Red Sox exec touts Hub as tops - for hockey
By Herald Staff | Thursday, December 31, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
It sounded like a “Sign of the Apocalypse” item in Sports Illustrated: A Major League Baseball team executive touts his city as “Hockeytown, USA.”
But Red Sox [team stats] CEO Larry Lucchino was just explaining why Fenway Park [map] will be hosting - and cashing in on - tomorrow’s NHL Winter Classic.
Interviewed yesterday on business news network CNBC, Lucchino said, “Boston is Hockeytown, USA, in our minds, so to celebrate the hockey tradition and support the Bruins [team stats] and the NHL, we are happy to do that.”
Lucchino was careful to give “all due respect” to Detroit, which has been calling itself Hockeytown since 1996, when the Red Wings unveiled the nickname in a marketing campaign.
But tomorrow, when the Bruins take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the outdoor game, Boston - not Detroit, not Anywhere, USA - will in fact be Hockeytown, or at least the “Hub of hockey,” as Lucchino first put it.
“It gives us a chance to showcase Fenway Park as the great and iconic park that it is,” Lucchino told CNBC.
The Sox are surely shoveling up a pile of cold cash from the Winter Classic, in part from the big bucks the team is charging for ice skating sessions on the rink set up in the middle of the ballfield.
Lucchino was asked whether “real fans” had adequate access to tickets, an undisclosed number of which were sold online in advance through a lottery.
“(The NHL) had hundreds of thousands of people trying to get the right to buy tickets and a number of these tickets were given to people who won the lottery,” Lucchino said, without offering specifics.
An NHL spokesman refused to say how many tickets were sold through the lottery - so there was no way to tell if the demand rivaled, say, a baseball game at Fenway against the Sox’ rival Yankees.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1222183
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Delta and Northwest now officially one airline
FAA: Delta, Northwest can work as single carrier
By Associated Press | Thursday, December 31, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
ATLANTA — Delta Air lines has received government permission to operate its namesake service and its Northwest Airlines subsidiary as a single carrier.
The single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration allows Delta to put its code on Northwest flights and phase out the Northwest name. That process will be complete in the first quarter of 2010. For now, travelers won’t notice anything different.
Delta, based in Atlanta, acquired Northwest in October 2008 to become the world’s biggest airline.
A Delta executive said in a memo to employees Thursday that Delta and Northwest are now one airline. It means that for the first time, pre-merger Northwest operations will be combined into Delta’s operations.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1222257
By Associated Press | Thursday, December 31, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
ATLANTA — Delta Air lines has received government permission to operate its namesake service and its Northwest Airlines subsidiary as a single carrier.
The single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration allows Delta to put its code on Northwest flights and phase out the Northwest name. That process will be complete in the first quarter of 2010. For now, travelers won’t notice anything different.
Delta, based in Atlanta, acquired Northwest in October 2008 to become the world’s biggest airline.
A Delta executive said in a memo to employees Thursday that Delta and Northwest are now one airline. It means that for the first time, pre-merger Northwest operations will be combined into Delta’s operations.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1222257
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Lucca Back Bay review
It's also important to note that Lucca Back Bay serves food at the bar later than most restaurants in the area, including Brasserie Jo next door. They also have $3 miller high life in bottles. -Adam
DINING OUT
New identity, fresh approach
Lucca Back Bay remains true to classy, modern Italian dishes
By Devra First, Globe Staff | December 30, 2009
When the Italian restaurant Sasso became Lucca Back Bay a few months ago, here’s what changed: approximately nothing. The location is the same. The restaurant looks the same. The owners are still Ted Kennedy and Matthew and Sean Williams, who also run Lucca in the North End. The menu is largely the same. And the chef is still Anthony Mazzotta.
Which is why Lucca Back Bay warrants another look. When the Globe last reviewed the restaurant, as Sasso, chef David Ross was at the helm. He left shortly thereafter, and Mazzotta took over. He’s worked here and there - you know, little places like French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York, as well as Toro in the South End. And he and his staff make very good food, which they serve till late. The regional emphasis of Mazzotta’s menu changes with the seasons, geared more to the hearty foods of Piedmont and Lombardy in the winter, and shifting toward Umbria and Abruzzo in the spring, Sicily and Calabria in the summer, and Sardinia and Lazio in the fall. It’s an intriguing approach. Yet when people talk Italian food, and people do talk Italian food, this spot on the hotel-heavy stretch of Huntington Avenue seldom comes up.
On some nights, it’s fairly empty. On others, particularly around the holidays, it’s crowded with corporate events and tourists staying at the Marriott or the Colonnade who don’t want to brave freezing temperatures in search of dinner. The room is stately, done up in browns, with giant portraits stretching down from the ceiling miles away. A long marble staircase connects to the upstairs kitchen; it looks like an Escher composition. Off to one side, there’s a bar with a warm, clubby vibe. If I were a businessman who wanted to woo other businessmen, this restaurant would be in my arsenal of secret weapons. It’s classy. And it doesn’t hurt that the bartenders make a good spicy martini, goosed with jalapeno-stuffed olives.
Like the decor, the food here is solid yet modern. Caesar salad becomes insalata di Cesare, and much more dashing for it. Goodbye, stodgy Caesar. This deconstructed version offers the dish piece by piece: a wedge of ro maine, deviled egg, and delicious marinated white anchovies.
Tuna tartare features the raw fish formed into a round; it’s mixed with pine nuts, mint, oranges, and radishes. The flavors are light, sophisticated, and balanced. Calamari transcend the usual fried trope, sauteed and very tender; they’re mixed with florets of roasted cauliflower, a surprising and pleasing combination.
Even something as standard issue as pasta with chicken turns out to be light, bright, and interesting. Fresh, house-made tagliatelle are tangled with pieces of confit chicken and pancetta. The pasta is cooked perfectly, and the dish lifted out of the ordinary with preserved lemon, watercress, and pistachios.
Pasta here is almost entirely served as entree - this is an Italian restaurant, but it acknowledges the way most Americans eat. The exception is a gnocchi appetizer, tiny little nubs with great texture, served with mushrooms, pancetta, and Parmesan emulsion. How could they not taste good?
Pappardelle Bolognese is a huge portion, classic in flavor, but somewhat mushy. It’s not as memorable as some of the other dishes on the menu, though it’s quite good with the Barbera a server recommends. Lucca’s wine list covers many bases, with selections from Italy and beyond in a variety of price ranges. One evening, a waiter asked to suggest a wine on the sweet side offers a glass of sauvignon blanc with a splash of simple syrup. “Wait, can I ask for that everywhere?’’ says the guest, accustomed to waiters rolling their eyes at her sweet tooth. “I think you just changed my life.’’ Lucca’s servers aim to please. (Note to servers everywhere, however: Calling a table composed entirely of women “girls’’ or “ladies’’ each time you address them doesn’t necessarily accomplish this.)
There are a few dishes on the menu imported from Lucca in the North End, due to their popularity there. Rigatoni al cinghiale features big, fat segments of wonderful house-made pasta. But the sweet-and-sour braised boar they’re served with is both too sweet and too sour; the boar isn’t tender enough. Beef tenderloin also makes the journey from Hanover Street. It’s extremely tender but without much flavor, a bit too done on the outside and not done enough at the center. The porcini risotto and broccoli rabe it comes with are pleasant without making much of an impression.
A parsnip soup with bacon fritters, taleggio, and bacon vinaigrette is desperately in need of salt. Pan-roasted chicken is a surprise hit, very moist and flavorful, with crisp skin and a disc of herbed semolina, like an Italian version of chicken and dumplings. And seared scallops with turnip puree, sauteed spinach, and confit lobster mushrooms are simply delicious.
Desserts are no letdown. Toasted pound cake is served with a passion fruit panna cotta that’s a bit heavy on gelatin but has a wonderful tropical flavor. Chocolate and orange semifreddo is as smooth as butter and refreshingly cold, topped with a Florentine cookie.
This is a restaurant that didn’t much need to change, but perhaps its new identity will bring it fresh attention. Lucca Back Bay pleases the palate, so its name deserves to be on more people’s lips.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
DINING OUT
New identity, fresh approach
Lucca Back Bay remains true to classy, modern Italian dishes
By Devra First, Globe Staff | December 30, 2009
When the Italian restaurant Sasso became Lucca Back Bay a few months ago, here’s what changed: approximately nothing. The location is the same. The restaurant looks the same. The owners are still Ted Kennedy and Matthew and Sean Williams, who also run Lucca in the North End. The menu is largely the same. And the chef is still Anthony Mazzotta.
Which is why Lucca Back Bay warrants another look. When the Globe last reviewed the restaurant, as Sasso, chef David Ross was at the helm. He left shortly thereafter, and Mazzotta took over. He’s worked here and there - you know, little places like French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York, as well as Toro in the South End. And he and his staff make very good food, which they serve till late. The regional emphasis of Mazzotta’s menu changes with the seasons, geared more to the hearty foods of Piedmont and Lombardy in the winter, and shifting toward Umbria and Abruzzo in the spring, Sicily and Calabria in the summer, and Sardinia and Lazio in the fall. It’s an intriguing approach. Yet when people talk Italian food, and people do talk Italian food, this spot on the hotel-heavy stretch of Huntington Avenue seldom comes up.
On some nights, it’s fairly empty. On others, particularly around the holidays, it’s crowded with corporate events and tourists staying at the Marriott or the Colonnade who don’t want to brave freezing temperatures in search of dinner. The room is stately, done up in browns, with giant portraits stretching down from the ceiling miles away. A long marble staircase connects to the upstairs kitchen; it looks like an Escher composition. Off to one side, there’s a bar with a warm, clubby vibe. If I were a businessman who wanted to woo other businessmen, this restaurant would be in my arsenal of secret weapons. It’s classy. And it doesn’t hurt that the bartenders make a good spicy martini, goosed with jalapeno-stuffed olives.
Like the decor, the food here is solid yet modern. Caesar salad becomes insalata di Cesare, and much more dashing for it. Goodbye, stodgy Caesar. This deconstructed version offers the dish piece by piece: a wedge of ro maine, deviled egg, and delicious marinated white anchovies.
Tuna tartare features the raw fish formed into a round; it’s mixed with pine nuts, mint, oranges, and radishes. The flavors are light, sophisticated, and balanced. Calamari transcend the usual fried trope, sauteed and very tender; they’re mixed with florets of roasted cauliflower, a surprising and pleasing combination.
Even something as standard issue as pasta with chicken turns out to be light, bright, and interesting. Fresh, house-made tagliatelle are tangled with pieces of confit chicken and pancetta. The pasta is cooked perfectly, and the dish lifted out of the ordinary with preserved lemon, watercress, and pistachios.
Pasta here is almost entirely served as entree - this is an Italian restaurant, but it acknowledges the way most Americans eat. The exception is a gnocchi appetizer, tiny little nubs with great texture, served with mushrooms, pancetta, and Parmesan emulsion. How could they not taste good?
Pappardelle Bolognese is a huge portion, classic in flavor, but somewhat mushy. It’s not as memorable as some of the other dishes on the menu, though it’s quite good with the Barbera a server recommends. Lucca’s wine list covers many bases, with selections from Italy and beyond in a variety of price ranges. One evening, a waiter asked to suggest a wine on the sweet side offers a glass of sauvignon blanc with a splash of simple syrup. “Wait, can I ask for that everywhere?’’ says the guest, accustomed to waiters rolling their eyes at her sweet tooth. “I think you just changed my life.’’ Lucca’s servers aim to please. (Note to servers everywhere, however: Calling a table composed entirely of women “girls’’ or “ladies’’ each time you address them doesn’t necessarily accomplish this.)
There are a few dishes on the menu imported from Lucca in the North End, due to their popularity there. Rigatoni al cinghiale features big, fat segments of wonderful house-made pasta. But the sweet-and-sour braised boar they’re served with is both too sweet and too sour; the boar isn’t tender enough. Beef tenderloin also makes the journey from Hanover Street. It’s extremely tender but without much flavor, a bit too done on the outside and not done enough at the center. The porcini risotto and broccoli rabe it comes with are pleasant without making much of an impression.
A parsnip soup with bacon fritters, taleggio, and bacon vinaigrette is desperately in need of salt. Pan-roasted chicken is a surprise hit, very moist and flavorful, with crisp skin and a disc of herbed semolina, like an Italian version of chicken and dumplings. And seared scallops with turnip puree, sauteed spinach, and confit lobster mushrooms are simply delicious.
Desserts are no letdown. Toasted pound cake is served with a passion fruit panna cotta that’s a bit heavy on gelatin but has a wonderful tropical flavor. Chocolate and orange semifreddo is as smooth as butter and refreshingly cold, topped with a Florentine cookie.
This is a restaurant that didn’t much need to change, but perhaps its new identity will bring it fresh attention. Lucca Back Bay pleases the palate, so its name deserves to be on more people’s lips.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Liquor licenses will expire on New Year's eve for some Boston establishments
No license to party for some Hub restaurants
By Donna Goodison | Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Some two dozen Boston restaurants and other establishments will have to stop serving booze just when patrons begin toasting the new year.
The businesses failed to follow the state law requiring the renewal of liquor licenses every November, meaning they’ll be prohibited from serving alcohol past midnight Thursday and face a shutdown unless they get a food-only license.
“It happens every year,” said Jean Lorizio, the attorney for the city’s Licensing Board. “We call everyone either the day of the deadline or the day before, and the board granted a one-day grace period to file by Dec. 1.”
The next scheduled board hearing is Jan. 6, when some of the lapsed will seek new licenses.
Ivy Restaurant is one of the restaurants that will have to stop serving alcohol. The Downtown Crossing restaurant has scheduled two Dec. 31 seatings for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. that will proceed without a hitch. But an outside promoter that rented out the space for a New Year’s Eve party that promises “exotic appetizers and exquisite cocktails” will have to stop serving the booze just after the countdown to 2010.
“Everything hurts, so of course it’s going to hurt the party,” owner William Ashmore acknowledged. “It’s the law. It is what it is, and we abide by it.”
Ashmore will close Ivy from Jan. 1 to Jan. 6 to redo the restaurant’s floors, he said.
Five licensees managed to squeeze in last-minute hearings, but still had to get an OK from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Jamie Chambers, the general manager of Kitty O’Shea’s, was breathing a sigh of relief yesterday after getting word from the ABCC that the Irish pub’s license had been approved. That means a New Year’s Eve celebration with a $40 cover can proceed - and the bar can still stay open until 2 a.m.
“It’s a stressful time of year as it is, and I don’t need things like this,” he said.
Teranga, a Senegalese restaurant in the South End, will close as usual at midnight on New Year’s Eve, according to owner Marie-Claude Mendy. But when the restaurant reopens Jan. 1, it will be serving food only for several weeks at least. Teranga doesn’t have a Licensing Board hearing until mid-January.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221931
By Donna Goodison | Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Some two dozen Boston restaurants and other establishments will have to stop serving booze just when patrons begin toasting the new year.
The businesses failed to follow the state law requiring the renewal of liquor licenses every November, meaning they’ll be prohibited from serving alcohol past midnight Thursday and face a shutdown unless they get a food-only license.
“It happens every year,” said Jean Lorizio, the attorney for the city’s Licensing Board. “We call everyone either the day of the deadline or the day before, and the board granted a one-day grace period to file by Dec. 1.”
The next scheduled board hearing is Jan. 6, when some of the lapsed will seek new licenses.
Ivy Restaurant is one of the restaurants that will have to stop serving alcohol. The Downtown Crossing restaurant has scheduled two Dec. 31 seatings for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. that will proceed without a hitch. But an outside promoter that rented out the space for a New Year’s Eve party that promises “exotic appetizers and exquisite cocktails” will have to stop serving the booze just after the countdown to 2010.
“Everything hurts, so of course it’s going to hurt the party,” owner William Ashmore acknowledged. “It’s the law. It is what it is, and we abide by it.”
Ashmore will close Ivy from Jan. 1 to Jan. 6 to redo the restaurant’s floors, he said.
Five licensees managed to squeeze in last-minute hearings, but still had to get an OK from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Jamie Chambers, the general manager of Kitty O’Shea’s, was breathing a sigh of relief yesterday after getting word from the ABCC that the Irish pub’s license had been approved. That means a New Year’s Eve celebration with a $40 cover can proceed - and the bar can still stay open until 2 a.m.
“It’s a stressful time of year as it is, and I don’t need things like this,” he said.
Teranga, a Senegalese restaurant in the South End, will close as usual at midnight on New Year’s Eve, according to owner Marie-Claude Mendy. But when the restaurant reopens Jan. 1, it will be serving food only for several weeks at least. Teranga doesn’t have a Licensing Board hearing until mid-January.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221931
Winter Classic tickets going for over $4000 on the web
Winter Classic tickets flying fast on Web
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The hottest ticket in the Hub is for a cold outdoor hockey game in a sold-out stadium.
Tickets for the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park [map] between the Boston Bruins [team stats] and the Philadelphia Flyers range from $568 for two Standing Room Only seats at ticket reseller TicketNetwork.com, to $4,325 for a pair of third row Monster seats on eBay.com.
But James Holzman, head of reseller Ace Ticket, said he’s surprised prices are not higher.
“People have been talking about this game for six months because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. “I thought they were going to go for $1,000 each, but they’re comparable to Red Sox [team stats] playoff tickets, not World Series or Super Bowl seats.”
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, 1,255 seats were available, according to FanSnap.com, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based Web site that provides links to ticket brokers.
FanSnap CEO Michael Janes said the ticket prices are about 10 percent lower than a year ago when the Winter Classic pitted the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.
“The Boston fans are really pumped up for this, but prices are off slightly from last year,” he said.
Jamey Horan, an NHL spokesman, said more than 310,000 fans registered online at the league’s Web site for a chance to buy seats at face value from $50 to $350 each. All tickets sold out quickly.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221928
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, December 30, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
The hottest ticket in the Hub is for a cold outdoor hockey game in a sold-out stadium.
Tickets for the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park [map] between the Boston Bruins [team stats] and the Philadelphia Flyers range from $568 for two Standing Room Only seats at ticket reseller TicketNetwork.com, to $4,325 for a pair of third row Monster seats on eBay.com.
But James Holzman, head of reseller Ace Ticket, said he’s surprised prices are not higher.
“People have been talking about this game for six months because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. “I thought they were going to go for $1,000 each, but they’re comparable to Red Sox [team stats] playoff tickets, not World Series or Super Bowl seats.”
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, 1,255 seats were available, according to FanSnap.com, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based Web site that provides links to ticket brokers.
FanSnap CEO Michael Janes said the ticket prices are about 10 percent lower than a year ago when the Winter Classic pitted the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.
“The Boston fans are really pumped up for this, but prices are off slightly from last year,” he said.
Jamey Horan, an NHL spokesman, said more than 310,000 fans registered online at the league’s Web site for a chance to buy seats at face value from $50 to $350 each. All tickets sold out quickly.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221928
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Investments in Boston's tourism infrastructure pays off
Boston makes it as Top 10 destination thanks to tourism investment
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Development of Boston’s tourism infrastructure in the last decade helped to propel the city’s tourism industry into a $7 billion economic engine that was tempered by the economic effects of the 2001 terrorist attacks and current recession.
The $4.4 billion modernization of Logan International Airport, the opening of the $800 million Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the addition of 4,719 new hotel rooms helped fuel the 40 percent growth in an industry that contributed $5 billion to the local economy in 2000.
