Boston Harbor Islands 2009 Ferry Service Underway

After a long, long, long winter, warmer weather is finally (well, sort of) here. Even if the temperatures are still on the chilly side, a sign of summer is here as ferry service to the Boston Harbor Islands for 2009 has begun. 

The good news is that there is no change to the ferry fares this year. They remain at $14 for adults; $10 for seniors; $8 for children (ages 3-18). Visitors to Georges Island will seem some construction work going on as work is being done to improve the island's landscaping, maintenance facility, and visitors center. The new visitors center, expected to be completed in 2010, will include an interactive exhibit area, a gift shop, and conference space. Click here for more on the Georges Island project.

There is a Climbing Tour out to Boston Light and Little Brewster Island, which will begin June 18. Tickets are $48 and include the opportunity to scale the 76 steps of historic Boston Light. The Three Lighthouse Tour, which also begins June 18, costs $38 and lands on Little Brewster Island, but it does not include the ability to climb to the top of Boston Light. Click here for tickets or more information on the Boston Light tours.  

Daily service from Boston's Long Wharf is now available to Georges Island, home to historic Fort Warren, and Spectacle Island, a great recreational playground with miles of hiking trails, a sandy beach, and a fishing pier. In coming weeks, ferry service will begin from the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy and the Hingham Shipyard Marina, and routes will run to Lovells, Peddocks, Grape, and Bumpkin Islands. Click here for a current ferry schedule. 

The Island Alliance has put together a fantastic schedule of events on the islands all summer: click here to check it out. This Saturday (May 16), there will be a boat tour of the islands exploring the islands' rich Irish heritage. It will leave from Fan Pier and the Volvo Ocean Race, where Galway, Ireland, is the next port of call. Click here for tickets. 

While you're at the Volvo Ocean Race, check out the Union Park Press table in the tent near the main entrance and pick up a copy of Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands, the definitive guidebook to all 34 of the Boston Harbor Islands. If you can't make it to the race, you can buy a copy at local bookstores or at Amazon.com. Also be sure to check out my article on the islands in the latest issue of New England Travel or click here. 

 

Boston Post Cane Article

This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Boston Post Canes, the ebony walking sticks that were given by the defunct Boston Post newspaper to the oldest residents in hundreds of towns across New England. It's one of the great Yankee traditions that makes this area of the world so unique. Over the years, the canes have been shunned and cherished, lost and found, burned and (perhaps) even buried. Click here to read an article I wrote for The Boston Globe Magazine on the Boston Post Canes. In the article, I mention that the cane for Watertown, Mass., has been recovered after being missing for decades. There will be a ceremony on April 29 at 3 PM at the Edmund Fowle House when the cane will be formally presented to the Watertown Historical Society. 

Patriots' Day 2009 Events and Battle Re-enactments

Now that the first pitch has been thrown to kick off the baseball season in Boston, it's time for the opening musket shot to be fired as Revolutionary War battle re-enactment season is once again upon us. Patriots Day, which commemorates the battles at Lexington and Concord, is Monday, April 20, but events remembering the battles start this weekend. 

Here are some of the highlights:

Saturday April 11, 2009

1 PM Meriam's Corner Exercise. This re-enactment in a field at Meriam's Corner commemorates a skirmish between the British and the colonists as the British retreated to Boston on the Battle Road. The battle is near the corner of Lexington Road and Old Bedford Road in Concord. Park along the roads.

3 PM Paul Revere Capture Ceremony. Paul Revere Capture Site, Route 2A, Lincoln. More on the capture site here. There's a small parking lot at the site or it's walkable from the Minute Man Park visitor center. 

Saturday April 18, 2009

8:30 AM Commemoration of the North Bridge Fight. North Bridge, Concord. Commemoration of the battle on the morning of April 19, 1775. Parking is on Monument Street. 

11 AM - 2PM Battle Road Re-enactment. Near Hartwell Tavern, Route 2A Lincoln. There are re-enactors encamped at the Hartwell Tavern and Captain William Smith house and British in full retreat. There are drill and musket demonstrations, crafts, and artillery demonstrations. 

Sunday April 19, 2009

6:30 and 7:30 AM Dawn Salute and North Bridge Remembrance Ceremony. North Bridge, Concord. A 21-gun musket and cannon salute at dawn. A 7:30 there are historical speeches and a wreath laying at the bridge. 

