Going Out Guide
by Michael Sechrist, Culture Columnist on December 17, 2009 in Culture, Going Out Guide
What: Winter Beer Fest
Where: Blanchard’s Wines and Spirits, 418 LaGrange Street West Roxbury, MA
When: Wednesday, December 2nd from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cost: Free
Why: Come taste a selection of 35 beers, as well as champagnes and cognacs over appetizers for no fee.
What: 103rd Annual Second Year Show at Harvard Medical School
Where: 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury
When: Thursday – Saturday, December 3-5th at 8:00 PM
Cost: $15
Why: Make your way over to the other side of the river to see second year Harvard medical students put on a unique comedic performance. This year’s show focuses on healthcare reform.
What: Boston’s Official Tree Lighting Ceremony
When: Thursday, December 3rd starting at 6:30 PM
Where: Boston Common
Cost: Free!
Why: Family friendly event featuring a holiday stage show, carolers and other entertainment.
What: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Walkaround!
When: Thursday, December 3rd at 6:00 PM
Where: Downtown Harvard Club, One Federal Street, 38th Floor, Boston, MA
Cost: $40
Why: Got to have one swanky event this time around; hors d’oeuvres are paired with four different brands of Louis Roederer Champagnes, but Cristal is definitely not one of them.
What: The 23rd Annual SnowBall
Where: Boston Park Plaza Hotel, 64 Arlington Street, Boston
When: Friday, December 4th at 9:00 PM
Cost: $55
Why: Black-tie optional party that features live entertainment and a casino area all to benefit charities for Boston inner-city youth.
What: Cultural Survival Bazaars
When: December 4th, 5th & 6th from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Where: Cambridge College, 1000 Mass Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free!
Why: Come support Indigenous Communities from all over the world by purchasing their handmade arts and crafts. The event will also feature live music, cultural performances, craft-making workshops, movies and more.
What: 12 Bars of Christmas by Crawl In Boston
When: Saturday, December 5th at 2:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: 1 Faneuil Hall Market Place Boston, MA
Cost: $5
Why: Try to make it through 12 bars in support of the charity, Horizon for Homeless Children. Donations are suggested.
What: Bureaucrat’s Ball (aka winter formal)
When: Saturday, December 5
Where: Harvard Faculty Club
Cost: Hopefully cheap
Why: Our last big social gathering of the semester! Just hope the dance floor has more air conditioning this year.
What: Beacon Hill Holiday Stroll
Where: Starts on the corner of Charles and Mount Vernon Streets in Boston
When: Thursday, December 10 from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cost: Free!
Why: Another family friendly event featuring carolers, pictures with Santa, a brass quintet, horse and buggy rides and free drinks at area restaurants.
What: 3rd Annual Ugly Sweater Party
Where: Market Boston Restaurant, 21 Broad Street, Boston
When: Friday, December 11th at 8:00 PM
Cost: $15 at the door
Why: Embarrass yourself to help others. Show off your ugliest piece from the eighties in a benefit to send 25 seriously ill children from the Starlight Children’s Foundation to a Boston Bruins Game.
Going Out Guide
by Michael Sechrist, Culture Columnist on November 1, 2009 in Culture, Going Out Guide
It’s Halloween 2009 and the lines for costumes at The Garment District and Dorothy’s Boutique are already out the door. Make sure you get your tickets now to avoid more lines this weekend.
What: HKS Halloween Extravaganza
When: Saturday, October 31th from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Where: Sheraton Commander
Cost: $20 via the web
Why: HKS parties get top preference.
What: 3rd Annual Legendary Halloween Bash
When: Thursday, October 29th from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM
Where: Gypsy Bar, 116 Boylston Street, Boston
Cost: $20
Why: 5 DJs all in one night at a popular club downtown.
What: Halloween Monster Mash
Where: Good Times, 28 Kingston Street, Boston, MA
When: Friday, October 30th from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM
Cost: $5
Why: If you like music that mixes Prince with Michael Jackson, this is your party. The entire night is mash-up music.
What: Sinners and Saints Halloween Bash
When: Friday, October 30th, 8:30 PM – 2:00 AM
Where: Vinalia Restaurant, 101 Arch St. Boston, MA
Cost: $15/per person; $25 for two
Why: $1000 in prize money is up for grabs in three categories.
What: THE 15th ANNUAL ALL-IVY HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE BALL!
When: Friday, October 30th from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Where: Harvard Club of Boston, 374 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA
Cost: $30 by October 28th/$40 at the door
Why: The Club’s Younger Members Committee invites young alumni from all the Ivy League schools to come in costume or black tie for this party. Hors d’oeuvres included in price.
What: Harvard Scare! Magic, Mimes, and Monster Mash
Where: Throughout Harvard Square
When: Friday, October 30th starting at 4:00 PM
Cost: Free!
Why: Lots to do and see, including a block party around the Square.
