Art, Shopping -- The open studios of this year's SoWa Art Walk happily overlap with the open-air crafts, fashion, and produce of the SoWa Open Market on its opening weekend. The market is at 540 Harrison Ave. (10 am-4 pm), and the art is all walkable from there (11 am-6 pm). Beer, Cheese -- A craft beer tasting at Brookline's Wine Gallery will be enhanced by the presence of cheeses from Westfield Farm. Drinkcraftbeer.com has......

Bostonist was permitted to set foot in Boylston Street's gleaming ice palace of an Apple Store this morning, in advance of its Friday opening. An Apple spokespersonage gestured and informed us that the store's floor is from Italy and that the store's employees are from the Boston area. (Bostonist recognized and was recognized by a former Diesel barista.) The staircase, we're assuming, is from the future. Mayor Menino blessed the whole endeavor and laid hands......

McIntyre & Moore Booksellers, whose wunderkammer of used books was recently exiled from Davis Square (and long ago displaced from Harvard Square), reopened today in Porter Square, at 1971 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. (They're in good company here: Bob Slate—purveyor of fountain pens and rampant Moleskinery—and Stellabella Toys are right upstairs.) They describe their stock as "uncommon titles in interesting subject areas, usually in fields in which it's very hard to be gainfully employed"—or, in a......

With the change of seasons comes the change of wardrobes. Millions of women all over will be switching over the purses, shoes, and clothes they live in for the next few months. Many of these women will try desperately to look like a million bucks and be the epitome of what Anna Wintour would consider “high fashion.” But the grim reality of it all is that the vast majority of women out there do not......

Bostonist will be bringing several fashion writers on board in the next few weeks. And now, meet Jocelyn Celeste! According to the powers that be, men’s wear for women is making a comeback in ‘08. Yes, ladies will be able to start channeling their inner Diane Keaton and dress in the most unfeminine, frumpy clothing ever. Because that’s what all straight guys want--to bone themselves and then fight with their girlfriends over who gets to......

--A man was shot yesterday afternoon on Dorchester Avenue in what the Herald describes as an "ambush from behind." The 20-year-old victim was taken to the hospital but later died from his wounds. [BPD News, Boston Herald] --Fallout from the BPD officer arrested for holding up a Roslindale gas station. The family of Michael T. Jones is surprised. His mother added a few more details about him and said that he took time off from......

As Bostonians we pride ourselves on our history as a city steeped in sea-faring tradition. Whether it be our statuesque U.S.S. Constitution, the ubiquitous story of the Boston Tea Party, or the ever-present duck boats, Boston and the ocean will be forever intertwined. As such, Bostonist presents some last-minute gift ideas that pay homage to our salty roots. Looking for the perfect gift for the animal lover in your life? Consider giving a "Proud Parent......

Is there a Republican in your life that you really love? Or a Democrat you love to hate? Get them the perfect holiday present by going--we're not kidding--holiday shopping with former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney. The following gifts are available for the Mitt-lover in your life: $50: Signed Romney family photo (it's probably large for obvious reasons) and mugs $100: The above, plus a Romney for President ornament and signed recipes......

--Another snowstorm is on its way and is expected to have its greatest impact tonight. [WCVB] --Speaking of snow, Bostonist has the temperature and weather-condition icons at the top left of the home page. If you click on that icon, you'll get all the latest weather news. --People got cold in order to protest the heat of global warming during yesterday's Polar Bear Plunge in Concord. [AP/Globe] --Patriots owner Robert Kraft is partnering with......

"Bostonist" and "Fashion" are words that rarely go together, but we've been recapping the latest Project Runway, and we know what looks bad. Sports fan gear isn't the best-looking stuff in the world, but it serves a purpose. People love the Patriots, and they love to show their New England Patriots pride with jerseys, hats, and the occasional body paint. That said, whoever thought to combine a purse with Patriot Pride created a monstrous fashion......

School of the Museum of Fine Arts Sale Through Sunday, December 9 12:00 pm-6:00 pm 230 The Fenway, Boston (T: Museum of Fine Arts or Ruggles) Surprise your friends and family with original art instead of the standard old holiday presents like gadgets, bath soap, and socks. Five thousand pieces of art will be on sale at the School of Museum of Fine Arts this weekend, including original art by Ellsworth Kelly, which you......

Indoor Yard Sale at the Papercut Zine Library Saturday, December 1, 10:00 pm to 5:00 pm Concert: 6:00 pm, $5 donation 45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge More info The Papercut Zine Library is sniffing at the idea of holding a yard sale during the cold weather. They're taking their goodies inside and throwing their doors open to you, the discerning shopper, so you can pick up some cool holiday presents. The many items for sale......

--The violence that has plagued the city all last week will not stop. A 17-year-old was shot early this morning in Mattapan, according to the Globe. He was shot in the jaw. And it could have been worse. He was shot in front of his home, where a daycare is located. He hasn't been named, but WCVB is reporting that neighbors said he was a "star athlete." --The DA's Office sent out a release announcing......

Too bad that people can't sleep off their turkey comas after Thanksgiving. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in which people are encouraged to shop, shop, shop, drives people out of their comfy homes and into the malls. Black Friday divides the holiday crowd into two--those who are disgusted with the consumer culture and those who are willing to get up at ungodly hours for the best deal. If you aren't feeling the deals, boycott......

-- MBTA and MBCR in a war of the quips over why the commuter rail sucks. Massachussetts Liberal says "Grabauskas must go!" (via Universal Hub) -- Senator Steve Baddour wants to milk some sacred cows. It sounds dirty, but he just wants to get rid of the police details. -- ACLU reminds Boston residents targeted by the BPD Safe Homes project about a crazy little thing called rights. -- Get ready to learn about Downtown......

