Men's Warehouse nearly naked charity drive in Boston

Photo from The Boston Globe and courtesy of Men's Warehouse

Tuesday, August 2nd, Men's Warehouse is sending out a fleet of "attractive men, dressed only in boxers, dress shoes, socks and ties" for the first time into the streets of Boston with signage that asks men to donate their gently-used suits and accessories to local charities, as part of the fourth annual nationwide charity effort by the retailer.

I may just have to head to Downtown Crossing on Tuesday morning to ogle the models if they look like the hunk in white boxers photographed above in NYC from last year's charity drive.

Boston's rising rents pose problems for all of us

According to an article in today's Boston Globe, Boston-area rents are hitting new heights with the median price recently reaching $1,665 a month and a vacancy rate of 4.4% (down from 6.2% one year ago). If you are looking for an apartment in the Back Bay the news is even worse with average rentals running $2,650+ for a 2 bedroom and a 1.2% vacancy rate.

Boston's growing population of graduate students only exacerbates the problem. The Globe article points out that over the past decade 20,000+ graduate students have been added to the Boston area and new housing / rental units have not kept pace. These residents are only here a short time and the cost of living issues outlined serve as a serious impediment to many of these highly qualified, educated and skilled workers remaining in the area.

The city of Boston has long been aware that the cost of living and cost of rent / homes in particular are a huge issue. It would really be wonderful to see how Mayor Menino and other local politicians are working to make this less of an issue in the future so articles like this can quickly become part of our past.

If you would like to read the Boston Globe article, you can link to it here.

Whose Town?

The Boston Globe has a great section to the paper called "Your Town", which features local news from specific neighborhoods and towns around Boston.

The "news" section from "Your Town" also includes feeds from local bloggers. Yours truly has had posts on this site in the past, but a quick look at the Your Town: South End might make Bostonians wonder what is going on. Nearly every story appears to be about hotels in Chicago and Orlando... Oh yeah, and lets not forget about the article about the 405 shutting down today in Los Angeles. Glad that was there!

Perhaps this section of The Boston Globe should be called "Some Other Town". You can click on the image below to enlarge the image. Its sort of comical.

Public Market for Boston

According to an article from the Boston Sunday Globe last week, officials plan to have a 27,500 square foot market open 7-days a week, selling products currently only available at farmers markets. Its not clear how so much space will be made available since what's available to vendors is roughly half that (only 14,000 square feet) and the site offers little room for expansion.

Regardless, I would love to see this happen. A public food market featuring as many as 100 vendors hawking: fish, produce, wine, cheese, and other local products would be a welcome addition to the Rose Kennedy Greenway. It would also help those neighborhoods which are closest to the proposed site since there is not a legitimate market nearby.

According to the article, construction could begin in early 2012, with the facility opening in 2013.

If you are interested and want to learn more, you can read the full story here.

Food truck phenomenon

The Boston Globe has a pretty cool listing on its Boston.com site today regarding the sudden popularity of food trucks. This trend first started out in southern California (as nearly all automotive trends seem to) and has over the past few years worked its way East. Starting a couple of years ago you'd have been hard pressed to name a food truck (unless your favorite ice cream truck counts). However, now they seem to be everywhere.

Beware, not all food trucks are equal either. Depending on your diet and preferences, some of these food trucks which often specialize in certain food preparations, can seem a bit kooky. I'm pretty lucky because there are always many food trucks attending SoWa Open Market. I have a couple of personal favorites now, but I'm curious to find out if you too have tried any of the food trucks you see around Boston. If you are not from Boston, do tell... Is this something you've noticed in your city or when I say food truck are you scratching your head wondering what the heck I'm referring to.

For more information about the phenomenon, check out Boston.com's Guide to the best food trucks in Boston

Boston.com features BosGuy blog

Wow, my weekly post the #MenofTwitter has been featured in the community section on the homepage of Boston.com - The Boston Globe's online site. I have to admit I was definitely taken by surprise and it made me smile. I've been reading boston.com since its inception and have it as my homepage. Thank you Joe for bringing this to my attention.

Boston Globe Top Places to Live: South End

The Boston Globe published their "Top Spots to Live" listing surrounding neighborhoods and towns for a variety of quality of life standards. I'm proud to say that my neighborhood - the South End - was identified as the best place to live for food lovers. I've lifted the text from the Boston Globe article and posted it below. If you'd like to read the full article, you can link here.

