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BOSTON

BOSTON, TRAVEL

Travel: The Acela From Boston to New York City

In hopes of efficiently using my time while traveling between Boston and New York, I recently hopped aboard the Acela Express.  Offering three and a half hour trips between the two cities with minimal stops and free Wi-Fi, it sounded like the perfect way to carve out time to catch up on personal correspondence and draft a few blog entries.

New York Skyline Sunset by thenails from flickr

The Cost of Convenience

Unfortunately for me, convenience came with a hefty price tag.  Even with my AAA discount, my roundtrip tickets ran about $230.  Normally, when I spend weekends in New York City, I drive down to the Fairfield, CT Metro North train station, which has free weekend parking and $20-ish tickets.

I ended up bitting the bullet because I didn’t want to take the bus and the Northeast Region train from Boston was only $30 less.  The Northeast Regional train does not have Wi-Fi and takes 30 minutes longer to travel to New York City.  I was also happy that Back Bay Station and Penn Station were within walking distance of my apartment and NYC hotel (70 Park. Ave), allowing me to avoid shelling out for cab fare.

An Early Morning Wake-Up Call Worth The Effort

On the way down, the experience could not have been easier.  I took an 8:15 a.m. train into Penn Station, which arrived at 11:45 a.m.  Sure, it was early, but you really only need to be at Back Bay Station 10-15 minutes in advance of your train time, depending on the time of day that you’re traveling.  Picking up the Acela tickets at a ticket window at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday was incredibly fast, but could easily take longer during peak times, so plan accordingly.

While traveling to New York, the ride itself was exactly what I had hoped it would be.  It was quiet and the Wi-Fi had a strong signal, despite the train being a bit jiggly at times.  I especially enjoyed my window seat when traveling along the picturesque Connecticut coastline.  The view of the New York City skyline is also wonderful.

A Bump in the Road

The way home was another story.  I arrived in Penn Station fifteen minutes in advance of my departure only to discover that my train had been delayed 45 minutes.  Ugh!  According to the frequent Acela travelers around me, this was not a normal occurrence, so they didn’t even think to check the train status before arriving at Penn Station.

The delay was due to a mechanical issue and everyone was incredibly antsy as 45 minutes stretched to an hour and a half.  While the staff was very friendly, they were not being given status updates by their superiors in an efficient manner, creating a worse experience for the delayed passengers.  Once we were finally given the green light to board, I also found it annoying to battle to maintain my place in line among the throngs of antsy passengers while waiting to take the escalator down to the tracks.

Life Lessons Come When You Least Expect Them

Onboard, I ended up sitting next to the most delightful woman from Cambridge.  Which was a good thing, as the free Wi-Fi was not working and speaking with her for three and a half hours lifted my spirits.  We had an incredible amount in common, yet there was easily a 40 year age gap between us.

If it wasn’t for my chance travel companion, I may have left the Acela with mixed reviews.  But, that’s the unexpected beauty of train travel on the Acela – you can easily sit for hours blogging and catching up on email correspondence, or if you’re really lucky, you’ll meet someone inspiring.

Minus the delay, it was definitely an efficient use of my time and I’d try it again.  Mission accomplished!  For more information about Acela and train schedules, please visit www.amtrak.com.

BOSTON, EVENTS, FASHION

May 15-16: SoWa Open Market Returns to the South End

SoWa Open Market by New England Open Markets From Flickr

It’s baaack!  The SoWa Open Market is kicking off its seventh annual “season” in  Boston’s South End on Saturday-Sunday, May 15 and 16.  This weekend, more than 140 vendors, including clothing and accessories designers, photographers, artists, local farmers and bakers will descend on 460 Harrison Street to sell their wares under bright white tents in an open air market setting.

In addition to the outdoor market, there’s also a specialty SoWa Vintage Market, located in the former brick warehouse behind the market.  After this weekend, both markets will be open every Sunday through October 30 – excluding Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day weekends.  The event is free to attend and there’s free parking available in the lot adjacent to the market.

BOSTON, EVENTS

Monday, May 17: Social Boston Sports Hosts Free Group Runs Along Charles River

Running enthusiasts unite!  Social Boston Sports, the community of young professionals who live, work and play in the Boston area, is bringing together runners of all levels every Monday at 6:30 p.m. for FREE three, five and seven mile group runs along the picturesque Charles River.

Appropriately named Community Running, Social Boston Sports has seen upwards of 70 Bostonians since the initial run on March 29.  Runners meet up at McGreevy’s on Boylston Street and are divided up depending on their desired mileage goal.  After pounding the pavement, all runners are welcome to hang at McGreevy’s for a post run Muscle Milk bevvy.  Running experts from Saucony and City Sports will be on hand for tips, or to help with training charts.

According to Social Boston Sports co-founder Justin Obey, runners are attracted to the event for two reasons – motivation and socializing.  “A Monday run is awesome because it kick starts your week into high gear,” Obey said.  “Knowing that there are going to be another 50 – 70 runners meeting up with you on a Monday night isn’t just a great chance to hang out and meet other Boston runners, it’s also incredibly motivating; getting you out on a run when you may not have the desire normally.”

