Category Archives: Massachusetts

April 15, 2013 · 9:05 pm

Bombing in Boston – words cannot express…

Just heard about the bombing at the Boston Marathon and trying to process – if that’s even possible – and make sure that various friends and relatives who live in the area are okay. We just got word that our niece Nora M. (not our niece Nora F. who goes to school at U Mass in Amherst) is in her office building downtown, which is under lock down. From what I can tell, one of the bombs went off about five minutes from where my best friend from high school lives in Back Bay (I visited her there last fall and we walked on a beautiful day to the T station near what is now a bomb scene.

I remember fondly watching the Boston Marathon  when I lived in Boston in the early 1980’s – and the thought of a bombing going off in that crowd is a little too real.  I was thinking about the marathon today after hearing it would include a special tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut. I am at a loss for words.

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The Boston Marathon Logo

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March 16, 2013 · 4:11 am

RIP Boston Phoenix, my former employer

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In 1982, I moved back to the U.S. after wandering the world for awhile. The Boston Phoenix gave me safe harbor and for that I will always be grateful. The paper gave me some steady freelance assignments and even found me a grunt work part time job doing something or other so I could pay my rent – a room I shared with four people in a tripledecker in Somerville, a room I found through the Phoenix’s classified ads. So it was sad to read today that the Phoenix is folding.

My year working at the Phoenix was one of the hardest I can recall, as I barely eked out a living. I remember taking a shoebox of receipts to an accountant who prepared taxes for various Phoenix people. I was terrified I would be saddled with a big tax bill but the accountant informed me that I had earned a whopping $6,000 and the IRS would be paying me. But I met some really talented people at the Phoenix, some of whom went out of their way to help a young writer…Gail Caldwell, who later won a Pulitzer at the Globe was one of them. Editor Richard Gaines was another. Beyond that, the Phoenix had a distinctive voice and niche in Boston, truly an alternative to the Globe. RIP old friend.

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September 14, 2012 · 9:31 pm

Highlights in Salem, Marblehead, and Boston Mass.

The lovely view from my relatives’ house in Swampscott, Mass.

I was so consumed by the drama of losing and finding my wallet after a day wandering around Salem last Saturday that I didn’t get a chance to write about all the cool things I found while wandering. So here are a few:

– Peabody Essex Museum and House of Seven Gables are the big attractions and both looked well worth a visit but it was so nice out that I didn’t want to stay inside or commit to one attraction alone.

– Chestnut Street, lovely old street lined with beautiful mansions. And nearby on Essex Street I didn’t visit the Ropes Mansion but I walked around its lovely (free-to-the-public) little landscaped flower garden with gorgeous dahlias (my favorite) and lots of other varieties.

– I ate at Life Alive, a vegetarian restaurant on Essex Street that reminded me of the ones I used to go to in Ithaca during college (albeit a little more upscale). It’s also in Cambridge’s Central Square and Lowell’s Historic Arts District. ( After much pondering of the extensive menu, I went with The Swami – a half bowl for $5.55. It was a mix of brown rice, curry miso, tamari almonds, carrots, corn, broccoli, kale, raisins, onions, and a “sprinkle of nutritional yeast” (which is tastier than it sounds.)

– Re-find was among several alluring consignment stores in town. (I bought a pair of jeans and a top for $20 at the women’s Re-find on Washington Street…there’s a men’s Re-find around the block.

– Gothic-celt-witchy-new england fop vibe: All day I kept walking past one or two people decked out in eye-popping costumes – and not just the girls hawking various Witch attractions. There were people dressed in black corsets and flowing black shirts with crosses and tattoos; guys dressed in top hats and tails and women in Victorian riding gear or some such. Never did figure out what was going on but at one point they did all gather outside a former  bank on the Walking & Shopping Mall (Essex Street) that sold their kind of clothes at makeshift stalls inside.

– I also enjoyed sitting on a park bench on the lovely Salem Common and near Pickering Wharf and the tall ship the Friendship (although that will forever be remembered as the-place-I-lost-my-wallet.