FOR FOOD LOVERS WINNER: South End

Median single-family home price: $1,610,000
Median condo price: $554,888
Population: 25,889
Residential tax rate: $12.79

It’s not just the number, variety, and quality of restaurants that make Boston’s South End a mecca for food lovers; it’s also the array of specialty purveyors, such as the Five Seventy Market and South End Formaggio. Restaurants are plentiful and mostly, but not entirely, pricey. Diners can opt for anything from $44 salmon at Mistral to an $11 traditional Ethiopian beef dish at Addis Red Sea.

BosGuy review of Union on facebook

Earlier this week I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Jeff Gates (part owner of the restaurant group which owns Union). He thanked me for my review of Union and indicated he'd be sharing my feedback with his staff.

Today I found out that my review was posted on the Union facebook page.


My restaurant reviews are also appearing in the news tab of the "Your Town" section of Boston.com. I suppose I'm just bragging here, but I have to admit I get a kick out of seeing this picked up.

Do you drive to work?

Ouch! Although I work from home now, I've walked to and from work since 1998. This not only makes me happier, but probably makes the roads of Boston a safer place. As a result, I'm somewhat insulated and unaware of the rising cost of gasoline. Do you drive to work? How much money do you spend (on average) per week?

The chart above displays the average cost of gasoline per gallon in MA. You can go to The Boston Globe to link to the data courtesy of the Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration and AAA - to see what the average price of gasoline costs in your state if you live in the US.

Head of the Charles Regatta (this weekend)

The Charles River divides Boston from Cambridge and each autumn the Head of the Charles Regatta takes place. The two-day sporting event includes more than 8,000 rowers competing in over 50 races and draws more than 300,000 spectators (many of them college students proudly -and somewhat drunkenly- cheering on their school).

The seven bridges that criss-cross the Charles River along the race course provide excellent vantage points, but I'm more partial to viewing from the Cambridge side nearer Harvard University and Harvard Square. If you are new to Boston or rediscovering the city after many years of calling this place home - I would strongly recommend that you come and watch the Regatta. Harvard Square pubs and streets are overflowing with people and the city is abuzz with rowers who have come from all over to compete in this prestigious and largest regatta in the world.

The Boston Globe has an excellent article, full of photos called, Head of the Charles 101.

Growing up gay

In response to the recent rash of gay teen suicides, The Boston Globe has prominently displayed "Growing up gay" on Boston.com. The article includes personal stories of Bostonians who open up about the homophobia, fear, and isolation they endured as teens — and how they made it through.

This is just one example of why I moved and stayed in Boston some 13+ years ago. How many cities and parts of the country have so directly and compassionately addressed this issue? Certainly many sympathize privately with this situation, but the key to addressing this issue is publicly proclaiming your frustration and saying "life gets better." This is not an issue to be meek or shy about if you hope to make a difference so I wanted to thank my hometown paper, The Boston Globe, for taking on this issue and sharing so many stories with its readers. I'm sure somewhere there are teens reading these stories, nodding their heads identifying with those same issues - even here in liberal MA.

The Globe cautions that some of these stories contain homophobic epithets but you can check out The Boston Globe article here.

Massachusetts economy picking up steam

Today' Boston Globe includes some positive news about the local economy in the article Mass economy speeds up, jobs coming says forecast. "The Massachusetts economy is recovering at a quickening pace that will lead to more hiring over the next several months, setting the stage for an expansion that could create more then 200,000 jobs over the next five years...The forecast is somewhat brighter than one released six months ago. The New England Economic Partnership, a nonprofit analysis group, prepares and presents forecasts for the region and the six New England states twice a year."

Who will occupy Louis Boston's former home

Earlier this winter iconic retailer, Louis Boston, closed their doors on Newbury Street.  With many retailers hurting this is not news except that Louis Boston was closing shop on Newbury Street to expand into a new neighborhood that is still being developed call Fort Point Channel. Additionally, Louis Boston does not occupy just any building - they occupy the crown jewel of Newbury Street (Boston's version of Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive for those not familiar).

Speculation abounds in articles written by The Boston Globe wondering aloud what fashion house or department store may decide to take over the space.  I've included a photograph taken by The Boston Globe to show you the contrast from the home on Newbury Street to the new home of Louis Boston.

Newbury Street

Fan Pier / Fort Point Channel

Swan boat rides begin on Saturday

Every city has their traditions and one of Boston's is the Swan Boats which grace the Public Garden starting each spring.  According to the Boston Globe article, the tradition was started by Robert Paget in 1877 and has been run by his family ever since. Romantics will be happy to read that it was a love story which sparked the idea behind the swans. Apparently Mr. Paget was fond of "Lohengrin," an opera in which a knight crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to protect his love.  I can recall being taken on these boats when I was a small child, and I will probably do the same with my nephews and nieces...like I said, its a tradition.

