Boston Travel Guide
6/12/2008 at 11:30 AM
Tags: Starbucks Alternatives, Coffee Shops, Coffee, Free WiFi, WiFi (all tags)
This quirky North Boston cafe is about as far from a corporate coffee shop as you can get.
Owner L'angelo--who goes by one name--named his place after his two favorite dances, and that should give you a hint to Flamepoeira's artsy sensibilities. The sandwiches are all named for famous artists: You can go for the classic Da Vinci or the eclectic Dali, but you'll get more props from the staff if you venture for the avant-garde Warhol or the screaming hot Munch.
The espresso is strong and the WiFi is free, but this isn't the place to put on the earphones and dive into work. The lounge-y open room inspires conversation, and the cafe draws a crowd of artists and activists who are quick to slide in next to you and talk your ear off about the eclectic artwork on the walls, Barack Obama's election chances or the virtues of fair-trade coffee.
Related Stories:
· Flamepoeira [Official Site]
·
Starbucks Alternatives coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: GV Chang]
by BS
4/29/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Starbucks Alternatives, Boston Travel, Coffee Shops, Coffee (all tags)
If you find yourself in Boston's impossibly preppy-but-undeniably picturesque Beacon Hill neighborhood, please, whatever you do, we beg of you, order and immediately devour an almond croissant from Cafe Vanille. All the pastries are as quaint as the shop's surroundings but the buttery, flaky dessert is what you have to get.
Down the street there's a Starbucks, naturally, hidden behind an unassuming, colorless sign. (The neighborhood requires vendors--even 7-11!--to have small, uniform wooden placards). Even without it's distinct green sign, its coffee is still bitter and the atmosphere still ubiquitous. Trust us, you're better off at Vanille instead.
Related Stories:
· Cafe Vanille [Official Site]
· Starbucks Alternatives [Jaunted]
· WASP Hotels [HC]
[Photo: Robreed]
by ced138
1/10/2008 at 11:45 AM
Tags: Airport Security, TSA, BOS, Guns (all tags)
Just a reminder to everyone out there: We know the TSA is constantly changing the rules, but you still can't carry a loaded gun onto your flight. Sorry to remind those of you who already know this, but apparently Louis Tasiopoulos didn't remember.
He was about to hop onto his JetBlue flight from Boston to Florida, police say, before they caught him with a 9 mm Glock pistol. Seriously? Tasiopoulos told police:
I forgot it was in my bag...I meant to leave the gun in my room at the hotel and could not leave it in my truck.
He's been charged with carrying a concealed weapon in a secure area, and has already been convicted in the court of TSA opinion. Said an agency spokeswoman, "It is beyond stupid to think that you can pass through a security checkpoint with a loaded gun."
Related Stories:
· Is That a Gun in Your Carry-on Bag? [Boston Herald]
· Airport Security coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
11/29/2007 at 8:45 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Cameron Diaz, Restaurants (all tags)
Well, okay, Cameron Diaz probably didn't drive herself to the set of her new movie "The Box" outside Boston, Massachusetts. But is there ever a bad time to use the fake Boston accent, especially when the actress got some chowdah and oystahs at the Union Oyster House? She also indulged in fish and chips there, skipping the tourist trap "Cheers" restaurant.
Diaz is shooting "The Box," directed by "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales" auteur Richard Kelly. The film, which also stars James Marsden, is about a couple who finds itself no longer able to speak the King's English. Oh, we kid! Diaz and Marsden find a mysterious, possibly wish-granting box in their doorstep--hopefully not the kind Naomi Watts found in "Mulholland Drive."
Related Stories:
· Union Oyster House [Official Site]
· Tourist Trap: The "Cheers" Restaurant [Jaunted]
· Fall Culture Travel: See Giant Rabbits Live in Boston [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]
by egw
11/15/2007 at 11:23 AM
Tags: BOS, Airports, Transportation (all tags)
Thanks to Massport, the Boston Logan Airport taxi situation has gone from mildly annoying to hellishly intolerable, but don't blame the taxi drivers.
Massport, in their infinite wisdom, at some point, decided it would be best for the hordes of taxi drivers anxiously awaiting an airport fare to sit in a holding area away from the terminals and wait to be "called" to the terminal when a taxi was needed. So the system, as we understand it is akin to waiting for meat at a local supermarket deli. Taxi drivers enter the holding area, get a number, and wait for the Massport traffic controller with a walkie talkie to call their number and direct then to their terminal.