The development of Boston’s cruise ship industry and the city’s ability to attract major sports events also brought in new visitors to the Hub, according to Pat Moscaritolo, CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“The transformation of Logan not only from a physical point of view, but from an air service point of view has had a pretty dramatic impact,” Moscaritolo said. “It was an airport dominated by legacy carriers that’s been transformed into an airport that is now dominated by low-cost carriers. That makes it less expensive to fly in and out of Boston.”
Spending tied to the 516,000-square-foot BCEC accounts for more than 20 percent of the $7 billion visitor economy. Its 2004 opening allowed the city to pursue business that had outgrown Boston or would have bypassed it altogether, boosting the city into a ninth-ranked destination for conventions and meetings in North America this year.
The BCEC also contributed to the city’s hotel room growth: It has an attached 793-room Westin Boston Waterfront and spurred development of the 450-room Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel a few blocks away.
Boston started the decade with 49 hotels with 13,545 rooms and finished 2009 with 71 hotels with 18,264 rooms, a 35 percent increase after almost no new supply in the prior decade, according to Pinnacle Advisory Group. Next year will be the first since 1996 without a hotel opening in Boston.
The city saw a big increase in boutique hotels with the openings of properties including Nine Zero in 2002, Hotel Commonwealth in 2003, Back Bay Hotel (formerly Jury’s) in 2004, the Liberty Hotel in 2007 and the W Boston and Ames this year.
Several luxury hotels also debuted, including the InterContinental Boston in 2006, and Fairmont Battery Wharf in 2008. The Mandarin Oriental also opened last year and received the coveted AAA Five Diamond status last month.
“The boutique and luxury hotels helped to establish Boston as a great hotel city,” said Matt Arrants, managing director of Pinnacle, a Boston hospitality consulting firm.
While the new supply of rooms has helped keep down rates, the industry was never able to recover from 9/11 and now is contending with the current economic malaise.
After starting the decade with a banner 2000, the terrorist attacks squashed the tourism industry, prompting drops in leisure travelers - especially high-end visitors coming by plane - and corporate travelers.
Boston hotels are now finishing the decade with “terrible” results this year, said Arrants. “If the average hotel room rate in Boston in 2000 had grown at the rate of inflation, it would be over $260, but in fact we expect to finish at under $190,” he said.
Revenue per available hotel room, which was $156.80 in 2000 and $125.85 in 2001, is expected to be at $134.19 by year’s end.
Despite economic setbacks, there was tremendous growth in demand for hotel rooms in the last 10 years. Since 1999, the number of occupied room nights in Boston and Cambridge has grown by 27 percent to 5.4 million this year - an additional 1 million nights.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221754
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Development of Boston’s tourism infrastructure in the last decade helped to propel the city’s tourism industry into a $7 billion economic engine that was tempered by the economic effects of the 2001 terrorist attacks and current recession.
The $4.4 billion modernization of Logan International Airport, the opening of the $800 million Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the addition of 4,719 new hotel rooms helped fuel the 40 percent growth in an industry that contributed $5 billion to the local economy in 2000.
The development of Boston’s cruise ship industry and the city’s ability to attract major sports events also brought in new visitors to the Hub, according to Pat Moscaritolo, CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“The transformation of Logan not only from a physical point of view, but from an air service point of view has had a pretty dramatic impact,” Moscaritolo said. “It was an airport dominated by legacy carriers that’s been transformed into an airport that is now dominated by low-cost carriers. That makes it less expensive to fly in and out of Boston.”
Spending tied to the 516,000-square-foot BCEC accounts for more than 20 percent of the $7 billion visitor economy. Its 2004 opening allowed the city to pursue business that had outgrown Boston or would have bypassed it altogether, boosting the city into a ninth-ranked destination for conventions and meetings in North America this year.
The BCEC also contributed to the city’s hotel room growth: It has an attached 793-room Westin Boston Waterfront and spurred development of the 450-room Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel a few blocks away.
Boston started the decade with 49 hotels with 13,545 rooms and finished 2009 with 71 hotels with 18,264 rooms, a 35 percent increase after almost no new supply in the prior decade, according to Pinnacle Advisory Group. Next year will be the first since 1996 without a hotel opening in Boston.
The city saw a big increase in boutique hotels with the openings of properties including Nine Zero in 2002, Hotel Commonwealth in 2003, Back Bay Hotel (formerly Jury’s) in 2004, the Liberty Hotel in 2007 and the W Boston and Ames this year.
Several luxury hotels also debuted, including the InterContinental Boston in 2006, and Fairmont Battery Wharf in 2008. The Mandarin Oriental also opened last year and received the coveted AAA Five Diamond status last month.
“The boutique and luxury hotels helped to establish Boston as a great hotel city,” said Matt Arrants, managing director of Pinnacle, a Boston hospitality consulting firm.
While the new supply of rooms has helped keep down rates, the industry was never able to recover from 9/11 and now is contending with the current economic malaise.
After starting the decade with a banner 2000, the terrorist attacks squashed the tourism industry, prompting drops in leisure travelers - especially high-end visitors coming by plane - and corporate travelers.
Boston hotels are now finishing the decade with “terrible” results this year, said Arrants. “If the average hotel room rate in Boston in 2000 had grown at the rate of inflation, it would be over $260, but in fact we expect to finish at under $190,” he said.
Revenue per available hotel room, which was $156.80 in 2000 and $125.85 in 2001, is expected to be at $134.19 by year’s end.
Despite economic setbacks, there was tremendous growth in demand for hotel rooms in the last 10 years. Since 1999, the number of occupied room nights in Boston and Cambridge has grown by 27 percent to 5.4 million this year - an additional 1 million nights.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221754
Boston and Cambridge hotel occupancy down in '09
Poor sales occupied hotels in ’09
Bookings down over year
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Boston and Cambridge hotels pulled out all the marketing stops this year, using major discounting to counter the ill effects of the economic recession and falloff in demand.
Revenue per available hotel room nevertheless plummeted along with rates and occupancy, even as the two cities managed to stay ahead of deeper downward trends nationally for the industry.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority announced plans to double the size of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center that’s helped transform the city’s visitor industry into a top 10 destination for meetings and conventions since its 2004 opening.
But even the center’s bookings couldn’t help Boston and Cambridge hotels sustain last year’s results. Revenue per available room - which factors demand and room rates - is expected to drop by approximately 15 percent to $134.19 by year’s end, according to Boston’s Pinnacle Advisory Group. That compares to a nearly 20 percent increase in 2001 to $125.85 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“It wasn’t a pretty picture,” said Paul Sacco, CEO of the Massachusetts Lodging Association. “The initial hit post-9/11 was very difficult, but this (recession) is lingering much longer. Everything fell on sales and marketing in 2009 to hold it together.”
Hotel occupancy also fell despite Boston-hosted events, including the NCAA Men’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight hoop tourneys, the Volvo Ocean Race and Tall Ships, and the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships at Gillette Stadium. Occupancy declined to 72.8 percent from 76.9 percent, while the average daily room rate fell 12.7 percent to $189.20.
Other major hotel industry events this year included the openings of the 235-room W Boston and the 114-room Ames. The Hyatt hotel chain, meanwhile, has been the focus of protests and boycotts after it fired 98 Boston and Cambridge housekeepers in August and replaced them with cheaper outsourced workers.
The convention center expansion is the story to watch for the future.
The MCCA’s plans announced last month call for not only doubling the 516,000-square-foot BCEC, but adding a 1,000-room hotel to the property that already includes the 793-room Westin Boston Waterfront hotel.
The goal is to make Boston a top five destination for meetings and conventions - it’s now ranked ninth - according to the MCCA, which has formed a 25-member committee to study the proposed expansion and report its findings by the end of next December.
The 221 events hosted by the BCEC and Hynes Convention Center in 2009 generated a $445.6 million economic impact, including 525,000 hotel room stays, according to the MCCA.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221751
Bookings down over year
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 29, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Boston and Cambridge hotels pulled out all the marketing stops this year, using major discounting to counter the ill effects of the economic recession and falloff in demand.
Revenue per available hotel room nevertheless plummeted along with rates and occupancy, even as the two cities managed to stay ahead of deeper downward trends nationally for the industry.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority announced plans to double the size of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center that’s helped transform the city’s visitor industry into a top 10 destination for meetings and conventions since its 2004 opening.
But even the center’s bookings couldn’t help Boston and Cambridge hotels sustain last year’s results. Revenue per available room - which factors demand and room rates - is expected to drop by approximately 15 percent to $134.19 by year’s end, according to Boston’s Pinnacle Advisory Group. That compares to a nearly 20 percent increase in 2001 to $125.85 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“It wasn’t a pretty picture,” said Paul Sacco, CEO of the Massachusetts Lodging Association. “The initial hit post-9/11 was very difficult, but this (recession) is lingering much longer. Everything fell on sales and marketing in 2009 to hold it together.”
Hotel occupancy also fell despite Boston-hosted events, including the NCAA Men’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight hoop tourneys, the Volvo Ocean Race and Tall Ships, and the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships at Gillette Stadium. Occupancy declined to 72.8 percent from 76.9 percent, while the average daily room rate fell 12.7 percent to $189.20.
Other major hotel industry events this year included the openings of the 235-room W Boston and the 114-room Ames. The Hyatt hotel chain, meanwhile, has been the focus of protests and boycotts after it fired 98 Boston and Cambridge housekeepers in August and replaced them with cheaper outsourced workers.
The convention center expansion is the story to watch for the future.
The MCCA’s plans announced last month call for not only doubling the 516,000-square-foot BCEC, but adding a 1,000-room hotel to the property that already includes the 793-room Westin Boston Waterfront hotel.
The goal is to make Boston a top five destination for meetings and conventions - it’s now ranked ninth - according to the MCCA, which has formed a 25-member committee to study the proposed expansion and report its findings by the end of next December.
The 221 events hosted by the BCEC and Hynes Convention Center in 2009 generated a $445.6 million economic impact, including 525,000 hotel room stays, according to the MCCA.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1221751
Faster trains are key to Amtrak's future
Faster trains a key issue at Amtrak
By Susan Stellin, New York Times | December 29, 2009
NEW YORK - Amtrak has been working hard to lure more business travelers to its trains, with advertisements highlighting its advantages over air travel: roomier seats, power outlets on its Acela trains, and fewer annoyances.
And its efforts have borne some fruit. The number of riders on its Northeast corridor trains has been rising.
But faster trains are critical to its future. So while Amtrak got some desperately needed financing from the federal government this year, its forecasts suggest that speedier rail travel in the United States remains a daunting challenge.
For the Northeast corridor alone, Amtrak estimates it will need almost $700 million annually for the next 15 years to maintain the system and to tackle a backlog of maintenance projects and upgrades.
Reducing travel times between New York and Washington to two and a half hours and times between New York and Boston to three hours - goals that were established in the 1970s - will require straighter track, improvements to bridges and tunnels, increased capacity through Manhattan, and newer trains, among other investments.
Almost all of Amtrak’s lines fail to make money, with a total loss of $1.1 billion in 2008. Even technology enhancements seem to move at a slow pace: Developing a new electronic reservation system is expected to take until 2015.
Still, Amtrak officials are more optimistic now than they have been in a long time.
“We’re probably in the best position to move forward to get the things done we want to get done and that the government wants us to get done,’’ said David Lim, chief marketing officer. “We have an administration that is supportive of rail.’’
One of the biggest changes for Amtrak is that after years of bare-bones annual financing that limited the railroad’s ability to make significant upgrades, Congress approved a five-year authorization in 2008 that allocates the system nearly $2 billion a year.
Although the money still needs to be appropriated every year, Lim said, “the fact that there’s a five-year plan makes a tremendous difference. Asking the government for your annual subsidy obviously makes it difficult to plan and execute capital projects.’’
In addition, the economic stimulus package approved by Congress early this year provided $1.3 billion to supplement Amtrak’s capital budget and $8 billion in grants for intercity service and high-speed passenger rail. While those amounts will not go far in developing bullet trains like those that operate in Europe and Asia and will probably be distributed among projects throughout the country, Amtrak officials say they view the investment as an important policy shift.
There are also signs more passengers are embracing trains. The number of Amtrak riders has increased steadily since 2001, surpassing 28 million in 2008, though a decline is expected this year because of the recession.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
By Susan Stellin, New York Times | December 29, 2009
NEW YORK - Amtrak has been working hard to lure more business travelers to its trains, with advertisements highlighting its advantages over air travel: roomier seats, power outlets on its Acela trains, and fewer annoyances.
And its efforts have borne some fruit. The number of riders on its Northeast corridor trains has been rising.
But faster trains are critical to its future. So while Amtrak got some desperately needed financing from the federal government this year, its forecasts suggest that speedier rail travel in the United States remains a daunting challenge.
For the Northeast corridor alone, Amtrak estimates it will need almost $700 million annually for the next 15 years to maintain the system and to tackle a backlog of maintenance projects and upgrades.
Reducing travel times between New York and Washington to two and a half hours and times between New York and Boston to three hours - goals that were established in the 1970s - will require straighter track, improvements to bridges and tunnels, increased capacity through Manhattan, and newer trains, among other investments.
Almost all of Amtrak’s lines fail to make money, with a total loss of $1.1 billion in 2008. Even technology enhancements seem to move at a slow pace: Developing a new electronic reservation system is expected to take until 2015.
Still, Amtrak officials are more optimistic now than they have been in a long time.
“We’re probably in the best position to move forward to get the things done we want to get done and that the government wants us to get done,’’ said David Lim, chief marketing officer. “We have an administration that is supportive of rail.’’
One of the biggest changes for Amtrak is that after years of bare-bones annual financing that limited the railroad’s ability to make significant upgrades, Congress approved a five-year authorization in 2008 that allocates the system nearly $2 billion a year.
Although the money still needs to be appropriated every year, Lim said, “the fact that there’s a five-year plan makes a tremendous difference. Asking the government for your annual subsidy obviously makes it difficult to plan and execute capital projects.’’
In addition, the economic stimulus package approved by Congress early this year provided $1.3 billion to supplement Amtrak’s capital budget and $8 billion in grants for intercity service and high-speed passenger rail. While those amounts will not go far in developing bullet trains like those that operate in Europe and Asia and will probably be distributed among projects throughout the country, Amtrak officials say they view the investment as an important policy shift.
There are also signs more passengers are embracing trains. The number of Amtrak riders has increased steadily since 2001, surpassing 28 million in 2008, though a decline is expected this year because of the recession.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Sunday, December 27, 2009
NHL game is just latest of non-baseball events at Fenway over years
I did not know that Fenway hosted a steel cage wresting match in 1968! Enjoy this inciteful column by Dan Shaughnessy. Adam
DAN SHAUGHNESSY
Playing the field
Non-baseball events: Fenway has just about touched ’em all
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | December 27, 2009
Joe Namath and Mick Jagger played Fenway Park. So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the E Street Band.
Oh, and that mop-top from Liverpool who used to be in a band known as the Beatles? Yes, Paul McCartney played Fenway, too.
It’s a very big deal, this Bruins-Flyers game at Fenway New Year’s Day. But it would be a mistake to think that the ballpark has been dedicated solely to hits, runs, and errors. Fenway was home of the Boston Patriots from 1963-68 and it has been a summer concert mecca since John Henry and friends welcomed “The Boss’’ in September 2003. Basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and boxing have also been featured in the lyric little bandbox.
Every New England school child knows that Fenway opened in 1912, just a few days after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic. Boston Globe accounts of the first big-league game at the new ballpark were buried on Page One.
Religious and patriotic services, drawing as many as 20,000 people, were held at Fenway in 1916. Eamon de Valera, the future leader of Ireland, spoke to 40,000 followers in 1919.
World Wars I and II touched everything in America, and Fenway was no exception. Following the World War I armistice, a couple of months after Babe Ruth’s Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, there was a military Mass at Fenway honoring New England’s war dead. On Nov. 4, 1944, three days before his final election, President Roosevelt delivered a campaign speech in front of 40,000 supporters at Fenway, saying, “Today, in this war, our fine boys are fighting magnificently all over the world . . .’’
FDR’s warm-up acts included Orson Welles and Frank Sinatra. “Old Blue Eyes’’ (he was “Young Blue Eyes’’ back then) sang the national anthem and came back out to address the crowd after the president departed.
Roosevelt died five months later, one day after Jackie Robinson’s phony tryout at Fenway.
Long before anyone thought about playing NHL games in outdoor ballparks, Fenway served as a professional and collegiate gridiron. The NFL’s Boston Redskins played home games at Fenway for four seasons in the mid 1930s. When the Redskins moved to Washington, the Boston Yanks played at Fenway from 1944-48. (The Yanks moved to New York, Dallas, and Baltimore before they became the Indianapolis Colts.)
College gridders also played on Jersey Street. Boston College and Holy Cross jousted 14 times at Fenway, including the Crusaders’ shocking 55-12 victory in 1942, hours before 492 people died at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in downtown Boston. Frank Leahy’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat Dartmouth, 64-0, before a crowd of 38,167 at Fenway in 1944. Iconic baseball broadcaster Vin Scully says his breakthrough gig was a bone-cold Fenway rooftop broadcast of Boston University - featuring Harry Agganis - against Maryland in November 1949.
Tom Yawkey banished football in the late ’50s and early ’60s because he wanted to protect the grass for baseball, but when Red Sox attendance plummeted, Yawkey welcomed the four-year-old Patriots to Fenway in 1963.
“We had played at BU and that was appreciated,’’ says Gino Cappelletti. “But once we got to Fenway Park, it immediately gave us a feeling of having arrived.’’
The Green Monster was not a friend to football. Fenway’s football configuration put one end zone on the third base line and the other in front of the bullpens. Gil Santos called the games from a makeshift booth atop the first base grandstand and temporary stands were erected in front of the Monster. Both benches were initially situated in front of the temporary stands to avoid blocking the sightlines of fans sitting behind the first base dugout.
“Funny thing about those side-by-side benches,’’ says Cappelletti. “During the games, we would get closer and closer to the other team and start eavesdropping. I remember one game when we heard [Chiefs coach] Hank Stram calling for a screen pass. The next year, they put us over on the first base side.’’
A receiver/placekicker, Cappelletti booted a lot of footballs into the Fenway stands.
“The bullpens in right were pretty close to the end zone so most of my extra points went over the bullpens and into the bleachers,’’ he recalls.
Fans were allowed to mingle with players on the field after games and it was on the Fenway diamond that Tip O’Neill cornered Buffalo quarterback Jack Kemp and suggested Kemp run for political office. The Patriots left Fenway for BC’s Alumni Stadium in 1969.
There was lacrosse on the Fenway lawn almost 100 years ago. Joseph Lannin, who owned the Sox before the immortal Harry Frazee, was a lacrosse buff and, according to Richard Johnson, curator of The Sports Museum at TD Garden, “Lannin played games with the Boston Lacrosse Club on the Fenway diamond, using the same alignment that the Bruins are using for hockey at Fenway.’’
There was a New York-Boston soccer match at Fenway in 1931 and Yawkey allowed the Boston Beacons of the NASL to use Fenway as a home field in 1968.