Other Events:
What: Al Gore presentation
When: Saturday, November 7th at 1:00 PM
Where: @ First Parish Church | Corner of Mass. Ave. and Church St
Cost: $30 tickets
Why: The former Vice President will discuss his new book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Global Climate Crisis. It is a timely follow-on to his work on The Inconvenient Truth.
What: Bob Dylan
When: Friday, November 11 - Sunday, and Sunday October 25th starting 7:00 PM
Where: Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theater, Boston, MA
Cost: Begin at $99
Why: Come see the one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all-time – named number 2 on Rolling Stone’s All-Time list – play in downtown Boston.
What: Green Line Pub Crawl
When: Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Where: Starts at Cityside Bar in Cleveland Circle and ends at the Sail Loft bar on the Waterfront. There will be eight stops along the path of the Green (C) Line.
Cost: However many beers you can have in however many bars.
Why: This pub crawl is the first installment of a pub crawl on Boston’s train lines. The next is slated to begin on the Red Line.
Going Out Guide
by Michael Sechrist, Culture Columnist on September 30, 2009 in Culture, Going Out Guide
It’s that time of year again. Oktoberfests are in full force. Even though HKS hosted one last weekend, some people still can’t get enough German beer. Below, your guide to where you should be heading should you fall into that category.
What: The 20th Annual Harpoon Brewery’s Oktoberfest party
When: Friday, October 2nd from 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM and Saturday, October 3rd from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Where: Harpoon Brewery, 306 Northern Avenue (Boston’s Waterfront)
Cost: $20
Why: Apparently this event is a lot of fun, and rivals the Sam Adams castle beer festival. There are three areas of music, plenty of different Harpoon beers to try and even keg bowling.
What: The 30th Annual Oktoberfest in Harvard Square!
When: Sunday, October 11th from 12 PM. to 6 PM.
Where: (check the title)
Cost: Free!
Why: Lots of marching band (30 to be exact) will be parading around the Square, and lots of different beers will be featured. If you still want more music, there will be six areas of live entertainment.
Too classy for kegs and steins? Try some area wine festivals instead.
What: Boston Fall Wine Festival
When: Wednesday, October 7th, 6 PM to8 PM
Cost: $34
Why: Charlesmark Hotel on Boylston Street is serving tapas with four different wine pairings. A sommelier will be on hand to help you smoke out each flavor.
What: Blanchards [cq] Wine Expo & Wine Tasting Event
When: Wednesday, October 7th, 6 PM to8 PM
Where: 286 American Legion Hwy, Rte 60, Revere, MA
Cost: Free!
Why: The same night as the Boston Wine Festival, Blanchards, a giant distributor, holds its annual event. It might taste a little better because it’s free!
Maybe mass consumption of alcohol isn’t your thing. If you have already checked out the new espn.go.com/boston, you know the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins begin seasons this week. The first Celtics pre-season game is Friday, October 9th at 7:30pm against the New York Knicks and the Bruins open tomorrow night.
If you have some spare cash, check out this event put on by the Harvard Club:
What: Boston Bruins opening night with former Bruin great and Harvard Men’s Hockey Coach, Ted Donato
When: Thursday, October 1stfrom 5:30-10 PM
Where: One Federal Street, 38th Floor
Cost: $120
Why: You get to have dinner with Ted Donato, in addition to free parking and a promenade ticket to the opening game that night. Not a bad deal, especially if you like hockey and get to chat up Ted.
If sports and beer don’t appeal to you:
What: 1st Anniversary - Laughter at the end of the world
When: Wednesday, October 7th starting at 8 PM
Where: Tavern at the End of the World 108 Cambridge Street , Charlestown, MA
Cost: FREE!
Why: Boston’s best comedic talent may come out for this one.
To be fair to those so inclined (like my wife), I should also mention that this week is Boston Fashion Week. Related events are below:
What: Boston Fashion, Arts & Entertainment Summit
When: Thursday, October 1st 6 PM to 10 PM
Where: Park Plaza Hotel, 50 Park Plaza, Boston, MA
Cost: $50
Why: An event for charity to discuss upcoming trends.
What: The Emerging Trends in Boston Fashion
When: Friday, October 2nd at 8 PM
Where: The Castle - Park Plaza, 130 Columbus Ave Boston, MA
Cost: Free!
Why: This event is supposed to be a swanky showcase of fashion forward designers at the Park Plaza Hotel.
What: Fashion Expose, Boston Fashion Week 2009
When: Friday, October 2nd at 6 PM 10/2
Where: Charlestown Navy Yard, Pier 4, Charlestown, MA
Cost: $40
Why: You get to see famous designers in person.
Other events you may want to check out:
What: 99th Annual Topsfield Fair
When: October 3rd through 12th from 10 AM to 10 PM daily
Where: Route 1/Boston Road, Topsfield, MA
Cost: Varies, but most under $12
Why: The fair bills itself as America’s oldest agricultural fair and features everything you might want in a fair: family rides, thrill rides, entertainment, etc. This year Jeff Corwin from Animal Planet and country singer LeAnn Rimes will be there. It’s a little over a half hour car ride to get out to the fairgrounds, but if you want to see something different, this is it.
