BostonZest

What's Happening during October 2013 in the Boston Area

Here's an edited version of a subject that Penny posted over on the Trip Advisor Boston Forum. Many visitors don't understand why hotel prices are sometimes higher one week than the next and why restaurant reservations may be hard to obtain. 

Foliage on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall

As other locals and destination experts added to the list, we discovered the conversation was useful to us, too. So, we're sharing the highlights for us with our BostonZest readers. 

Foliage can be beautiful right here in Boston

 Fall Foliage is a big tourist draw throughout the month and is fun for all of us, too. 

Screenshot courtesy of the Fenway Cultural District

October 14th, Opening Our Doors 2013 with lot's of free admission and special happenings in the Fenway Cultural District. 

Racers at the Head of the Charles Regatta

October 19th-20th - The Head of the Charles Regatta will jam hotels throughout the region and is a wonderful spectator event. An estimated 9,000 participants and 300,000 spectators are expected to attend.

• From a couple of years ago, here's a post we did on the event: 3 Things I Didn’t Know About the Head of the Charles – Our Friday Link

Lots of things that are of interest to other Bostonians and visitors will be added to the trip advisor conversation so be sure to click over there for more ideas.

Add what you love to do in October to the comments section! Save this page and we'll update it as the month goes on.

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Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

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Poppy Says, "Keep Your Dog Safe and Secure in the City"

If our little Poppy looks a bit pensive in this photo, it's because she was thinking about what she needs to explain to all the new dogs she's meeting as we walk around Boston. She is especially worried about the ones who were country dogs, like her, before they came to live in the city.

We told her we'd be happy to pass along a few tips to help dog families with less urban experience. 

City drivers may cut corners and run traffic lights. Stand well back from the curb and be sure all traffic has stopped before stepping onto the street.

And, speaking of cars, when maneuvering around cars, keep your pup clear of tailpipes. They may be hot – even on parked cars.

People on skateboards, bicycles, and inline skates can move dangerously fast. Try to position yourself between them and your pal.

On congested sidewalks, pups need observant and protective friends. When you can, put your pup between two people. Be careful rounding corners and avoid smokers swinging cigarettes and flicking hot ashes at doggie eye level.

City litter can be dangerous to paws. Guide your little one around broken glass, gum, and smoldering cigarette butts.

Horns and sirens can startle and frighten the most self-confident dog. Shorten your lead and provide lots of pats and reassurance.

And, feel free to ask the families you meet for referrals to the people and supplies you need for your dog. When you keep hearing good things about a shop, vet, groomer, or service, you can try it out.

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

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Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

Boston Resident Parking Permits for Rental Cars Available Online

Once upon a time (just a short time ago), you had to go to city hall to obtain a resident parking permit for a rental car. We learned that you can now apply and get a permit online so we tried it for our recent Provincetown trip. If you don't own a car, like us, and plan a few fall weekends away, this new service may come in handy.

We rented this Passat with New Jersey plates. Once we had the car, we went online to the city's page for  "Resident Parking Permits for Rental Cars," read the instructions, filled out the form, faxed a copy of our rental contract, proof of residencey (our cable bill), and the confirmation of our application to the city. They emailed a copy of our permit which we printed and put in the car's rear window. 

Better, But Can Be Improved

This is much easier but still way behind the times. You should be able to carry out the entire process by email. You can grab a pdf of a cable, utility, or tax bill. The rental company probably sent you a copy of the rental via text or email. And, the city should be able to accept those forms via email. 

What's more, they should be able to handle a simple transaction like this 24/7. We applied on a Saturday morning and had to wait until Monday to get our permit. That left us vunerable to parking tickets and ticked off neighbords over the weekend. Our solution was to leave a rear window note – explaining that the car was a rental belonging to a resident – along with a copy of our confirmation of applying for the permit.

If the mayor's hot line can operate 24/7 so can many more city services.

The city says, 

"At this time, the new system is not available weekends and residents who pick up their vehicles after 3 PM will not be able to go online for a temporary permit. 