According to Red Sox historian Dick Bresciani, the ballpark was home to boxing matches between 1919 and 1956. State auditor Joe DeNucci, once a highly ranked middleweight, remembers seeing Tony DeMarco beat Vince Martinez at Fenway in 1956.
“Fenway was great for boxing,’’ says DeNucci. “The way I remember it, the ring was between the pitching mound and second base and they put chairs out in the infield.’’
Steel-cage wrestling? It was staged at Fenway in 1968.
There’s no record of the Celtics playing at Fenway, but in 1954, the Harlem Globetrotters beat the George Mikan All-Stars, 61-41, in front of 13,344 at Fenway Park. The Boston Whirlwinds beat the House of David, 47-46, in the undercard game.
Hundreds of artists and bands have performed at Fenway before Red Sox games. The Boston Pops played anthems there and during the recent championship run, Sox choreographer Charles Steinberg got into the Way-Back Machine and found the Cowsills and the Kingston Trio to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.’’ While the Sox were beating the Indians in the 2007 American League Championship Series, Dr. Charles famously featured the Dropkick Murphys and dozens of Irish step dancers in the center-field triangle.
Music without baseball is another matter. The Newport Jazz Festival was held at Fenway in 1973, but the Sox home field didn’t take hold as a concert venue until Henry bought the team in 2002. Henry is a frustrated guitar man and quickly recognized Fenway’s draw as a rock theater (and another way to draw every dime possible out of the ballpark).
Bruce Springsteen was Henry’s leadoff hitter, playing two shows at Fenway in the summer of 2003. In subsequent seasons, The Boss was followed by Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Matthews Band, the Police, Neil Diamond, Phish, and Sir Paul. Phish followers created a predictable haze over the yard, but the Stones show made the greatest impression on the Fenway outfield. Jumpin’ Jack Flash’s stage was only slightly smaller than Logan’s Terminal A and the Sox had to re-sod the entire outfield after the Stones rolled out of Boston.
Now it’s ice time. We’ve already seen Bobby Orr, Milt Schmidt, and Ray Bourque gliding across the Fenway sheet and it’ll be hard to forget the sight of a Zamboni parked on the warning track in front of the Wall.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
DAN SHAUGHNESSY
Playing the field
Non-baseball events: Fenway has just about touched ’em all
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | December 27, 2009
Joe Namath and Mick Jagger played Fenway Park. So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the E Street Band.
Oh, and that mop-top from Liverpool who used to be in a band known as the Beatles? Yes, Paul McCartney played Fenway, too.
It’s a very big deal, this Bruins-Flyers game at Fenway New Year’s Day. But it would be a mistake to think that the ballpark has been dedicated solely to hits, runs, and errors. Fenway was home of the Boston Patriots from 1963-68 and it has been a summer concert mecca since John Henry and friends welcomed “The Boss’’ in September 2003. Basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and boxing have also been featured in the lyric little bandbox.
Every New England school child knows that Fenway opened in 1912, just a few days after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic. Boston Globe accounts of the first big-league game at the new ballpark were buried on Page One.
Religious and patriotic services, drawing as many as 20,000 people, were held at Fenway in 1916. Eamon de Valera, the future leader of Ireland, spoke to 40,000 followers in 1919.
World Wars I and II touched everything in America, and Fenway was no exception. Following the World War I armistice, a couple of months after Babe Ruth’s Red Sox won the 1918 World Series, there was a military Mass at Fenway honoring New England’s war dead. On Nov. 4, 1944, three days before his final election, President Roosevelt delivered a campaign speech in front of 40,000 supporters at Fenway, saying, “Today, in this war, our fine boys are fighting magnificently all over the world . . .’’
FDR’s warm-up acts included Orson Welles and Frank Sinatra. “Old Blue Eyes’’ (he was “Young Blue Eyes’’ back then) sang the national anthem and came back out to address the crowd after the president departed.
Roosevelt died five months later, one day after Jackie Robinson’s phony tryout at Fenway.
Long before anyone thought about playing NHL games in outdoor ballparks, Fenway served as a professional and collegiate gridiron. The NFL’s Boston Redskins played home games at Fenway for four seasons in the mid 1930s. When the Redskins moved to Washington, the Boston Yanks played at Fenway from 1944-48. (The Yanks moved to New York, Dallas, and Baltimore before they became the Indianapolis Colts.)
College gridders also played on Jersey Street. Boston College and Holy Cross jousted 14 times at Fenway, including the Crusaders’ shocking 55-12 victory in 1942, hours before 492 people died at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in downtown Boston. Frank Leahy’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat Dartmouth, 64-0, before a crowd of 38,167 at Fenway in 1944. Iconic baseball broadcaster Vin Scully says his breakthrough gig was a bone-cold Fenway rooftop broadcast of Boston University - featuring Harry Agganis - against Maryland in November 1949.
Tom Yawkey banished football in the late ’50s and early ’60s because he wanted to protect the grass for baseball, but when Red Sox attendance plummeted, Yawkey welcomed the four-year-old Patriots to Fenway in 1963.
“We had played at BU and that was appreciated,’’ says Gino Cappelletti. “But once we got to Fenway Park, it immediately gave us a feeling of having arrived.’’
The Green Monster was not a friend to football. Fenway’s football configuration put one end zone on the third base line and the other in front of the bullpens. Gil Santos called the games from a makeshift booth atop the first base grandstand and temporary stands were erected in front of the Monster. Both benches were initially situated in front of the temporary stands to avoid blocking the sightlines of fans sitting behind the first base dugout.
“Funny thing about those side-by-side benches,’’ says Cappelletti. “During the games, we would get closer and closer to the other team and start eavesdropping. I remember one game when we heard [Chiefs coach] Hank Stram calling for a screen pass. The next year, they put us over on the first base side.’’
A receiver/placekicker, Cappelletti booted a lot of footballs into the Fenway stands.
“The bullpens in right were pretty close to the end zone so most of my extra points went over the bullpens and into the bleachers,’’ he recalls.
Fans were allowed to mingle with players on the field after games and it was on the Fenway diamond that Tip O’Neill cornered Buffalo quarterback Jack Kemp and suggested Kemp run for political office. The Patriots left Fenway for BC’s Alumni Stadium in 1969.
There was lacrosse on the Fenway lawn almost 100 years ago. Joseph Lannin, who owned the Sox before the immortal Harry Frazee, was a lacrosse buff and, according to Richard Johnson, curator of The Sports Museum at TD Garden, “Lannin played games with the Boston Lacrosse Club on the Fenway diamond, using the same alignment that the Bruins are using for hockey at Fenway.’’
There was a New York-Boston soccer match at Fenway in 1931 and Yawkey allowed the Boston Beacons of the NASL to use Fenway as a home field in 1968.
According to Red Sox historian Dick Bresciani, the ballpark was home to boxing matches between 1919 and 1956. State auditor Joe DeNucci, once a highly ranked middleweight, remembers seeing Tony DeMarco beat Vince Martinez at Fenway in 1956.
“Fenway was great for boxing,’’ says DeNucci. “The way I remember it, the ring was between the pitching mound and second base and they put chairs out in the infield.’’
Steel-cage wrestling? It was staged at Fenway in 1968.
There’s no record of the Celtics playing at Fenway, but in 1954, the Harlem Globetrotters beat the George Mikan All-Stars, 61-41, in front of 13,344 at Fenway Park. The Boston Whirlwinds beat the House of David, 47-46, in the undercard game.
Hundreds of artists and bands have performed at Fenway before Red Sox games. The Boston Pops played anthems there and during the recent championship run, Sox choreographer Charles Steinberg got into the Way-Back Machine and found the Cowsills and the Kingston Trio to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.’’ While the Sox were beating the Indians in the 2007 American League Championship Series, Dr. Charles famously featured the Dropkick Murphys and dozens of Irish step dancers in the center-field triangle.
Music without baseball is another matter. The Newport Jazz Festival was held at Fenway in 1973, but the Sox home field didn’t take hold as a concert venue until Henry bought the team in 2002. Henry is a frustrated guitar man and quickly recognized Fenway’s draw as a rock theater (and another way to draw every dime possible out of the ballpark).
Bruce Springsteen was Henry’s leadoff hitter, playing two shows at Fenway in the summer of 2003. In subsequent seasons, The Boss was followed by Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Matthews Band, the Police, Neil Diamond, Phish, and Sir Paul. Phish followers created a predictable haze over the yard, but the Stones show made the greatest impression on the Fenway outfield. Jumpin’ Jack Flash’s stage was only slightly smaller than Logan’s Terminal A and the Sox had to re-sod the entire outfield after the Stones rolled out of Boston.
Now it’s ice time. We’ve already seen Bobby Orr, Milt Schmidt, and Ray Bourque gliding across the Fenway sheet and it’ll be hard to forget the sight of a Zamboni parked on the warning track in front of the Wall.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Boston Globe profile of an Artbar waiter
This is an interesting profile of a waiter/bartender at the Royal Sonesta hotel. His insight about our industry is invaluable. Adam
JOB DOC
A good waiter or waitress should be able to serve up a good show at any time
By Cindy Atoji Keene | December 27, 2009
On the job with Ahmet Sari, waiter
Ahmet Sari wants to bring dignity back to being a waiter or waitress in the food and beverage industry.
In his native Turkey, where he was a server at the grand Kempinski Instanbul, he says being a waiter was viewed more as a viable profession, not a mere part-time or temporary job. At the opulent five-star hotel, Sari served politicians and celebrities, even once waiting on John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, as security hovered about.
“It was a bit nerve-racking,” says Sari, who came to the United States 12 years ago as part of a hospitality exchange program, and ended up staying.
Today, he is a waiter and bartender at the ArtBar, located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge. His clientele there is not as celebrated - tourists, office workers, vacationing families - but Sari says: “As a waiter, no matter who you are serving, you need to put your act together. It’s like putting on a show, to make the customer’s day nice and eventful.’’
There are more than 2 million restaurant servers in the nation, and job opportunities are expected to be abundant through 2018, as busy Americans continue to eat out and the population grows.
But it’s not a job for the meek. Whether it’s a guest complaining about undercooked meat or a disruptive toddler, Sari says, “everyone has their own agenda and schedule, and you don’t want any customer to leave unhappy.” He added that waiters need to work quickly, accurately, and calmly, even during dinner rush.
“It all comes down to multitasking. It’s a constant, ongoing battle. You might be serving cocktails to one table, entrees to another, meanwhile offering dessert to the third table.”
But for an experienced waiter, the basics are all the same, whether you work in a bistro or high-end restaurant, says Sari, who has had jobs at establishments in Tyngsborough and in Boston. “Once you learn the ropes, the small details change, the different systems of various establishments might vary.
What was it like to serve John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife?
That’s part of the beauty of this business, especially for those who live and work in the Hollywood region, like some of my friends. You get to see a lot of celebrities and politicians in person and serve them. The Kempinski Instanbul was a very high-class deluxe hotel and I saw people I never imagined I would see in my life. While I was there, there was a NATO meeting with politicians from different countries, and I also saw George Bush Sr., and the German president, as well as, of course, a lot of regular people. It just becomes a part of life, not a big deal. The bottom line is that we’re all human beings.
What characteristics are needed to be a good waiter?
You need to be able to multitask and deal with all different types of people. And during the holidays, when everyone else is relaxing and getting to spend time with their family, these are the times that you need to be available to work. In the hotel and restaurant business especially, it’s non-stop, 24/7.
Do your feet get tired after spending 12 to 14 hours walking and standing?
I wear skid- and sweat-free shoes for safety. After so many long hours, your feet naturally release a natural odor - although it’s not so natural to my wife - so after a long day, my first stop is the shower.
Has the recession affected your tips?
With the economy now, living paycheck to paycheck has been difficult because I don’t know how much my income will be monthly, weekly, or annually. And, when the taxes go up, people naturally tip less, but spend the same amount of money.
How do you deal with difficult customers?
The trick is to anticipate their needs and play the game by their rules. This is what makes you good in the business.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
JOB DOC
A good waiter or waitress should be able to serve up a good show at any time
By Cindy Atoji Keene | December 27, 2009
On the job with Ahmet Sari, waiter
Ahmet Sari wants to bring dignity back to being a waiter or waitress in the food and beverage industry.
In his native Turkey, where he was a server at the grand Kempinski Instanbul, he says being a waiter was viewed more as a viable profession, not a mere part-time or temporary job. At the opulent five-star hotel, Sari served politicians and celebrities, even once waiting on John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, as security hovered about.
“It was a bit nerve-racking,” says Sari, who came to the United States 12 years ago as part of a hospitality exchange program, and ended up staying.
Today, he is a waiter and bartender at the ArtBar, located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge. His clientele there is not as celebrated - tourists, office workers, vacationing families - but Sari says: “As a waiter, no matter who you are serving, you need to put your act together. It’s like putting on a show, to make the customer’s day nice and eventful.’’
There are more than 2 million restaurant servers in the nation, and job opportunities are expected to be abundant through 2018, as busy Americans continue to eat out and the population grows.
But it’s not a job for the meek. Whether it’s a guest complaining about undercooked meat or a disruptive toddler, Sari says, “everyone has their own agenda and schedule, and you don’t want any customer to leave unhappy.” He added that waiters need to work quickly, accurately, and calmly, even during dinner rush.
“It all comes down to multitasking. It’s a constant, ongoing battle. You might be serving cocktails to one table, entrees to another, meanwhile offering dessert to the third table.”
But for an experienced waiter, the basics are all the same, whether you work in a bistro or high-end restaurant, says Sari, who has had jobs at establishments in Tyngsborough and in Boston. “Once you learn the ropes, the small details change, the different systems of various establishments might vary.
What was it like to serve John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife?
That’s part of the beauty of this business, especially for those who live and work in the Hollywood region, like some of my friends. You get to see a lot of celebrities and politicians in person and serve them. The Kempinski Instanbul was a very high-class deluxe hotel and I saw people I never imagined I would see in my life. While I was there, there was a NATO meeting with politicians from different countries, and I also saw George Bush Sr., and the German president, as well as, of course, a lot of regular people. It just becomes a part of life, not a big deal. The bottom line is that we’re all human beings.
What characteristics are needed to be a good waiter?
You need to be able to multitask and deal with all different types of people. And during the holidays, when everyone else is relaxing and getting to spend time with their family, these are the times that you need to be available to work. In the hotel and restaurant business especially, it’s non-stop, 24/7.
Do your feet get tired after spending 12 to 14 hours walking and standing?
I wear skid- and sweat-free shoes for safety. After so many long hours, your feet naturally release a natural odor - although it’s not so natural to my wife - so after a long day, my first stop is the shower.
Has the recession affected your tips?
With the economy now, living paycheck to paycheck has been difficult because I don’t know how much my income will be monthly, weekly, or annually. And, when the taxes go up, people naturally tip less, but spend the same amount of money.
How do you deal with difficult customers?
The trick is to anticipate their needs and play the game by their rules. This is what makes you good in the business.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Friday, December 25, 2009
Chinatown restaurant reviews
Experience Great Taste in Chinatown
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, December 25, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining Reviews
Considering Chinatown for a Christmas Day meal? If so, there are two new restaurants to check out.
Maybe you remember New Dong Khanh when it was plain old Dong Khanh. Well, the venerable Harrison Avenue Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall has undergone an extreme makeover. It’s now a stylish cafe - painted in pastel colors with a stonework facade - serving both food and an assortment of fruit shakes and bubble teas.
Cosmetic changes notwithstanding, the specialty of the kitchen remains canh chua sweet and sour soup from the Mekong River region of Southern Vietnam. Try canh chua tom - a tureen of tamarind-seasoned broth chockablock with shrimp, sprouts, celery, tomatoes and chili flakes with a garnish of fried shallots on top.
New Dong Khanh is also known for its banh hai roll-your-own spring rolls. But unlike other Chinatown restaurants, you don’t have to soften the rice paper wrappers in hot water. Here, they arrive presoaked and pliable, layered between porous plastic mats. They’re ready to be stuffed with aromatic ground shrimp paste steamed on sugarcane, rice vermicelli and fresh herbs.
Other highlights include sweet and spicy thit ko to caramelized pork strips strewn with diced scallions and goi du du salad of shredded cabbage, carrots, shrimp and pork tossed in a tart, oil-free dressing with crushed peanuts, fresh mint and basil. They also make excellent banh xeo (also known as Vietnamese pizza), a coconut-milkand-rice-flour crepe folded over pork, shrimp, sprouts and onions that you dunk into sugary lime-juice-fish-sauce nuoc cham.
New Dong Khan does a thriving business in take-out tapioca drinks and fruit frappes. Be forewarned: It’s cash only.
Sigh, the faux waterfall lightbox that hung for so many years on the back wall is no more. An ornamental fish tank by the entrance is nowhere near as kitschy.
New Dong Khanh Restaurant, 83 Harrison Ave.; 617-426-9410.
Dinner is cheap and good at Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant down the block from the Chinatown Gate on Beach Street.
Cantonese cuisine is the draw here. With dishes such as stir-fried ginger and scallion twin lobsters - priced at a jaw-dropping $15.95. Where else in the city will you find a bargain like that?
There’s a subtlety to some of the cooking you don’t necessarily expect. The faint citrus accents of orange flavor with clams and Chinese parsley soup - a tureen of Manila clams, orange-scented broth, scallions, ginger and lots of fresh cilantro. Or the surprising flakiness of scallion pancakes, obviously homemade.
Conversely, the aforementioned lobster - platter of hacked lobster, dredged in cornstarch, first deep-fried then stir-fried in a wok with ginger and scallions - is unabashedly gingery. And Hong Kong-style pork lo mein - chewy noodles, slivered carrots, celery, sprouts, shiitakes and pork is aggressively garlicky. Portions are generous and large enough to share.
For the most part, the fare here is minimalistic and straightforward. Few ingredients. Simply prepared. Honestly presented. A metal casserole hot pot, blackened from use, filled with sizzling beef, ginger and scallions couldn’t be more satisfying. Or basic.
Great Taste is no great guns in the decor department - blindingly bright lighting, walls covered with colored sheets of paper touting specials in Chinese and a hodgepodge of tables and chairs jammed too tightly together. The clientele is diverse - with lots of young customers - and seemingly attracted by both the menu and the price point.
Save room for dessert. The adjoining (cash-only) bakery is a treasure trove of cakes, cookies and assorted pastries - Eastern and Western, sweet and savory. It’s already locally famous for its Portuguese tarts - the custard-filled pastis de nata, so popular in Macau. Made fresh each morning, they are typically sold out by suppertime. So get there early.
Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant, 61-63 Beach St; 617-426-8899.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1221035
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, December 25, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining Reviews
Considering Chinatown for a Christmas Day meal? If so, there are two new restaurants to check out.
Maybe you remember New Dong Khanh when it was plain old Dong Khanh. Well, the venerable Harrison Avenue Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall has undergone an extreme makeover. It’s now a stylish cafe - painted in pastel colors with a stonework facade - serving both food and an assortment of fruit shakes and bubble teas.
Cosmetic changes notwithstanding, the specialty of the kitchen remains canh chua sweet and sour soup from the Mekong River region of Southern Vietnam. Try canh chua tom - a tureen of tamarind-seasoned broth chockablock with shrimp, sprouts, celery, tomatoes and chili flakes with a garnish of fried shallots on top.
