BostonZest

What's Happening Around Boston in May 2015

May in Boston is dominated by what we call “Graduation Season.” This is the time of year when students graduate from more than 100 colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area. Friends and families arrive to attend the ceremonies and treat the new grads to meals around town. 

 

Families also come to Boston to pick up and move out many of the 250,000 students who spend the academic year around here. That can mean traffic issues and parking headaches in some neighborhoods.

All year long, the locals who volunteer to assist visitors over on the Boston Trip Advisor forum explain that these May happenings and other events explain the scarcity and high cost of hotel rooms. 

Here is our post with all dates for many of this year’s graduations.

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2015

Farmers Markets Start Opening In May

This is one of the very best things about May. We look forward to great local food and the wonderful community that exists at our local farmers markets. The tremendously popular and busy Copley Square Farmers Market opened on May12th.

We have a post with all the dates: Market Report: Summer Farmers Markets Opening Dates 2015

 

Make May Restaurant Reservations 

Reservations at area restaurants will be harder to find May 8th through 11th with Mother's Day and 5 commencements, and scarce May 15th through 18th when 15 schools, including BU and BC, will hold ceremonies. Harvard commencement is May 28th and MIT June 5th – each of these schools is large enough to have an impact on its own.

Holidays in May

Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10th. You have a short time to make plans to celebrate if that day is on your calendar. On Mother’s Day, you'll find special menus in many restaurants. If you have suggestions for places not doing this or alternative dining suggestions for Mother’s Day please add them. Here's a link to our post with suggestions for places to dine on Mother's Day. 

Memorial Day is Monday, May 25. That means the long weekend to kick off summer will begin on Friday May 22nd. If you are staying in Boston consider taking advantage of the Museum of Fine Arts annual Memorial Day Open House with free admission and special programs throughout the day.

Conventions that Impact Hotel Pricing & Availability

April 29-May 2: American College of Physicians Internal Medicine 2015, estimated attendees: 7,000

May 6-7: UBM Canon - BIOMEDevice / Design & Manufacturing New England / Electronics New England 2015, estimated attendees: 6,050

May 14-16: Heart Rhythm Society - 2015 Annual Scientific Sessions, estimated attendees: 15,000

May 26-28: NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2015 Annual Conference & International Education Expo, estimated attendees: 7,000

Watch for our upcoming post on what we’re looking forward to in May. We'd love to include some of your suggestions. Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012-2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Graduation photo from iStockphoto.com

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Someone Did a Ton of Laundry or ...

Either someone did a ton of laundry or one of the residents of a Back Bay condo broke down and cleaned out the empties in the laundry room. 

This extra large bag of laundry product containers was put out for recycling yesterday.

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

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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.



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Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: istockphoto.com

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Petie Prances & Kicks Up His Heels with the Joy of Spring

There was no question about who would be Sunday Dog this week when our old friend Petie began doing a spring fling dance around our gang of dogs walking on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

It's a good thing his person Chris is a runner because she really had to move to keep up with him.

Petie pranced ...

And, he danced ...

And, he flew "through the air with the greatest of ease ..."

The joyous smile never left the face of this gorgeous Shiba Inu.

Finally, on request, Petie slowed down long enough to let me take a couple of still shots.

Now, the kicker of this story and what had his dog walking pals laughing at his antics is that not only is Petie 15 years old, but he's also been known as the neighborhood dog who loves to sit and relax and hates to walk.

Maybe he's just wanted to dance and prance all these years. Or maybe he spent the whole frozen winter choreographing the dance he did for us last Sunday.

Way to Go, Petie! See you soon.

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

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

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Fresh Paint Day 2015 Is Sunday, April 26th

Today's Friday Link is to the Copley Society who will kick off their annual Fresh Paint fund raising event this Sunday by sprinkling the artist members of the group around the city to create fresh artwork.

Those creations will be auctioned off at their Gala event on May 9th. 

We love using this event to enjoy a spring walk around Boston. We download a map from the Copley Society site or pick up one from the first artist we see. Then, we wander around visiting with the artists working on their contributions to the event. 

What's on your Artistic shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2011 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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Tips and Links for Dealing with Allergy Season

Everything is coming into bloom all at once and the experts are saying that this means a rough time for those of us with allergies. Here are some of our coping mechanisms and links to help you find more advice.

Set Your Goals

As you visit the various links we provide below, you'll find that setting a few allergy battle goals may help you follow through on tips and think of a few new ways to stay ahead of the issue.

• Know the Enemy: If you suffer, then you should have a basic idea of how allergies work and how you can lessen your misery. This can mean choosing the time of day when you exercise or simply knowing which allergens impact your life and tracking when they are out and about. 
• Keep Them Out: There are lots of things you can do to filter, remove, or leave outside your home the particles that make you suffer.
• Treat the Symptoms: Talk to your doctor about your best approach to treating allergies. Depending on the severity of your reaction, you may need to premedicate to stay ahead of the problem. However, those with milder cases may be able to just treat the symptom or symptoms that bother them most. 

Know the Enemy

The Mayo clinic is one site we turn to for medical advice. They have published: Seasonal allergies: Nip them in the bud for those who just want a light version of allergy information. For a deeper look at the issue, we recommend the National Institutes of Health information on Allergic Rhinitis.

Keep the Allergens Out

We do a lot of simple things to avoid bringing the particles that bother us into our home. We use Ultra Allergen Reduction Filters in our heat pump. We use a vacuum with HEPA filtration to clean our home. Our outdoor shoes stay in our entry area and this time of year we may change clothes or at least wipe down ourselves and our dog when we come back from a walk in the pollen laden air.

Treat the Symptoms

We both fall on the take-as-little-medication-as-possible side of the treatment spectrum. If rinsing with a neti pot will help, we'd rather do that than take any medication that may have side effects. 

Links to More Tips

Boston-based writer Jacqueline Church has a great post on this topic. With some serious allergy issues of her own, Jackie is someone we depend on for expert advice on this topic and on food allergies. 

Top Ten Tips to Ease Allergy Symptoms During Pollen Season – AKA Spring

We addressed the issue of allergies, when both you and your dog suffer, in our post:

Allergy Season Tips for Dog Lovers

The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology has great tips on their site:

Cleaning Tips for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers

From the Atlantic's City Lab comes a post that includes what a city can do to help with this problem.

The Complete Guide to Fighting Seasonal Allergies Where You Live

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

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The Back Bay Magnolias Are Slowly Blooming

With last week's return to cooler temperatures, the opening of the magnolia buds along Commonwealth Avenue slowed, but it is happening! And, if we get a sunny day or two, we think the spectacular display should peak this week.

Right now, there are a few early bloomers ready for their closeups. The white magnolias, like those above and below, are the first to bloom and a few have already begun to drop their petals.

There is the slightest tinge of pink even in the whitest of the white blossoms. It's fun to notice things like that when you move in for a close view.

The next bloomers are the Magnolia stellata, or star magnolia with many small petals per bud.

(This photo is from a past year.)

Finally, the big show stoppers will be the thousands of Magnolia × soulangeana or saucer magnolia.

And, an encore will be performed by the deep purple variety that's still showing tightly, closed buds on the few trees we can identify. 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012-2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino