Browsing Tag

BOSTON

BOSTON, TRAVEL

Travel: Tablet Hotels

Tablet Website Screen Grab

As a passionate leisure traveler with professional experience in the travel industry, I couldn’t resist giving a little love to Tablet. Specifically, the person who puts together the content for their weekly newsletter and TabletTalk blog. My personal inbox is forever clogged with newsletters (which is clearly my fault, I find it hard to pare down), but I always look forward to seeing the unique hotels Tablet selects for their readers. While most are above my budget (it is a luxury travel site after all), I find myself completely sucked in by the clever copy and beautiful photos. Plus, the hotels are unique and full of personality, like No. 5 Maddox St., an all-studio apartment hotel in London’s Mayfair district. Luckily, I can “favorite” them and hope the stars will align and one of the posh places will end up on a private sale site, just in time for my next trip. Crazier things have happened, right?

And, I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to any of my lovely blog readers that so far all of my “favorited” hotels are in London….

Blake's Hotel, London. Have wanted to stay here ever since it appeared on an episode of Anthropologie's Man Shops Globe!

In case you were wondering about Boston, Tablet ranks our beloved city’s top five hotels, in order from one to five, as: Mandarin Oriental Boston, XV Beacon, Ames Boston, Hotel Veritas and Taj Boston.

BOSTON, NIGHTLIFE

On the Town: A Fabulous 29th Birthday at 28 Degrees

Photo Courtesy of 28 Degrees

Sometimes you don’t find the right birthday party venue, it finds you. Case and point with my 29th birthday celebration last month. I had what I thought was the perfect birthday celebration planned. A nice little soiree at The Beehive. I imagined being surrounded by friends savoring Beehive Juleps, live jazz and good conversation.

The reality? The Beehive is typically all of these things – and then some (do try the mussels for dinner sometime). Unfortunately, on the night of my birthday it was overcrowded with a long line outside on a very chilly night. Add in an unsympathetic door man and frozen friends and you have a not so happy birthday girl.

The solution? 28 Degrees! One phone call to 28 Degrees to confirm that there was no line or wait, and I was whisking my friends down the street. Inside, we found great music, delicious cocktails and plenty of space to command. C’est magnifique! In the end, I got exactly what I had wanted and then some. I couldn’t imagine a better venue to host a birthday party at than 28 Degrees.

The moral of the story? If you’ve got a large group gathering, don’t waste your time on a bar that has the potential to be overcrowded. Look for a venue that’s easy to get into with good music, good drinks and plenty of space to hang. I know I will from now on!

28 Degrees is located at 1 Appleton Street in Boston’s South End. 

EVENTS

Saturday, Dec. 10: Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market and SoWa Holiday Market

‘Tis the season for fun and festive events. Fresh off a lovely wedding in New Hampshire at a cozy venue complete with a roaring fire, 15 foot Christmas tree and rustic-chic holiday decorations galore, I’m ready to embrace the holiday season. Lucky for me (and you!), there are two great holiday themed local markets to enjoy this weekend: The Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market and SoWa Holiday Market.

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BOSTON

Hey Bostonians – What Are You Thankful For This Thanksgiving? 2011 Edition

I'm thankful for many long runs and walks along the Charles River in Boston

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s the time of year when we all pause and reflect on what we’re thankful for in life. How often do we stop and think about the many things that make Boston so wonderful? Following last year’s successful blog entry on what Bostonians are thankful for about Boston, I couldn’t resist asking friends and @savvybostonian Twitter followers to participate again this year. Continue Reading