100th Lilac Sunday Celebration May 11th
Stroll among the landscaped grounds of the Arnold Arboretum this week and you will be overwhelmed by the sweet fragrance of hundreds of lilac bushes in full bloom.
Traditionally held on Mother's Day, visitors from around the world come to the Arnold Arboretum just to celebrate "Lilac Sunday".
Located in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the Arnold Arboretum is a Harvard University research institutions. The Arboretum has 265+ acres of forest, meadows, and landscaped grounds that feature thousands of rare and lovely wooded plants including perennial shrubs, roses, bonsai, hemlocks, and conifers.
Lilac Sunday is the one day of the year that picnicking is allowed on the grounds of the Arboretum. You can bring your own- or there is food available to purchase on-site. Throughout the day there will be tours of the lilac collection by the Arboretum's extremely knowledgeable docents. For kids, there are plenty of activities including storytelling, crafts, and games. There will even be dancing among the flowers! Morris Dancing (a kind of English folk dance) performances are always a Lilac Sunday highlight.
Every season is special at the Arboretum; it is truly one of the city's hidden gems. Note too, that the Arnold Arboretum is also one of the few Boston attractions that is always free!
Take the "T" (Orange line to Forest Hills) as there isn't any parking in the Arboretum proper and parking immediately outside the Arboretum is extremely limited.
Arnold Arboretum
125 Arborway
617-524-1718
Web Site
The Boston Pops
The Boston Pops are a beloved Boston institution. Every spring the orchestra floor seats at Symphony Hall are replaced by tiny tables and (almost!) impossibly small seats. It's a party atmosphere as concert- goers are served light refreshments -Pops Punch is a hall favorite- while listening to "America's Orchestra".
The Boston Pops 123 rd season runs from May 7th- July 2nd. Boston Pops programming features light classical music, show and film tunes, and even rock music. Pops is, after all, short for popular music!
Film Night with composer/conductor John Williams is a much -anticipated series and will include the premiere of the music from the upcoming movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart leads a season-long tribute to the music of Leonard Bernstein with selections from West Side Story and Wonderful Town. Lockhart also conducts EdgeFest which showcases innovative popular music in the best Pops tradition. This year, Natalie Merchant (of 10,000 Maniacs) and Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls) will each perform their own two-concert series backed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Clearly, these are not your parent's Pops!
Symphony Hall
269 Huntington Ave.
617-266-1492
Web Site
Patriot's Day Weekend: Big Doings in Boston
It is going to be a very busy weekend in Boston. Patriot's Day and Marathon Monday will both be celebrated in Massachusetts this Monday, April 21st. Boston is hosting the U.S. Olympic Trials-Women's Marathon this weekend too.
Patriot's Day is celebrated on the third Monday of April (giving winter-weary New Englanders a three-day weekend!)The holiday commemorates the "shot heard round the world" and the beginning of the American Revolution.
History buffs may want to see the annual National Lancer's Re-enactment of Paul Revere's famous "One if by land, two if by sea" ride which takes place Monday, April 21 at 10 AM on Hanover Street in the North End.
And this year, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials -Women's Marathon will be held in Boston on Saturday, April 17. The route will take the women through Boston and Cambridge - using the landmark Boston Marathon finish line at Copley Square for both the start and finish of the race.
But the real event of this weekend will be the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is an annual world-class athletic race and a great spectator event . The race will start in the town of Hopkinton in the morning; the first finishers arrive in Boston's Copley Square around noon.
To add to the festivities the Red Sox always play a morning home game at Fenway Park on Patriot's Day. The game starts at 11:00 (this year against the Texas Rangers) and the game's end should allow Red Sox fans to join the mayhem as masses of runners arrive in Kenmore Square at mile 25.
Note: Patriot's Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts so some attractions and museums (most notably Boston's Museum of Fine Arts) are closed. Also, Boston will be crowded with families all week - this is Massachusetts school spring vacation week!
Cry of the Reed: A Theatre World Premiere
Boston has both an established theatre scene and a vibrant new play culture. The Huntington Theatre Company's main performance venue is the Boston University Theatre on Huntington Avenue, but its theatre space at the Calderwood Pavilion in the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) practically functions as a laboratory for bringing new works by emerging playwrights to theatre audiences.
Through May 3rd, The Cry of the Reed, a contemporary work by playwright Sinan Ünel, is being presented at the Huntington's state -of -the -art Wimberly Theatre in the BCA. It is a story of a Turkish-American photojournalist, Sevgi, and her Canadian colleague, Philip, who are detained by insurgents in present day war-torn Iraq.
