Chili-eating contests, parties for runners, and more events this week

By: - Monday, Mar 31, 2014 - 5:37pm

58d3d5c6b6be11e38f9d125ac6cb0dab_8-1(Photo credit: @brianmcw on Instagram)

Miley Cyrus brings her Bangerz Tour to the Garden on Wednesday, and I thought about recommending it as kind of an April Fools (sorry, Foolz) joke. But you’re smarter than that, right? Go out and see some theatre, or learn something about art and science, instead of watching Miley twerk on a replica of the Bunker Hill Monument while wearing a bikini constructed from Mike Napoli’s beard. (more…)

Now that’s a nice picture

By: - Monday, Mar 31, 2014 - 3:45pm

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Instagram God @brianmcw added the above picture to his amazing account yesterday. He captioned the photo: “Boston in the grips of a nor’easter.”

When it comes to Boston Instagram accounts, @brainmcw is in a league of his own. We have no idea how he does it, but he posts on average two stunning pictures of Boston everyday. See for yourself: @brianmcw. He claims all the photos are phone pics, which is insane.

One of our blog contributors is currently working on exclusive piece about Mr. McWilliams — check back for that soon.

Happy Monday!

Punk rock fests, pop up ramen, and more weekend events for late-night T riders

By: - Friday, Mar 28, 2014 - 11:05am

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(Photo credit: Chaval Brasil/Creative Commons)

So you’ve heard that MBTA late-night service starts tonight, but they’re only going to keep it around if it makes money. It’s basically your civic duty to go to the bar, stay until closing time, then sort of mill around on the sidewalk sharing cigarettes with strangers, searching their sad eyes for some passing hint at real human connection and, finding none, jump on the T around 2 a.m. That’s after you hit up some of these fun events happening this weekend, obviously. (more…)

A lesson in fundraising

By: - Thursday, Mar 27, 2014 - 4:33pm

After learning about the tragic deaths of Lt. Edward Walsh and firefighter Mike Kennedy I wondered if there was anything The Boston Calendar could do to help. As I normally do, I checked the homepage of my favorite online Boston community, r/Boston. There was a post there titled “How do we *actually* honor our fallen firefighters?” The most popular idea in that thread was to set up a scholarship fund for Lt. Walsh’s three children (even the top comment mentioned it). My gut instinct was “yes, that’s is a great idea.” So I immediately created an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign aimed at raising money for the scholarship fund.

What I failed to think through is whether a fundraiser (more…)

Jumpstart’s Phantom of the Opera Masquerade Gala

By: - Sunday, Mar 23, 2014 - 4:15pm

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On March 8th, Jumpstart’s Young Professional Board turned a chilly winter night, into an elegant Phantom of the Opera themed Masquerade charity gala for 225 attendees. Hosted in the Seaport area, the event featured a live D.J., h’or deourves, a silent auction, and an open bar with Phantom of the Opera themed drinks from Bully Boy Distillery (+1 for making tasty and strong drinks).  My compliments to the planning committee of the event, who really put in thoughtful details to play up the Phantom of the Opera/classy gothic theme. Red roses, candelabras, and masks were displayed on tables and the photo booth (which is now standard in any event I ever attend) had pearl necklaces and Venetian style masks to add to the experience. Many of the attendees played along with the theme, donning their masks, some in capes and long gowns. It felt as though we had transported back to early 1900’s France, aside from the twenty something year olds taking selfies, the quesadillas, and Katy Perry music playing in the background. (more…)

Spring into, um, spring with Madonna parties, sci-fi cons and more weekend events

By: - Thursday, Mar 20, 2014 - 6:16pm

tulips(Tulips in the Public Garden, via Instagram)

Happy first day of spring! That’s according to my official Labrador Retriever-themed wall calendar, not some rodent from Pennsylvania, of all places. Get out there and celebrate the slow but delightful realization that the sun, in addition to providing light, also functions as a source of heat. (more…)

Jonathan Richman’s Boston

By: - Monday, Mar 17, 2014 - 2:04pm

The wonderful Jonathan Richman is playing three shows at the Middle East this week: Wednesday, March 19; Thursday, March 20; and Friday, March 21. This article relates a few thoughts on his Boston-centric songs and offers a recommended listening list.

4055694316_bbc62c909b_b Photo: Mark and Allegra/Creative Commons

Jonathan Richman is the greatest of all Boston tunesmiths. There. I said it. Someone had to.

(more…)

The person behind Boston’s fastest growing twitter account: @OnlyInBOS

By: - Friday, Mar 14, 2014 - 12:01am

It isn’t your average Sunday morning coffee date when you get the chance to spend it chatting with the Bostonian behind the Twitter handle we all look to for the latest on Boston happenings. I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with the @OnlyinBOS at Pavement Coffeehouse on Boylston to find out a little more about how the account works, the success behind the tweets, and how this person created this well known Boston persona all within the constraints of 140 characters.

@onlyinbos

Let’s kick things off by asking you about the local king of 140 characters, @BostonTweet. Have you met Tom? Are you trying to do something similar to him? If not, what makes your account different?

I have not formally met @BostonTweet, but we have been at the same events. (more…)

Weekend events for the Irish (and Polish, Icelandic, and Roman) in you

By: - Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 - 6:41pm

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(Photo courtesy of DaPuglet/Creative Commons)

We could have easily filled this weekend’s event picks with Irish-themed pub crawls, parties and parades, but you don’t really need a formal event to celebrate St. Paddy’s, just a green shirt and a bar and some friends (friends optional). Not to mention there happen to be some great options for experiencing other European cultures. Why spend the whole weekend pretending to be Irish when you could also pretend to be Polish, Icelandic and ancient Roman? (more…)

17 St. Patrick’s Day events in Boston

By: - Tuesday, Mar 11, 2014 - 9:10pm

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Photo Credit: Ted Spiegel/CORBIS

Four rules for making the most of St. Patrick’s Day in Boston:

1. I don’t care what some of these event titles say — it’s St. Paddy’s, not St. Patty’s (from the Irish Pádraig).

2. There’s a parade on Sunday but that doesn’t mean we won another sports championship. I know, it’s weird. The parade starts at 1 so plan your drinking accordingly.

3. I don’t know, maybe drink some water? Also, green beer contains no vitamin C. Eat a lime or something so you don’t get scurvy.

4. Don’t be this girl.

All set? Great. Now here’s six days worth of St. Paddy’s Day parties, concerts, pub crawls and more: (more…)