Category Archives: THE EAST COAST

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 11, 2012 · 1:14 am

Exploring downtown Art district in providence

I never spent time downtown when I last visited providence but this time I did and it was interesting. I stayed at the Hampton suites which is unlike other Hampton suites i’ve seen. It’s in a lovely 1920s building that began as a bank and late became a catholic church.  Surpringly charming and very nice staff who took good care of me. I wandered down Westminster AndWashington streets which has some spectacular old buildings that have been well restored, including some terra cotta beauties. There are some interesting boutiques and gift shops and a good independent bookstore and some restaurants that look great. Many were closed on sun and Monday when I visited. Next time. Here’ a few places that caught my eye: trinity rep, Gracie’s restaurant, acc(o) food, local 121 restaurant, craft, modern love (where I bought shoe stylish shoes I hope will prove moderately comfortable), Cuban revolution, another restaurant. I also had a meeting at the hoteprovidence, ananother charming old hotel downtown.

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September 9, 2012 · 11:50 pm

Walking for miles in providence, r.i. But still have wallet!

As I did yesterday in Salem, mass, i did again today in providence rhode island, I walked for miles exploring the city…except this time I held onto my wallet, checking several times during the trip. A few highlights/observations:

– the train from Boston to providence was easy andfast. Only 40 minutes or so. Hardestpart is figuring out the Amtrak schedule which is confusing. And it’s important to check out the train priceswhich vary, from $54 to$14

– the city is sleepy on aSunday and many of the good restaurants are closed. I am staying at the Hampton suites downtown. So far so good. It is in a surprisinglylovely 1920s building with a high ceilinged ornate lobby/breakfast area.

– I walked all the way from the hotel to ears providence and black stone walking path along the river. The path wasn’t impressive but I walked thu many lovely oldneighborhoods.Ended up at India point park which was pretty at sunset although the water view was more industrial thanexpected. I liked the bohemian neighborhood. Along wickenden street and saw severaltechnic restaurants that looked promising but I wasn’t hungry (I ate a late lunch – a falafel wrap – at a middle eastern deli in the brown university college town I have been to before.

– one of the prettier streets I wa

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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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June 26, 2012 · 9:05 pm

More DC/Columbia MD – Zenebech Injera/market lunch, Iron bridge Wine Co, Politics and Prose

A visit to George and Martha’s house at Mount Vernon, Va.

Our direct flight from Washington DC’s Reagan National to Des Moines was a breeze – we were home in two hours! A few other treats to mention during our trip:

– We had good Ethiopian food, albeit in spartan environs, at Zenebech Injera Deli  on T street northwest – not far from the U Street corridor which I didn’t explore in full because it was so darned hot (100 degrees) the day I was wandering around. It apparently stretches east of 14th street a bit. (I walked on U Street between 14th and 17th.) At Zenebech, my son and I tried the sampler which was plenty to eat – assorted meat and veg dishes laid out in big clumps atop a large round piece of the spongy bread you use to eat the food with. Not a fancy place – just a half dozen plain tables and chairs, a counter, a cooler with drinks. That’s about it.

– I met a friend from Ellicott City Maryland for lunch near her house at Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia.  Nice place in pretty rural setting. I had a good Cesar Salad and my friend the quiche. The bellini cocktail looked great but didn’t want to drink in the middle of the day.

Eating crabcake sandwiches at D.C.’s Eastern Market

– Politics and Prose, one of my favorite bookstores, appears to be going strong under new ownership, which was very good to see. As always, I enjoyed browsing through both the upstairs fiction and nonfiction shelves and downstairs, in the children’s section where I found many classics that I wanted to buy for my new niece including one all time favorite “Ferdinand the Bull.”

– The gelato place we went to on Saturday near the Eastern market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood is Pitango. Fun fact – actor Owen Wilson was spotted at the Pitango in Chinatown on Saturday, according to the Washington Post. I wonder if he had the Crema Gelato and the Dark Chocolate Sorbet (as I did…)

– We squeezed in a trip to Mount Vernon at our kids’ request on Sunday – followed by quick stop in Alexandria for ice cream. Mount Vernon was spruced up since our last visit there maybe 12 years ago. There’s now a snazzy visitor’s center with an introductory film. The U.S. Capitol also has a new visitor’s center with a film. One more visitor’s center in DC and we’ve got ourselves “a trend!”

Wandering around the Capitol Hill neighborhood in D.C.

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June 25, 2012 · 9:31 pm

Leaving dc – intown uptown inn, redwood, sweet greens

We found a fantastic bed and breakfast on dc that was almost too good to be true. And sadly it will bson non because it is closing to the public later this week. It’s the uptown intown uptown inn in the upper northwest neighborhood north of columbia  heights. Gorgeous old mansion, red brick, with wood floors, elegant fireplaces and chandeliers, antique furniture and oil paintings. Beautiful Roos, for sleeping, sitting and eating. Delicious breakfast of double-stuffed potato  topped with scrambled eggs, homemade blue berry Danish. The inn owner sandy is gracious and welcoming, the type of person you want to have your photo taken with as you leave, even though you have known her for only an hour.mshemis renting out the entire three story inn to harvard which will make it available to its alums. Bummer for the rest of us.

We had an excellent dinner last night at redwood in Bethesda. $35 price fix for 3 courses. I had grilled shrimp served with cucumbers, red onions  and a jalapeño avocado yoghurt drizzled around the plate. Then crab cakes with grilled peaches, bok Choy and a light orange-colored peach sauce. Ice cream sundae for dessert.

Today we had a tour of the u.s. Capitol led by a fine young man who is an intern for senator Harkin. He’s also my son. That was fun. The new visitors center is a nice entryway. We loved all the wall paintings in the corridors. For lunch we had very good salads at sweet greens on a strip of restaurants behind the Capitol. It’s been a good trip.

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June 25, 2012 · 3:35 am

Eastern market, a dc treasure

What a great place to spend a sunny, no longer sweltering Saturday in june. We had a great time wandering around the market, sampling and then buying blueberries, peaches and plums at the outdoor stands and then eating crab cake sandwiches at a very popular counter inside the elegant old red brick market building. We also wandered around a flea market with some good stuff, past some interesting shops including one with great Turkish kilims And another with excellent gelato and sorbet (pitanyo?) the market is in a lovely old neighborhood just behind the Capitol with old brick row houses, some with turrets, wrought iron fences, lovely gardens, red brick walkways. I will be back!

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June 22, 2012 · 8:39 pm

Hot in dc but very cool at newseum

I usually last about two to  three hours at a museum but I had To force myself to leave after five hours at the newseum. My first visit and it’s nirvana for a news junkie and history buff. The building is gorgeous, with a spectacular view of the mall from the sixth floor balcony. Too many highlights to list but here are a few:

The 911 exhibit which includes a very powerful film with interviews with journalist who covered the bombing as the towers fell.

The Pulitzer prize photographs including interviews with some of the award winners about how thy got their winning shot, including a former dmregister colleague of mine.(it was fun to see several reporters I know pop up in one exhibit or another)

The selection of historic papers

Variousfilms on topics from women in journalism to anonymous sources.

I will definitely be back.

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