The photo is from Bill Greene of The Boston Globe. You can see all his pictures and read more about the Swan Boats by linking here.

How television networks should really market themselves

Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote an interestingly funny article back in November that I forgot to post until today.  In his article, Matthew writes, what if the networks and cable channels promoted themselves as they really are? He surmised that their names, slogans, and mission descriptions might look something like this. I've chosen a couple of my favorites.

NBC =  SDTV: Self-Destructive TV
We dig ourselves deeper into the hole!
At SDTV, we don’t fool around when it comes to ruining our network. By placing our future in the hands of personalities such as Howie Mandel, Donald Trump, and Jay Leno, we pretty much guarantee our own failure.

Bravo = GLBTv
For Grace and her favorite Will
Need some fabulous fashion advice? Want a lesson in trendy lingo? We know absolutely everything about clothes, real estate, and hair. Plus, we have Kathy Griffin. Let us be your gay best friend.

Fox News = Fox “News’’
Who cares if it’s true?
In our shop, we believe that too much value is placed on facts. We’d rather just go after anything that moves in that unbalanced, unfair, democratic, liberal, commie kind of way. You know what we mean. If you like screeds, we’ll be there for you.

You can read the full article here.

Need some ideas for your next date?

The Boston Globe has interviewed local celebrities asking how they would spend an evening in Boston. Some of the ideas are pretty interesting and I might check out.  After living in Boston for a number of years you start to take for granted the options available on any given night.  While Boston might not have as much to offer as some larger cities, there is still plenty to do.

Running out of ideas for your Friday night or are you stumped by an upcoming date and you want to make it special?  Check out these suggestions by local celebrities.

Urban limericks

In a nod to St. Patrick's day which is fast approaching, The Boston Globe is soliciting new poems for their annual "urban limerick" contest.  Interested? Submit your poem here.

I've included one of my favorites from last year.

A drink for every occasion
A young colleen from West Roxbury,
On ale was loving and merry,
She dallied with sin,
On vodka and gin,
But was rigid and frigid on sherry.

By: saigon (Laurie Swope)
 
You can read other popular limerick submissions from 2009 by visiting here.

Santa Speedo Run

The 2009 Santa Speedo Run in Boston (the 10th annual) happened today at 1pm despite freezing temps in Boston.  The wind chill made the air feel as cold as 20 degrees and the steady breeze left me chilled to the bone.  However, the 500 crazy men and women clad in red speedos were all in good spirits (and humor).

Top destinations for GLBT travelers

The Boston Globe article I referenced in my entry below was expanded by Boston.com later today.  According to the posting on Boston.com at a time when overall travel is down, tourism in the state is benefitting from one growing segment: gay vacationers. You can peruse the article and the photos by linking to the article, Top destinations for gays and lesbians.

I think the state could reap the rewards of a demographic. GLBT travelers are reported to vacation with more frequency and spend more money on cultural events than other segments of society.  Why this is I haven't a clue and could only speculate.  After a quick review of my travel profile this year, I realized I've gone away (near and far) quite a bit. I've gone to the Cape 4 times this year, Maine 2 times, Puerto Rico, Austin, TX and later this month I leave for a 3-week vacation to Australia.  All told that equals 9 trips in 2009 and that does not count my weekends up at my parent's lake house.

Photograph above from Boston.com.

Street art

Today's Boston Globe has an article entitled, "Painting outside the box". The article is about a city program that commissions street art. According to the article, two dozen local artists have been brought in by the Boston Arts Commission as part of its PaintBox program, which is being modeled after similar efforts in Cambridge and Somerville. The program started slowly last year with only 13 boxes painted, but it has quickly expanded to more than 40.  I'm a huge fan of public art and hope it continues. 

A utility box has been decorated in my neighborhood on the corner of Dartmouth and Tremont Street. Click on the picture to make it larger and find out more about the artist by visiting their website.

The South End - a long-time enclave for many local artists - has recently seen more public art and sometimes residents get up in arms about such public displays.  With very few exceptions, I am generally very excited and like to see such creative expressions.  Earlier this year when the Shepard Fairey exhibit opened at the I.C.A., there was a lot of anger directed at Fairey because of some of his public works which the city labelled as 'vandalism'.  I believe that he actually had to appear in court and was formally charged for some of his work, which I think was a shame because I love seeing his murals.  There remain at least 3 or 4 murals in my neighborhood and I would love to see more.  The image below is in the South End on Shawmut Street.