The Boston Traveler

Heads-up, sugar, carb, and dessert fiends! Wednesday, July 30, is National Cheesecake Day, and the popular restaurant The Cheesecake Factory is helping patrons celebrate the event by offering slices of its creamy, delectable cheesecake for just a buck fifty each on that day. That’s right — the scrumptious (and extremely fattening and so not good for you or your health) desserts will cost about seven dollars less than they normally do for an entire day.
I passed by my local Cheesecake Factory at CambridgeSide Galleria on my way through the mall this weekend, which is when I noticed the …read more

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If you thought Cambridge’s Bastille Day Block Party in Harvard Square this weekend was the only festive celebration of the French holiday in the Boston area, you are incorrect. On Monday, July 14, the actual date the holiday falls on, South End nightspot The Beehive (541 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-423-0069) will hold yet another Bastille Day event from 5pm to 2am.
Called Bee- Musette at St. Germain des près, the affair is co-sponsored by the French Consulate of Boston, the French Library, TV5 Monde, and Les Champagne Mumm, giving it a level of authenticity that goes far beyond the norm. …read more

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Although the French national holiday Bastille Day officially takes place on July 14, Boston residents and visitors will get to celebrate it early when Harvard Square hosts a marathon block party this Sunday, July 13, to commemorate the start of the French Revolution in 1789.
The assorted activities scheduled during the family-oriented event include attractions for children, ranging from a parade with the one and only Curious George to face painting, as well as highlights for adults, such as scrumptious French cuisine provided by Sandrine’s Bistro, Chez Henri, Brasserie Jo, the Elephant Walk, Rialto, and Petit Robert.
Attendees will also have a …read more

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Since CBS network’s local Boston TV affiliate WBZ is too stingy to allow embedding of its footage of last night’s Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, I visited good old reliable YouTube, where several people who were spectators have uploaded their personal video footage of the event. Thank you!
I didn’t check out the display in person myself since the Longfellow Bridge, my favorite perch, was closed to observers. That didn’t stop me from watching on television along with the rest of the nation, though, and I could actually hear the pyrotechnics booming right in my living room.
One thing I …read more

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Say you’re not a Boston Pops/outdoor concert/hordes of people kind of guy or gal. Many aren’t, so there’s no need to feel bad. Fortunately, Boston has a lot of other events scheduled for tomorrow’s Fourth of July holiday, and the ones listed below have two essential things in common: they’re all free and family friendly.
Friends of Fort Point Channel Summer Concert Series
Ice cream maker Hood will provide free frozen treats to attendees who show up for the weekly music concert. At noon on July 4th, tunes will come courtesy of Moussa Traore during the Music of Mali …read more

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Boston Harborfest 2008 is the perfect place to be for anybody seeking more history and patriotism during this Fourth of July week. Today’s 14th Annual Children’s Day makes that especially true for younger members of the family, thanks to numerous fun and educational free activities scheduled just for kids.
From 10am until 3pm at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, children will be able to enjoy assorted carnival-style entertainment provided by the agency Fly by Night, listen to youth-oriented music from Wayne Potash and the Music Fun Band, and take advantage of familiar festival staples like face painting and balloon art.
If the …read more

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This Fourth of July, it’s a shame revelers in the Boston area won’t get to enjoy the traditional free Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from the Longfellow Bridge, a prime vantage point. But that doesn’t mean the celebration will be any less dazzling, especially since this year is the event’s 35th anniversary.
As most residents know, the annual Independence Day festivities featuring the Boston Pops occurs over two days in the city, the actual holiday and the day before it. As a result, the Boston Pops will perform an 8:30pm concert on both Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4.
There …read more

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Happy Father’s Day!
Here’s a little laughter for all of The Boston Traveler readers out there who happen to be fathers, courtesy of one of the funniest sitcoms currently on television, Tina Fey’s masterful 30 Rock.
Watch — and try not to choke — as Tracy Morgan’s Tracy Jordan and Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy participate in a very special and hilarious therapy session. I wonder how long it took the therapist to recover afterwards.

Therapy, Jack Style

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Take note if, like me, you enjoy spending the Fourth of July on the Longfellow Bridge that connects East Cambridge and Beacon Hill, watching the fireworks over the Charles along with hundreds of other spectators.
Urgent safety considerations forced state officials to take action this week when a Thursday inspection revealed a steel beam supporting one sidewalk requires immediate work. That discovery is in addition to previously known problems with deteriorated railroad ties, which urged MBTA officials to have Red Line subway conductors slow down substantially as they ride over the bridge on their normal route until replacements are completed.
As …read more

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Monday, May 26, is the last Monday of May, the designated time to observe Memorial Day in the United States. First started in 1866 and known as Decoration Day until 1882, the federal holiday is celebrated to commemorate the U.S. citizens who have died during military service.
Bay State residents and visitors will have the opportunity to express their wishes for peace on Memorial Day by joining Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against The War, Gold Star Families For Peace, and Military Families Speak Out for the ceremony A Memorial Day for Peace.
The event is described not only as a …read more

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