New Dong Khanh is also known for its banh hai roll-your-own spring rolls. But unlike other Chinatown restaurants, you don’t have to soften the rice paper wrappers in hot water. Here, they arrive presoaked and pliable, layered between porous plastic mats. They’re ready to be stuffed with aromatic ground shrimp paste steamed on sugarcane, rice vermicelli and fresh herbs.
Other highlights include sweet and spicy thit ko to caramelized pork strips strewn with diced scallions and goi du du salad of shredded cabbage, carrots, shrimp and pork tossed in a tart, oil-free dressing with crushed peanuts, fresh mint and basil. They also make excellent banh xeo (also known as Vietnamese pizza), a coconut-milkand-rice-flour crepe folded over pork, shrimp, sprouts and onions that you dunk into sugary lime-juice-fish-sauce nuoc cham.
New Dong Khan does a thriving business in take-out tapioca drinks and fruit frappes. Be forewarned: It’s cash only.
Sigh, the faux waterfall lightbox that hung for so many years on the back wall is no more. An ornamental fish tank by the entrance is nowhere near as kitschy.
New Dong Khanh Restaurant, 83 Harrison Ave.; 617-426-9410.
Dinner is cheap and good at Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant down the block from the Chinatown Gate on Beach Street.
Cantonese cuisine is the draw here. With dishes such as stir-fried ginger and scallion twin lobsters - priced at a jaw-dropping $15.95. Where else in the city will you find a bargain like that?
There’s a subtlety to some of the cooking you don’t necessarily expect. The faint citrus accents of orange flavor with clams and Chinese parsley soup - a tureen of Manila clams, orange-scented broth, scallions, ginger and lots of fresh cilantro. Or the surprising flakiness of scallion pancakes, obviously homemade.
Conversely, the aforementioned lobster - platter of hacked lobster, dredged in cornstarch, first deep-fried then stir-fried in a wok with ginger and scallions - is unabashedly gingery. And Hong Kong-style pork lo mein - chewy noodles, slivered carrots, celery, sprouts, shiitakes and pork is aggressively garlicky. Portions are generous and large enough to share.
For the most part, the fare here is minimalistic and straightforward. Few ingredients. Simply prepared. Honestly presented. A metal casserole hot pot, blackened from use, filled with sizzling beef, ginger and scallions couldn’t be more satisfying. Or basic.
Great Taste is no great guns in the decor department - blindingly bright lighting, walls covered with colored sheets of paper touting specials in Chinese and a hodgepodge of tables and chairs jammed too tightly together. The clientele is diverse - with lots of young customers - and seemingly attracted by both the menu and the price point.
Save room for dessert. The adjoining (cash-only) bakery is a treasure trove of cakes, cookies and assorted pastries - Eastern and Western, sweet and savory. It’s already locally famous for its Portuguese tarts - the custard-filled pastis de nata, so popular in Macau. Made fresh each morning, they are typically sold out by suppertime. So get there early.
Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant, 61-63 Beach St; 617-426-8899.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1221035
Cambridge mayor threatens Hyatt boycott
The Boston Globe's take on Denise Simmons threat to boycott Hyatt. At the end you can see that there is a personal element of betrayal as well. Adam
The Boston Globe
AROUND THE REGION
Mayor pressures Hyatt on firings
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | December 24, 2009
The mayor of Cambridge, E. Denise Simmons, wrote to the president of Hyatt Hotels Corp. yesterday, reiterating her dismay over the dismissal of 98 housekeepers in Cambridge and Boston and stating the City of Cambridge will not do business with Hyatt unless the workers are reinstated.
“This is the season for charity and neighborliness,’’ she wrote to president Mark Hoplamazian, “and it is not too late for the Hyatt Corporation to do the right thing.’’
The three local Hyatts - in Cambridge, downtown Boston, and at Logan International Airport - fired their entire housekeeping staffs Aug. 31 and replaced them with workers who made half as much money.
Numerous organizations have boycotted and picketed the hotels, including groups of rabbis, politicians, lawyers, and schoolchildren. Hyatt responded to the outcry by offering to hire back the housekeepers through its outsourcing firm, United Service Cos., with their old wage rate guaranteed until the end of next year and health care benefits extended through March.
Six of the workers have accepted the offer.
Hyatt responded to the mayor’s letter in a prepared statement:
“A boycott will only further threaten the jobs of our associates working in Hyatt properties during the worst economic period in decades,’’ it said.
The Cambridge and Boston city councils have passed resolutions condemning Hyatt’s actions, and Governor Deval Patrick has threatened a state boycott if the housekeepers are not rehired.
The City of Cambridge does not do a lot of business at the Hyatt, Simmons said, but she is encouraging residents and others to boycott the chain.
Simmons held her wedding reception at the Cambridge Hyatt the day before the housekeepers were fired. “I feel very betrayed,’’ she said. “Had I known, I would have pulled it.’’
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
The Boston Globe
AROUND THE REGION
Mayor pressures Hyatt on firings
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | December 24, 2009
The mayor of Cambridge, E. Denise Simmons, wrote to the president of Hyatt Hotels Corp. yesterday, reiterating her dismay over the dismissal of 98 housekeepers in Cambridge and Boston and stating the City of Cambridge will not do business with Hyatt unless the workers are reinstated.
“This is the season for charity and neighborliness,’’ she wrote to president Mark Hoplamazian, “and it is not too late for the Hyatt Corporation to do the right thing.’’
The three local Hyatts - in Cambridge, downtown Boston, and at Logan International Airport - fired their entire housekeeping staffs Aug. 31 and replaced them with workers who made half as much money.
Numerous organizations have boycotted and picketed the hotels, including groups of rabbis, politicians, lawyers, and schoolchildren. Hyatt responded to the outcry by offering to hire back the housekeepers through its outsourcing firm, United Service Cos., with their old wage rate guaranteed until the end of next year and health care benefits extended through March.
Six of the workers have accepted the offer.
Hyatt responded to the mayor’s letter in a prepared statement:
“A boycott will only further threaten the jobs of our associates working in Hyatt properties during the worst economic period in decades,’’ it said.
The Cambridge and Boston city councils have passed resolutions condemning Hyatt’s actions, and Governor Deval Patrick has threatened a state boycott if the housekeepers are not rehired.
The City of Cambridge does not do a lot of business at the Hyatt, Simmons said, but she is encouraging residents and others to boycott the chain.
Simmons held her wedding reception at the Cambridge Hyatt the day before the housekeepers were fired. “I feel very betrayed,’’ she said. “Had I known, I would have pulled it.’’
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Cambridge Mayor calls for Hyatt boycott
This sounds like too little too late. It would have been timely about four months ago. Maybe it will help the workers get their jobs back...or maybe not. Adam
Cambridge mayor calls for Hyatt boycott over summer firings
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons blasted the Hyatt Regency Hotel Corp. today for laying off 100 housekeeping workers over the summer.
In a letter to Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s chief executive officer, Simmons said the chain has conducted itself “less than honorably” by replacing longtime employees - some with more than 20 years experience - with workers from an independent staffing agency for lower wages and no health-care benefits.
“I cannot force a private company to reinstate displaced workers,” Simmons wrote. “But the mayor’s office is removing the Hyatt from consideration as a venue for city functions.”
Simmons also said she is urging organizations with ties to the city’s government to avoid doing business with the Hyatt and advised Cambridge residents to do the same until the workers have been rehired.
The two-page letter issued to news outlets this morning noted that Simmons is troubled by the fact that the Hyatt has “misled” the public into thinking the hotel has taken steps to reinstate the fired workers
“The only measures the Hyatt is wiling to take is to refer the workers to a temp agency,” she wrote. “This is a far cry from ensuring that these workers obtain stable jobs with health-care benefits.”
Amy Patti, a Hyatt spokeswoman, could not be reached for comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1220818
Cambridge mayor calls for Hyatt boycott over summer firings
By Thomas Grillo | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons blasted the Hyatt Regency Hotel Corp. today for laying off 100 housekeeping workers over the summer.
In a letter to Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s chief executive officer, Simmons said the chain has conducted itself “less than honorably” by replacing longtime employees - some with more than 20 years experience - with workers from an independent staffing agency for lower wages and no health-care benefits.
“I cannot force a private company to reinstate displaced workers,” Simmons wrote. “But the mayor’s office is removing the Hyatt from consideration as a venue for city functions.”
Simmons also said she is urging organizations with ties to the city’s government to avoid doing business with the Hyatt and advised Cambridge residents to do the same until the workers have been rehired.
The two-page letter issued to news outlets this morning noted that Simmons is troubled by the fact that the Hyatt has “misled” the public into thinking the hotel has taken steps to reinstate the fired workers
“The only measures the Hyatt is wiling to take is to refer the workers to a temp agency,” she wrote. “This is a far cry from ensuring that these workers obtain stable jobs with health-care benefits.”
Amy Patti, a Hyatt spokeswoman, could not be reached for comment.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1220818
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Scalpers try to make profit on Fenway public skating tickets
Another new low for the scalpers in Boston! They are trying to make a buck off of free tickets to skate at Fenway. I hope that nobody buys them. I waited in the cold for an hour and a half and only got on the waiting list. Adam
Scalpers cloud free skating at Fenway
City protests as rink tickets are hawked at high prices
By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | December 22, 2009
It was supposed to be a dream opportunity. But it wasn’t supposed to cost $1,800.
Scalpers used to hawking game tickets at exorbitant prices are now doing the same with tickets that were supposed to be free for city residents to ice skate at Fenway Park, in what could be the first trip for many to the hallowed field.
Tickets for the extraordinary skating opportunity at Fenway, handed out to city families as part of Boston’s New Year’s celebrations, were going for as much as $1,800 for four on websites such as Craigslist and eBay, outraging city officials and event organizers who want to know the identities of the people conniving against others for a buck.
“These are free tickets that were arranged to be given to City of Boston residents to skate free at Fenway Park, they weren’t meant for people to make money off of,’’ Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino, said yesterday. “It was really the mayor making sure the residents of this city get something back, especially young people who, given this is Fenway, it might be their only chance to be there.’’
The city organized the skating event for two consecutive Sundays, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10. Event organizers were taking advantage of the ice rink set up at the ballpark as part of the 2010 National Hockey League Winter Classic Game on New Year’s Day between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. More than 38,000 fans are expected to head to that special event, and tickets to the game were going for as much as $700 on websites.
The scalpers’ postings for tickets to skate at Fenway are clear and blunt. One went: “I have 12 tickets total, will sell all for $4,000. 4 tickets for just $1,800. Once in a lifetime opportunity! No sob stories please prices are firm. Hard tickets in hand. I was given these tix by menino directly and I will be there to ensure your entire party gets into the park. . . . VIP tickets include a meet and greet with Bruin Old Timers and free hot chocolate and donuts.’’
The identity of the scalper was not known last night. Reached by e-mail, the scalper responded, “Buy 4 and I will give you an interview.’’ The message came from a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry. When told the Globe would not buy the tickets but still wanted an interview, the scalper responded “No Thanks, Pal.’’
Another scalper who left a phone number offered four tickets for $500 for “under the lights at Fenway Park. . . . Good Luck and happy holidays : ) ’’
The scalper, known only as Tom because he would not identify himself, said he is a Boston resident who properly obtained four tickets, but that he later learned that he cannot bring his family members because they do not live in Boston.
He said he decided to sell the tickets to purchase family presents, but later added, “You’re making me think twice about what I’m doing.
“Maybe it’s not such a good idea,’’ he said.
To which Joyce offered, “he should feel bad.’’
Hundreds of residents across the city had tried to get tickets on Saturday, but were turned away because they ran out so quickly. Tim Theriault, 53, of the South End, showed up at the Boston Public Library, only to be told 200 tickets were gone in 15 minutes.
He was disappointed: “Skating in Fenway Park would have been a one-time experience,” he said. But he was more disturbed that someone would take the opportunity to cash in at such exorbitant prices, saying “that’s disgusting.”
“I wish the city could do something, but what can they do,” he said. “That’s just really horrible, really bad.”
Bill Zeoli, a 44-year-old from the South End, waited in line first at the Blackstone School in the South End for close to two hours, then in Chinatown for nearly two hours, and still didn’t get tickets.
But Zeoli, who for years ran a pushcart outside Fenway Park and still goes to Red Sox games regularly, said he recognized some of Fenway’s regular scalpers among the moms and dads waiting in line with their children, and already thought the worst.
“There were absolutely scalpers that I’ve seen for years and years and years,” he said. Zeoli said he doesn’t regret not getting tickets. He went just for the memories of what he called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But he said he feels for the youth hockey players who never got tickets.
“Once again, the profiteers have ruined it for the average working family,” he said. “It’s just a sad commentary for where we are at this time of the year.”
Aside from the hockey game, the city, in partnership with Sun Life Financial, set up the free skating events. On Saturday, 3,000 tickets were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis at community centers throughout the city. Residents had to bring proof of their residency, and a maximum of four tickets were distributed for each family. Tickets were for designated times on either Jan. 3 or Jan. 10.
David Jacobson, spokesman for Sun Life, said yesterday that, “we’re extremely disappointed that some people are choosing to resell the tickets and deprive Boston families of this opportunity. We do not condone these actions and want to stress these tickets should not be offered for sale.’’
Joyce said that residents had to register when they obtained tickets, so organizers will conduct spot checks to make sure people have the right tickets. She said city officials also contacted Craigslist, eBay, and other sites yesterday to complain about the scalpers. (The Craigslist postings were gone late last night.)
Joyce called on scalpers to have a heart. “If you don’t want them, give them to a kid, because there are hundreds of kids who would like to go,’’ Joyce said.
Globe correspondent Michaela Stanelun contributed to this report. Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Scalpers cloud free skating at Fenway
City protests as rink tickets are hawked at high prices
By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | December 22, 2009
It was supposed to be a dream opportunity. But it wasn’t supposed to cost $1,800.
Scalpers used to hawking game tickets at exorbitant prices are now doing the same with tickets that were supposed to be free for city residents to ice skate at Fenway Park, in what could be the first trip for many to the hallowed field.
Tickets for the extraordinary skating opportunity at Fenway, handed out to city families as part of Boston’s New Year’s celebrations, were going for as much as $1,800 for four on websites such as Craigslist and eBay, outraging city officials and event organizers who want to know the identities of the people conniving against others for a buck.
“These are free tickets that were arranged to be given to City of Boston residents to skate free at Fenway Park, they weren’t meant for people to make money off of,’’ Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino, said yesterday. “It was really the mayor making sure the residents of this city get something back, especially young people who, given this is Fenway, it might be their only chance to be there.’’
The city organized the skating event for two consecutive Sundays, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10. Event organizers were taking advantage of the ice rink set up at the ballpark as part of the 2010 National Hockey League Winter Classic Game on New Year’s Day between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. More than 38,000 fans are expected to head to that special event, and tickets to the game were going for as much as $700 on websites.
The scalpers’ postings for tickets to skate at Fenway are clear and blunt. One went: “I have 12 tickets total, will sell all for $4,000. 4 tickets for just $1,800. Once in a lifetime opportunity! No sob stories please prices are firm. Hard tickets in hand. I was given these tix by menino directly and I will be there to ensure your entire party gets into the park. . . . VIP tickets include a meet and greet with Bruin Old Timers and free hot chocolate and donuts.’’
The identity of the scalper was not known last night. Reached by e-mail, the scalper responded, “Buy 4 and I will give you an interview.’’ The message came from a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry. When told the Globe would not buy the tickets but still wanted an interview, the scalper responded “No Thanks, Pal.’’
Another scalper who left a phone number offered four tickets for $500 for “under the lights at Fenway Park. . . . Good Luck and happy holidays : ) ’’
The scalper, known only as Tom because he would not identify himself, said he is a Boston resident who properly obtained four tickets, but that he later learned that he cannot bring his family members because they do not live in Boston.
He said he decided to sell the tickets to purchase family presents, but later added, “You’re making me think twice about what I’m doing.
“Maybe it’s not such a good idea,’’ he said.
To which Joyce offered, “he should feel bad.’’
Hundreds of residents across the city had tried to get tickets on Saturday, but were turned away because they ran out so quickly. Tim Theriault, 53, of the South End, showed up at the Boston Public Library, only to be told 200 tickets were gone in 15 minutes.
He was disappointed: “Skating in Fenway Park would have been a one-time experience,” he said. But he was more disturbed that someone would take the opportunity to cash in at such exorbitant prices, saying “that’s disgusting.”
“I wish the city could do something, but what can they do,” he said. “That’s just really horrible, really bad.”
Bill Zeoli, a 44-year-old from the South End, waited in line first at the Blackstone School in the South End for close to two hours, then in Chinatown for nearly two hours, and still didn’t get tickets.
But Zeoli, who for years ran a pushcart outside Fenway Park and still goes to Red Sox games regularly, said he recognized some of Fenway’s regular scalpers among the moms and dads waiting in line with their children, and already thought the worst.
“There were absolutely scalpers that I’ve seen for years and years and years,” he said. Zeoli said he doesn’t regret not getting tickets. He went just for the memories of what he called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But he said he feels for the youth hockey players who never got tickets.
“Once again, the profiteers have ruined it for the average working family,” he said. “It’s just a sad commentary for where we are at this time of the year.”
Aside from the hockey game, the city, in partnership with Sun Life Financial, set up the free skating events. On Saturday, 3,000 tickets were handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis at community centers throughout the city. Residents had to bring proof of their residency, and a maximum of four tickets were distributed for each family. Tickets were for designated times on either Jan. 3 or Jan. 10.
David Jacobson, spokesman for Sun Life, said yesterday that, “we’re extremely disappointed that some people are choosing to resell the tickets and deprive Boston families of this opportunity. We do not condone these actions and want to stress these tickets should not be offered for sale.’’
Joyce said that residents had to register when they obtained tickets, so organizers will conduct spot checks to make sure people have the right tickets. She said city officials also contacted Craigslist, eBay, and other sites yesterday to complain about the scalpers. (The Craigslist postings were gone late last night.)
Joyce called on scalpers to have a heart. “If you don’t want them, give them to a kid, because there are hundreds of kids who would like to go,’’ Joyce said.
Globe correspondent Michaela Stanelun contributed to this report. Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Fenway bars and restaurants benefit from Winter Classic
I would also add of the benefit to the local hotels nearby the ballpark as well. The buzz is amazing around this event! Adam
Classic a Winter warmer
Fenway bars, eateries hope for hockey fest windfall
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 22, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
For Burtons Grill on Boston’s Boylston Street, the NHL’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park [map] couldn’t come at a better time.
The week after Christmas is usually the restaurant’s quietest time of the year: College students are on break, and many of the people who live in the area are spending time with their families, according to owner and president Kevin Harron.
But Harron says that’ll be different this year, thanks to Burtons’ two-block proximity to the ballpark. He anticipates a boost in business not only from the Jan. 1 Boston Bruins [team stats]-Philadelphia Flyers feature match-up on the outdoor rink, but for the college doubleheader the following week and all of the other Winter Classic events.
Fenway restaurateurs expect that fans will want warm places to retreat to after a few cold hours inside Fenway Park or at the free Fan Fest opposite the park, and that others will congregate in the area to watch the games on TV.
“We already have gotten many, many inquiries for the events on reservations and booked several large parties,” Harron said. “Even this weekend, there were events going on and some people stopped by that typically wouldn’t be in this neighborhood, so that’s a good thing.”
