The Boston Traveler

And, boy, did they pick a fine time to do it too—the day after the heavens dumped a humongous pile of snow on all of New England.
The occasion was the current writers strike plaguing the film and television industries. If you haven’t been keeping up with that story, writers want a cut of the money made from so-called new and digital media—you know, prevalent stuff like DVDs, iPod downloads, and online video streaming—but the production studios that currently control the money are saying, “No way. We love everything just as it is right now, with all of the …read more

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Here’s the latest dose of local flavor for current and aspiring Boston Travelers. Boston is correctly known as a college town, and there’s always interesting things happening at the various universities in the area. On December 10, Tufts college students made their seasonal contribution to the college scene when they held their annual Naked Quad Run. And, yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: dozens and dozens (and dozens) of students running buck-naked outside all over the Tufts campus.
This year there’s a bit of a controversy, though, because Auditi Guha, a reporter for the local community newspaper …read more

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Snow days are here!
Thursday morning, Boston residents started receiving their holiday gift of a White Christmas almost two full weeks early. According to local newspaper the Boston Herald, the “wall of snow” immersed the state of Massachusetts in enough fluffy wetness to lead government officials to send all the kiddies home from school and their adult counterparts home from work, as well.
Sure, that sounds like a good thing sitting inside one’s warm, comfortable abode. But, the fallout on the roads most likely resulted in hundreds of irate drivers wishing they were back in their cubicles at the office …read more

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Last Saturday in the post “Happy Birthday, Charlie!,” I wrote about the first birthday of Boston’s CharlieCard transit payment system. The innovative “smart card” contains an electronic chip that allows passengers to preload money and then tap their payment when boarding public transportation instead of swiping or inserting it. If a passenger has mastered the tapping routine, the newer process can speed boarding times substantially (and if they haven’t, settle in for a brain-numbing wait while they and their ten — it’s always ten, minimum — clueless companions each attempt to learn on the fly).
Anyway… While …read more

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A lifelong TV nut, I get an especially big kick out of it every time I pass by the Museum of Science while riding the Heath Street Green Line train from the beginning of the route in East Cambridge, where I live, into metro Boston. The reason is because the museum is in the midst of an interactive exhibit inspired by the hit television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its two spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. A huge display is on view outside to advertise the event to passersby near and far.
The Museum of Science’s hourlong …read more

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If you’re in the Boston area right now or intend to be soon, can’t stay away from the night life, and love art, then do I have an event for you. Sunday night marked the launch of Boston’s first ever Artweek, a seven-day extravaganza combining live music entertainment, free food and spirits, and—you guessed it—art, courtesy of local creative talent.
The undertaking geared toward an adult professional audience is sponsored by two familiar names on the Boston nightlife scene: Enrique Florendo and Tim Whitehair. Both promoters have been intimately involved with arts-oriented events in the Boston area in the …read more

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On Tuesday, December 4, the latest fare collection method of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (better known as simply the MBTA) turned one year old. Bay State residents call the electronic “smart card” that supplanted the former T-pass and token system the CharlieCard, or just plain Charlie for short.
Charlie’s a handy little hard-plastic guy, very much like a credit card in appearance, that allows you to do all sorts of wonderful things, such as ride public transportation for less money with the significant fare discount allotted to purchasers.
There’s also a paper-based, swipeable CharlieTicket, which is dispensed at vending machines …read more

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I knew it!
The results of a recent study titled Footloose and Fancy Free: A Field Survey of Walkable Urban Places in the Top 30 U.S. Metropolitan Areas confirmed what I’ve suspected for quite some time: Boston is one of the best locations in the United States to live if you enjoy walking. The city placed second in the Walkable Urbanism report, behind only Washington, DC.
I first realized how easy it is to get around Boston by foot when I decided to take an off-campus job downtown during graduate school. The position would allow me to earn more money …read more

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Shop Locally, Share Locally!
Now, that’s a motto and goal I can’t argue with under any circumstances. Who could?
Boston is thriving on the cutting edge once again, this time with regards to a new retail project that allows consumers to save money, contribute to their communities, and help local small-business owners, all at the same time.
The unique undertaking, a joint venture between the organizations Boston Main Streets and Interra OS, is called Boston Community Change. To participate, all interested parties have to do is visit the website and register to receive a Boston Community Change Card, which is presently …read more

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Welcome to The Boston Traveler, the site to visit in order to learn about what’s going on in Boston, the world-famous capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I may not be a native Bostonian, but I’ve been living, working, and learning in the area for about a decade. The Boston Traveler will serve as an outlet for me to share all that’s noteworthy about the city, from the flavors of the many uniquely historic neighborhoods to the numerous events that give the region its distinctive character, not to mention the masses of people from all over the planet who are …read more

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