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.
First, don't forget the many phone apps (like Apple's Find My Friends) that let you locate people. If your runner is carrying a smartphone or an Apple Watch and sets the device to allow you to track him or her, you can use it to follow their location during the race. What's more, you can use it to meet up in the crowded family area after they have finished their run.
Mobile Phone Alert System
The Boston Athletic Association has set up the AT&T Athlete Alerts program. It allows you to receive updates on a runner’s progress.
Where are the Leaders & Crowd Favorites?
For a rough idea of where the race leaders are in relation to your viewing position, you can always watch the sky for the helicopters that hover above them.
For favorites, you must rely on the roar of the crowd as they approach. Or you can track your favorite by using the mobile alert system.
Related Posts: A collection of tips for Marathon Weekend, some are from past years and we'll be updating them between now and Marathon Monday.
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Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Patriots' Day and the MBTA schedules for - Monday, April 15, 2019. Plus tips and information on getting around Boston, parking, marathon issues, trash pickup, and other aspects of this day in the city.
We will update this post as more of the 2019 information becomes available. Follow us on Twitter where we'll announce updates.
Financial Services: Banks may open if they wish. All markets are open.
Federal Offices and Facilities are open: This includes the Postal Service.
Closed: Massachusetts City, Town, State Operations: This includes Schools, Libraries. Only emergency services are available.
Boston Parking
One of the most common questions we get is about street sweeping on Patriots' Day. Here's the page from the city website with the answer. It says:
"On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night. On the weekends, we sweep some streets at night. Please always check posted street sweeping signs for information. If you still have questions, please contact 311."
You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply. Many more streets than in the past will be cleared of parked cars to accommodate the Boston Marathon and Patriots' Day activities.
Be sure to check your car in the days leading up to the marathon to be certain it is not in a tow-away zone for the event.
Street Closures and Parking Restrictions for Marathon Weekend
The City of Boston a very helpful page detailing all the things you need to know about street closures and parking restrictions for this weekend. Here's a link to all that information.
Boston Trash Collection
The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to thecity site and look up your specific addressin order to get information.
Blue, Orange, Red, and Silver Lines "will operate a regular weekday schedule with rush-hour levels of service before and after the race..." (See the MBTA page for special service notes on the Green Line.)
Commuter Rail trains "... will operate a regular weekday schedule with additional trains on the Framingham/Worcester Line to support additional crowds."
"Buses and trackless trolleys will operate a regular weekday schedule on April 15th ..."
"... Some bus routes will be detoured to accommodate the Marathon and other festivities. (See the MBTA website for more info.)
"All Commuter Boat and Ferry Service ... will operate a regular weekday schedule."
"THE RIDE service will operate a regular weekday schedule."
MBTA PARKING
"Customers planning to park in an MBTA garage or lot should allow additional travel time and note that some garages and lots may fill very quickly due to heavy parking demand. "
Details: Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino Photo: Penny Cherubino
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We have a weakness for the sweet treat called Zeppola (AKA Zeppole di San Giuseppe) that appears for a brief spotlight appearance in time for March 19th, Saint Joseph Day.
Our all time favorite is found at Modern Pastry in the North End.
Last year a friend took Penny to Antoine's Pastry Shop in Newton. There she found a Zeppole more like the ones we used to buy by the dozen in Rhode Island.
While a few bakeries may keep these around until Easter, some places will only make them until the 19th, so get out there this weekend and find your favorite!
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
"With art from Make Way for Ducklings at its center, the retrospective presents more than 50 works, including studies for other books written and illustrated by McCloskey: Lentil(1940), Homer Price (1943) and Centerburg Tales (1951), which recall his youth in rural Ohio, and popular Maine tales including Blueberries for Sal (1948) and Timeof Wonder (1957). Works are drawn primarily from the rich, but rarely exhibited holdings of the May Massee Collection at Emporia State University in Kansas.
"An exhibition highlight is the miniature bronze model for Nancy Schön’sMake Way for Ducklings sculpture, commissioned for the Boston Public Garden in 1985. As well as celebrating McCloskey’s achievements as author-illustrator, the retrospective also includes a selection of his independent work connecting him to prominent American painters such as Thomas Hart Benton and Edward Hopper."
Sounds like a good reason for a visit to the MFA!
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Here are three quotes from Lucy Stone (1818-1893):
"I expect to plead not for the slave only, but for suffering humanity everywhere. Especially do I mean to labor for the elevation of my sex."
"I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned."
"Now all we need is to continue to speak the truth fearlessly, and we shall add to our number those who will turn the scale to the side of equal and full justice in all things."
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All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Presidents' Day and the MBTA schedule changes, plus information on Boston trash pick-up and parking information for February 20, 2017.
We publish these resource pages early to assist you in planning your holidays. We'll keep updates coming as new information is published. Follow us on Twitter to learn about updates.
Restaurants, bars: Open
Convenience stores: Open Supermarkets: Open
Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose
Liquor stores: Open if the owners choose
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 both banks and the stock markets in the United States closed. Some international markets are open. In recent years, we've noticed some banks keep some branches open at unexpected times so check with your own bank.
Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.
Boston Trash and Recycling:
The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to thecity site and look up your specific addressin order to get information.
MBTA Schedule for Presidents' Day, February 20, 2017, is not published as of this writing. Here's what happened last year to help you with planning.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston, plus Boston trash collection, parking, and MBTA schedules for Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 15, 2018. We are updating these resource pages rather than creating a new one each year.
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 both Banks and the Stock Markets in the United States closed. International markets are open.
Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.
Boston Public Libraries closed.
BCYF Community Centers are closed.
Free Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
If you're looking for something to do on this holiday, the MFA has a full schedule of special events and invites the community to visit for free that day.
Boston Trash and Recycling:
The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to thecity site and look up your specific addressin order to get information.
Street Cleaning:
The city says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night. On the weekends, we sweep some streets at night. Please always check posted street sweeping signs for information. If you still have questions, please contact 311."
Parking:
"Monday, January 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day City offices closed. Sunday parking rules in effect."
You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.
MBTA Schedule for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 15, 2018:
The MBTA no longer publishes holiday schedule in an easy to use format. You must now go to their website and click around to find the information.
For more information about MBTA services, routes, schedules, and fares, please call the T’s Customer Communications Department at 617-222-3200, (TTY 617-222-5146) or go to www.mbta.com
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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