The Lyons Group, which owns Game On!, the Lansdowne Pub and Bleacher Bar surrounding Fenway Park, also is already seeing more customers coming in before and after private skating events on the Fenway ice. And pre- and post-game bookings have been “brisk,” according to owner Patrick Lyons.
“The whole area is electric,” Lyons said. “And I’m sure when the Winter Classic takes place, it will be like a Friday night Yankees homestand. Lansdowne (Street) and Kenmore (Square) will be wall-to-wall in the cold and snow - before, after and during the event.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1220430
Classic a Winter warmer
Fenway bars, eateries hope for hockey fest windfall
By Donna Goodison | Tuesday, December 22, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
For Burtons Grill on Boston’s Boylston Street, the NHL’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park [map] couldn’t come at a better time.
The week after Christmas is usually the restaurant’s quietest time of the year: College students are on break, and many of the people who live in the area are spending time with their families, according to owner and president Kevin Harron.
But Harron says that’ll be different this year, thanks to Burtons’ two-block proximity to the ballpark. He anticipates a boost in business not only from the Jan. 1 Boston Bruins [team stats]-Philadelphia Flyers feature match-up on the outdoor rink, but for the college doubleheader the following week and all of the other Winter Classic events.
Fenway restaurateurs expect that fans will want warm places to retreat to after a few cold hours inside Fenway Park or at the free Fan Fest opposite the park, and that others will congregate in the area to watch the games on TV.
“We already have gotten many, many inquiries for the events on reservations and booked several large parties,” Harron said. “Even this weekend, there were events going on and some people stopped by that typically wouldn’t be in this neighborhood, so that’s a good thing.”
The Lyons Group, which owns Game On!, the Lansdowne Pub and Bleacher Bar surrounding Fenway Park, also is already seeing more customers coming in before and after private skating events on the Fenway ice. And pre- and post-game bookings have been “brisk,” according to owner Patrick Lyons.
“The whole area is electric,” Lyons said. “And I’m sure when the Winter Classic takes place, it will be like a Friday night Yankees homestand. Lansdowne (Street) and Kenmore (Square) will be wall-to-wall in the cold and snow - before, after and during the event.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1220430
Globe editorial on high speed rail stimulus money
I took the Acela from NYC to Boston last weekend and it is truly the best way to travel. It's much more comfortable than the bus, less hassle than driving, and it drops you off in the heart of downtown on both ends, not at an airport several miles away. Any money put into making this line faster would truly be money well spent as it would increase its popularity even more and would also increase economic activity. Adam
The Boston Globe
GLOBE EDITORIAL
Narrow rules are no excuse to withhold rail money
December 21, 2009
THE FEDERAL Railroad Administration says it was just following the law in requiring a major environmental review before Amtrak can seek money for improvements on its Boston-Washington route. The review should be performed as quickly as possible, and, if it can’t be completed in time to qualify for some of the $8 billion in high-speed rail funds in the federal stimulus bill, Congress should change the rules. The Northeast Corridor is, after all, a century-old railbed, and environmental risks stemming from fairly simple improvements aren’t serious enough to jeopardize the best chance in a generation to push American rail policy in the right direction.
This is not just a matter of local interest. The Northeast Corridor is Amtrak’s most popular route by far, and the only one with a clear shot at profitability. The economic and environmental benefits of faster, more frequent connections between Boston, New York, and Washington are vast, and would be felt beyond the Northeast. Hundreds of flights ply the 427-mile route, polluting the skies while taxis, buses, and passenger cars clog the access roads to some of the busiest airports in the country. A more viable rail option would free up airport capacity and provide quicker connections for business travelers, creating new economic opportunities in cities along the entire train route.
Even the incremental track improvements being considered by Amtrak would be a considerable help, shaving a half-hour off the Boston-New York run, making it about three hours, and another half-hour off the New York-Washington run, getting it closer to two hours. A more ambitious rail agenda would open a potentially faster western route from Boston to New York, providing a sharp increase in service to the struggling cities of Worcester, Springfield, and Hartford. With easier travel to New York and Boston, those cities could compete for lucrative back-office jobs in financial services, among other industries.
But all of these improvements will require more advance planning among the various Northeastern states, so they can compete effectively for federal dollars when they become available. This would include finishing the necessary environmental reviews before securing the funds. So far, states have been sluggish about coordinating among themselves, though the New England Governors’ Conference recently commissioned Governor Patrick to take the lead. Clearing the way for faster rail connections should be near the top of his priority list.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
The Boston Globe
GLOBE EDITORIAL
Narrow rules are no excuse to withhold rail money
December 21, 2009
THE FEDERAL Railroad Administration says it was just following the law in requiring a major environmental review before Amtrak can seek money for improvements on its Boston-Washington route. The review should be performed as quickly as possible, and, if it can’t be completed in time to qualify for some of the $8 billion in high-speed rail funds in the federal stimulus bill, Congress should change the rules. The Northeast Corridor is, after all, a century-old railbed, and environmental risks stemming from fairly simple improvements aren’t serious enough to jeopardize the best chance in a generation to push American rail policy in the right direction.
This is not just a matter of local interest. The Northeast Corridor is Amtrak’s most popular route by far, and the only one with a clear shot at profitability. The economic and environmental benefits of faster, more frequent connections between Boston, New York, and Washington are vast, and would be felt beyond the Northeast. Hundreds of flights ply the 427-mile route, polluting the skies while taxis, buses, and passenger cars clog the access roads to some of the busiest airports in the country. A more viable rail option would free up airport capacity and provide quicker connections for business travelers, creating new economic opportunities in cities along the entire train route.
Even the incremental track improvements being considered by Amtrak would be a considerable help, shaving a half-hour off the Boston-New York run, making it about three hours, and another half-hour off the New York-Washington run, getting it closer to two hours. A more ambitious rail agenda would open a potentially faster western route from Boston to New York, providing a sharp increase in service to the struggling cities of Worcester, Springfield, and Hartford. With easier travel to New York and Boston, those cities could compete for lucrative back-office jobs in financial services, among other industries.
But all of these improvements will require more advance planning among the various Northeastern states, so they can compete effectively for federal dollars when they become available. This would include finishing the necessary environmental reviews before securing the funds. So far, states have been sluggish about coordinating among themselves, though the New England Governors’ Conference recently commissioned Governor Patrick to take the lead. Clearing the way for faster rail connections should be near the top of his priority list.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center expansion op-ed
Check out this very interesting opinion piece from Saturday's Boston Herald about the proposed expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition center which was co-written by Mayor Menino and James Rooney, head of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. I think they make some very valid points about why an expansion of the center is needed. It's refreshing to see their leadership on the Top 5 initiative intended to make Boston one of the top five convention markets in the United States. Of particular interest is the paragraph towards the end that is in bold where they call for a strengthening of the hospitality industry in our city. Adam
For a more inviting Hub
By Thomas M. Menino and James E. Rooney / As You Were Saying . . . | Saturday, December 19, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Op-Ed
Over the last year, Boston lost the opportunity to host 72 future events because we lacked enough exhibit space, facilities and hotel rooms. This cost the region in tax revenue and economic impact.
Boston has become a leading destination for meetings and conventions. Using conservative numbers, meetings and conventions held here have generated an impressive $2.4 billion in economic impact for the region.
But the convention industry is changing and Boston must renew its commitment to being a major destination if we want to compete with other cities.
Top 5, a long-term strategic initiative, was launched to make Massachusetts and Boston more competitive in the convention industry for the purpose of increasing the amount of economic impact, inspiring more economic development and creating more jobs.
We will mark our success when Boston is ranked among the top five convention destinations in North America by the industry.
Top 5 is built on our success as a premier convention destination. Since its opening, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) has welcomed nearly 2 million people and, together with the Hynes Convention Center, generated $1 billion in economic impact in just the past two years.
But we’re seeing some limitations. Over the last year, Boston lost the opportunity to host 72 future events because we lacked enough exhibit space, facilities and hotel rooms. This cost the region $336 million in potential future economic impact and $21 million in tax revenue.
To effectively compete for conventions and meetings over the long term, we must consider some bold steps.
First, the BCEC needs to expand. Important shows that bring the world to Boston and generate huge amounts of economic impact like BIO International will not put us in their permanent rotation unless the BCEC offers more space.
A second ballroom and a fixed-seat auditorium, which are expected of top destinations, should be part of this expansion. Our vision, based on a master plan commissioned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is to create a campus-like setting that will contribute to the development of the Waterfront district, not overwhelm the South Boston community, and provide vital pedestrian friendly links to and across neighborhoods.
More hotel rooms are needed. Competitor cities have thousands more hotel rooms within walking distance of their convention facilities, while shows looking to come to Boston must bus their attendees to rooms spread across the city.
To maintain our status as the leading North American destination for international meetings, we must also explore how we can reinvigorate and strengthen the hospitality culture in Boston. We will strive to make our destination more inviting to the world while making the hospitality industry a stronger source of good jobs.
To guide the ongoing dialogue driving Top 5, we are forming the Convention Partnership, a group composed of key stakeholders representing the state, the city and the business community. Their dialogue will be open and transparent and will determine how, or even if, we proceed.
The time to act is now.
We can do nothing for the next few years and enjoy some short-term success, but that is not a viable long-term growth strategy.
Through Top 5, we must defy conventional thinking and take the first steps today that will make our city a leader far into the future.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=121986
For a more inviting Hub
By Thomas M. Menino and James E. Rooney / As You Were Saying . . . | Saturday, December 19, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Op-Ed
Over the last year, Boston lost the opportunity to host 72 future events because we lacked enough exhibit space, facilities and hotel rooms. This cost the region in tax revenue and economic impact.
Boston has become a leading destination for meetings and conventions. Using conservative numbers, meetings and conventions held here have generated an impressive $2.4 billion in economic impact for the region.
But the convention industry is changing and Boston must renew its commitment to being a major destination if we want to compete with other cities.
Top 5, a long-term strategic initiative, was launched to make Massachusetts and Boston more competitive in the convention industry for the purpose of increasing the amount of economic impact, inspiring more economic development and creating more jobs.
We will mark our success when Boston is ranked among the top five convention destinations in North America by the industry.
Top 5 is built on our success as a premier convention destination. Since its opening, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) has welcomed nearly 2 million people and, together with the Hynes Convention Center, generated $1 billion in economic impact in just the past two years.
But we’re seeing some limitations. Over the last year, Boston lost the opportunity to host 72 future events because we lacked enough exhibit space, facilities and hotel rooms. This cost the region $336 million in potential future economic impact and $21 million in tax revenue.
To effectively compete for conventions and meetings over the long term, we must consider some bold steps.
First, the BCEC needs to expand. Important shows that bring the world to Boston and generate huge amounts of economic impact like BIO International will not put us in their permanent rotation unless the BCEC offers more space.
A second ballroom and a fixed-seat auditorium, which are expected of top destinations, should be part of this expansion. Our vision, based on a master plan commissioned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is to create a campus-like setting that will contribute to the development of the Waterfront district, not overwhelm the South Boston community, and provide vital pedestrian friendly links to and across neighborhoods.
More hotel rooms are needed. Competitor cities have thousands more hotel rooms within walking distance of their convention facilities, while shows looking to come to Boston must bus their attendees to rooms spread across the city.
To maintain our status as the leading North American destination for international meetings, we must also explore how we can reinvigorate and strengthen the hospitality culture in Boston. We will strive to make our destination more inviting to the world while making the hospitality industry a stronger source of good jobs.
To guide the ongoing dialogue driving Top 5, we are forming the Convention Partnership, a group composed of key stakeholders representing the state, the city and the business community. Their dialogue will be open and transparent and will determine how, or even if, we proceed.
The time to act is now.
We can do nothing for the next few years and enjoy some short-term success, but that is not a viable long-term growth strategy.
Through Top 5, we must defy conventional thinking and take the first steps today that will make our city a leader far into the future.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=121986
Saturday, December 19, 2009
"Nutcracker" popularity leads to rise in ticket scalping
Maybe next year the Boston Pops will be being scalped as well! The ticket brokers are not making as much on the sports teams this year and are being forced to expand their offerings. My advice is to always check at the box office first before going through any ticket broker, especially for arts events. It's much better that the money goes to the nonprofit arts group before the for profit ticket broker. Adam
‘Nutcracker’ boom means crunch time for patrons
Rampant ticket scalping has fans angry, confused
By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | December 19, 2009
On a recent weekday, a man standing outside the Boston Opera House offered a woman leaving the hall $25 if she would go back in and buy him some tickets to “The Nutcracker.’’ Boston Ballet wouldn’t sell him any, he told her. That’s because it suspected he was a ticket broker.
The woman, a staffer at the Ballet, declined and told her manager, who just shrugged. It was simply the latest attempt by scalpers looking to capitalize on the rousing popularity of the company’s signature production.
Boston Ballet has seen a boom in “Nutcracker’’ sales this season. It has sold 64,821 tickets so far for the production, which runs through Dec. 27. That’s 10,000 more than last year at this time. The company has grossed $4.7 million in “Nutcracker’’ sales, $1 million ahead of last year’s pace. At this rate, it will be the company’s highest-grossing “Nutcracker’’ in five years - a hit that Boston Ballet chalks up in part to its new website and branding campaign, as well as targeted advertising.
But success has come at a cost. Online ticket brokers have been snapping up Opera House seats, leaving patrons with little choice but to pay as much as three times face value for a ticket.
Boston Ballet sells “Nutcracker’’ tickets for $35 to $175. But a survey of half a dozen web brokerages yesterday showed some tickets selling for as much as $374, more than twice face value. And dance lovers looking for the least expensive tickets are often out of luck. For many shows, such seats are no longer available through Boston Ballet. They can only be found at inflated prices through brokers.
“The entry-level ticket price allows the kind of accessibility that we want people in this community to have,’’ said marketing director Leslie Cargill. “If those tickets are being scooped up by others who are re-pricing them at double, triple, quadruple the price, we’re losing that.’’
Ticket scalping is much more common for sporting events and big pop-music concerts. But the practice has caught Boston Ballet off guard, in part because this is the first year the company has run its own box office. In the past, ticket sales have been handled by Telecharge.
Boston Ballet’s box-office workers have had to become investigators as they work to cut off brokers. They can turn down sales for any reason, and they have a rule restricting anyone from buying more than 40 tickets during the “Nutcracker’’ run. Still, that didn’t stop a woman from approaching the box office under a fake last name, Doe. A worker recognized her from a previous bulk sale and refused her tickets.
One man pleaded by phone for a chance to buy more tickets, which he said he planned to donate to the military. Doing a Google search, a Boston Ballet staffer discovered he was based in Nebraska and runs a Web ticket brokerage.
The online scalping has left some dance patrons angry and confused.
“I think of ticket scalpers as the guys standing outside selling their tickets,’’ said Lisa Schmidt, a preschool teacher from Ludlow, Vt., who said she was cheated by a website that promised her five tickets for $575 but never produced them. As of this week, she was still waiting for her refund.
“I had a 4-year-old I wanted to have a great experience, and I didn’t know this could happen,’’ said Schmidt.
Massachusetts has an anti-scalping law, which prohibits the resale of tickets for more than $2 above face value. But it goes virtually unenforced, said Terrel Harris, communications director for the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which licenses ticket resellers under the law. For one thing, online brokers are allowed to include the cost of acquiring seats in their prices.
“We don’t know what the holder of that ticket who is selling it went through or paid to get it,’’ said Harris. “We don’t know what kinds of fees may have been imposed. So it’s really tough. It’s not as simple as you think it is.’’
His advice: “It just may be best to go to the ticket window at the venue.’’
That’s exactly what some scalpers have been doing.
“There are certainly clues,’’ said Lisa McCullough, audience services director for Boston Ballet. “Somebody comes up with a wad of cash looking for 16 seats for a Saturday. Of course, we don’t want to insult somebody who wants to bring 16 members of their family and happens to want to pay in cash.’’
Boston Ballet has also tried to help people who, without realizing it, bought tickets from brokers when they thought they were buying them from the company.
Bethany Gerry, a Maine woman who wanted to buy tickets as a holiday gift, was particularly concerned that the seats be good enough so a 9-year-old could see the stage. Gerry said she looked for seats on Boston Ballet’s website and found some for $110, but, during her research, mistakenly clicked out of the company’s site. She bought two $110 tickets. When they arrived, they had a face value of $35 each.
Gerry was upset and called Boston Ballet. That’s how she discovered she had, in fact, purchased the tickets from FanTickets in Greenville, R.I. In the end, Gerry bought two more tickets from Boston Ballet at face value.
“What I learned from it is . . . be cautious of the jump sites that are out there. I think they’re predatory.’’
Ticket brokers say they’re not doing anything wrong, and often just acting as a conduit for people selling tickets and people looking to buy them.
“We’re a tax-paying business . . . doing everything we’re supposed to do,’’ said Russ Junier, the owner of FanTickets. “I don’t know what else I can do but stop taking orders for this event when I realize many of the people buying tickets don’t know what they’re doing. We have no interest in doing deals with people who aren’t going to be happy when they’re done.’’
As for “The Nutcracker,’’ Junier said he has never seen this volume of sales. “The ballet must be doing a spectacular job.’’
Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
‘Nutcracker’ boom means crunch time for patrons
Rampant ticket scalping has fans angry, confused
By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | December 19, 2009
On a recent weekday, a man standing outside the Boston Opera House offered a woman leaving the hall $25 if she would go back in and buy him some tickets to “The Nutcracker.’’ Boston Ballet wouldn’t sell him any, he told her. That’s because it suspected he was a ticket broker.
The woman, a staffer at the Ballet, declined and told her manager, who just shrugged. It was simply the latest attempt by scalpers looking to capitalize on the rousing popularity of the company’s signature production.
Boston Ballet has seen a boom in “Nutcracker’’ sales this season. It has sold 64,821 tickets so far for the production, which runs through Dec. 27. That’s 10,000 more than last year at this time. The company has grossed $4.7 million in “Nutcracker’’ sales, $1 million ahead of last year’s pace. At this rate, it will be the company’s highest-grossing “Nutcracker’’ in five years - a hit that Boston Ballet chalks up in part to its new website and branding campaign, as well as targeted advertising.
But success has come at a cost. Online ticket brokers have been snapping up Opera House seats, leaving patrons with little choice but to pay as much as three times face value for a ticket.
Boston Ballet sells “Nutcracker’’ tickets for $35 to $175. But a survey of half a dozen web brokerages yesterday showed some tickets selling for as much as $374, more than twice face value. And dance lovers looking for the least expensive tickets are often out of luck. For many shows, such seats are no longer available through Boston Ballet. They can only be found at inflated prices through brokers.
“The entry-level ticket price allows the kind of accessibility that we want people in this community to have,’’ said marketing director Leslie Cargill. “If those tickets are being scooped up by others who are re-pricing them at double, triple, quadruple the price, we’re losing that.’’
Ticket scalping is much more common for sporting events and big pop-music concerts. But the practice has caught Boston Ballet off guard, in part because this is the first year the company has run its own box office. In the past, ticket sales have been handled by Telecharge.
Boston Ballet’s box-office workers have had to become investigators as they work to cut off brokers. They can turn down sales for any reason, and they have a rule restricting anyone from buying more than 40 tickets during the “Nutcracker’’ run. Still, that didn’t stop a woman from approaching the box office under a fake last name, Doe. A worker recognized her from a previous bulk sale and refused her tickets.
