BostonZest

Halloween Sights around the Back Bay

Pumpkins, witches, ghouls, goblins, and flying bats have taken over the usually sedate front yards and doorsteps in the Back Bay.  

Looks like the pumpkin above lost a few teeth in a bar brawl.

His pal, on the step below, is just sick about it. (Or else, he ate too much candy!)

While the winner of the tussle smirked at them from his perch, out of reach, in the fork of a tree. 

This house on Marlborough Street went on a pumpkin carving spree but, sadly, only a few made it until today. I'm glad we preserved their work in photos.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of evidence of busy spiders and creative minds.

 


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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.

What's Open in Boston on Veterans Day 2013, MBTA Schedule Changes

UPDATE: This page is out of date. We have created an ongoing resource page for the Veteran's Day holiday at this link. We update that one each year with any new information that becomes available. 

Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston on Veterans Day, information on Boston trash collection, parking meters, and MBTA schedules for Monday, November 11, 2013.

This is an old post: Here is the link to:

This year, November 11th falls on a Monday. That means you can start planning a long weekend.

(Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library ) Photo created: 1877 - 1900 (approximate)

We publish these reminders before each holiday to help you make the most of your time off!

Restaurants, bars: Open

Convenience stores: Open

Supermarkets: Open

Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Liquor stores: 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: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with most Banks closed. But, we are noticing that some banks are keeping some branches open so check with your own institution.

Stock market: Open, as are international markets.

Boston Parking: The city says, "City of Boston parking meters are free on Sundays and legal holidays and no time limit is enforced. All other parking regulations, including rush hour restrictions at meters, remain in effect."

Street Sweeping: 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:

Veterans Day Monday, November 11 | 7am -Saturday, November 16, 2013,  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.

Delay trash and recycling collection a day only if you live in Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, Roslindale, or West Roxbury.

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

The MBTA indicates it will operate on a weekday schedule: Complete Details Here.

 For additional information on routes, schedules, and fares, "please call the MBTA Customer Service Center at 617-222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100 (hearing impaired TDD 617-222-5146)" or contact them at www.mbta.com.

And, if you have to work: Holiday Pay Information For Retail Establishments from the Secretary of State.

"Retail establishments which operate on New Year's Day, Columbus Day after 12 noon, or on November 11th after 1:00 p.m. are required to pay their employees time and one-half regardless of the number of employees on their payroll."

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: (Photo of the Soldier and Sailors Memorial on the Boston Common: courtesy of the Boston Public Library Collection)

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.

Attention to Detail: Where Is This Bird?

As we walk around the city, details like this bird catch Penny's attention and she loves to share them. 

Here's another view. Do you know where you've seen this chimney with it's perching sculpture?

Hint: It is in the St. Botolph Architectural Conservation District.

Take a guess in the comments below or send your answer to us on Twitter.

When you're ready, click through or scroll down for the answer.

Rogue River Caveman Blue Cheese

The most recent addition to our blue cheese life list was Rogue River Caveman Blue Cheese. Penny spotted it at the River Street Whole Foods in Cambridge and added a piece to our selection for that evening's cheese supper. It was so good, we finished it with one of our last heirloom tomatoes the next night.

While Rogue River Blue will remain our favorite from this cheese maker, Caveman will be a welcome alternative.

Describing the Flavor

On their site, lead cheesemaker Jason Garcia describes Caveman as "sweet, fruity with vanilla tones, and earthy notes. It’s addictive," he says. "It’s savory, with no tang at all, very smooth and mellow."

Janet Fletcher wrote in SF Gate, "What I notice first with Caveman is the rich butter color of the background, which makes me suspect the cows enjoy fresh grass at least some of the time... Caveman manages to be bold and concentrated without being salty, biting or hot, qualities that make many consumers reluctant to purchase blues." 

We try to include a photo of the label with these posts because that will give you pricing information and whatever details the vendor includes.

What to Drink with the Caveman

While the creamery suggests a stout as a match for the cheese, Janet Fletcher enjoyed an oloroso sherry as the wine lover's option. 

Here is a list of places where you can buy Rogue River Cheese.

Do you include blue cheeses on your cheese trays? Do you have a favorite or do you try different ones each time?