For more information about the Social Boston Sports Community Runs, please visit their website by clicking here.

Social Boston Sports Community Running

BOSTON

TaskRabbit: Schlepping Your Stuff Just Got Easier

Now All We Need is a Mattress

When it comes to moving furniture, I hate asking my friends for help.  I can think of so many other ways to spend quality time with my crew that doesn’t involve hauling around heavy items.  For this reason, I recently tested out TaskRabbit, a Boston-based start-up, to move a wooden futon frame within the Back Bay.

Dedicated to all errands large and small, TaskRabbit connects people willing to do odd jobs (runners) with Bostonians like myself looking for a little help.  Tasks can be virtually anything as long as its legal – buying groceries, delivering flowers to your girlfriend, or moving furniture.  All we Bostonians have to do is clearly describe the errand and decide how much we’re willing to pay for it.

What differentiates TaskRabbit from a website like Craigslist is that each runner has undergone a background check.  Runners are paid through the website, which will charge your credit card and is not paid until you mark your task as completed.  Runners also earn ratings for each successfully completed task, making them professional and eager to have you post extra errands with TaskRabbit in the future.  The guys that helped me had other jobs but also worked for TaskRabbit as an extra source of income.

Overall, I found the service to be very helpful.  For $50 + an $11 service fee which is calculated based on the price of the task, I didn’t have to lift a finger while my wooden futon frame was moved by two nice guys proudly wearing their bright green TaskRabbit t-shirts.  They even gave me a ride in the truck with them so that I didn’t need to hop a taxi.

If you’re only moving one piece of furniture, I think this is worth the price.  The average errand is around $10-$15, but furniture will run you $40-$50.  I was particularly impressed that pickups from Ikea are also $50, cheaper than the store’s $100 delivery fee.

For more information and to see the types of errands that people are posting, please visit www.taskrabbit.com.

BOSTON

No Furniture, No Problem: Furnishing an Apartment on a Small Budget

For the past month, my apartment has been in a state of re-furnishing and re-decorating.  When I moved into this apartment last year, I loved that it was fully furnished and that I only had to fill my bedroom.  I was living in a state of bliss until my amazing roommate – and all of her furniture – left me for her fiancé (miss you G)!

At present, we’ve successfully re-decorated the bathroom, entry hallway and kitchen.  The living room is slowly coming along and I’ll share that story in a future post. Here’s a few of our top tips for furnishing an apartment on a small budget:

1) Embrace Your Social Network.  Inspired by our lack of furniture, my roommates and I decided to poke fun at the sad state of our apartment by throwing a “No Furniture Dance Party.”  Partially a housewarming for our new roommate, we used the space to our advantage (all we had were six chairs, a few lamps and a mini fridge filled with alcohol in the living room).  The party was a raging success and it actually generated a few furniture leads and offers to help lift furniture, though that wasn’t our original intention!

If you live in an apartment building, you can also post a note looking for furniture in the laundry room or by the mail slot.  Make sure to be specific about what you’re looking for.  That way, if someone’s moving, they may be more likely to give you a heads up.

2) Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are Your New Best Friends.  From pots and pans, to cutting boards and knives, you get a lot of bang for your buck at these discount chains.  I was able to re-decorate our bathroom for $35, including a gorgeous shower curtain, mat and hand towels.  Though hit or miss, hidden gems can also be found in the home decor section, from artwork, mirrors, rugs and even smaller pieces of furniture.

3) Don’t Shun Freebies From Strangers. Especially if you’re on a tight budget, freebies will allow you to save your money for an item that you can’t find at a low cost.  I lived in Brookline for four years and every Sunday, typically by early afternoon, tons of people toss away their nice used furniture.  Now that I live in a nice area of the Back Bay, our alley has become a similar treasure trove.  We’ve had the good karma to spot people getting rid of a fantastic hall and side table.

Quite possibly the best free furniture bonanza is Cleveland Circle in Brookline/Brighton around the time of Boston College’s graduation.  I’ve never seen so much decent stuff cast aside that could easily sell on craigslist.

4) Learn the “Market Price” of Used Furniture Before Shopping.  To be a savvy shopper, you need to learn the current market value of the furniture items you need.  For that reason, Craigslist is a great way to take the temperature of your area.  It helped us to decide what we wanted to buy new vs. used.  I also found it extremely helpful when evaluating the goods in used furniture stores.  In addition to Craigslist, look at Ikea, Target, Pier 1, Jordan’s Furniture and JCPenny.  That way, once you know that you’ve found a good deal, you can jump on it.

5) Play the Craigslist Game – and Win. Yes, it is a game!  To win, you need three things: cash, an SUV or truck and friends to help you move the item.  Speed will also help you win at the Craigslist game.  Once you hear back from a seller, make sure you can mobilize your moving team quickly, as antsy sellers’ won’t wait around.  In addition, every person on Craigslist that I’ve ever purchased furniture from also screens potential buyers and gives the green light to the most ‘normal’ sounding person.  For that reason, it doesn’t hurt to sign your full name on the email inquiry and have a presence on LinkedIn or Facebook.  Being able to verify that you’re a real person can ease some people’s fears.