Boston + New England

Subway Stories: Keep Calm

by 2 Comments

Keep Calm Red Line MBTA Deep breath. Stay calm.

It will be okay. It’s only a commute.

In case you haven’t heard, the Red Line has been a nightmare recently. Not that it isn’t awful a great deal of the time, but it’s really awful today. In a whole other dimension awful.

Those of us who rely on the Red Line to get to work are being advised not to take it. Seriously.

To seek alternative means. I’m working on getting a ride, but the car is still being dug out of the snow.

So I’m trying to be productive and calm myself down.

Deep breath.

I started thinking that I needed to keep calm and carry on. Or actually to keep calm and avoid the Red Line. So I decided to make a nice little image with one of my old photos and introduce the Subway Stories series to the new blog.

Maybe this blog post will go viral and earn me all kinds of money, so I don’t have to commute on the Red Line ever again!

Yup. Realistic. *sigh*

Deep breath.

Okay. Carry on…..

On Falling Snow + Drinking Wine

by 6 Comments

wine bottleWith virtually no snow up until now, all of us in the Boston area were just waiting for the other snow shoe to drop. And drop it did. I wonder if people will stop talking about the Blizzard of ’78 after this?

The Blizzard of 2015 will go down in the history books.  And we’re supposed to be getting two more instances of snow in the next few days. *sigh*

My street is still not plowed down to the pavement and snow banks are so high that it’s hard to see around them. It’s the worst part of the winter. When you have to hope for the best as you cross the street while walking or making a turn while driving.

Luckily, there is a certain coziness during winter storms. As long as the power stays on and the fridge is fully stocked. Yesterday I did some cooking and baking.

Also, G and I had some wine. I bought it months ago, but we never drank it. The storm seemed like a good excuse and we drank it while watching Netflix. It was our first time trying Liebfraumilch, which is a blended German wine that apparently is hated by many serious wine drinkers.

I am no wine snob; there are many wines that I like. I usually will choose a sweet cocktail over wine though. So you can judge my recommendation of this wine based on that. But I liked it. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. It felt smooth. We both found it enjoyable. And the price was right.

According to a tweet by Only in Boston, each household in this area would be opening between 12 -15 bottles of wine during the storm. I guess we drink way less than our neighbors. But that’s okay.

I’m curious. What were you eating and drinking during the storm?

+ + +
Photo Credit: Schmitt Söhne Liebfraumilch

5th Annual Taste of Chocolate Festival in Harvard Square!

by 4 Comments

Harvard SquareIs the cold winter increasing your craving for chocolate?

This weekend, starting today, you can find all things chocolate at the Taste of Chocolate Festival. It looks like a really good time and cheap, since many samples are free!

Saturday, January 24th

Harvard Square Chocolate Sampling Event

From 1pm – 2pm

Deguglielmo Plaza (27 Brattle Street) will play host to an array of chocolaty samples from restaurants and shops from across Harvard Square. Bloco  Afro – Brazil , a local favorite, will be combining traditional Brazilian grooves like Samba , Funk, Rock, Jazz and even Hip Hop beats to get the party started! Make sure to come early!  This event is very popular and attracts hundreds of sweet tooths!  Restaurants and businesses who will be generously giving out chocolate samples.

For more information, take a look at the website.

President Obama’s Plate – Dining in Massachusetts

by

President Obama Charlie's Sandwich ShoppeI’m pretty excited to watch the State of the Union address tonight. Even though every president says it, no matter what the circumstances, somehow it always makes me feel good to hear that the State of the Union is strong.

Seeing gas prices dipping so low has definitely made me feel more optimistic. Since President Obama’s approval rating has been climbing recently, I’m apparently not the only one feeling that way.

While much of the country is eagerly waiting to hear what the president has to say tonight, TIME decided to examine something a bit different – The State of Obama’s Plate. The article looks at his dining destinations in each state. Take a look to see all four destinations in Massachusetts.

Since he vacations in Martha’s Vineyard, most of the restaurants are located there, but Boston did make the list too with his visit to Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe. While the landmark closed this past June, according to an article in The Boston Globe, it’s supposed to open again this year. We’ll see. Maybe President Obama will come back for the grand opening for some more dining in the Bay State!

+ + +
Photo Credit: TIME

Corita Kent: Throwback Thursday: Boston Gas Tanks

by 2 Comments

Gas tank art of Corita KentAfter reading a recent article about Sister Corita Kent, it reminded me of my 1991 picture of the two gas tanks. Now there is only one gas tank, but thankfully the beautiful art of Corita Kent was preserved.

As a child, I used to be so excited when I would see the familiar Boston landmark. The big splashes of bright colors painted on one of the two gas tanks as my father drove our family into Boston countless times on the expressway. Until I saw that gas tank, I never thought about art being placed on objects that weren’t necessarily art. Corita Kent brought art to the masses even if you weren’t looking for it. There it was.

On January 31st, an exhibit of her work will be opening at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh called Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent. The exhibit will be there until April 19th and covers more than 30 years of her work. Below is an excerpt from the website.

In her rich and varied career, she was a designer, teacher, feminist, and activist for civil rights and anti-war causes. Her thousands of posters, murals, and signature serigraphs reflect these combined passions for faith and politics. Kent became one of the most popular graphic artists of the 1960s and ‘70s, and her images remain iconic symbols that address the larger questions and concerns of that turbulent time and continue to influence many artists today.

While several exhibitions have focused on Corita’s work from the ‘60s, Someday is Now is the first major museum show to survey her entire career, including early abstractions and text pieces as well as the more lyrical works made in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition also includes rarely shown photographs Corita used for teaching and documentary purposes.

This looks like a great exhibit if you get the chance to go. It appears to be traveling to different cities, so maybe it will stop by a location near you.