Not to nerd out on you, but we love libraries. Libraries are one of the most important public spaces in any city. They offer opportunities for growth, learning, creativity, and rest, almost always for free. And here in Boston where we take our books very seriously, we have some incredibly unique libraries to visit. These libraries go beyond the stacks of popular fiction to offer experiences and collections you can’t find anywhere else.
Info: One of the country’s oldest, and perhaps most beautiful libraries, The Boston Athenaeum has a circulating collection of more than half a million books, from works published in the 1800s to contemporary novels, all available for member use.
Pro Tip: If paying to join the Athenaeum isn’t on your list, you can still visit on a guided tour held multiple times a week.
Info: The Boston Public Library is an architectural and public service triumph. The beautiful building offers thousands of books and media items to the public, as well as workspace, meeting space, historical collections, business and ESL classes, art exhibitions, and more. Not to mention high tea and a bar with literary themed cocktails.
Pro Tip: Don’t miss the John Singer Sargent murals on the third floor of the historic McKim building, they’re some of the most unusual and intricate works of his lifetime.
Info: This library is the leading center for scholarship on the history of women in the United States. Here you’ll find an incredible collection of journals, photographs, manuscript collections, and, of course, books, telling the stories of American women.
Pro Tip: Some of these resources, like the Black Women Oral History Project can be accessed online for days you can’t make it to the library in person.
Info: The Massachusetts Historical Society houses more than 14 million pages of manuscripts, 120,000 images, 10,000 broadsides, and many more important books and artifacts documenting the state’s longstanding history. You can utilize the society library for research or personal interest reading, but an appointment is recommended.
Pro Tip: The historical society also hosts a wide spectrum of events (many of them free) probing our history and its connection to the present day.
Info: This library is a tribute to JFK, the Brookline native President. Overlooking the ocean and situated on a ten acre park, the beautiful library is part museum, part event space, and part collection of historical documents. You can either visit the museum or arrange to utilize the research room where you can read pieces from the collection firsthand.
Pro Tip: There’s a cafe located in the building and in nice weather having lunch overlooking the water is a divine way to break up your reading.
Info: This library is devoted to the life and work of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science belief system, which centers spiritual healing. The collection of documents, art and historic artifacts, photographs, books, and audiovisuals provides a fascinating look at an organization often shrouded in mystery.
Pro Tip: While you’re here be sure to visit the Mapparium, a gorgeous three-story stained glass globe that you can walk through. It’s one of Boston’s best kept secrets.
March 20th marks the official first day of spring, the best season in Boston. OK, fall is probably number one because the weather is just as good and there’s football and foliage. And in the summer you can go to the beach and ride the T without getting hit in the face by some college kid’s backpack. But we can all agree spring is in the top three seasons. Here’s 40 of the biggest events and festivals coming to Boston in the next three months. (more…)
I wanted to visualize sports championships in Boston this century vs. everywhere else, so I made a graphic. The graphic shows all titles won in the four major sports from 1/30/2000 to 2/3/2019. Special thanks to Dan Holmes for providing the necessary data to fill in the chart (or “trophy case”). He previously posted a similar article on Medium here.
See and/or download a high-resolution version of the graphic here.