SFist witnessed a new apartment building tszuj the skyline with spectacular, gaudy turquoise aplomb, the (informal) renaming of the Mission/SOMA neighborhood border, the return of the Maltese Falcon, the Mayor Gavin Newsom mea culpa-ing over his Hawaiian getaway during the oil spill, and double-decker buses hitting the streets of San Francisco. Oh, and some baseball player named Barry Bonds is a liar whose pants, it seems, are totally on fire. LAist continues to cover the......

No Christmas shopping today. No Thanksgiving shopping, either. Get your remote control warmed up and tell the family they're on their own for dinner, because there's a lot of sports to be watchin' today. The fun starts at 2:00, when the Revolution try to get from "happy to be in the championship game", which is old hat, to actually winning the thing. They're matched up against Houston for all the marbles again; goalie Matt Reis......

Oldies station WODS (103.3 FM) is already playing holiday music. Laurel Sweet at the Herald wrote, "Admit it: You love it." No, we do not love it! At least it's easy to turn the FM dial away from the Trans-Siberan Orchestra's "What Is Christmas?" But what about the sudden appearance of Starbucks holiday cups? And what about Rachael Ray's uber-perky Dunkies ad? Amy at Boston Daily is already feeling irritated by Ray's self-proclaimed "million pounds"......

--The man who was robbing people in the South End by impersonating a police detective has been arrested. The DA's office says that Anthony Burney, 32, of Lynn, was charged with "two counts of unarmed robbery and single counts of impersonating a police officer, kidnapping, and larceny over $250." Burney forced one man he was robbing on a trip through the subway system. From the DA's office: That victim described a long and bizarre trip......

Halloween's over, Thanksgiving's not for a few weeks, and you don't even want to think about Christmas shopping yet (even though the store displays are already urging you to). So what's a Bostonian to do for the first 2/3rds of November? Easy: grow a moustache. For those not in the know, November is now officially Movember, a time for shaving one's face clean on the first of the month and growing the most glorious moustache......

After much debate over whether or not the blue-and-yellow DIY furniture behemoth that is IKEA would be good for Somerville, IKEA has received permits to start building at Assembly Square. George Hassett at the Somerville News reports that construction will begin next summer, 10 years after IKEA first started making noise about moving in. That doesn't mean everyone's issues with the IKEA have been resolved. Somerville residents still want dibs on the jobs the IKEA......

Jordan's Furniture ran an ad right after the Red Sox won the game. President and Chief Executive Eliot Tatelman emerges in swim goggles, congratulates everyone on their free furniture, and gets a good champagne spraying. Anyone who bought a mattress, dining table, sofa, or bed at Jordan's in the spring will be reimbursed. All they need to do is fill out a rebate form and go over the FAQ to make sure you dot all......

Gothamist learned about the craziest urban nightmare come true: A huge python found in the bathroom pipes. It was also a nightmare for some Yankees fans, as manger Joe Torre declined to come back and manage the Bronx Bombers. At least the city's attempt to give some direction to subway riders was interesting, pranksters went shirtless at the Fifth Avenue Abercrombie & Fitch and the I Heart Brooklyn Girls calendars came out. And just......

--A level 3 sex offender with some serious impulse-control issues got busted in Cambridge District Court yesterday. According to the Herald, he went to the ladies' restroom, exposed himself, and masturbated in front of women in the restroom. Police arrested 48-year-old Malcolm Maker, who apparently really wanted to get caught. Far as we can tell, he had no other reason for being at the courthouse. He was already on the radar for incidents at Mohegan......

There is a lot to love about the MBTA. Its mascot is a man who began a nightmarish lifelong captivity 'neath the streets of Boston when he tried to take the T to Jamaica Plain. It offers Bostonians spontaneous trust exercises. It grants importance to our geographically inclined citizens. And, let's face it, it gets us to work. But America's oldest subway is poised to become America's most annoying. The concept is T-Radio, and it......

The Boston Globe assembled yet another online photo album that is custom-made for workers to peruse during lunch break. Only this time around, the Globe tackled a touchy subject - "What makes a true Bostonian?" As opposed to what? A false one? And how long do you have to live here to get your credentials? Not to pick on the Globe, but any kind of list such as this is going to have its problems,......

--Someone made a big mistake on Sunday by letting a sexual assault suspect go to the hospital without supervision. Police recaptured Edwardo Aponte of Dorchester this morning, but the incident makes us wonder what the BPD supervisor on duty was thinking. On Sunday, Aponte said he was sick, went to New England Medical Center in an ambulance, and walked out. Isn't that the oldest trick in the book? Even the characters of Comedy Central's Halfway......

The Harvard Coop went all RIAA on students last week and told students that they couldn't bring pens and take notes because they don't want students buying cheaper books. And Thursday they called police on three students who were taking down ISBN numbers so they could find those books online. The Cambridge PD clearly felt it was a waste of their time because they let the students stay. They weren't shoplifting. And, besides, it's the......

IKEA is already here, in Stoughton, but the blue-and-yellow behemoth might be moving even closer. The Somerville News reports that the Swedish store with the make-it-yourself furniture has applied to start construction in Assembly Square. The arrival of the store could mean good news (new jobs!) and bad news (ugly traffic). IKEA tries to be soothing, well-organized, and clever, but the long lines at IKEA and technical furniture difficulties tend to put individuals in a......

Okay, okay, before you get insulted, Bostonist is not especially fashionable. And New York is in the throes of its own Fashion Week right now - so Boston is having Fashion Week at the same time? Isn't that just asking for no one to notice? Well, Boston's Fashion Week did indeed start yesterday. Much of the excitement appears to be centered around Natick, though, because of Friday's Natick Collection opening. "Collection" is a fancy word......