One man pleaded by phone for a chance to buy more tickets, which he said he planned to donate to the military. Doing a Google search, a Boston Ballet staffer discovered he was based in Nebraska and runs a Web ticket brokerage.
The online scalping has left some dance patrons angry and confused.
“I think of ticket scalpers as the guys standing outside selling their tickets,’’ said Lisa Schmidt, a preschool teacher from Ludlow, Vt., who said she was cheated by a website that promised her five tickets for $575 but never produced them. As of this week, she was still waiting for her refund.
“I had a 4-year-old I wanted to have a great experience, and I didn’t know this could happen,’’ said Schmidt.
Massachusetts has an anti-scalping law, which prohibits the resale of tickets for more than $2 above face value. But it goes virtually unenforced, said Terrel Harris, communications director for the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which licenses ticket resellers under the law. For one thing, online brokers are allowed to include the cost of acquiring seats in their prices.
“We don’t know what the holder of that ticket who is selling it went through or paid to get it,’’ said Harris. “We don’t know what kinds of fees may have been imposed. So it’s really tough. It’s not as simple as you think it is.’’
His advice: “It just may be best to go to the ticket window at the venue.’’
That’s exactly what some scalpers have been doing.
“There are certainly clues,’’ said Lisa McCullough, audience services director for Boston Ballet. “Somebody comes up with a wad of cash looking for 16 seats for a Saturday. Of course, we don’t want to insult somebody who wants to bring 16 members of their family and happens to want to pay in cash.’’
Boston Ballet has also tried to help people who, without realizing it, bought tickets from brokers when they thought they were buying them from the company.
Bethany Gerry, a Maine woman who wanted to buy tickets as a holiday gift, was particularly concerned that the seats be good enough so a 9-year-old could see the stage. Gerry said she looked for seats on Boston Ballet’s website and found some for $110, but, during her research, mistakenly clicked out of the company’s site. She bought two $110 tickets. When they arrived, they had a face value of $35 each.
Gerry was upset and called Boston Ballet. That’s how she discovered she had, in fact, purchased the tickets from FanTickets in Greenville, R.I. In the end, Gerry bought two more tickets from Boston Ballet at face value.
“What I learned from it is . . . be cautious of the jump sites that are out there. I think they’re predatory.’’
Ticket brokers say they’re not doing anything wrong, and often just acting as a conduit for people selling tickets and people looking to buy them.
“We’re a tax-paying business . . . doing everything we’re supposed to do,’’ said Russ Junier, the owner of FanTickets. “I don’t know what else I can do but stop taking orders for this event when I realize many of the people buying tickets don’t know what they’re doing. We have no interest in doing deals with people who aren’t going to be happy when they’re done.’’
As for “The Nutcracker,’’ Junier said he has never seen this volume of sales. “The ballet must be doing a spectacular job.’’
Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Friday, December 18, 2009
Logan Airport passenger numbers on the rise
At Logan, things are looking up
Fierce competition lowers fares, shields airport from industry woes
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | December 18, 2009
More people are taking to the skies above Boston, despite the sinking fortunes of the air travel industry, thanks largely to increased competition and four carriers that started flying out of Logan International Airport this year.
The turnaround at Logan started in July, after passenger numbers fell in all but one of the previous 20 months. Traffic crept up 0.2 percent over the previous July; by November, it had risen 7.3 percent over 2008 levels.
But across the country, traffic continues to fall, and the airline industry is projected to lose upward of $5 billion this year. Nationwide, air travel has decreased by an average of 6.8 percent since February, according to the Air Transport Association, a trade group.
At Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire, traffic slid 15.6 percent in October from the same month last year, according to the most recent figures. T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island reported a 9.3 percent drop in November.
The uptick at Logan is largely attributed to the four airlines that launched service from Boston this year - Virgin America, Sun Country Airlines, Porter Airlines, and, in particular, Southwest Airlines - ratcheting up the competition and driving down fares.
Incumbent airlines, including JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, and United Airlines, responded by adding flights and destinations and bringing in larger planes. About 800 more domestic flights took off from Logan last month than in November 2008.
Southwest is credited with attracting new passengers, including some who avoided Logan during the traffic-choked pre-Big Dig era, instead flying out of Manchester and T.F. Green.
“They generate a new type of traveler,’’ said Edward Freni, director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan.
The “Southwest effect,’’ as it’s called in the industry, often generates fare wars. JetBlue and AirTran Airways quickly jumped into the fray at Logan; all three low-cost carriers now offer one-way tickets to Baltimore for $39 and to Chicago for $79.
Last December, the least expensive average ticket was virtually the same price at Logan, T. F. Green, and Manchester, with the cost a few dollars higher at Logan, according to FareCompare.com. This December, the cheapest average ticket at Logan is $80 cheaper than at T.F. Green, and $69 cheaper than at Manchester.
Lower costs are making Logan a more attractive option. Christopher Pike, an economist at IHS Global Insight’s Philadelphia office, said before Southwest started flying out of Logan in August, he would fly to Manchester to get to company headquarters in Lexington. “Logan had priced itself out of a certain sector of the market,’’ he said.
The national air travel market, which depends on discretionary spending, is still hurting, even as other segments of the economy appear to be inching toward recovery.
Business travel was one of the first expenses to be slashed or eliminated as companies dealt with the recession. Now, business flights are more likely to be booked in lower-priced coach sections instead of in first class. Persistently high unemployment has also prompted a lot of out-of-work or nervous employees to take shorter, cheaper vacations.
“The travel industry is like Blanche DuBois,’’ said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst at Forrester Research. “It’s dependent on the kindness of strangers.’’
Boston’s travel market is also bolstered by the strength of the local technology and education sectors, he said.
And though Logan’s passenger numbers have been on an upswing, they look good partly because last year was so bad: Traffic fell 16 percent in November 2008 from November 2007.
Logan officials expect to finish the year with about the same level of traffic as in 2008, and the outlook is brighter for 2010. But airlines still have a lot of ground to regain, and local officials are cautious about declaring an end to difficult times.
“There is a huge blinking red-and-yellow light saying, ‘Do not take these numbers to the bank,’ ’’ said Patrick Moscaritolo of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, “because we are not out of this economic tailspin.’’
Katie Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Fierce competition lowers fares, shields airport from industry woes
By Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff | December 18, 2009
More people are taking to the skies above Boston, despite the sinking fortunes of the air travel industry, thanks largely to increased competition and four carriers that started flying out of Logan International Airport this year.
The turnaround at Logan started in July, after passenger numbers fell in all but one of the previous 20 months. Traffic crept up 0.2 percent over the previous July; by November, it had risen 7.3 percent over 2008 levels.
But across the country, traffic continues to fall, and the airline industry is projected to lose upward of $5 billion this year. Nationwide, air travel has decreased by an average of 6.8 percent since February, according to the Air Transport Association, a trade group.
At Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire, traffic slid 15.6 percent in October from the same month last year, according to the most recent figures. T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island reported a 9.3 percent drop in November.
The uptick at Logan is largely attributed to the four airlines that launched service from Boston this year - Virgin America, Sun Country Airlines, Porter Airlines, and, in particular, Southwest Airlines - ratcheting up the competition and driving down fares.
Incumbent airlines, including JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, and United Airlines, responded by adding flights and destinations and bringing in larger planes. About 800 more domestic flights took off from Logan last month than in November 2008.
Southwest is credited with attracting new passengers, including some who avoided Logan during the traffic-choked pre-Big Dig era, instead flying out of Manchester and T.F. Green.
“They generate a new type of traveler,’’ said Edward Freni, director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan.
The “Southwest effect,’’ as it’s called in the industry, often generates fare wars. JetBlue and AirTran Airways quickly jumped into the fray at Logan; all three low-cost carriers now offer one-way tickets to Baltimore for $39 and to Chicago for $79.
Last December, the least expensive average ticket was virtually the same price at Logan, T. F. Green, and Manchester, with the cost a few dollars higher at Logan, according to FareCompare.com. This December, the cheapest average ticket at Logan is $80 cheaper than at T.F. Green, and $69 cheaper than at Manchester.
Lower costs are making Logan a more attractive option. Christopher Pike, an economist at IHS Global Insight’s Philadelphia office, said before Southwest started flying out of Logan in August, he would fly to Manchester to get to company headquarters in Lexington. “Logan had priced itself out of a certain sector of the market,’’ he said.
The national air travel market, which depends on discretionary spending, is still hurting, even as other segments of the economy appear to be inching toward recovery.
Business travel was one of the first expenses to be slashed or eliminated as companies dealt with the recession. Now, business flights are more likely to be booked in lower-priced coach sections instead of in first class. Persistently high unemployment has also prompted a lot of out-of-work or nervous employees to take shorter, cheaper vacations.
“The travel industry is like Blanche DuBois,’’ said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst at Forrester Research. “It’s dependent on the kindness of strangers.’’
Boston’s travel market is also bolstered by the strength of the local technology and education sectors, he said.
And though Logan’s passenger numbers have been on an upswing, they look good partly because last year was so bad: Traffic fell 16 percent in November 2008 from November 2007.
Logan officials expect to finish the year with about the same level of traffic as in 2008, and the outlook is brighter for 2010. But airlines still have a lot of ground to regain, and local officials are cautious about declaring an end to difficult times.
“There is a huge blinking red-and-yellow light saying, ‘Do not take these numbers to the bank,’ ’’ said Patrick Moscaritolo of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, “because we are not out of this economic tailspin.’’
Katie Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
City to give away tickets for Fenway Park skating
This a nice bonus to those who live in the city. I hope that if there is a big demand that there will be a second round of skating sessions announced. It's not like the ice is going to melt anytime soon in January. -Adam
City to give 3,000 tickets away for Fenway Park skating
December 18, 2009 04:05 PM
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
An odd juxtaposition -- some of the greatest names in Bruins history stood on the rink set up at the storied home of the Red Sox. The First Skate event today featured Bruins legends and youth hockey players from Somerville.
By Globe Staff
Love the Red Sox and love to skate? Now's your chance.
The city of Boston is offering 3,000 tickets Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis to people who would like to skate on an ice rink set up inside the Red Sox's hallowed Fenway Park on two Sundays at the beginning of the year.
The tickets will be given away at the Boston Public Library and at 15 other locations around the city.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino arranged for the ice time on Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 as part of the inaugural celebrations for his fifth term in office. The rink was being set up at the ballpark anyway because the Bruins are planning to play a hockey game there -- the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic -- on Jan. 1 and a Bruins legends game is slated for Jan. 2.
Click here for locations and rules for getting the tickets.
City to give 3,000 tickets away for Fenway Park skating
December 18, 2009 04:05 PM
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
An odd juxtaposition -- some of the greatest names in Bruins history stood on the rink set up at the storied home of the Red Sox. The First Skate event today featured Bruins legends and youth hockey players from Somerville.
By Globe Staff
Love the Red Sox and love to skate? Now's your chance.
The city of Boston is offering 3,000 tickets Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis to people who would like to skate on an ice rink set up inside the Red Sox's hallowed Fenway Park on two Sundays at the beginning of the year.
The tickets will be given away at the Boston Public Library and at 15 other locations around the city.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino arranged for the ice time on Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 as part of the inaugural celebrations for his fifth term in office. The rink was being set up at the ballpark anyway because the Bruins are planning to play a hockey game there -- the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic -- on Jan. 1 and a Bruins legends game is slated for Jan. 2.
Click here for locations and rules for getting the tickets.
The Cat ferry ends service between Maine and Nova Scotia
Now it is no longer just a train ride from Boston to Portland and a high speed ferry to Nova Scotia. I hope a way is found to restore this service. -Adam
High-speed ferry ends service from Maine to Canada
By Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Writer | December 18, 2009
PORTLAND, Maine --A high-speed ferry that has run between Maine and Nova Scotia for more than a decade is discontinuing service because the operation is no longer financially viable.
Bay Ferries Ltd. announced Friday that it is ending the seasonal service after being told by Nova Scotia officials this week that government support would not be available for the 2010 season.
CEO Mark MacDonald says the company has been hurting from the weak economy, a strong Canadian dollar and new U.S. passport rules. Passenger counts this year were down 10 percent from 2008.
Bay Ferries operated The Cat from Bar Harbor and Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The ferry operated seasonally from late May to October, coinciding with Maine's tourist season.
The 320-foot catamaran can travel at speeds up to 40 knots.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
High-speed ferry ends service from Maine to Canada
By Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Writer | December 18, 2009
PORTLAND, Maine --A high-speed ferry that has run between Maine and Nova Scotia for more than a decade is discontinuing service because the operation is no longer financially viable.
Bay Ferries Ltd. announced Friday that it is ending the seasonal service after being told by Nova Scotia officials this week that government support would not be available for the 2010 season.
CEO Mark MacDonald says the company has been hurting from the weak economy, a strong Canadian dollar and new U.S. passport rules. Passenger counts this year were down 10 percent from 2008.
Bay Ferries operated The Cat from Bar Harbor and Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The ferry operated seasonally from late May to October, coinciding with Maine's tourist season.
The 320-foot catamaran can travel at speeds up to 40 knots.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Liberty Hotel names new general manager
This is well deserved. Congratulations Rachel! - Adam
Hotel Interactive
Rachel Moniz Named GM Of The Liberty Hotel
Thursday, December 17, 2009
MTM Luxury Lodging and Boston’s acclaimed Liberty Hotel announce the appointment of Rachel Moniz as general manager of the Beacon Hill hotel. For the past year, Moniz has served as the hotel manager, overseeing operations of the hotel, including rooms, food & beverage, property operations and special events. In her new role as general manager, Moniz’s duties will also include owner relations, developing the hotel’s strategic direction, and project management.
Before joining The Liberty, Moniz worked at the Sheraton Boston, the St. Regis in Aspen, the W San Diego as director of operations, and she opened the Ivy Hotel as hotel manager. During her three-year tenure as hotel manager at the Ivy, Moniz built the infrastructure of the hotel’s operations team and managed day-to-day hotel business and guest relations.
“I have had such a wonderful experience working with The Liberty Hotel team and getting to know the Beacon Hill community over the past year,” said Moniz. “I’m thrilled to be leading the team at The Liberty and look forward to furthering the hotel’s reputation as one of Boston’s finest.”
“Rachel has played an integral role in the success of The Liberty. She is a consummate professional, skilled in all aspects of the business,” said Jim Treadway, chief executive officer of MTM Luxury Lodging. “Rachel has been with MTM for almost five years and she continues to impress me with her innovative ideas and dedication to excellence.”
“We’re delighted to have Rachel be promoted from manager to general manager,” said Richard Friedman, the hotel’s developer/owner. “She’s done a fabulous job in the year she’s been at the Liberty.”
About The Liberty Hotel
Located in the heart of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, The Liberty Hotel is near the world’s best medical complex, posh shopping boutiques along quaint Charles Street, the City’s financial district and technology centers in Cambridge. The property, which offers sweeping views of the Charles River, is the imaginative adaptation of the storied Charles Street Jail into a 300-room luxury hotel with three distinct dining venues and 6,000 square feet of meeting space. A National Historic Landmark and architectural gem built in 1851, the hotel incorporates its history, exceptional service and the latest in modern technology to create an unrivaled guest experience.
The Liberty Hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, www.lhw.com. For reservations and more information, call (617) 224-4000 or (866) 507-5245, or log on at www.libertyhotel.com.
People
Hotel Interactive
Rachel Moniz Named GM Of The Liberty Hotel
Thursday, December 17, 2009
MTM Luxury Lodging and Boston’s acclaimed Liberty Hotel announce the appointment of Rachel Moniz as general manager of the Beacon Hill hotel. For the past year, Moniz has served as the hotel manager, overseeing operations of the hotel, including rooms, food & beverage, property operations and special events. In her new role as general manager, Moniz’s duties will also include owner relations, developing the hotel’s strategic direction, and project management.
Before joining The Liberty, Moniz worked at the Sheraton Boston, the St. Regis in Aspen, the W San Diego as director of operations, and she opened the Ivy Hotel as hotel manager. During her three-year tenure as hotel manager at the Ivy, Moniz built the infrastructure of the hotel’s operations team and managed day-to-day hotel business and guest relations.
“I have had such a wonderful experience working with The Liberty Hotel team and getting to know the Beacon Hill community over the past year,” said Moniz. “I’m thrilled to be leading the team at The Liberty and look forward to furthering the hotel’s reputation as one of Boston’s finest.”
“Rachel has played an integral role in the success of The Liberty. She is a consummate professional, skilled in all aspects of the business,” said Jim Treadway, chief executive officer of MTM Luxury Lodging. “Rachel has been with MTM for almost five years and she continues to impress me with her innovative ideas and dedication to excellence.”
“We’re delighted to have Rachel be promoted from manager to general manager,” said Richard Friedman, the hotel’s developer/owner. “She’s done a fabulous job in the year she’s been at the Liberty.”
About The Liberty Hotel
Located in the heart of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, The Liberty Hotel is near the world’s best medical complex, posh shopping boutiques along quaint Charles Street, the City’s financial district and technology centers in Cambridge. The property, which offers sweeping views of the Charles River, is the imaginative adaptation of the storied Charles Street Jail into a 300-room luxury hotel with three distinct dining venues and 6,000 square feet of meeting space. A National Historic Landmark and architectural gem built in 1851, the hotel incorporates its history, exceptional service and the latest in modern technology to create an unrivaled guest experience.
The Liberty Hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, www.lhw.com. For reservations and more information, call (617) 224-4000 or (866) 507-5245, or log on at www.libertyhotel.com.
People
Thursday, December 17, 2009
City Table review
I've had the tacos mentioned below and they were not bad. I agree with Devra that I would give this place a second chance but I don't know if I would become a regular. Enjoy. Adam
DINING OUT
Taking a neighborly approach
By Devra First, Globe Staff | December 16, 2009
Once business travelers roamed the earth. They were an omnivorous species, and quite thirsty as well. Hotels were their habitat, and they ate and drank in proximity to where they slept. Large packs roved from conference to conference, meeting to meeting, a common sight. No more. These creatures have gone into hiding, scared off by a changing economic climate. One day they may roam the earth again.
Until then, a smart hotel restaurant might contemplate an image shift in the interest of biodiversity. Say, from the cool and aloof-sounding Azure to the more welcoming City Table, with the tagline “a neighborhood eatery.’’ That’s what the Lenox Hotel did in October, a change that makes sense in all ways; the restaurant is now a matching set with the Lenox’s City Bar. City Table is being spun as relaxed and easygoing, with food that’s perfect for sharing. The message is clear: This is so not a hotel restaurant. The Lenox isn’t even mentioned on City Table’s current website.
The makeover is mostly skin deep, if that. The menu structure is similar to Azure’s, featuring some of the same dishes. Chef Dennis Wilson remains. The room looks familiar, still outfitted with a blue wall at the back and light fixtures sporting clusters of amber glass spheres. If that’s all it takes to draw a new audience, this is just exactly as deep as it needs to be.
But unlike peripatetic hotel guests, neighborhood residents don’t go away. They’re a finite resource, not a renewable one. Restaurants have to work a little harder to get them to return. So when it comes to City Table’s food, change could go a little deeper.
