Canadian Rockies-themed Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse currently has a nice special in progress for diners with children. On Tuesday Family Nights through August 26, 2008, children 10 years old and under eat free after 4pm. The special, which includes an ice cream dessert but no beverage, only applies when orders are selected from the Children’s Menu. Just one child’s meal is free per accompanying adult meal purchase.

Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse is an award-winning, moderately priced U.S.-based restaurant chain with branches in ten states: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, you can find Bugaboos in the twelve locations Braintree, Brockton, Burlington, Dedham, Framingham, Methuen, Milford, Peabody, Plymouth, Seekonk, Shrewsbury, and Watertown.

The last, Watertown, is a simple trip for most Boston residents and visitors because the city is located right outside Cambridge and bordered by Belmont, Brighton, and Newton. If you don’t drive, like me, the area is easily reached via the 70 and 70A MBTA bus lines that depart from Central Square in Cambridge and can be boarded at several connecting points.

Even better for shoppers, the Watertown Bugaboo is a quick walk down the block from the two retail outlets Arsenal Mall and Watertown Mall, which face each other across Arsenal Street. Sure, both malls are typically deserted enough to make one wonder how the stores manage to stay in business.

On the other hand, the relative solitude makes them great for people who prefer quiet shopping time rather than huge crowds. Watertown Mall is presently undergoing major construction and renovations, however, so it’s not as serene as usual.

I’ve eaten at the very atmospheric Watertown Bugaboo a dozen times or so, and I only had one bad experience, in November 2005, with painfully slow service, subpar food, and an entrée that looked nothing like the advertisement or menu description. Since all three things happened during a single visit, I promptly filed a complaint online.

Soon afterwards, a regional manager apologized and promised a replacement meal that never materialized. I stayed away from Bugaboo for about a year after that, which is easy since there’s a nearby Friendly’s, as well as a food court, Old Country Buffet, Papa Gino’s, and Ruby Tuesday inside the malls. Yet, when I eventually got over the branch’s poor performance and returned, everything seemed improved.

Visit Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse online for more details, locations, directions, and instructions on how to sign up for the Creek Club email list in order to receive a free dessert and other unnamed special offers.

Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse: 617 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617-924-9000
Arsenal Mall: 485 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617-923-4700
Watertown Mall: 550 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617-926-4968

Post from: The Boston Traveler

A runway fashion show aimed at the type of women who raced to theaters on opening day for the recent premiere of Sex and the City: The Movie, the event will spotlight items from the film and the store’s Fall 2008 collection designed by such big names in footwear as Cole Haan, Salvatore Ferragamo, and the granddaddy of them all, Manolo Blahnik.

Heck, after enjoying the free booze — Cosmos, of course, for cosmopolitan women — attendees will even have the chance to win a pair of coveted Manolos with a retail value of … wait for it … $850! Wow! Maybe I should go to this!

Additional prizes include movie tickets for Sex and the City, of course, and another pair of shoes worth up to $495 from designer Taryn Rose. Am I showing my cheapness or lack of sophistication by marveling that anyone could drop hundreds of bucks on stuff for their feet in a single transaction? Probably so and probably both.

Anyway, all of this takes place from 2–4pm at the Copley Place Neiman Marcus (5 Copley Place, Third-Floor Ladies Shoe Department, Boston, 617-536-3660, 877-563-4626) on Saturday, June 14. RSVPs are required, however, and the information for sending one is at the Shoe Club website.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

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 T Station) on the opposite side, Newbury Street has a distinct hierarchy of shops. The closer you get to Mass Avenue, as we call the state-named street for short, the quirkier and less expensive the stores become. As a result, the shopping district can accommodate just about anyone, whether a person has upscale or downscale tastes.

Newbury Street is also home to popular attractions that are historic in their own right, such as the original branch of the music chain Newbury Comics. But keep in mind that during peak times — for instance, the warmer months, when school is out and more people are on vacation — the wide and normally comfortable sidewalks can get very crowded.

I personally only visit the location at downtimes, when I know congestion will be limited. If you enjoy experiencing the sights and sounds of thriving, active neighborhoods, however, then peak time is probably the prime time for you to go.

Take a look at a brief video tour of Newbury Street, courtesy of Travelistic, after the jump and visit the shopping district’s official website to learn more about what it offers.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Billed as Boston’s flagship branch — not to mention Apple’s largest store in the US of A — the shiny shop will offer visitors tons of technological amenities, such as “64 iPod music and video players, 104 Mac laptops and computers, and a third floor dedicated entirely to service that can accommodate 100 customers receiving one-on-one training at the same time,” according to a recent article in the Boston Globe.