What: The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony
When: October 1st, 7:30 PM
Where: Harvard campus, Sanders Theatre
Cost: $34
Why: The night is a spoof of the real Nobel Prize ceremony, featuring real published research on funny topics. For instance, one winner had invented an “alarm clock that runs away and hides, repeatedly, thus ensuring that people DO get out of bed” and another conducted a study entitled the “Ovulatory Cycle Effects on Tip Earnings by Lap Dancers.” It’s all true, weird and great. This year’s theme is ‘Risk’ and features a “Win-a-Date-with-a-Nobel-Laureate” contest.
What: Boston Music Festival
When: Tuesday, October 13th through Thursday, October 22nd
Where: Six venues, TBD
Why: By go-time, 36 bands will have signed up to play for this massive festival. Check out http://Bostonmusicfestival.org for updates.
What: Latin Music USA
When: Friday, October 2nd, 8 PM – Midnight
Where: One Guest Street, Brighton, MA
Cost: $25
Why: Two live bands and dance performances all in four hours.
Send me what you’d like to see in the list next time – msechrist@gmail.com
The Going Out Guide
by Michael Sechrist, Culture Columnist on September 16, 2009 in Culture, Going Out Guide
It’s the second week of school and you might find yourself asking, what else is going on other than Friday Quorum Call? Well, rest assured, there’s a whole city outside of the Belfer building lest we forget. This advice column is designed to get you out of your comfort zone and into the world off JFK Street.
Wikipedia estimates that nearly a quarter of million college students arrive in Greater Boston every fall. That means one out of every four people here is a student of some sort. There are more than 50 colleges here alone, so sometimes it’s nice to break the bubble and mix with different scenes. I hope to keep an eye on this world outside HKS so you don’t have to. Some tips for the year:
1) Get out of the Kennedy School scene.
Explore other Harvard school events while you’re here. Some incredible speakers and events take place all over campus. Last year, I missed hearing Bill Gates and a Supreme Court Justice speak at other Harvard schools, so it’s important to keep an eye out. I suggest plugging into the College scene as they have the most money and resources, and thus get to do some cool things. Best way to link up is through the undergraduate department or student club that mirrors your particular interest.
2) Get out of Cambridge.
For starters, take the T into Boston. You’re in a college/sports city. Grab your friends and head to a Red Sox or Celtics game. Some good sites for area tickets include acetickets.com, ticketstumbler.com and stubhub.com.
Or, if you want to keep it intellectual, join the Harvard Club of Boston. Member dues for current students are no more than $15 every quarter. Each month the club has a calendar chock full of guest speakers. The food also rivals the subsidized, gourmet spreads that Harvard Business School or Harvard Law School students get to dine on in Spangler and Harkness Commons, respectively. While we’re on the topic of food, also try the Harvard Faculty Club on Quincy street – it is now open to students.
3) Get out of Boston.
Jump in a friend’s car or take the train outside of the city. I know that might sound tough, but come on, even President Obama made it out to Martha’s Vineyard. Some ideas for day excursions include Cape Cod, the Newport Mansions in Rhode Island, and Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos in Connecticut; all are within 2.5 hour striking distance of Cambridge.
4) Check out what you’ve already missed.
Last night, Club Oberon at 2 Arrow Street in Harvard Square hosted the final showing of Waterboard, a play in which recent Harvard College alums actually, you guessed it, waterboard one another. Unless the play is brought back, the only way to check out the sensationalism is on Youtube! Club Oberon is less than two weeks old and making a scene. This week they host the Naked Comedy Showcase, which, wait for it…I won’t be attending.
5) Check out what you won’t want to miss.
Thursday, September 17th
The 9th Annual “Summer End” party cruise, hosted by Boston Event Guide, leaves from Seaport Boulevard. Tickets are only $10, even cheaper than the annual HKS cruise. Drinks not included. http://www.bostoneventguide.com/events/spc.htm
Friday, Sept 18th
The Summer LobsterFest series ends at the downtown Harvard Club of Boston. If you’re a lobster lover like me, this may be you’re only time to eat lobster dumplings and lobster quesadillas in one spot.
Saturday, Sept. 19th
If you’ve ever wanted to see a real live roller derby, well here is your chance. A doubleheader takes place between 4pm-10pm in Wilmington, MA (T accessible). The first match is between the Boston Massacre and the Pikes Peak Derby Dames out of Colorado. Tickets are $16.
Saturday, Sept 26th
Missing your island summer vacation? Buy a $14 ticket to see some of the many islands Boston has to offer. Ferries leave everyday between 10-3pm on Long Wharf and head to Georges and Spectacle Island off the Harbor. You may also get a chance to see the 5th Annual Harbor Regatta that day too.
Also that night, Awesome 80’s Prom comes back to Pearl Nightclub in Boston. If you like throwing on a Goonies shirt and dancing to Wham! – this is your party. It is pricey ($39/person), but gets good reviews. If it’s a bust, head over to Underbar next door and please don’t blame m