February might be the shortest month, but it’s long on free events. The ‘r’ in February is silent, but maybe it stands for ‘R you serious with all of these free events?” 2019 might not be a leap year, but you’ll leap for joy when you see all of these free — OK I’ll stop. Here’s a bunch of free stuff to do around Boston this month.(more…)
It happens earlier every year: That first group text asking “Any New Year’s plans?” Or you’re walking through a mall with an extremely well-curated holiday playlist and hear the Orioles classic “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” and realize you don’t have an answer. Let’s do something about that: Here’s our guide to ringing in 2019 in style, on any budget.(more…)
Previously, we worked with Ghost Tequila to produce our “Summer Sesh“, and the event was a hit! Our tequila-loving team and Summer Sesh’s attendees were obsessed with Ghost Tequila’s bottles, and we knew we had to collaborate again. As we brainstormed ideas for what this event could look like, we threw out the overdone “tacos & tequila” and voila … guacamole & margaritas became our vision. We reached out to a dozen local restaurants, asking them to showcase their house-made guacamole recipes, and five of the best jumped on board. This event was happening.(more…)
With the success of our first Rosé & Oysters Sesh, we decided to set sail recently for a second ring around the Boston Harbor on Mass Bay Lines’ Music City Queen showboat. We loved seeing new faces step aboard ready to see the city skyline through a pair of rosé-colored glasses. The minute each attendee received a cup filled with tasting tickets, their illuminating rosé experience was about to begin. (more…)
This past Sunday we held our biggest sesh yet. It started with a simple idea: Team up with a few wine experts to create an experience that promised to give attendees a deeper understanding of rosé — a step up from just going to a bar and ordering something pink. Then we thought, what if we put it on a ship? Oooo, what if we added oysters too? With that, we proceeded to reach out Mass Bay Lines and pitched them our concept; they were in. Now we needed to find all that rosé. Someone recommended we touch base with Martignetti, the leading distributor of wines and spirits in New England. They weren’t exactly sure what this #rosésesh would look like, but they were willing to work with us. As we firmed up what felt like a never-ending list of details, we ended up designating Martignetti as the exclusive provider of rosé, and worked with them to offer ten wines from their Carolina & United divisions. By the time the sesh rolled around, attendees were tasting French rosés from a vineyard part owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, to rare pinot noir rosés from Dundee Hills in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
This sesh was only made possible thanks to all of the local companies who were willing to team up with us, and of course the dozens of staff and volunteers who helped out. We’d be remiss if we didn’t express extreme gratitude to our rosé guides, Charlotte and Kathryn, who helped curate the wine list and lead attendees through the tasting. Allium Market of Brookline for putting out an INCREDIBLE charcuterie spread. Hooked Fish Shop of Somerville, who shucked 400 oysters. Eataly Boston, who provided several salumi & formaggi platters as well as assorted focaccia. Our presenting media partner, WBUR. The captain and crew of The Music City Queen, who cruised us safely around Boston Harbor as we drank rosé all day. And of course the incredible team of volunteers from Hult University, who checked everyone in, organized our Wine Bottle Hoisting Contest, and executed our floating Instax photo booth. We said this was the “first annual” Rose & Oysters Cruise, but seeing that it went so well, we might just do another one in August. Stay tuned.(more…)
After spending two years developing an unnamed experiential classrooms platform, we soft-launched “Sesh by The Boston Calendar” on June 5th, 2018. The Sesh itself—Hemingway to Havana: Mixing Classic Rum Cocktails—took place just five days later at the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel’s Lobby Bar, led by historian, author and mixologist, Brain Hoefling (Herzog Cocktail School). With a full-house on hand, Brian led the crowd through a short history of rum, then taught attendees how to make three light rum cocktails using Privateer Silver Reserve:
1) Hemingway Daiquiri: An evolution of the venerable Daiquiri, invented at the famous Havana bar El Floridita and eventually renamed after its most famous patron.
2) El Presidente: Another Havana classic, and the scion of the rum-and-vermouth cocktail family. Famously offered to Calvin Coolidge by Cuban President Gerardo Machado (he declined).
3) El Floridita: Not as famous as its namesake bar and frequently confused with the Floridita Daiquiri until the latter changed its name to “Hemingway” (see above); yet another delicious expression of Cuba’s cocktail tradition and one of the few drinks to pair lime juice with sweet vermouth.
After demonstrating how to make each of the aforementioned cocktails, attendees got hands-on and proceeded to pick up a shaker and make their own from scratch…
To ensure attendees properly lined their stomaches before consuming three self-made cocktails, the Kimpton provided delicious light bites at the start of the Sesh. Connections were made, numbers were exchanged, knowledge was obtained, and most importantly, the experience was unique and memorable. From a logistics and flow standpoint, there are a number of things we plan to improve upon moving forward, but Sesh number one is in the books, and it’s just the first of many. WBUR was our presenting media partner for this Sesh, and will be for subsequent ones through he summer.
What’s Sesh? In short, immersive experiences with the city as your classroom. Everything from rosé deep dives on cruises, to dumpling making at the all-new Bow Market. Look out for a whole host of Seshes via this link in the coming days. Until then, stay tuned.
Keep your calendar (and your wallet) full with our picks for 20 free things to do around Boston in April.
1. National Poetry Month Festival
T.S. Eliot’s epic poem “The Waste Land” opens with the line “April is the cruelest month.” But that was way before April was declared National Poetry Month. Boston celebrates with a five-day festival in the Back Bay that wraps up with a weekend of readings by established and emerging poets at the Boston Public Library. All of the festival’s events are free and open to the public.