These residents are eligible to have "Resident Parking Only" tickets cancelled by forwarding a proof of residency at their Boston address and a copy of the vehicle rental agreement to the Office of the Parking Clerk."

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't  cost you any more but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List? Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 BostonZest 

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.

Bees Keep Working into Autumn

The seasons change but the bees don't care, they keep working.

Gathering goodness to bring back to the hive.

Sending out signals to their hive mates, when they find a new patch of pollen and nectar. And, providing us with a fascinating subject to photograph.

Thanks to everyone who hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support. It doesn't cost you any more, but they put a few coins in our tip jar.

What's on your Fall Shopping List? Click here for Fall Season Savings over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

As the displays of apples grow abundant at local farmers' markets and farm stands, I've pulled my copy of The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso from the shelf. In addition to page after page of tempting recipes, this book is just plain good reading. What's more, it's a perfect reference book for apple season. 

Food lovers are familiar with Amy Traverso's writing from the Boston Globe, Salon, Travel + Leisure, and Yankee Magazine where she was Lifestyle Editor. 

The Apple Lover's Cookbook begins with an in depth reference section including an "Apple Varieties Primer" that has me reaching for apples I've never tried before with a surprising degree of skill. 

Next comes a section of "Cooking Tips and Pantry Notes." This will answer many of the questions that will run through your mind as you begin cooking or baking with the recipes. 

Here are a few of the recipes that already have Post-it flags permanently in place on my copy:

• Autumn "Coleslaw" with Dates, Apples, and Pecans
• Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables
• Squash and Apple Gratin
• Sausage with Braised Cabbage and Apples 
• Baked Apple Oatmeal Pudding
• Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
• Lowfat Gingerbread Applesauce Cake

Sprinkled throughout is the background information Amy gleaned visiting orchards and meeting the people who grow this splendid fruit. This is a book you will want to add to your collection and that you will pull out and keep at hand each autumn.

If you like this book you might also enjoy  Amy's work in Yankee's Lost & Vintage Recipes.

  

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Coverart from W.W. Norton & Company, Publishers

Quiet Moment on a Quiet Provincetown Lane

Provincetown is especially delightful in September and October when the town breathes a sigh of relief after the busy summer season. We are back in Boston but will be sharing some of our favorite shots from our time at lands end.

We recommend an autumn trip to this special place. You can still take a day trip by high speed catamaran if that fits your schedule.

Don't miss an autumn photo opportunity. This Canon PowerShot G15 camera will give you what you need to take stills and video of Fall Colors. Canon's G series is our all-time favorite for everyday cameras. We own the G10 and G11. They're a little bigger than the compacts most people use, but let you shoot with automatic settings or easy-to-use manual controls that please the many pros who use them as second cameras.  

And, if you are ready to turn pro, follow our lead. Ed Shoots with the Nikon D7000 Digital SLR, too and Penny uses a Nikon D600 and is extremely happy with the performance it's delivered.

 

Details:

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photos: from iStockphoto.com

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 comments 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 out of comments.

 Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.

Magnificent Mantis!

While this mantis (commonly called “praying mantis" due to front leg positioning) might be described as magnificent, there’s also a certain ominous quality about it – maybe it’s the eyes. Then again, having a camera lens staring you down could be interpreted as quite threatening.

Fortunately, for us, humans are a bit larger than the usual mantis diet, which consists mostly of any species small enough to capture – mainly insects, although larger varieties of this creature have been known to dine on small frogs, birds, and fish.

The mantis is classified as an ambush predator, changing appearance to blend into the background of wherever it’s hiding then striking with formidable speed. That quickness can also be applied during mating when the “off with their heads” technique is thought to be a way of survival for the female mantis.

In our part of the world, mantises are not generally considered an endangered species, although as child I always thought it was illegal to harm them. They are valued by many for their pest control ability and also kept as pets. The praying mantis has even been given special status as the state insect of both Connecticut and South Carolina.

By the way, the state insect for Massachusetts is … the Ladybug.

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 Details:

Words:  Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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.