As we approach the season when we move indoors and gather friends and family, we'll be featuring more of our favorite wine and cheese. And to make it easy to find all that we have written on these two topics, we have them collected in easy to find categories.

Here is our wine collection.

And, here are other items from our Cheese Tray!

What's on your Cheese Shopping List? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 PennyCherubino 

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.

Encore Presentation: Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

We ran into former Sunday Dog "Harvard" recently and this handsome guy looked just as buff as the day of our original photo shoot 2-years-ago.

Since that feature continues to be a fan favorite, we'd like to share it with anyone who might have missed it or those of you who just want to see it one more time!

Enjoy this Sunday Dog Encore - Show Dog “Harvard” Insists He’s Just a Regular Guy

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

Time to think about what your dog will wear to all the Halloween events that pop up around the city. Amazon has a great selection of Halloween costumes for dogs to give you some ideas.

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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny 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 that are part of the 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.

Follow the Fall Foliage into the City of Boston

We've been following the colors of fall as they tiptoe their way into the city. Yankee Magazine's foliage map now has our area shown as peak color. Our guess is that, here in the city, you'll still see some stunning scenes into November. We're still seeing lots of green as a backdrop to those early show-off trees.

Here are a few links that will prove useful for planning a leaf peeping excursion. 

Please tell us where your favorite foliage spots are and let us know if you have a resource to share. You can add it in the comments below or send it via Twitter.

Perhaps the most complete roundup of New England foliage information can be found on jeff-foliage.com. 

This is a comprehensive site with a discussion forum, photo galleries, festivals, multi-media, webcams, predictions, reports, touring ideas, and safaris. All this with a big dose of expert tips on how to do everything from catching peak foliage to practising the art of getting lost.

For the latest updates, follow Jeff on Twitter, @Foliage_Report or on Google+, Jeff Foliage.

While we're at it, here are a few more links that we've collected as New England Foliage resources.

Massachusetts Fall Foliage Fun Planner - You can add your photos to their collection or enjoy some armchair leaf peeping as you enjoy the photo array.

Yankee Magazine's Foliage Guide

50 Fun Travel Ideas for the New England Fall Foliage Season

We'll update with any new sites we find. Get out there and enjoy the peak of foliage season!

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.

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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.

Related articles

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

New England Fall Foliage Update 10/17/13

At the Market: Stocking Up for Winter

Carrying home farmers' market shopping bags can be a workout this time of year because Ed and I are toting a few extra items to fill our pantry for the winter months. 

Local Honey 

Honey is the number one item on our list. We buy the majority of the honey we eat from Foppema's Farm. We love the flavor and appreciate the fact that it's a local product, simply collected with all the phytonutrients and traces of local pollens.

Honey stores perfectly well in a cool dark spot and will last for years, so we never worry about buying too much. Our only concern is making sure we have enough to get through the months when we can't get our favorite.

Young, Fresh Ginger

Local, young ginger from Old Friends Farm is another fall favorite around here. Penny recently read this page on the Old Friends website about freezing this lively, full-flavored alternative to the dried-up ginger you often find in mainstream stores.  

She tried it and is thrilled to know she can have a supply of great ginger until next September rolls around and it appears again at the corner of the Atlas Farm stand devoted to products from their neighbors at Old Friends Farm.

  

Maple syrup is available all winter but if you like to buy it at the market, you can stock up. This jug came from Boston Organics and we keep it in the freezer. Pure maple syrup has no additives or preservatives. It has a higher water content than honey, so it can and will grow mold if you don't use it quickly. 

In the freezer, it never becomes solid so you can still pour out what you need and return the jug to it's chilly storage spot.

 

Pumpkins and Winter Squash 

More cooks are discovering the golden goodness of winter squash, and pumpkin. Food sites like The Kitchn are showing us how to make the most of the harvest while it's in season. Here's a recent post they did on "Two Ways to Freeze Winter Squash."

What will you be taking home to store for winter use? How will you store it? How will you prepare it? Are you making jams and jellies? Apple butter? Hard cider? Tell us about your favorite stockpiles!

Click here to read more of our At The Market Reports.

PRIME What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies

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.