7:00 PM Paul Revere's Row Re-enactment. Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center, Building 5, Charlestown Navy Yard. A re-creation of Paul Revere's historic row across Boston Harbor to Charleston. 

8:00 PM Annual Lantern Ceremony. Old North Church, 193 Salem Street, Boston. The Old North Church hosts its annual lantern ceremony, commemorating the lantern lighting that began Revere's ride. Smart money is on two lanterns being lit this year. 

Monday April 20, 2009

5:oo AM Battle Re-enactment at Lexington Green. Set your alarm for the re-enactment of the first shots fired in the American Revolution. 

9:00 AM Concord Patriots' Day Parade. Starts at Concord Center and passes over the North Bridge, beginning around 9:30, before returning to town. 

Saturday April 25, 2009

7:00 PM Battle Road Heroes. Hartwell Tavern, Lincoln. Walk down a candle-lit path and listen to the personal stories of people who lived along the Battle Road on April 19, 1775. $5 per person and $10 per family.

For more information on events, visit the Minute Man National Historical Park web site. For more information on events related to the Old North Church lantern and Revere's ride, visit the Freedom Trail web site. 

What's New at Fenway Park for 2009?

When Fenway Park opens its doors on Monday for its 98th Opening Day, fans are in for a big thrill. New concrete! 

While the Yankees were engaging in its own economic stimulus plan by dumping nearly half a billion dollars on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeria (and, oh yeah, opening a brand new stadium), the Red Sox invested in repairing and waterproofing the concrete seating bowl between sections 14 and 28. OK, so it's not as exciting, but the measure will help to preserve Fenway for use for the next 40 to 50 years, so that's worth something. Right?

Fans who aren't concrete aficionados, however, will still find some noticeable differences in Fenway in 2009: 

New seats in lower bowl. Along with the lower seating bowl repairs between sections 14 and 28, new seats have been installed. All Field Box Seats were replaced by seats with cushioned bottoms and cup holders. Loge Box Seats that were replaced now have cup-holders. Wooden seats in the grandstand have been refurbished. Good news for your kneecaps: the seats have been fitted with springs that will allow them to retract automatically when empty. 

Right field roof box expansion. The 383 Right Field Roof Box seats have been ripped out and replaced by 574 new seats. In addition, there are 100 dedicated standing room spaces with drink rails. There are expanded concession stands and restrooms as well. Providing a bookend to the Coca-Cola sign in left field is a neon sign featuring the logo of Cumberland Farms. 

New concession items. Fans buying concessions at the Jordan's Third Base Deck will find a new Surf and Turf Grill with shrimp rolls and steak tips. There are also chicken and beef tacos and burritos, boneless chicken wings, a bag of three sliders, and "gobbler sandwiches" made with turkey, stuffing, gravy,  and cranberry (that will sound wonderful on a steamy, 95-degree day game in July).

Fenway Frank recipe. Kayem Foods has taken over the contract to make Fenway Franks. According to an article The Boston Globe, Kayem will unveil a new, bolder recipe. Here's hoping they didn't tinker with the secret, salty ingredient: 86 years of tears from men, women, and children across New England. I guess since the Curse is gone, it's time to change the recipe.

Fenway Family Hour reduced concession prices. In April, nine food items will be up to 50% off for the first hour after gates open (gates open two hours before the first pitch). The items are Fenway Franks, pizza slices, pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy, fruit cupes, veggie cups, slider bags, and ice cream cups.

Meet an active player or coach. In past years the Sox have had a former player available at Autograph Alley to sign autographs, but beginning with the second homestand the Sox will host 30-minute sessions once a homestand where fans can meet and take photos with an active player or coach. Now we know why Manny wanted out of town. 

Early entrance for some fans. Citizens of Red Sox Nation, the team's fan club, with a valid game ticket will have the opportunity to enter the ballpark early through Gate C and watch the Sox take batting practice from the Green Monster Seats.  

Fenway "First Timers." Fans on their inaugural visit to Fenway can go to any Fan Information Booth and get a special First-Timer sticker, a FanFoto voucher for a free personal or family photograph, and sign up for a free welcome message on the scoreboard.

