The Boston Traveler

Pop-rock vocalist Natalie Merchant, formerly of alternative rock’s 10,000 Maniacs, has a sweet two-day gig coming up next week in Boston. The New York native will be performing live twice with the revered Boston Pops Orchestra, led by conductor Keith Lockhart, during EdgeFest 2008.
EdgeFest, now in its fourth year, is a Boston Pops concert series that pairs the orchestra with contemporary bands and artists. Not surprisingly, the different musical focus attracts a significant number of 30-something attendees, in contrast to the customary Boston Pops audience, which has an average age of over 50.
Merchant’s last studio release was 2003’s …read more

1 Comment

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

1 Comment

It looks like it was raining fairly hard this morning in New York, but that didn’t stop women around my age from showing up to drool and reminisce over the reunited New Kids on the Block when they appeared at Rockefeller Plaza. Since I was never into boy bands, I can’t say I share their enthusiasm. Still, who can grumble about so many having such a good time because of one music group? I’m happy for ‘em!
As promised, check out high-quality videos of the New Kids’ performance on NBC’s Today earlier today. Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, …read more

2 Comments

Local NBC affiliate WHDH had an interesting report on the 11pm news broadcast last night. It was an undercover investigation that confirmed what many taxi-loving commuters probably already knew — some cab drivers like to make more money than they’re due by scamming what they hope are unsuspecting riders.
I personally prefer sticking with mass public transportation rather than cabs for this very reason. It’s appalling what too many cab drivers do just to get a few extra dollars, such as the ever-popular scam of deliberately making unnecessary detours to prolong the ride or avoiding shortcuts on side streets …read more

3 Comments

Boston-area comedy fans, you’re in luck, because one of the funniest people anywhere is about to pass through our corner of the universe.
That would be the one and only Chelsea Handler, a talented author of humorous fare, not to mention the creative force behind the thoroughly entertaining TV show Chelsea Lately, previously called The Chelsea Handler Show, on basic cable’s E! network.
Her follow-up to the 2005 autobiographical book My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands is called Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, and it’s slated for release today, April 22.
On Wednesday, locals and visitors alike can catch …read more

Comments Off

As I’ve previously mentioned, the Boston Marathon will be run for the 112th time next Monday, April 21. When someone says they’re going to give a 26.2-mile marathon their best shot, the number slightly larger than 25 doesn’t quite do the actual length of the race justice. That’s why it helps a great deal to have a realistic image of what the Marathon Monday journey from Hopkinton to Boston proper is all about before the annual event begins.
If you’ve ever wondered what the Boston Marathon course is like, but have no desire whatsoever to run it yourself, a …read more

1 Comment

Yeah, I know — it’s not exactly cool in most circles to dig Michael Jackson these days. But, there was a time back during the height of the Michael versus Prince Wars (remember those? I do!) when M.J. was badder than bad. It’s great some people still haven’t forgotten that despite all of his highly publicized troubles, Jackson remains one of the greatest music artists of all time, and he always will be.
If you’ve got a thing for Jackson and aren’t afraid to show it, you might want to check out the Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard …read more

Comments Off

Well, I’ve heard of dancers bustin’ some moves on train station platforms. But, I think this is the first time I’ve seen any this big do their thing inside an actual subway car.
Someone happened to be carrying their video camera or cellphone when a couple of B-boys caught a Red Line T train at the Kendall Square/MIT stop in Cambridge recently and commenced to getting down until Charles Street/Massachusetts General Hospital, one stop later. Nice!
Check out the video after the jump, which I warn you is not high quality in the least. It is an authentic and …read more

Comments Off

Missed the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ historic 10th Throwdown at Cambridge’s Middle East Downstairs from December 26–30 or perhaps even the New Year’s show at Lupo’s in Rhode Island? Well, you’re not alone.
Lucky for everyone, then, that a handful of avid fans not only managed to snag some precious if occasionally jumpy and/or unfocused video footage (word has it that security didn’t even check for camera phones and camcorders), but were also kind enough to upload said snippets to YouTube.
Continue onward for a look at what I found during a recent search. It seems like more is being added …read more

Comments Off

So, what have the brilliant minds at Cambridge’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology been up to in 2007?
I spent significant time this morning browsing assorted Best Of 2007-type compilations on numerous local publications’ websites. As I expected from one of the most widely read free newspapers around these parts, the Boston Phoenix produced some particularly interesting and entertaining content throughout the year to chronicle the highlights and lowlights of Beantown, including a nice video-based list on the Phoenix Phlog.
That’s where I discovered a bit of news concerning Boston’s second most famous academic institution that I sorely regret missing when it …read more

Comments Off