Happy 4th of July! The parade just went by my apartment an hour ago. Now there's a speech of some sort being given outside the old state house. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July. Stay dry, eat lots of bbq, etc. And this from my friend Kevin: "The 4th of July honors the actions of our founding father, George Jefferson, who so bravely did row his boat across the Potomac to cut down the British tax collectors' cherry tree 500 years ago. These exploits were immortalized in the National Anthe... More ...

According to the Globe today, Gisele has a blog. A blog about environmental issues. I checked it out myself and it looks like yes, she has a blog - a blog mostly written by other people. It looks like there's five other writers that are writing articles for her on the blog. Overall, the blog isn't very interesting. Here's what the Globe had to say: Gisele is apparently all about the chatter, blowing virtual kisses to her readers and thanking "our young columnists who prove that young people.... More ...

For those of you that haven't heard his name before, David Mugar is a big shot in Boston. His family started Star Market, he's a big philanthropist, and he's the executive director of that great 4th of July celebration that we all love so much. There was a nice chat session with him that the Globe put on their website yesterday. Here are my favorite excerpts: carolfromdorchester: What time do I have to get in line to get a good spot on the lawn in front of the Hatch Shell?David_Mugar: The ga... More ...

Sorta good news for those of you living in the Seaport District, you're getting another restaurant nearby - the D Street Cafe - which opens tomorrow. With the recent article that the Seaport District hasn't been doing so well in terms of attracting folks to live there (here). It's good to know that some people are at least trying. I have to admit though, I'm a little underwhelmed at the restaurant description. The restaurant, which does not have a liquor license, will be a family-friendly qui... More ...

I was walking to work today and passed by the storefront for the new Verizon in Downtown Crossing. They finally took off all the boards that were covering it up - so I'm guessing that it should be opening soon. The gentrification of Downtown Crossing is now in full swing. Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com ... More ...

Most of you that this applies to probably already know this just by seeing people on the boats with their laptops and, and for those of you that don't - you'll probably never ride a commuter boat. But in case there's anyone that was missed - here's the scoop. Starting last week, the MBTA commuter boats started offering wifi onboard. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Tuesday it has added wireless Internet access to its 11 commuter boats. Riders can use laptop computers and o... More ...

Ever wonder how much those special "VIPs" make when they make a stop off at one of our Boston nightclubs? Well the Globe had an article recently on Brody Jenner and, yes, they confirmed he makes more than you and me combined and then multiplied by ten. If you'll recall, he was at the Estate in January (here) and then the grand opening of the Marina Beach Club (here). I don't think he showed up to the casting call for his new show "Bromance" (that's a vomit-inducing title by-the-way) (here). B... More ...

Almost 300 extras and actors - joined by five articulated dummies - took turns playing dead on the Water Street sidewalk Sunday, as "The Surrogates" wrapped up a "climactic moment in the movie," spokesman Ernie Malik said. "They were crashing cars and there were dead bodies in the street. It's really the end of the movie. . . . It's hard to describe it without giving anything away." Action star Bruce Willis was not on set Sunday, but he did film a scene, in which he's seen leaving a hospital, on... More ...

It's been six months since I first blogged about FlexPetz - the dog rental company that has been looking to open an outlet in Boston (here). Folks really don't want it here - their was a city council meeting yesterday to discuss a proposal to ban pet rentals. Under the proposed ordinance, any individual caught renting a dog would be fined $300, and the pooch would be impounded. The City Council is schedule to vote on the proposed ban on July 9. If it is approved, the measure moves on to the may... More ...

July 4th in Boston is awesome. It's definitely one of my favorite times of year. Going to the Hatch Shell to listen to the concert, watching fireworks, bbq'ing - I can hardly wait. I'm also happy because it's one of the few national holidays that I actually get off from work. Anyhoo, Bloggery Reader Sanjay shot me a note asking where I liked to watch the fireworks from. There's a couple of places that are pretty great: If you're a college student (or a hot girl) - spend the next three days... More ...

There was a very nice piece in the Globe this weekend on the effects of the movie filming boom in Massachusetts - filled with nice statistics. Seven major feature films have been shot here in the first half of 2008 (two are still filming), and another two are scheduled for the second half, according to Nick Paleologos, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office. "If the actors don't strike we could end up with 10 or more for this year - which would be a new record," he says, noting that... More ...