There is some satisfying finger food here - roll-your-own steak tacos, for example. The plate offers tortillas, slices of hanger steak, fresh salsa, and guacamole with good avocado and cilantro flavor. It is indeed perfect for sharing, just the right thing to split with a friend over a beer after work.
Fondue always feels like a party, and at City Table it comes in a vintage-looking pot with forks all around. Unfortunately, the sauce is watery, only weakly flavored with cheddar. (The macaroni and cheese available here as a side suffers from the same problem.) For dipping, you get croutons, potatoes, apples, and pork belly. The potatoes are tender, great vehicles for a (more assertive, please) cheese sauce. The apples are beginning to brown but are still crunchy. Bread would be better than the overly crisp croutons, but they’re not bad. The pork belly, unfortunately, is cooked to toughness and not hot. But still, it’s fondue. Always a party.
A burger made from grass-fed beef and topped with Tillamook cheddar is a good neighborhood burger - not one to travel for, but one to enjoy when you’re in the area. Ditto a Cubano - the cheese and pickles get lost in the mix, but this tastes like a very nice ham sandwich. Fries with both sandwiches are too greasy and come strangely clumped together.
Skewers of shrimp have good grilled flavor, and the chimichurri sauce they come with adds a bright note; the plantain chips on the side are greasy, but they work as a vehicle for the green sauce. Chicken drumettes in a dark brown glaze (apparently rum-flavored, though it doesn’t taste very rummy) come with a flavorless, creamy dip (apparently lime-flavored, though it doesn’t taste very limey). They’re unremarkable but decent bar food. Ditto the soggy duck confit spring rolls. Why aren’t these crisp on the outside?
There’s also some satisfying non-finger food. “Really good lobster soup’’ actually lives up to its billing. It’s not mud-thick like some bisques, which is pleasing, but it is creamy - if you froze and churned it, it would make ice cream. It’s tinged with nutmeg and has a good, strong lobster flavor. Oddly, there’s a miniature croissant floating in the middle; I’d trade it for a few more bites of lobster meat in the mix.
An entree of roast duck features tender slices of meat, delicately spiced, and served with cherry sauce and roasted carrots. Herb risotto on the side is a bit gummy, but overall it’s a nice dish.
So are fresh pappardelle served with tender pieces of braised short rib, available in half- or full-size portions. The half is ample, and a nice supper with a glass of red; you’ll find a mix of bottles here, with about half in the pinot-merlot-cabernet family, and the other half less commonly ordered varietals. (The list of white wines follows suit with sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Cocktails tend to be sweet, unless they’re sour; a sidecar one night tasted mostly like lemon juice.)
A chicken sandwich pretends it’s finger food, but don’t be fooled. It comes with corn bread too thick and unwieldy to actually pick up. It looks like Shinola on a shingle, but it tastes great - fried chicken with sausage gravy and tasty sweet potato fries. You can ignore the bread.
Seared tuna is nicely cooked but blandly flavored - a spicy crust and some salt would help it out. All the taste seems to have gone into the zingy Asian noodles and seaweed salad that come on the side. Overcooked scallops are served in a ring, like a flower, with a pile of hearty grains in the center and grapefruit segments on top. The plate is further decorated with carrots and zucchini carved into little spheres. It looks a little silly, like an amateur’s attempt at fancy plating.
For dessert, a milk chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter sauce tastes prefabricated; apple pear crumble is so floral it tastes like soap. Banana cream pie is better, particularly once it warms to room temperature. The filling tastes just like Chunky Monkey ice cream, with graham cracker crust underneath and meringue on top.
City Table’s service is more consistent than its food: Our server points out the included gratuity for our large party, asks us whether we liked our untouched salad (with abominably sweet maple vinaigrette), and takes it off the bill when we say we did not. (Lots of people dislike that dressing, she tells us. One wonders why they don’t switch it out.) All of these things should happen at every restaurant, but they don’t always.
City Table has the right idea with its makeover. Back Bay is in need of neighborhood restaurants, particularly ones that serve food late. Right now City Table is good enough to lure you into a second visit. That may not be enough to make you a regular.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
DINING OUT
Taking a neighborly approach
By Devra First, Globe Staff | December 16, 2009
Once business travelers roamed the earth. They were an omnivorous species, and quite thirsty as well. Hotels were their habitat, and they ate and drank in proximity to where they slept. Large packs roved from conference to conference, meeting to meeting, a common sight. No more. These creatures have gone into hiding, scared off by a changing economic climate. One day they may roam the earth again.
Until then, a smart hotel restaurant might contemplate an image shift in the interest of biodiversity. Say, from the cool and aloof-sounding Azure to the more welcoming City Table, with the tagline “a neighborhood eatery.’’ That’s what the Lenox Hotel did in October, a change that makes sense in all ways; the restaurant is now a matching set with the Lenox’s City Bar. City Table is being spun as relaxed and easygoing, with food that’s perfect for sharing. The message is clear: This is so not a hotel restaurant. The Lenox isn’t even mentioned on City Table’s current website.
The makeover is mostly skin deep, if that. The menu structure is similar to Azure’s, featuring some of the same dishes. Chef Dennis Wilson remains. The room looks familiar, still outfitted with a blue wall at the back and light fixtures sporting clusters of amber glass spheres. If that’s all it takes to draw a new audience, this is just exactly as deep as it needs to be.
But unlike peripatetic hotel guests, neighborhood residents don’t go away. They’re a finite resource, not a renewable one. Restaurants have to work a little harder to get them to return. So when it comes to City Table’s food, change could go a little deeper.
There is some satisfying finger food here - roll-your-own steak tacos, for example. The plate offers tortillas, slices of hanger steak, fresh salsa, and guacamole with good avocado and cilantro flavor. It is indeed perfect for sharing, just the right thing to split with a friend over a beer after work.
Fondue always feels like a party, and at City Table it comes in a vintage-looking pot with forks all around. Unfortunately, the sauce is watery, only weakly flavored with cheddar. (The macaroni and cheese available here as a side suffers from the same problem.) For dipping, you get croutons, potatoes, apples, and pork belly. The potatoes are tender, great vehicles for a (more assertive, please) cheese sauce. The apples are beginning to brown but are still crunchy. Bread would be better than the overly crisp croutons, but they’re not bad. The pork belly, unfortunately, is cooked to toughness and not hot. But still, it’s fondue. Always a party.
A burger made from grass-fed beef and topped with Tillamook cheddar is a good neighborhood burger - not one to travel for, but one to enjoy when you’re in the area. Ditto a Cubano - the cheese and pickles get lost in the mix, but this tastes like a very nice ham sandwich. Fries with both sandwiches are too greasy and come strangely clumped together.
Skewers of shrimp have good grilled flavor, and the chimichurri sauce they come with adds a bright note; the plantain chips on the side are greasy, but they work as a vehicle for the green sauce. Chicken drumettes in a dark brown glaze (apparently rum-flavored, though it doesn’t taste very rummy) come with a flavorless, creamy dip (apparently lime-flavored, though it doesn’t taste very limey). They’re unremarkable but decent bar food. Ditto the soggy duck confit spring rolls. Why aren’t these crisp on the outside?
There’s also some satisfying non-finger food. “Really good lobster soup’’ actually lives up to its billing. It’s not mud-thick like some bisques, which is pleasing, but it is creamy - if you froze and churned it, it would make ice cream. It’s tinged with nutmeg and has a good, strong lobster flavor. Oddly, there’s a miniature croissant floating in the middle; I’d trade it for a few more bites of lobster meat in the mix.
An entree of roast duck features tender slices of meat, delicately spiced, and served with cherry sauce and roasted carrots. Herb risotto on the side is a bit gummy, but overall it’s a nice dish.
So are fresh pappardelle served with tender pieces of braised short rib, available in half- or full-size portions. The half is ample, and a nice supper with a glass of red; you’ll find a mix of bottles here, with about half in the pinot-merlot-cabernet family, and the other half less commonly ordered varietals. (The list of white wines follows suit with sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Cocktails tend to be sweet, unless they’re sour; a sidecar one night tasted mostly like lemon juice.)
A chicken sandwich pretends it’s finger food, but don’t be fooled. It comes with corn bread too thick and unwieldy to actually pick up. It looks like Shinola on a shingle, but it tastes great - fried chicken with sausage gravy and tasty sweet potato fries. You can ignore the bread.
Seared tuna is nicely cooked but blandly flavored - a spicy crust and some salt would help it out. All the taste seems to have gone into the zingy Asian noodles and seaweed salad that come on the side. Overcooked scallops are served in a ring, like a flower, with a pile of hearty grains in the center and grapefruit segments on top. The plate is further decorated with carrots and zucchini carved into little spheres. It looks a little silly, like an amateur’s attempt at fancy plating.
For dessert, a milk chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter sauce tastes prefabricated; apple pear crumble is so floral it tastes like soap. Banana cream pie is better, particularly once it warms to room temperature. The filling tastes just like Chunky Monkey ice cream, with graham cracker crust underneath and meringue on top.
City Table’s service is more consistent than its food: Our server points out the included gratuity for our large party, asks us whether we liked our untouched salad (with abominably sweet maple vinaigrette), and takes it off the bill when we say we did not. (Lots of people dislike that dressing, she tells us. One wonders why they don’t switch it out.) All of these things should happen at every restaurant, but they don’t always.
City Table has the right idea with its makeover. Back Bay is in need of neighborhood restaurants, particularly ones that serve food late. Right now City Table is good enough to lure you into a second visit. That may not be enough to make you a regular.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Monday, December 14, 2009
Summer Shack Hingham review
GLOBE SOUTH DINING OUT
White’s Summer Shack chain adds a strong link in Hingham
December 13, 2009
Summer Shack
96 Derby St., Hingham
781-740-9555
www.summershackrestaurant.com
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Major credit cards accepted
Accessible to the handicapped
It was only the third Saturday night since Jasper White’s Summer Shack opened at the Derby Street Shoppes retail complex in Hingham, and at 5:30 p.m. there already was a wait.
We were given a little beeper that was supposed to vibrate when our table was ready, so we went off to browse at a nearby bookstore. But slightly suspicious of its reach, we returned at the prescribed 15-minute mark - just as the buzzer went off. So I can’t report that it works for sure, but I like the idea.
Struggling to get a grip on the menu, I watched nearby diners who know how to down oyster shooters, shuck boiled shrimp, slurp steamers, and crack lobsters. Bib on, shells in the red bucket: Go!
However, those who don’t eat fish can find something good here, too.
The menu at White’s fourth Summer Shack is large and reflects his lifelong love for the foods of his Jersey Shore childhood. It has plenty of classic favorites - fish and chips, fried clams, crab cakes, lobsters, calamari, chowder - along with some of what White refers to as boardwalk foods - corn dogs, chicken wings, hamburgers, French fries.
It also offers more elegant dishes - grilled fish with fine fresh salsas, sirloin steak, salads, and such originals as pan roasted lobster in the shell. The restaurant also serves long-grain brown rice - very unusual! - as well as such sides as fresh broccoli rabe with garlic, and roasted winter squash.
Enormous wall chalkboards list the specials, which on this night included eight types of oysters.
White opened the first Summer Shack in Cambridge in 2000, after closing Jasper’s, an award-winning Boston restaurant, in 1995. The other Summer Shack outlets are in Boston and at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino. White splits his time among them all, while executive chefs at each run the daily operation.
Although the Hingham space is big and much more upscale than the Cambridge Shack, the focus is still on functionality. The chairs are padded and comfortable, and the tin walls feature giant photos of long-ago South Shore beach scenes (Scituate’s Second Cliff; Nantasket’s old Atlantic Hotel). There is also an adjacent fish market, open every day during typical retail hours.
The space is divided into sections by half-walls, with booths big enough for six and a variety of round, square, banquet, and bar tables - 193 seats in all. The most stylish area is the raw bar: a small circular counter enclosing an ice table covered with oysters and clams. Its surrounding black-and-white tiles and red neon sign create a look evocative of old seaside food places from the 1950s.
The acoustics are fabulous, somehow, because although it’s loud you can easily hear your tablemates’ voices.
The service is terrific; our waiter was totally cool with our ordering piecemeal as we decided what to try next.
I loved the peel-and-eat Florida hopper shrimp ($11), which arrive on a plate in a mesh cooking bag amid hunks of celery, onions, and lemon. Really good fun, and tasty.
Fried clams next, with the appetizer portion $11. They’re hot and delicious, and large. I eat the smaller ones among them and like that size best.
Oh, by the way, the breadbasket has an odd mix of hamburger-type white rolls and cornbread squares. Nothing I’d waste stomach space on.
Next we share two of the evening’s grilled fish: the spiced mahi mahi ($22) and a fish new to White and executive chef Nick Wilson: Faroe Island trout ($24).
The trout is like a mild salmon, and Wilson (he later told me) grills it over a very high flame after seasoning it with only salt and pepper. It’s great. I ask to have mashed potatoes rather than the couscous that typically accompanies it, and they’re irresistible. So is the carrot puree encircling the fillet and the grilled scallions lying across it.
The mahi mahi’s tropical fruit salsa dazzles with piercing flavors of pineapple, mango, and cilantro. The white rice is perfectly fluffy and so is a side of long-grain brown. The side portion of broccoli raab is enough for two, and excellent with slices of sautéed garlic.
The banana crème pie ($5) is very good.
When we return for lunch on a Monday, the place is just one-third full, and we have more time to consider the lunch items that supplement the dinner menu.
The clam chowder is delicious ($4.50 for a cup, $9 bowl), with big chunks of very hot potato, and flecks of parsley.
We shoot the moon with what the chalkboard calls the big bucks lobster, a pan-roasted 1 1/2-pounder (market price: $30). The whole lobster has been whacked into six pieces and cooked in beurre blanc, right in the shell. You need the bib for protection as you crack the crustacean. It’s very tasty and the belly sections are a revelation because there are bits of meat in there I don’t normally pry out when eating a whole boiled lobster.
Our other lunch entrée is a terrific tuna burger ($12). The tuna has been mashed and mixed, meatloaf-style, with other ingredients including Parmesan cheese and scallions. I’d order it again in a minute. Better than a burger.
We have warm Indian pudding topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream ($5) for dessert; it’s very good, tasting of molasses and corn.
This is a cheerful place with a variety of foods - both heart healthy and, as White says, heart happy. I like it very much.
JOAN WILDER
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
White’s Summer Shack chain adds a strong link in Hingham
December 13, 2009
Summer Shack
96 Derby St., Hingham
781-740-9555
www.summershackrestaurant.com
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Major credit cards accepted
Accessible to the handicapped
It was only the third Saturday night since Jasper White’s Summer Shack opened at the Derby Street Shoppes retail complex in Hingham, and at 5:30 p.m. there already was a wait.
We were given a little beeper that was supposed to vibrate when our table was ready, so we went off to browse at a nearby bookstore. But slightly suspicious of its reach, we returned at the prescribed 15-minute mark - just as the buzzer went off. So I can’t report that it works for sure, but I like the idea.
Struggling to get a grip on the menu, I watched nearby diners who know how to down oyster shooters, shuck boiled shrimp, slurp steamers, and crack lobsters. Bib on, shells in the red bucket: Go!
However, those who don’t eat fish can find something good here, too.
The menu at White’s fourth Summer Shack is large and reflects his lifelong love for the foods of his Jersey Shore childhood. It has plenty of classic favorites - fish and chips, fried clams, crab cakes, lobsters, calamari, chowder - along with some of what White refers to as boardwalk foods - corn dogs, chicken wings, hamburgers, French fries.
It also offers more elegant dishes - grilled fish with fine fresh salsas, sirloin steak, salads, and such originals as pan roasted lobster in the shell. The restaurant also serves long-grain brown rice - very unusual! - as well as such sides as fresh broccoli rabe with garlic, and roasted winter squash.
Enormous wall chalkboards list the specials, which on this night included eight types of oysters.
White opened the first Summer Shack in Cambridge in 2000, after closing Jasper’s, an award-winning Boston restaurant, in 1995. The other Summer Shack outlets are in Boston and at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino. White splits his time among them all, while executive chefs at each run the daily operation.
Although the Hingham space is big and much more upscale than the Cambridge Shack, the focus is still on functionality. The chairs are padded and comfortable, and the tin walls feature giant photos of long-ago South Shore beach scenes (Scituate’s Second Cliff; Nantasket’s old Atlantic Hotel). There is also an adjacent fish market, open every day during typical retail hours.
The space is divided into sections by half-walls, with booths big enough for six and a variety of round, square, banquet, and bar tables - 193 seats in all. The most stylish area is the raw bar: a small circular counter enclosing an ice table covered with oysters and clams. Its surrounding black-and-white tiles and red neon sign create a look evocative of old seaside food places from the 1950s.
The acoustics are fabulous, somehow, because although it’s loud you can easily hear your tablemates’ voices.
The service is terrific; our waiter was totally cool with our ordering piecemeal as we decided what to try next.
I loved the peel-and-eat Florida hopper shrimp ($11), which arrive on a plate in a mesh cooking bag amid hunks of celery, onions, and lemon. Really good fun, and tasty.
Fried clams next, with the appetizer portion $11. They’re hot and delicious, and large. I eat the smaller ones among them and like that size best.
Oh, by the way, the breadbasket has an odd mix of hamburger-type white rolls and cornbread squares. Nothing I’d waste stomach space on.
Next we share two of the evening’s grilled fish: the spiced mahi mahi ($22) and a fish new to White and executive chef Nick Wilson: Faroe Island trout ($24).
The trout is like a mild salmon, and Wilson (he later told me) grills it over a very high flame after seasoning it with only salt and pepper. It’s great. I ask to have mashed potatoes rather than the couscous that typically accompanies it, and they’re irresistible. So is the carrot puree encircling the fillet and the grilled scallions lying across it.
The mahi mahi’s tropical fruit salsa dazzles with piercing flavors of pineapple, mango, and cilantro. The white rice is perfectly fluffy and so is a side of long-grain brown. The side portion of broccoli raab is enough for two, and excellent with slices of sautéed garlic.
The banana crème pie ($5) is very good.
When we return for lunch on a Monday, the place is just one-third full, and we have more time to consider the lunch items that supplement the dinner menu.
The clam chowder is delicious ($4.50 for a cup, $9 bowl), with big chunks of very hot potato, and flecks of parsley.
We shoot the moon with what the chalkboard calls the big bucks lobster, a pan-roasted 1 1/2-pounder (market price: $30). The whole lobster has been whacked into six pieces and cooked in beurre blanc, right in the shell. You need the bib for protection as you crack the crustacean. It’s very tasty and the belly sections are a revelation because there are bits of meat in there I don’t normally pry out when eating a whole boiled lobster.
Our other lunch entrée is a terrific tuna burger ($12). The tuna has been mashed and mixed, meatloaf-style, with other ingredients including Parmesan cheese and scallions. I’d order it again in a minute. Better than a burger.
We have warm Indian pudding topped with vanilla soft-serve ice cream ($5) for dessert; it’s very good, tasting of molasses and corn.
This is a cheerful place with a variety of foods - both heart healthy and, as White says, heart happy. I like it very much.
JOAN WILDER
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Brookline students protest against Hyatt
This is very interesting story. I wonder what its impact on Hyatt will be. Adam
The Boston Globe
Children lead protest for fired Hyatt workers
Brookline school organized rally
By Adam J.V. Sell, Globe Correspondent | December 14, 2009
Workers fired from the Hyatt hotel in downtown Boston last summer got some unexpected support yesterday as dozens of children from a Sunday school in Brookline marched to the hotel on their behalf.
