The Boston Traveler

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm
Those words, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, have been memorized by countless people learning about the revolutionary era of the United States. The poem refers to hanging a lantern (or lanterns) in the belfry of the Old North Church is Boston as a signal that the British were coming, and that Paul Revere was …read more

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Today is a guest post from Mary Jo Mazanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

One of the non-witchy highlights of a visit to Salem is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables.
The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association was created to assist immigrant families who were settling in Salem. Philanthropist and preservationist Caroline Emmerton purchased “the Old Turner Mansion” in 1908, and eventually restored the mansion to its original splendor — and its seven gables. The building became known as The House of the Seven Gables, after Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same name.
Additional structures …read more

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This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
Where else but Salem would Halloween become a month long event?
The city that has made a cottage industry of witchcraft pulls no punches this Halloween, as it launches its month of Haunted Happenings. It’s a combination of an autumn event, celebrating the changing leaves and cooler weather, with the spirit of Halloween, complete with accompanying ghosts, goblins, witches and folklore.
The Halloween events are all found in historic downtown Salem, and it’s easy to walk from one venue to the next. …read more

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It seems the Franklin Park Zoo has a bit of a dilemma on its hands these days: two African Wattled cranes named Kotze and Pepe, members of an increasingly endangered species, are refusing to mate after they were introduced and housed together for that very purpose.
Wattled cranes only have an estimated 8,000 members left worldwide, and the zoo is attempting to help reverse the troubling trend and preserve the population by producing a hatchling in captivity. Kotze and Pepe could care less, however, leading to a very interesting and funny article at the Boston Globe about the predicament.
Watch the …read more

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You want fascinating? Boston’s got it — in the form of the ever popular Museum of Science, a Boston landmark and member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that is home to the Charles Hayden Planetarium, the Mugar Omni IMAX Theater, and dozens of animals. The museum is situated steps from the Boston-East Cambridge border, right at the Science Park stop on the Green Line subway.
With a stated mission “to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society,” the museum hosts a number of intriguing interactive exhibits …read more

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Let’s take a quick trip to Back Bay’s Newbury Street, one of the most popular shopping, eating, and people-watching destinations in Boston for locals and tourists alike.
Newbury Street is an eight-block, mixed-use thoroughfare, lined on both sides by many dozens of retail and restaurant businesses housed in gorgeous, historic, renovated 19th-century brownstones. The intricate architecture alone is enough to make one stop and stare before taking scores of pictures and then moving on to the numerous additional stores and businesses on surrounding streets.
Bound on one side by the Boston Public Garden (Arlington T Station) and by Massachusetts Avenue (Hynes …read more

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Follow the long red brick path!
One of Boston’s biggest attractions is the Freedom Trail, a pedestrian walk along a red path, primarily constructed of bricks, that links sixteen historic locations in Boston. The trail begins on the Boston Common downtown and ends at Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Monument about 2.5 miles away.
During the journey, participants also encounter the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, the Benjamin Franklin statue, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, the site where the Boston Massacre occurred, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, Paul …read more

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I recently wrote about Franklin Park Zoo’s upcoming Earth Day celebration. The zoo has a number of interesting events and activities scheduled for April 20 that are certain to make attendees feel even more in tune with our planet than they normally do.
This photo post extends the love, giving readers an opportunity to experience the beauty of Franklin Park Zoo and its diverse inhabitants from the comfort of their computers.
All photographs are courtesy of Ryan E. Poplin, while the witty (or so I’d like to believe) captions are solely my fault.

Baby Gorilla with Mama

Mommy, why do all …read more

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Travel and Culture Editor Mary Jo Manzanares recently passed along an article about Boston-based American Chef Barbara Lynch and her unique South End venture Stir (102 Waltham Street, Boston, 617-423-STIR).
Officially called a “demonstration kitchen and cookbook library” on its website, Stir opened last fall. The combination cooking school, culinary bookstore, and eatery aims to educate patrons about the best approaches to cooking techniques and ingredients in order to maximize individuals’ experiences in the kitchen.
To achieve that goal, Lynch and her colleagues offer a number of options to both the general public and private parties. They include regular cooking …read more

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