This past weekend's "Money & Careers" section in the Globe had a front page piece reviewing the different bus options for traveling to NYC. There's not too much more than what you can find in my "Traveling to NYC" blog entry (here). In this culminating article, Nicole Wong compares five lines: Bolt Bus, Mega Bus, Lucky Star, Fung Wah, and Greyhound/Peter Pan. Her top choice - Bolt Bus. I personally have ridden all of the bus lines except for Mega Bus. I'd have to say that if I were to ra... More ...

It's that time of year again. Summer Restaurant Week is coming up in about a month and a half and those of you with American Express cards can make advanced reservations. Restaurant week is actually two weeks and runs from August 10-15 and August 17-22. Lunch is $20.08 for a 3 courses and dinner is #33.08 for 3 courses. Cardmembers enjoy an exclusive early reservation period 6/30–7/18. And their meals can help support hunger relief, too. For each transaction made on any American Express Card... More ...

Congratulations to Miss Alicia Zitka who won the Miss Massachusetts pageant this past weekend. Miss Zitka beat out 18 other contestants to earn the crown during the pageant at Bristol Community College, where she performed a contemporary lyrical dance as her talent and won a preliminary swimsuit award. She will now get the chance to compete for the title of Miss America at the pageant in Las Vegas in January. Good luck in the upcoming Miss America pageant. Click (here) for the article on Miss Z... More ...

I'm sure you know him from "The Commish" or maybe "The Shield" or maybe those somewhat awful Fantastic Four movies. What you may not know, however, is that he's from Andover, MA. June 27th, 2008 was declared Michael Chiklis Day in Andover as the actor visited and recieved the key to the city. "You are entering rarefied air," Town Manager Reginald "Buzz" Stapczynski told the 44-year-old actor as he handed over the representative key to the town where Chiklis was raised. Only two other keys have... More ...

The front page story yesterday in the City & Region section of the Globe was an article about how the Seaport District isn't as settled as people were hoping. What do you expect? There's no T stop (except for the Silver Line), only a handful of restaurants, and no supermarket. There's an apartment building there (Park Lane) that I checked out a couple years ago. It was really nice, but still a bit pricey - especially the parking. The Seaport District is not downtown - you CANNOT charge $... More ...

It's usually the Ritz or the Four Seasons. That's where most of the celebrities stay when they're in town. Occasionally though, they might stay at the new Liberty Hotel or the Intercontinental. That being said: Sir Ben Kingsley has been staying at the Ritz while he's in town filming Ashecliffe (here). We briefly caught up with Sir Ben Kingsley at the Ritz-Carlton the other day, and the celebrated actor said he's nearly wrapped up work on "Ashecliffe," the Martin Scorsese movie that's kept hi... More ...

Do you have a band? I mean a real one - it doesn't count if you're playing Rock Band at home on your Playstation. This is pretty exciting, here's your chance to enter a contest to open for Coldplay when they come to to the TD Banknorth Garden on August 4th (here). Imagine performing before one of the biggest bands in the world. The lights go down and the stage is yours. Here is your chance. Live Nation and WFNX are giving your band the opportunity to go on before Coldplay at TD Banknorth Gard... More ...

Doh, I already missed one of the feasts that took place in early June. That's ok, there's plenty more running through the rest of the summer. For those of you that haven't been to one yet, there's a bunch of Feasts that take place in the North End during the summer. I went to a few of them last year like St. Anthony's Feast (here) and The Fisherman's Feast (here) - and those were just random weekends that I'd happened to go there. This year, I had the foresight of pulling the schedule so that... More ...

Looking for something to do tonight that will benefit charity and wreak havok on your diet? Check out the 11th annual Chefs in Shorts BBQ that's going on tonight. You gotta indulge a little sometimes otherwise you'll go crazy (that's why after three consecutive nights of salads, I went to Popeye's last night and got some fried chicken - delicious) Please join us as great chefs from around the city fire up the grills for a night of great food and fun! Tickets can be purchased for $60 a person a... More ...