The protesters, fifth-grade students from the Workmen’s Circle Jewish Cultural School, gathered outside the Park Street MBTA station with homemade signs, T-shirts, and handouts explaining their grievances. Organizers took turns using a bullhorn to rally supporters before marching from Boston Common to the Hyatt hotel in Downtown Crossing, chanting denouncements of Hyatt’s firing of 98 housekeepers in August. Upon reaching the hotel, the leaders of the march read a statement to hotel workers before handing over a petition.
“It’s wrong they would treat people this way,’’ said Nell Stoddard, an 11-year-old from Somerville. Stoddard sported a white T-shirt she decorated that morning in support of the Hyatt workers. “We think it’s wrong Hyatt fired them without notice,’’ she said. Stoddard was joined by about 25 of her classmates and peers, and roughly 100 parents, supporters, and members of the school community at the afternoon protest.
Students also helped write the chants the group sang on the short walk from the Common to the hotel. “Come on Hyatt, don’t delay! Do what’s right this holiday!’’ they shouted.
Several of the young protesters filed into the Hyatt clutching scripts for their statement as well as the petition they had assembled. No manager was available to receive the students, but a Hyatt hotel worker heard their statement and promised to pass along their petition, signed by nearly 200 people, to the hotel’s manager.
Calls to the downtown hotel and the national Hyatt chain weren’t returned yesterday.
Following the short meeting inside the hotel, the fifth-graders debriefed the assembled crowd and posted a letter on a trailer opposite the hotel.
Darya Mattes, the teacher who organized the protest, said civil activism is a tradition at Workmen’s Circle.
“The school places an emphasis on worker’s rights,’’ she said. “We would love to make sure Hyatt knows we care.’’
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
The Boston Globe
Children lead protest for fired Hyatt workers
Brookline school organized rally
By Adam J.V. Sell, Globe Correspondent | December 14, 2009
Workers fired from the Hyatt hotel in downtown Boston last summer got some unexpected support yesterday as dozens of children from a Sunday school in Brookline marched to the hotel on their behalf.
The protesters, fifth-grade students from the Workmen’s Circle Jewish Cultural School, gathered outside the Park Street MBTA station with homemade signs, T-shirts, and handouts explaining their grievances. Organizers took turns using a bullhorn to rally supporters before marching from Boston Common to the Hyatt hotel in Downtown Crossing, chanting denouncements of Hyatt’s firing of 98 housekeepers in August. Upon reaching the hotel, the leaders of the march read a statement to hotel workers before handing over a petition.
“It’s wrong they would treat people this way,’’ said Nell Stoddard, an 11-year-old from Somerville. Stoddard sported a white T-shirt she decorated that morning in support of the Hyatt workers. “We think it’s wrong Hyatt fired them without notice,’’ she said. Stoddard was joined by about 25 of her classmates and peers, and roughly 100 parents, supporters, and members of the school community at the afternoon protest.
Students also helped write the chants the group sang on the short walk from the Common to the hotel. “Come on Hyatt, don’t delay! Do what’s right this holiday!’’ they shouted.
Several of the young protesters filed into the Hyatt clutching scripts for their statement as well as the petition they had assembled. No manager was available to receive the students, but a Hyatt hotel worker heard their statement and promised to pass along their petition, signed by nearly 200 people, to the hotel’s manager.
Calls to the downtown hotel and the national Hyatt chain weren’t returned yesterday.
Following the short meeting inside the hotel, the fifth-graders debriefed the assembled crowd and posted a letter on a trailer opposite the hotel.
Darya Mattes, the teacher who organized the protest, said civil activism is a tradition at Workmen’s Circle.
“The school places an emphasis on worker’s rights,’’ she said. “We would love to make sure Hyatt knows we care.’’
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Boston man causes destruction in Park Plaza lobby
I wonder which bar he was at before he went into the lobby and caused this destruction. Note that the article does not say he was intoxicated at all, but I suspect he was highly inebriated. Adam
NEW ENGLAND IN BRIEF
December 14, 2009
BOSTON
Man charged after rampage in hotel lobby
A Boston man knocked over several Christmas trees and broke a few desk lamps in the lobby of the Park Plaza Hotel early yesterday, according to police. Dan Calcut, 37, of Boston, entered the hotel at 64 Arlington St. around 2:14 a.m. Hotel employees told police that Calcut proceeded to kick and knock over the 10-foot-tall trees and break the lamps, while unleashing a string of profanity, the statement said. Hotel security officers were eventually able to slow the destruction, and police apprehended Calcut when they arrived, police spokesman James Kenneally said. Calcut was charged with malicious and willful destruction of property.
NEW ENGLAND IN BRIEF
December 14, 2009
BOSTON
Man charged after rampage in hotel lobby
A Boston man knocked over several Christmas trees and broke a few desk lamps in the lobby of the Park Plaza Hotel early yesterday, according to police. Dan Calcut, 37, of Boston, entered the hotel at 64 Arlington St. around 2:14 a.m. Hotel employees told police that Calcut proceeded to kick and knock over the 10-foot-tall trees and break the lamps, while unleashing a string of profanity, the statement said. Hotel security officers were eventually able to slow the destruction, and police apprehended Calcut when they arrived, police spokesman James Kenneally said. Calcut was charged with malicious and willful destruction of property.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Group seeks to establish museum in Boston to honor region's music history
I think is a great idea! There is so much music history in Boston and the surrounding region. The proposed museum would be an excellent addition to our city and would be a destination for many locals and tourists. Check out this interesting article below. Adam
Cookin’ up a Beantown music museum
By Ed Symkus | Sunday, December 13, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Music News
Almost 40 years ago, a couple of local guys in the music business started to talk about their shared dream. Harry Sandler was the drummer in the band Orpheus. Steve Nelson was the original manager of the Boston Tea Party.
“We would run into each other all the time,” Sandler said from his Brookline home. “We would sit in Harvard Square and talk about the local musicians getting their due.”
About four years ago, Sandler and Nelson joined forces with pop culture appraiser Gary Sohmers (of “Antiques Roadshow”) and lawyer Michael Fondo to kick start the Music Museum of New England.
“Our attempt is to document all of the great music that’s gone on here over the years,” Sandler said. “From the Ames Brothers to John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. From DJs like Arnie Ginsburg to venues, radio stations and promoters. Our hope is to preserve all of this culture.”
The museum today consists only of a Web site: mmone.org. But there are plans for more, including a brick and mortar building. And to bring the dream closer to reality, there is a fund-raiser concert tonight at the Regent Theatre in Arlington with Barrence Whitfield, Willie Alexander, Charlie Farren, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, the Andrea Gillis Band and Ernie & the Automatics.
Right now, the museum’s Web site boasts biographies, photos and audio and video recordings. Sandler wants to expand it, but also wants the museum to have an impact in the physical world.
“A couple of years ago, we got the city of Boston to agree to let us put a plaque on the original Boston Tea Party in the South End,” he said. “It was our version of the Fillmore. We put up a marker there with the permission of the city and with the Bostonian Society.”
Now the museum has a grant from Ernie Boch’s Music Drives Us charity to put plaques on other buildings. None have officially been selected, but the wish list includes Paul’s Mall, the Jazz Workshop, the Rat, Lennie’s on the Turnpike and Symphony Hall.
Then there’s the issue of figuring out what to do with 110,000 vinyl records WBCN [website] gave the museum after the radio station went off the air, as well as Sohmer’s collection of guitars, clothing and tour memorabilia.
All reasons why the ultimate goal is a physical home, ideally one located in downtown Boston. Sandler and his fellow board members know fulfilling that dream will take money. A lot of money.
“We need to establish our credibility,” he said. “We need to show that we’re serious about this, that we’re more than just a bunch of guys sitting around drinking beer saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool.’ I’m constantly making proposals. We went to Music Drives Us, their board considered it, and eventually they gave it to us. Over time, it’ll be easier to go to Fidelity or Gillette or Narragansett or First Act or Bose.”
cw2 In the meantime, the online museum exists a click away.
“If somebody in Japan googles Aerosmith,” Sandler said, “and doesn’t know that they’re from here, and finds that they started in a house in Allston through the Music Museum of New England, then it’s all been worthwhile. We’re preserving our heritage.”
Rock ’n Soul Holiday Concert, tonight at the Regent Theatre, Arlington. Tickets: $18; 781-646-4849.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1218474
Cookin’ up a Beantown music museum
By Ed Symkus | Sunday, December 13, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Music News
Almost 40 years ago, a couple of local guys in the music business started to talk about their shared dream. Harry Sandler was the drummer in the band Orpheus. Steve Nelson was the original manager of the Boston Tea Party.
“We would run into each other all the time,” Sandler said from his Brookline home. “We would sit in Harvard Square and talk about the local musicians getting their due.”
About four years ago, Sandler and Nelson joined forces with pop culture appraiser Gary Sohmers (of “Antiques Roadshow”) and lawyer Michael Fondo to kick start the Music Museum of New England.
“Our attempt is to document all of the great music that’s gone on here over the years,” Sandler said. “From the Ames Brothers to John Williams and Arthur Fiedler. From DJs like Arnie Ginsburg to venues, radio stations and promoters. Our hope is to preserve all of this culture.”
The museum today consists only of a Web site: mmone.org. But there are plans for more, including a brick and mortar building. And to bring the dream closer to reality, there is a fund-raiser concert tonight at the Regent Theatre in Arlington with Barrence Whitfield, Willie Alexander, Charlie Farren, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, the Andrea Gillis Band and Ernie & the Automatics.
Right now, the museum’s Web site boasts biographies, photos and audio and video recordings. Sandler wants to expand it, but also wants the museum to have an impact in the physical world.
“A couple of years ago, we got the city of Boston to agree to let us put a plaque on the original Boston Tea Party in the South End,” he said. “It was our version of the Fillmore. We put up a marker there with the permission of the city and with the Bostonian Society.”
Now the museum has a grant from Ernie Boch’s Music Drives Us charity to put plaques on other buildings. None have officially been selected, but the wish list includes Paul’s Mall, the Jazz Workshop, the Rat, Lennie’s on the Turnpike and Symphony Hall.
Then there’s the issue of figuring out what to do with 110,000 vinyl records WBCN [website] gave the museum after the radio station went off the air, as well as Sohmer’s collection of guitars, clothing and tour memorabilia.
All reasons why the ultimate goal is a physical home, ideally one located in downtown Boston. Sandler and his fellow board members know fulfilling that dream will take money. A lot of money.
“We need to establish our credibility,” he said. “We need to show that we’re serious about this, that we’re more than just a bunch of guys sitting around drinking beer saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool.’ I’m constantly making proposals. We went to Music Drives Us, their board considered it, and eventually they gave it to us. Over time, it’ll be easier to go to Fidelity or Gillette or Narragansett or First Act or Bose.”
cw2 In the meantime, the online museum exists a click away.
“If somebody in Japan googles Aerosmith,” Sandler said, “and doesn’t know that they’re from here, and finds that they started in a house in Allston through the Music Museum of New England, then it’s all been worthwhile. We’re preserving our heritage.”
Rock ’n Soul Holiday Concert, tonight at the Regent Theatre, Arlington. Tickets: $18; 781-646-4849.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1218474
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Ginger Park review - Boston Herald
Ginger hits it outta Park
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, December 11, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining Reviews
Photo
Photo by Stuart Cahill
GINGER PARK: B
What do you do if you own a 1-year-old restaurant that’s often empty?
If you own Banq in the South End, you lure New York City star chef Patricia Yeo (AZ, Sapa, Monkey Bar) to Boston to take over the kitchen. Then, you rename yourself Ginger Park and serve small plates of Asian-influenced “street food,” with prices capped at $19.
The daughter of a Malaysian-Chinese father and Chinese-American mother, Yeo went to boarding school in England and got into the chefing biz during a break from studying biochemistry at Princeton. Her first gig was line cook for the then-unknown Bobby Flay.
In her 2002 book, “Cooking From A to Z,” Yeo wrote, “I believe in layering flavors - sweet and sour, spicy and tangy, smoky and pungent. Weaving flavors together... (is) what makes food truly transcendent.”
Indeed, the cuisine at Ginger Park reflects that philosophy - misleadingly simple dishes composed of multiple elements, each of which asserts its individuality while contributing to the balance of the whole.
A plate of grilled duck meatballs ($12) drizzled with tamarind-based Massaman curry sauce on a bed of eggplant salad is as much about the savory, dense meatballs as it is about the sweet-tart sauce and spicy-smoky eggplant. And a classic Thai green-papaya and mango salad ($8) celebrates sour, sweet and spicy along with peanuts and mint.
Texture is equally important. Like the crunchy carrots and turmeric-pickled onions garnishing the wild-boar tostada ($14) - tender stewed pork and beans on a crunchy fried blue-corn tortilla.
The minimalist menu descriptions belie the complexity of Yeo’s fare. Fortunately the wait staff is well-versed in the details of every dish.
That’s brandied plum hoisin sauce accompanying the shaking beef “moo shu” ($10) - a peppercorn-intense version of the Cantonese classic with beef, leeks, basil and mushrooms, rolled in Chinese pancakes.
Southeast Asian fish sauce adds its aggressive fishiness to the scallion-speckled broth that surrounds ground chicken and chive “siew mai” dumplings ($8). And pickled daikon lends its distinctive chew to stir-fried silver pin noodles ($14) - a vegan-friendly bowl of rice noodles, sprouts, tofu, mushrooms, jalapeno and julienned snap peas.
The food is so labor-intensive, I find it disconcerting that on both my visits to Ginger Park, Yeo spent more time schmoozing with patrons in the dramatic wooden-rib-enclosed dining room than behind the wok.
“Oh, she’s in the kitchen all day long,” said our waiter in his boss’ defense.
Nevertheless, Korean-inspired dolsit bi-bim-bap ($11) of rice, twice-cooked pork belly, kimchi, chili sauce and a fried egg is burnt. And the Asian chopped salad ($8) of greens, slivered snap peas, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and cucumbers in sugary lemon dressing is absent promised Chinese sausage.
And for a restaurant that prints its menu daily - how can they be out of short rib and sweetbread pot stickers ($9) at 7 p.m.? Deep-fried shrimp and mushroom wontons ($8) make a fine alternative.
Fork-tender cocoa and Skippy-peanut-butter-braised spareribs ($14) are as mole-rich as you’d imagine. Whole fried redfish ($19) is delicious with nuoc cham and sweet-chili dipping sauces. But watch out for bones.
Ginger Park has a small sake selection and an overly expensive wine list with few decent bottles less than $40. We sprung for an effervescently floral 2007 MainDivide Riesling ($40) and a bright, peachy 2008 Domaine Pichot Vouvray ($40).
Dessert is gratis demitasses of creamy hot chocolate.
Questions for management: You’ve been open more than two months so why the banner over the front door instead of permanent signage?
And what’s with the security cameras throughout the restaurant? Do your guests know you can surreptitiously monitor their every bite?
1375 Washington St.
(South End). 617-451-0077; gingerparkboston.com.
Price: More than $40
Hours: Dinner: Mon.-Wed., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; Sun.,
5:30-10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Bar: Full
Credit: All
Accessibility: Accessible
Parking: Valet, on street
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1218065
By Mat Schaffer | Friday, December 11, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Dining Reviews
Photo
Photo by Stuart Cahill
GINGER PARK: B
What do you do if you own a 1-year-old restaurant that’s often empty?
If you own Banq in the South End, you lure New York City star chef Patricia Yeo (AZ, Sapa, Monkey Bar) to Boston to take over the kitchen. Then, you rename yourself Ginger Park and serve small plates of Asian-influenced “street food,” with prices capped at $19.
The daughter of a Malaysian-Chinese father and Chinese-American mother, Yeo went to boarding school in England and got into the chefing biz during a break from studying biochemistry at Princeton. Her first gig was line cook for the then-unknown Bobby Flay.
In her 2002 book, “Cooking From A to Z,” Yeo wrote, “I believe in layering flavors - sweet and sour, spicy and tangy, smoky and pungent. Weaving flavors together... (is) what makes food truly transcendent.”
Indeed, the cuisine at Ginger Park reflects that philosophy - misleadingly simple dishes composed of multiple elements, each of which asserts its individuality while contributing to the balance of the whole.
A plate of grilled duck meatballs ($12) drizzled with tamarind-based Massaman curry sauce on a bed of eggplant salad is as much about the savory, dense meatballs as it is about the sweet-tart sauce and spicy-smoky eggplant. And a classic Thai green-papaya and mango salad ($8) celebrates sour, sweet and spicy along with peanuts and mint.
Texture is equally important. Like the crunchy carrots and turmeric-pickled onions garnishing the wild-boar tostada ($14) - tender stewed pork and beans on a crunchy fried blue-corn tortilla.
The minimalist menu descriptions belie the complexity of Yeo’s fare. Fortunately the wait staff is well-versed in the details of every dish.
That’s brandied plum hoisin sauce accompanying the shaking beef “moo shu” ($10) - a peppercorn-intense version of the Cantonese classic with beef, leeks, basil and mushrooms, rolled in Chinese pancakes.
Southeast Asian fish sauce adds its aggressive fishiness to the scallion-speckled broth that surrounds ground chicken and chive “siew mai” dumplings ($8). And pickled daikon lends its distinctive chew to stir-fried silver pin noodles ($14) - a vegan-friendly bowl of rice noodles, sprouts, tofu, mushrooms, jalapeno and julienned snap peas.
The food is so labor-intensive, I find it disconcerting that on both my visits to Ginger Park, Yeo spent more time schmoozing with patrons in the dramatic wooden-rib-enclosed dining room than behind the wok.
“Oh, she’s in the kitchen all day long,” said our waiter in his boss’ defense.
Nevertheless, Korean-inspired dolsit bi-bim-bap ($11) of rice, twice-cooked pork belly, kimchi, chili sauce and a fried egg is burnt. And the Asian chopped salad ($8) of greens, slivered snap peas, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and cucumbers in sugary lemon dressing is absent promised Chinese sausage.
And for a restaurant that prints its menu daily - how can they be out of short rib and sweetbread pot stickers ($9) at 7 p.m.? Deep-fried shrimp and mushroom wontons ($8) make a fine alternative.
Fork-tender cocoa and Skippy-peanut-butter-braised spareribs ($14) are as mole-rich as you’d imagine. Whole fried redfish ($19) is delicious with nuoc cham and sweet-chili dipping sauces. But watch out for bones.
Ginger Park has a small sake selection and an overly expensive wine list with few decent bottles less than $40. We sprung for an effervescently floral 2007 MainDivide Riesling ($40) and a bright, peachy 2008 Domaine Pichot Vouvray ($40).
Dessert is gratis demitasses of creamy hot chocolate.
Questions for management: You’ve been open more than two months so why the banner over the front door instead of permanent signage?
And what’s with the security cameras throughout the restaurant? Do your guests know you can surreptitiously monitor their every bite?
1375 Washington St.
(South End). 617-451-0077; gingerparkboston.com.
Price: More than $40
Hours: Dinner: Mon.-Wed., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; Sun.,
5:30-10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Bar: Full
Credit: All
Accessibility: Accessible
Parking: Valet, on street
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/food_dining/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1218065
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