However, what ends up happening is there are never enough taxis outside the terminal and the clueless Massport controller never knows how many taxis to call in from the holding area. To further complicate the mess, taxi drivers in the holding area regularly bail if their number hasn't been called after a long period of time, thinking there are no passengers needing a taxi at the airport.
You expect this sort of Disneyworld-like line when you land in Vegas, where taxi supply struggles to keep up with demand, but at BOS, at 1:15 AM? When one flight lands and every passenger who needs a taxi ends up waiting twenty five minutes, you know there is a big issue.
The solution to this clusterfuck seems simple enough -- allow a limited number of taxis to wait at the terminal, once Massport guy sees the post flight taxi rush he can make himself useful by calling in the next group of taxis. Kind of like how Southwest use to board their flights. This make way more sense than calling in taxis one by one -- oh and isn't it how almost every other airport in the country works? We certainly never have an issue at JFK or LAX or other busier airports.
Related Stories:
· Please Explain Taxi Lines at BOS [Jaunted]
· Boston Travel Stories [Jaunted]
by markj
10/29/2007 at 8:45 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, American Idol (all tags)
All rise! Here's Carrie Underwood singing the National Anthem at Denver's Coors Field for the third game in the 2007 World Series, featuring the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies.
With last night's game, the Red Sox won their second World Series in 4 years, and if you want to sit next to a celebrity, you ought to root for them: Everyone from writer Stephen King to actor-director Ben Affleck has declared membership in Red Sox Nation. Pity the Rockies, who can at least drown their sorrows in Coors now that the series is over.
Related Stories:
· "American Idol" Hopefuls Swarm The W In Dallas [HotelChatter]
· Adventures of Link: It Ain't Easy Being Blue [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Just Jared]
by egw
10/25/2007 at 11:05 AM
Tags: World Series Travel, Pilgrimages, Baseball Travel, Travel Video, BOS (all tags)
Singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway during Game 1 of the 2007 World Series.
Boston is in the midst of an absolute World Series tourist rush. BOS is full of those from away, and those returning, all wearing Red Sox gear. Say what you will about the pink hats, the band wagon, and Red Sox Nation, John Henry and the group that bought the Boston Red Sox have turned the team into a worldwide brand to be reckoned with. Furthermore, they have turned cramped old Fenway into baseballs top tourist attraction.
Nothing encapsulates that more than listening and watching those at Fenway sing along to Sweet Caroline, an alleged Red Sox "tradition". Truth of the matter is the Sox started playing Neil Diamond's classic sometime around 1999. Amy Tobey, who was the ballpark's music director from 1998 to 2004, is credited with first playing the song at Fenway, but at the time it was hardly a staple.
When John Henry bought the team in 2002 his group made playing Sweet Caroline mandatory before the home half of the eighth inning and the rest is history. 2002 was a forgettable season, and most Red Sox fans don't really remember happily singing along with Neil until the 2003 season, but somehow it feels like a tradition as old as manually changing the score on the Green Monster scoreboard. Doesn't really matter much now, because people come from all over the world to sing along and watch the Sox play.
Was in the spring, and spring became the summer, who'd have believed you'd come along...
Related Stories:
· Sweet Caroline at Fenway [redsoxconnection]
· Hotels Near Fenway Park [HotelChatter]
· Boston Travel [Jaunted]
by markj
10/24/2007 at 3:00 PM
Tags: Barack Obama, 2008 Candidates Travel, Candidates-Travel-Map, Rudy Giuliani, New England Travel (all tags)
Barack Obama stopped by the Parkman Bandstand at Boston Common last night for a big rally that also featured Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. While he didn't have a chance to explore the country's oldest city park, Obama did draw nearly 10,000 supporters on the eve the Red Sox-Rockies World Series.
The Democratic candidate won't be in town to catch the game, but his team isn't playing anyway: He told the crowd last night he's a die-hard White Sox fan, post-season or not. (He even took a dig at Rudy Giuliani, who inexplicably decided to back the Red Sox after his Yankees lost the Division Series earlier this month.)
Had Obama stayed in town, though, he would've found plenty to do around Boston Common. The Frog Pond isn't yet frozen for skating, but it's pleasant year-round. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument honors "The Men of Boston" who died in the Civil War. Adjacent to the Common are Park Street Station and Boylston Station, the nation's first subway stops. And across the street is the Public Garden, the country's first botanical garden.
Related Stories:
· A Principled Sports Fan [The Caucus]
· The Frog Pond [Official Site]
· 2008 Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Candidates Travel Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: Robert Spencer/Getty Images]
by pbb
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