make this universal signal a reality!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Artwork: Courtesy of The Yellow Dog Project & DINOS
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Here's a sight we hope we see a lot more of in 2013, a mounted ranger patrolling the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. There is something wonderful about hearing the sound of the hoofs and seeing people interacting with these rangers. Here's a group that is helping – The Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit.
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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.
They say we will all know someone who will need an organ donation or we will need one ourselves sooner or later. Back in 2008, we did our first post on this topic – How to Become An Organ Donor.
Since then, thousands of readers have found that post and spent time reading the details and using the provided links to learn more. Thank you to everyone who did that. Thinking about it, along with research, is the first step.
Back then, a friend in another part of the country had a family member who needed a heart to live. This year our inspiration is closer to home. We ran into a fellow dog lover and former neighbor on Boylston Street. She told us she may soon be a candidate for a heart and lung transplant. This time the need is closer to home and we are thinking of her, her family, and her pups often.
Have you talked to your family about becoming an organ donor?
Perhaps this holiday season, when people gather in the spirit of giving, would be a great time to express your wishes and fill out the necessary forms.
Here are the links you need to become an organ donor.
It can be as easy as scanning the QR code on the poster above. That will link you to the national site.
(Since many of our readers are from other parts of the country, we've included the national resources.)
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.
For the next few weeks, we'll be looking at piles of phone books as they disintegrate on doorsteps around the city. Another year has passed without a law that would require these businesses to change to an opt-in system. Naturally, the pubishers are fighting this at all levels, even calling phone books free speech.
Large buildings will pay employees to move the material from where it was dumped to the recycling or trash area and then out for curbside pick up. In smaller buildings or those with absentee landlords, the materials will sit through rain, snow, and ice becoming more of an eyesore each day until someone volunteers to trash them.
What will seldom happen is for one of these books to be invited into someone's home and used for something other than paint brush cleaning or craft projects. Perhaps we could get the artists in the city to come and take the phone books away for use as raw material for art projects.
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