Lisa Johnson, Author at Anali's Next Amendment

Summer Bliss: Maxwell in Concert

July 30, 2020July 10, 2016 by Lisa Johnson 4 Comments

Friday night, I had the best time seeing Maxwell perform live at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Maxwell has been a favorite artist of mine for decades and I had never seen him before.

It had been a while since I had been to a concert at all. After Prince died, I resolved to attend more live shows. I will never regret seeing Prince in concert on the spur of the moment. There is nothing like a live performance.

I had to save and budget for this little trip. This week money will be very tight, because of course unexpected things always come up at the worst time. But I am so glad that I went.

A friend invited me to attend with a couple of her friends and I did not hesitate agreeing to go. We decided to stay overnight at a nearby hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Preston Casino Area, so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving back to Massachusetts the same night and just enjoy ourselves.

The Hilton Garden Inn is a nice hotel and in great location. On my drive down, I passed Mystic Pizza 2. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to go in and try their famous pizza. Ever since I saw the movie, one of my all-time favorites, I’ve always wanted to try it and visit the Mystic area.

Also, since I wrote my Craving Boston article about modern Native American food, I wanted to try the food at the Pequot Museum in Mashantucket, which is just minutes away from the hotel. So I already have a return trip in mind.

Back to Maxwell. Before the show, we had a quick dinner at Fuddruckers, because we were running late. The show was a real treat for all of us. I forgot just how much I love Maxwell’s music. He and his band were incredible. And Maxwell is sexy as hell! Go and see him if you can.

You can tell that Maxwell was truly grateful when he thanked us for supporting him for 20 years. He kept mentioning how old he is at 43 and how much he has learned along the way. He knows and respects his audience and we all felt it.

He spoke about the racial tension in this country after the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the police officers in Dallas. The show was a momentary escape, but all that is going on right now was still not far from our minds. Before he sang Lifetime, Maxwell let us know that all our lives matter and yes, Black Lives Matter too.

By the way, I’m listening to his music as I write. If you have Amazon Prime, it appears that all his albums are available in the music library for free.

After the show, we stayed nearby in the casino area, had drinks, listened to music and danced. None of us are gamblers, but we still had a blast.

The next morning we had brunch at the hotel. It was good, reasonably priced and I’d recommend staying there and eating there too. Then we left.

It was a quick trip and I combined some additional freelance writing work with it as well. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I stopped in Tiverton, Rhode Island on the way back home. Tiverton is quintessential quaint New England. Such a beautiful area!

Milk & Honey is the cutest little store that I found. It has all sorts of local food products. I enjoyed the lemon Yacht Club soda. Delicious! Did you know that their brand is Rhode Island’s Official Soda? It is! I’m also looking forward to trying the Summertime Garden Honey that I bought. It’s from Sakonnet Seaside Bees at Hollygate Farm also in Tiverton. I could not find a website to link to for them unfortunately.

Anyway, while I was there I took many more pictures and did an interview for my next Craving Boston article. Stay tuned!

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History: Not a Mystery

July 30, 2020July 7, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

Walking to work yesterday, I noticed this new plaque on the corner of the Bank of America building where Franklin Street and Federal Street intersect. I think it’s new. Or maybe I just never noticed it. Not quite sure.

Either way, the plaque is quite small and easy to miss. But has a lot of information. The spot was once the location of the Federal Street Church, where the Massachusetts State Convention voted to ratify the United States Constitution. Below is a quote from the Massachusetts Historical Society about the event.

Massachusetts had the largest convention of any state, and a fundamental disagreement divided the 364 delegates: Federalists supported a strong central government and the Constitution as written; Anti-Federalists held that a centralized government would concentrate power in the hands of the elite and lead to the dissolution of the democratic ideals espoused during the Revolution. The turning point in the debate in Boston came when Gov. John Hancock proposed that Massachusetts recommend several amendments to the Constitution, including a Bill of Rights. This proposal effectively gave voice to many of the Anti-Federalist concerns, and after Revolutionary leader Samuel Adams spoke in favor of Hancock’s “conciliatory proposition,” a sufficient number of delegates shifted their positions to approve ratification. Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution on February 6, 1788, by a vote of 187 to 168.

With Hamilton being all the rage and the 4th of July just a few days ago, many of us are thinking about history. But my heart is breaking over the history being made.

More police shootings. Philando Castile was killed last night and the 561st person shot by a police officer in the United States this year. It has to stop. This country is at a turning point. And I really hope we will turn toward the right side of history.

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Quote of the Week: John Adams

July 30, 2020July 3, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776, “Had a Declaration…”

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History Demolished & Disrespected: Wollaston Theatre

June 13, 2026June 28, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

Back in 2007, I started writing about the Wollaston Theatre. Since Quincy is the City of Presidents, I wrongly thought that there would be a special appreciation and unique effort to restore this once lovely old movie house. I wrote about Wollaston Theatre again in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I hoped that things would end differently.

Silly me. What was I thinking? Of course money trumps everything else. The beloved Wolly was smashed to bits. The Change.org petition was a nice idea, but it was all to no avail.

No doubt owner Michael Fang, owner of the C-Mart supermarket chain, will be able to sell the land for a pretty penny. Probably another luxury apartment building will be built. Maybe condos.

Something most likely beyond the reach of most people instead of what could have been a wonderful community space. That seems to be the direction of things in Quincy. Many will soon be priced out.

I just took these pictures today, so my feelings are fresh. It was shocking to see nothing left. I am so disappointed. Wollaston Theatre is really gone.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Co-Founder of New Grounds Food: Johnny Fayad

September 22, 2020June 25, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

As I mentioned recently, I attended Amplify, an event in Boston hosted by Branchfood. One of the local food companies there was New Grounds Food, makers of the CoffeeBar.

At the event, I was able to sample a CoffeeBar and (full disclosure) was given some to go. They are pretty good!

For those of you who don’t have time to drink your coffee in the morning, but still want the caffeine, you might just want to try one.

Johnny Fayad is a co-founder of the company that he started with Ali Kothari when they were freshman business students. They wasted no time!

So let’s learn a little bit more about Johnny in the 13th interview in the series, You Pick Six.

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What is a favorite dessert?
Trader Joe’s chocolate lava cakes with vanilla bean ice cream! Super quick and super delicious.

What is a favorite snack?
Pita bread with tomatoes and some veggies dipped in my mom’s iconic hummus with a little olive oil on top.

What is a favorite food movie?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I want to go there to eat one day (hopefully, while Jiro is still at the helm!)

What is a favorite quote?
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

What is the best meal you ever had and where was it?
Whenever my cousin comes to Boston for work, he’ll typically spoil me with a really nice dinner. One of the best ones was at a sushi restaurant called Oishii in the South End where we had so many amazing dishes from squid ink pasta to different preparations of uni. So good.

How did food become an important part of your life?
Food has always been a huge part of my life. Starting with my mom who is a macrobiotic chef and all she does is cook, so we were raised where delicious food was the norm and rarely went out to eat. My love for food definitely grew as I started serving at a sushi restaurant in high school and a seafood restaurant in my first couple years of college. More recently, after starting New Grounds Food, I’ve been able to see and experience all of the work that goes into bringing food to life, which has given me a deeper appreciation for the food in our lives.

* * *

Thank you so much for participating Johnny!

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Photos: Provided by Johnny Fayad.

*Updated 9/22/2020* The company name and website changed, so several links in this interview were updated.

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