For pregame and postgame options, the biggest addition in the neighborhood is the opening of the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street behind the Green Monster. In addition to live entertainment, the House of Blues serves food. The biggest loss to the neighborhood in the offseason was a January fire that tore through six restaurants on Peterborough Street, including Sorento's, El Pelon Taqueria, and Thornton's Fenway Grille. The McDonald's on Boylston Street has apparently just closed as well. 

The one big thing that hasn't changed this year: ticket prices (finally) and concession prices. Just about the only benefit of the economic downturn. Hopefully, the quality of the play on the field stays the same as well. Go Sox! 

For more information on getting tickets, food and drink options inside and outside Fenway, getting autographs, increasing your odds of catching a foul ball and getting on TV, saving some cash at the game, and much more on having a great day at a Sox game, pre-order a copy of The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston. 

Independent Bookstores in Boston

Encouraging article in The Boston Globe today about some local, independent bookstores that are holding their own in the economic downturn. It's nice to see some good news about the publishing industry for a change. The main focus of the article is the Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner. It's a great bookstore, and as an added bonus, there is a used bookstore in the basement. Also mentions Newtonville Books, another one of my favorites. Back Pages Books in Waltham is another one to check out. I definitely encourage anyone to support these local, independent bookstores. 

Frozen Four Tickets and Travel Information

President Obama may be a big college basketball fan—although the president’s tournament bracket is just as busted as most hoops fans—but it’s college hockey that will take center stage in the nation’s capital on April 9-11. The Frozen Four—college hockey’s answer to basketball’s Final Four—will be played in the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, and it will have a distinctly New England feel.

Boston University and the University of Vermont will square off in one semifinal on Thursday, April 9, and one of those Hockey East powers will play the winner of the other semifinal between Miami (Ohio) University and Bemidji State University on Saturday, April 11. Boston University has partnered with Anthony Travel to provide packages with hotel accommodations, transportation, and airline reservations. Call 877-284-2254 or visit the Anthony Travel web site for more information. Game tickets are not included in packages.

If you want to put together your own travel plans, non-stop airfares between Boston and either Dulles, Reagan Washington National, or Baltimore-Washington airports can be found for less than $200. Tickets to games are available on StubHub and other online ticket sites, and they are being distributed to students and season-ticket holders at the four participating schools. The only tickets being sold on Ticketmaster at the present time are for the Frozen Four Skills Challenge on Friday, April 10. Practices will be open to the public on Wednesday, April 8 and Friday, April 10. For more information on Frozen Four events, click here.

The Harlem Globetrotters Not at Fenway This Time Around

Start whistling Sweet Georgia Brown. The Harlem Globetrotters, fresh off their appearances with Scooby Doo and Gilligan, take to the parquet tonight at 7 PM at the TD Banknorth Garden. Their opponent tonight will be the lowly Washington Generals, who have lost their last 12,861 against the Trotters. Law of averages says the Generals are due tonight, right? If you're brackets are busted, might as well throw some good money after the bad and take the Generals and the points. 

The Generals aren't the only team that has barnstormed with the Globetrotters. In fact, Boston once played the patsies. In the 1950s, a team called the Boston Whirlwinds played the role of the foils, and college great Bevo Francis (who holds the record of most points in a college game: 113) was among those on the Whirlwinds. (Another team called the Boston Whirlwinds was the first professional basketball team in the Hub back in 1925.) 

Of course, the Harlem Globetrotters have played the old and new Garden many times. In 1958, they even played members of the New York Football Giants. But what may be hard to believe is that the Globetrotters once played in the shadows of the Green Monster. On July 29, 1954, the Globetrotters defeated George Mikan's U.S. All-Stars 61-41 in front of 13,344 fans at Fenway Park. Now that outdoor hockey is making a comeback, maybe outdoor hoops can as well. The WNBA had an outdoor basketball game in New York last year, so it's been done. Maybe we can get the Globetrotters to play their next game in Boston back in the great outdoors. Or better yet--a pre-season Celtics game at Fenway. Hey, no paint job would be needed for the Green; Fenway's walls already match those of the home team.  

More stories on Boston's basketball history are contained in The Die-Hard Sports Fan's Guide to Boston.