The doors to the long and eagerly anticipated retail location will open at 6pm EST on Thursday, May 15, just in time to give the 9-to-5 crowd a few moments to catch its collective breath after the mad dash from offices all around the city. Closing is five hours later, at 11pm.

If you need a little incentive to put some pep in your step when you head over, how about the fact that Apple plans to hand out free limited edition T-shirts to the first 1,500 lucky souls to drop by? I bet they’ll be gone fast enough to make heads spin. Better still, the celebration will continue into and over the weekend, with free workshops and other special events.

Regular hours for the Back Bay Apple Store are Monday-Saturday, 8am to 11pm, and Sunday, 9am to 7pm. Expect large crowds and insanely happy faces, at least during the first few days.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Everybody’s going green, including the revered, New York-based skincare and haircare company Kiehl’s Since 1851.

Saturday marked the opening of Massachusetts’ newest branch, located at the Burlington Mall (75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-221-0161), which is the second Kiehl’s retail store in the state and the 28th free-standing Kiehl’s all together. The first local store began business on Boston’s Newbury Street (112 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-247-1777) six years ago.

A major highlight of the 585-square-foot Burlington branch is the interior decor based on Kiehl’s environmentally friendly approach to store presentation. As a result, shoppers get a unique retail experience while surrounded by sustainable materials that are also natural and energy-efficient light fixtures.

If you appreciate proven beauty products tested and vouched for by thousands of proponents for well over a century, consider visiting either of the Massachusetts locations to take advantage of the company’s commitment to quality. A big bonus at Kiehl’s, especially for thrifty people (like me), is the availability of generous, diverse product samples, as well as a 100% money back guarantee on purchases. It’s almost impossible to go wrong there.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Lots of people in the Hub are excited about one major thing these days — the gigantic, allegedly 21,350-square-foot flagship Apple Store currently under construction at 815 Boylston Street in the historic Back Bay area of Boston.

A February 2007 Boston Globe article speculated the massive retail location will give eager Apple connoisseurs, fanboys, and fangirls three or more floors (the company is super secretive about forthcoming branches, so reported numbers differ) of opportunities to browse, sample, and hang out, all in a relaxing, glass-motif retail environment that encourages loitering, er, lingering.

Although no definite opening date has been released as of this writing — or at least not one that I know of — the picture above leaves no doubt that Apple fanatics will be able to get their hip Back Bay fix very, very soon. Since the store’s opening has already been delayed several times in the past, for the sake of the hordes of devout Apple worshippers, I hope that means in 2008.

Folks are already loving the temporary Fenway Park Green Monster façade. Check out a couple of additional photos after the jump, as well as even more construction-phase images at The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

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 being offered free of charge for a limited time. Once received, the card will open the doorway to joint savings and contributions at about 160 currently participating businesses.

This is how it works: When you buy something at a participating local retailer, the cashier swipes the Boston Community Change card and then accepts any form of payment that the business normally does. The transaction is recorded in the account established when you ordered the card, and each month you receive an emailed statement detailing the varying rebates received at the places where you made purchases during the relevant time period. You also get a monthly reimbursement payment in your preferred form, either a mailed check or direct deposit. How thoughtful and convenient is that? It couldn’t get any better.

The most fantastic part, however, is that in addition to receiving a cash reward for shopping, you also experience the warm fuzzy joy of donating to a public school or non-profit organization of your choice, as well as the co-sponsor Boston Main Streets. The monthly statements provide a summary of the charitable donations, too.

According to recent local news reports, Boston is the first city in the United States to make such an innovative program available to consumers, and the Interra Project website indicates that Puget Sound is up for a launch next. I’ve already ordered one Boston Community Change card for myself and another for my mother (rhyming unintended!), and I can’t wait for them to arrive. In fact, I’m putting off all of my holiday shopping until they do so I can spread even more goodwill outside of my own circle as I make purchases for family and friends.

As far as I can tell, you don’t have to be a Boston resident to receive a card; you only have to use the card locally. That means if you travel to the Boston area often or plan to pass through in the future, you can still order a card beforehand in order to contribute a little something extra while you’re in town. It seems that the card won’t be free forever, so jump on this ship while it’s still anchored.

Here’s a list of all you need to learn more about the Boston Community Change project online and sign up for its many advantages.

Post from: The Boston Traveler