Coast Guard Air Station Salem patch

– I tagged along with my sister-in-law when she went to the Saturday farmer’s market in Marblehead – smaller than Des Moines but more high-end and high dollar (some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and dahlias stuck out.) I also went her to the seafood shack by the water to pick up some lobsters for fabulous lobster bolognaise that she made later for dinner.

– In Boston’s Back Bay, I had coffee at a cute place, the Wired Puppy on Newbury Street and visited The College Club of Boston on Commonwealth Avenue, the nation’s oldest women’s college club (founded in 1890 and host to the likes of Mark Twain),  which my friend PJ belongs to and which has lovely old rooms.


The College Club of Boston

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September 12, 2012 · 3:35 am

Spectacle island, north end, beacon hill, back bay…Boston!

Fun day with my pal from high school PJ who has a beautiful contemporary apt on comm ave in Back Bay with a spectacular view of the Charles river, the MIT  campus and downtown from her terrace. on a perfect fall day, we took a short boat ride to spectacle island, one of the many harbour islands and walked around forawhile and sat on a bench looking out across the water at the Boston skyline and talked about our lives and gave each other confidence, like old friends do.

We wandered over to the north end and into an italian specialty store, Salumeria Italia, that turned out to be where my sister-in-law works and she was there! The in house expert on olive oils and vinegars gave us a tutorial a d tasting. I may never look at that stuff the same way again. We had excellent half orders of pasta – I had the red sauce with lamb Ragu; PJ had gluten free pasta with ariabiatta sauce – at trattoria il panini. Excellent. We poked in a few little boutiques and consignment shops on Hanover street then walked back to P’s apt through beacon hill, stopping at a nice little market with fresh meat and fish Savenor’s market. Boston looked lovely

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September 9, 2012 · 3:59 am

A good citizen saves my day in Salem Massachusetts

The first indication I had that my trip east  was about to go horribly wrong came early this evening after I had spent much of the day wandering all over Salem, Massachusetts. My husband called to ask if I had lost my credit card. He had tried to use the card, which is in both of our names, at the grocery store in des Moines and couldn’t so he called the credit card company and was told that someone had called in to say they found it so the company cancelled it. I looked in my purse and not only was my credit card missing. My entire wallet was gone. No license, debit card, money, or…credit card. And this on the first day of a five day trip where I need to travel  by train and stay in a hotel and eat out.

I had a terrible sinking feeling. Retracing my steps wouldn’t really  work because there had been so many of them. I had wandered up and down those pretty narrow new England streets that I love …which does not lend itself to finding a lost wallet. But someone had called the credit card company about my card so it must have been found by someone who was honest and trying to find me. Now how could I find him. Or her?

I called the credit card company and they had a name but no phone number for my good citizen. And his name was very common. Then I thought if he had my license he could find my phone number in Iowa. But my husband found  no message on our home phone. Then i remembered my phone listing is for my office phone. My husband walked into my office while my heart beat like a tomtom and there was one message and it was from my good citizen. He had left his phone number, which I called and he picked up right away. Turns out he is the dock master for the marina where I had stopped to sit on a bench and admire the view. Somehow my wallet fell out of my purse, someone found it and gave it to him…I think. We drove back to Salem from my relatives house in swampscott and we used cellphones to find each other and now I have my wallet back. The guy could not have been nicer, even apologizing for getting my credit card cancelled but if he hadn’t done that I probably wouldn’t have known until tomorrow when I was leaving that my wallet was missing because no one would have  noticed the message on my office phone while I was away. I do plan to write my cellphone number on my wallet. I think that makes sense. Or maybe my email address. Live and learn. I got lucky. And this was a good reminder that there are some good people out there. I tried to give him some money but he wouldn’t take anything. He did let me shake his hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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September 16, 2011 · 2:53 pm

Mass MOCA – for huge art!

Last week, we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (aka Mass MOCA) in the old factory town of North Adams, near Williamstown. It was raining, which made it easier to spend a September day inside – and we were impressed not only by the exhibits but the building itself – a huge sprawling weathered old factory. The show on oppressed workers (see description below) was engrossing – as was the semi-permanent (“on view through 2033” according to the website) retrospective of bold colorful Sol LeWitt wall paintings (especially engrossing was a video of young people creating  these paintings, following LeWitt’s instructions.)

