Results tagged “freedomtrail”

With the warmer weather approaching (almost here, really), we’re mentally preparing ourselves for the inevitable: tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. People from across the country and the world are drawn to Boston to experience the environment in which we Bostonians find ourselves every day: a unique urban landscape, both historic and modern. more ›

--Investigators with the ATF are helping to find out what caused the James Hook fire, which destroyed the business and 60,000 pounds of lobster. [Boston Globe, photos of the scene from Bostonist] more ›

We're playing a little game we call "what's Tommy's name not on?" The Zamboni that smoothes the ice at the Frog Pond? It's on there. The welcome sign to Boston? It's on there. The toothbrushes the Boston Public Health Commission distributes? It's on there (and happens to be absurdly huge.) The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center? Yeah, that's it. Menino's name does not adorn the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is not yet called... more ›

Botched in Boston seems on the fast track to a new defining statement of our city. Kerry started it with his botched joke that got tremendous play nationally. The Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb scare brought it back as a botched marketing campaign, or at least a botched reaction to a marketing campaign. Dr Pepper has now ended their Hunt for More promotion – labeling it botched – and revealed the location of a coin redeemable for $10,000. The search had people scouring 23 cities, one each for the 23 secret flavors that give Dr Pepper its flavor. more ›

The week starts out right when a sucker punch on the field lands Chicagoist in the middle of a Sox/Cubs throwdown and the fists continue to fly in the comments. Despite suburban resident Ms. Pinney's best little try no books will be banned anytime soon and the El is really really gross. more ›

We're not talking about any newly imposed fees, we don't know of any. On a recent trip to the Navy Yard we followed the red brick trail out of the National Park Service site only to come up against a blockade. Because we don't make a habit of following the Freedom Trail through Boston (really, how many times can you do it?) we were surprised to find that Gate 1 of Charleston Navy Yard was closed. Not only closed but closed off using Jersey barriers. We present this ironic image of how the Freedom Trail has been cut off by the likes of Homeland Security. more ›

There’s the Duck Tour, the Trolley Tour (we’re not talking Green Line), Park Service Docents, the Freedom Trail, and dozens of biking and walking tours of the city. Steven Tyler may be local, but Bostonist has already seen the Old State House and we can’t be wasting our precious cell phone minutes to listen to him talk about it. With our attempt to find out some of those local hidden historical markers, we were very happy to find this “Hidden Historical Mania-in-a-can.” When Bostonist once again welcomes the parents to town for the Holidays this year, we’re sending them out, bundled up, for our new favorite tour of Boston. AudisseyGuides, produced by Robert Pyles. An intrepid, Boston-native, twenty-something entrepreneur, Pyles has pulled together a 27-stop tour of historic downtown Boston for sites we’ve passed by a thousand times and, now, will never think of the same way again. more ›

On Bostonist's daily commute history is often hard to dodge, from inadvertently following along the red brick line of the Freedom Trail to a simple feat like riding on “Americas First Subway.” Other bits of history show up in the most unusual places. The “hub” marker lies underneath crates of oranges at the fruit stand outside of Filenes in Downtown Crossing. Oliver Wendell Holmes first referred to the old State House (so really the State Street station, and not Downtown Crossing) as the “Hub of the Solar System,” which developed into Boston's well-known nickname. more ›

With temperatures in the 90s today and a dew point almost as high, it’s a safe bet that there are plenty of people hot and bothered walking around the streets of Boston. First off, Bostonist does not recommend that you take the relatives out on the Freedom Trail today, unless of course you don’t care for them much. Today is not the first day of the heat and humidity, but it is just really starting to get to people. Spouting the usual hot air of a politician we didn’t expect much out of our fearless mayor except that he might be riding around in his air conditioned car. Lo and behold Tommy Menino made the bold move to cool things down around the city declaring a "heat advisory." After checking with the city Bostonist found out that this is in fact merely an advisory, there’s no state change (we were hoping for red alert) in plan. We didn’t get the day off from work, which is probably better since there is air conditioning at the office and not at home. There will be no snow at city hall plaza like we hoped but there will be misting stations set up around Boston. Check for one in your neighborhood, every other day. Southie and Eastie have the mist today, tomorrow you’ll find them in JP and Roslindale, Charlestown has it both days. City pools and community centers will be open with extended hours today and tomorrow. Of course you could always go for a dip in the Charles, seriously. There is even talk of beaches on the dirty water. City officials would like your help in watching out for melting elderly and homeless people while you’re looking for refuge from the heat yourself. Don’t pop open that fire hydrant just yet, take a deep breath, and go get yourself a popsicle. more ›

Bostonist decided to highlight some of the events that might interest you readers out there this holiday weekend: more ›

Navy Yard, home to that thriving vibrant life associated with a National Park Service site and home to the oldest commissioned warship in the US Navy’s fleet is missing art. Yes, art. Boston has successfully turned the factories of the South End into SoWa, with First Fridays open studios and dozens of little galleries. Where’s the next hotbed of inspiration? The Charlestown Navy Yard really screams to us "I want to be a Creative Incubator!" Boston Redevelopment Authority envisions Navy Yard as a home to artists, artisans, and public art installations. An initiative outlined in March by the BRA described an effort reinvigorate the area with specialty lighting for the ships, distinctive signage, specific area’s of interest on each pier, and general connectivity with the Harborwalk defined by blue bubbles lining the sidewalk (take that Freedom Trail). In addition to the Waterfront Activation Plan is announced intention to turn the BRA owned Ropewalk Building into

a mix of workspaces for artists and for creative companies, such as furniture artisans, graphic designers, and music publishers. These creative entrepreneurs would be supported by a system that allows them to share resources...other possibilities include a retail component, which would sell the products of the artists, extending the range of services available to residents of surrounding area.

Touring the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont while taking an afternoon off from Skiing at Sugarbush is good. Getting free ice cream at a scoop shop on a nearly 80 degree day in April is so much better. With some morally reprehensible corporations making the local news recently (think Gillette and gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick’s Coca-Cola ties) Bostonist is glad to take a little something back from our growth hormone free friends from the north at a Ben and Jerry’s scoop shop. Bostonist is maxing out our caloric intake for the day in a fifteen minute walk. Freedom Trail-Eat your heart out. From the Prudential Mall we’re grabbing some New York Super Fudge Chunk, going past the store on Newbury for some Dublin Mudslide, loosening our belts, maybe taking a little nap in the Common and making it to the store at Park Plaza for some Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz to keep us going through the rest of the afternoon. If we haven’t had enough we’ll hit the store in Harvard Square and then have someone drive us out to Natick, ok, now we’re just getting obsessive. more ›