The strained relationship between the Sevgi and her mother, Ayla, a Sufi teacher who have not spoken to each other in ten years, makes an interesting "double plot".
The cultural divide between East and West, and the idea of faith versus reason are explored against the backdrop of Sufi mysticism and the philosophy of the now- trendy 13th the century Persian poet Rumi. The whirling dervishes in the play's mesmerizing final scene capture the beauty of faith and finding inner peace.
Boston Center for the Arts
527 Tremont St.
617-266-0800
Web Site
A Green Lifestyle Event
Boston has always had a reputation of being an eco-conscious city. Boston residents practice environmentally friendly habits like using public transportation. Solar-powered compact trash cans dots the city. And many hotels and restaurants are US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.
This weekend (March 28 to March 30) the Down: 2: Earth (D2E) exposition at the Hynes Convention Center showcases sustainable living, energy-efficient and earth-friendly items. Exhibitors ranged from renewable energy goods, green building material suppliers, transportation businesses, food companies and even green fashion alternatives.
Who doesn’t like free stuff? There are lots of samples given out by many of the sponsoring companies-Glee Gum, Trader Joe’s, and Ben & Jerry’s. There was a lot of buzz around the Zipcar (car sharing service) exhibit. Some of the more interesting participants include Wormjava plant fertilizer made from earthworm castings, Papers to Pearls jewelry crafted from recycled paper beads made by women in Ugandan refugee camps, and Preserve brand’s bright and coolly designed toothbrushes and razors made from recycled plastic yogurt containers. Part trade fair and part education forum, D2E is a fun eco-friendly event for adults and kids.
Hynes Convention Center
900 Boylston
Web Site
More Signs of Spring....
Last week hundreds of official Boston Marathon banners were hung up on lamp posts throughout the city to kick off this year’s Boston Marathon festivities. Legendary Bill Rodgers, a four-time Boston Marathon winner, unveiled this year’s banner at the Copley Square finish line. Serious runners may want to check out his store, the Bill Rodgers Running Center located in Faneuil Hall, which has a great selection of sneakers and official Boston Marathon merchandise.
Quack, quack, the Boston Duck Tours are back! These hugely popular 80 minute, narrated city tours on renovated, amphibious WWII landing vehicles with names like “Red Sox Nathan” and “Beantown Betty” have begun their 2008 season. Each tour ends with a dramatic launch into the Charles River for a short cruise. It’s a great way to enjoy Boston from both land and sea.
Finally, the Big Apple Circus has pitched its tent once again on Boston’s City Hall Plaza. The Big Apple Circus is a family favorite; the one -ring tent format guarantees an intimate show of time-honored circus fun. This year’s extravaganza is “Celebrate” led by British “Ringmistress” Carrie Harvey and as always promises an international cast of talented equestrians, acrobats, and clowns. The Big Apple Circus will be in residence in Boston for 55 performances from March 29- May 4.
Boston Prix Fixe Bargains
Restaurant week is a delicious way for diners to try out restaurants without having to pay a lot. Boston’s Winter Restaurant Week actually spans two weeks this year; March 9-March 14 and March 16-March 21. More than 150 of Boston’s best restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe lunches for $20.08 and three course prix fixe dinners for $33.08.
Of course, everybody loves a dining bargain. If you miss restaurant week, there are several Boston restaurants that offer affordable fixed-price options as part of their regular menu.
Finale is “desserterie” that has a two-course prix fixe menu for $17.95 every evening until 10 PM. Choose among several light dinner items including a roasted vegetable and goat cheese quesadilla or a chicken Caesar salad. Then indulge in Finale’s signature molten chocolate cake for dessert.
Café Fleuri at the Langham Hotel offers a weekend prix fixe on Friday and Saturday night for $40 that is the chef’s choice— but the chef always chooses very well. Last month, the fixed price special featured oysters on the half shell, braised duck, and a cheesecake duo.
In Italy the fixed price menu is called “prezzo fisso”. At cozy Grotto on Beacon Hill they call it the “nightly fixe”. For $35 you can choose among several “primi” like grilled calamari or crab ravioli, “secondi” such as gnocchi with short ribs or roast chicken. And don’t forget “dolce”. Definitely go for the tiramisu!
For a fixed price menu with an Asian flair, try the Elephant Walk. This well regarded restaurant is near Fenway Park in the Kenmore neighborhood. The three -course menu with a French entrée is $35.95. And it pays to be adventurous here. The three course menu with a Cambodian entrée is a real bargain at $29.95.