I thought the Tate Modern in London was huge – but Mass MOCA is even huger and the enormity of some of the art installations (by Nari WArd and Katarina Grosse) is astonishing. The museum also has a good cafe (Lickety Split) with large well-done salads and sandwiches. And if it had not been raining, would have been fun to poke around town a bit, especially some of the galleries that have sprung up in the wake of Mass MOCA.

THE WORKERS exhibit: “What does work look like today in a global economy marked by outsourcing, rapid migration, disruptive economies, and a state of labor that seems fractured, precarious, and almost invisible? With video, sculpture, photography, and performance art from 25 artists, this exhibition examines the way labor is represented today (and how some contemporary workers choose to represent themselves). “

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September 14, 2011 · 7:56 pm

Williamstown Mass – where to stay, eat, what to do

It rained most of our day in the Berkshires but we still enjoyed the scenery. First stop Great Barrington where what Rubiner could resist a visit to Rubiner’s Cheesemongers – an artisanal cheese shop in an old bank on the main drag owned by a cousin of mine.  The cousin wasn’t around – and there wasn’t any cornbeef for the “Rubiner Sandwich” (no joke) served in the Rubi cafe behind the cheese shop but we enjoyed our visit – eating two sandwiches in what appeared to be the former bank’s boardroom, now the cafe. Also dropped in at a clothing store I liked last time I visited several years ago – and bought a few things on sale.

In Williamstown, we stayed at the River Bend Farm B&B, a very unique place located right beyond the Williams College campus. Run by two free spirits, it’s a meticulously restored 18th century house – plus modern day amenities like plumbing and heat. There are only four rooms, only two occupied and we had the place largely to ourselves – staying on the ground floor in what was the parlor, a lovely room with plastered ceilings, old moldings, wrought iron chandelier, fireplace. Next door was the kitchen – which looked like something out a living history farm with a big stone hearth with iron implements and dried herbs hanging on the wall. The bathroom was unique too – dark wood with big old pots on shelves (and a well-functioning shower.) Breakfast was good – homemade granola, muffins, jams. Definitely would return!

We splurged at Mezze for dinner, a white- tablecloth restuarant whose chef is known for his locally-sourced ingredients. We had a very good pork dish and pasta with a pork, beef, sausage ragu.Another keeper.

En route to the Berkshires on Highway 7 in Connecticut we stopped briefly in the pretty village of West Cornwall – where we crossed a covered bridge above a raging river (truly – the rivers were all raging thanks to Irene and causing havoc in many places.)

 

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August 11, 2011 · 2:06 am

Finally picked a place to stay in the Berkshires

After much research, I’ve finally settled on staying at River Bend Farm B&B when we are in Williamstown, Mass. next month. I was taken by its historic charm, location, and price. It’s a 1770 Colonial home – “magnificently restored” according to one review with only four rooms – and two baths to share. It’s a mile from town and costs $134 a weeknight (including tax….which is good for the pricey Berkshires.)

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June 30, 2011 · 10:11 pm

North Adams and Vermont (again) inns

Okay, so I’m also told I should look into inns in Chester Vt. and in North Adams, Mass. (the Berkshires) there are several great albeit pricey options including Porches of MassMOCA (the contemporary art museum I want to visit there), which looks retro high-design trendy, and River Bend Farm, which looks just the opposite (it’s a  1770 Georgian Colonial one mile from town.) Another high design/price option is Field Farm Guest House in a Bauhaus box built in 1948.

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June 27, 2011 · 11:33 pm

Where the ramble on the East Coast – Berkshires and southern Vermont?

So I’m thinking, with our four free days on the East Coast in early September, we can go so many places in a few hour’s – which I loved when I lived in Boston and later Stamford, Connecticut. (So different from Michigan, where I grew up…and here in Iowa.)

Right now, since we’ll be in NYC and then Connecticut and then end up on Long Island, our best bet may be to go to the Berkshires (North Adams, perhaps) and then to southern Vermont (maybe the famous Dorset Inn in Dorset or a splurge at the Inn at Sawmill Farm in West Dover, which oddly enough was formed in part from my cousin’s vacation home that I visited as a child.) Both are places my husband’s never been to and places I long to return.

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