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Marty’s Moves On

19 Mar

So the Allston location of Marty’s Liquors is closing this weekend. Don’t worry, I’m not going to wax nostalgic about the closing of a liquor store. I have no memorable stories about the time I bought a six-pack or a keg or anything there, or of a great wine discovery. But Marty’s does hold a sort of special place in my heart, I guess, because when I first moved to Boston 12 years ago, I thought it was cool that a store right down the street was named Marty’s. (Yeah, I’m that much of a dork.) And yes, I made a few purchases there over the years, but whatever … my alcohol tastes were never of the Allston variety. Besides, I learned pretty quickly to stay as far away from the corner of Harvard Ave. and Comm. Ave. as possible.

But anyway, even though I shed no tear over the closing of Marty’s Liquors, I will come to its defense in one way: The reason this store is closing is because it couldn’t come to terms over a rent increase by its landlord, the Hamilton Company. Sound familiar? That’s because Hamilton was my old nemesis when I lived at 110 Babcock. I have nothing but sympathy for Marty’s if they’re being pushed out because of those greedy bastards, who raised my rent $200 when they bought the building and then never did anything to improve the quality of life there. Hamilton is the reason I bought a condo when I did (though it must be said, the whole condo-buying thing worked out pretty well for me). This situation kind of makes me want to go buy a bottle of wine at Marty’s just for old times sake. At the very least, I’ll raise a glass in its honor.

The IKEA Fallacy

30 Dec

We all love IKEA … right? The bright colors, the cheap products, the innovative Swedish design. People make a big deal when a new store opens (myself included), and go nuts waiting for days to be the first one in the door. But I find that the more I go to IKEA, the less exciting it is. Time and time again, I’ve gone to the store, excited to buy things, and I’ve walked out empty handed because when it came down to it, the stuff wasn’t nice enough or worth buying. It’s functional, but it’s not the kind of stuff I need. So it was on Monday, when I made the ill-fated decision again to journey on down to Stoughton and look for (among other things) a TV stand for my new TV. An hour and a half later, I left empty handed. Again. When will I learn that it’s not even worth the trip? Alright, fine. That’s not entirely true. It was worth it if only for the Swedish meatballs. Yum. And I have to say, IKEA makes some very good garlic toast (two pieces for only 50 cents!) and cinnamon buns too. But even though I had nothing better to do, did I really need to drive a half hour out of the city to have (a not-so-healthy) lunch? Probably not. Why am I still powerless after all this time to the charms and tastes of the IKEA experience?

The Christmas Factory: An Endorsement

30 Nov

It’s one thing to go to a restaurant because the food is good. It’s another to go because you like the ambience. But that’s how I feel about the Cheesecake Factory, which every year plays the single best holiday music of any store or restaurant I patronize. It’s like they somehow got a copy of my Very Marty Christmas mixes and put them all on shuffle. No kidding. They play Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Stevie Wonder’s big tunes … all the classics, plus some not as good but still enjoyable ones like Kelly Clarkson’s “My Grown-Up Christmas List.” And this year, to up the ante, they even have a holiday-themed cheesecake with peppermint candies. No, I didn’t have that when I went to the Factory Saturday night, but I almost did. I may just have to go back to try it. But anyway, that’s another endorsement from me: The Cheesecake Factory at holiday time.

Temporary Insanity?

29 Nov

Todd and I were talking yesterday while wandering around New York City and I commented to him matter-of-factly that I was having such a good time that I could see myself being very happy living here. He said it was just because the weather was so nice, and because New York is a fun city to visit. I called it temporary insanity. After all, I know full well that I have absolutely no desire to live in Manhattan. Hell, I don’t even like New York City. But that doesn’t change the fact that I had those thoughts again after another day of playing tourist.

I was in the city to see Todd — in from Los Angeles with his wife and child, Naomi, who is already a year old — and we did a typical tourist thing on the day after Thanksgiving: wander around Fifth Avenue looking at the various store windows at Saks, Bloomingdales, and Bergdorf Goodman. (Oh, and it should be noted, we did all this with Kerri.) Then we went to 30 Rock to see the tree (unlit until Wednesday). And I’ve gotta say, the combination of perfect weather and being amongst people full of holiday cheer (not just Todd and co., but the entire city, it seemed) was really fun.

When we separated, I was having such a good time that I made the decision to stay in the city and try to see a show. After an hour-long wait at the new TKTS booth, I had tickets for (of all things) Shrek the Musical. (I know, I know. But I had included it in a recent article for Continental and I was curious.) I’ll write more about the show a little later, but I’ll say I am enjoying this annual tradition of getting spur-of-the-moment theater tickets (last year I saw Spring Awakening). For laughs and, well, because I had to go, I returned to Charmin’s free public restroom, browsed the Virgin Megastore for a while, then fully embraced my inner tourist by grabbing a quick dinner at Planet Hollywood (mmmmm … Chicken Crunch). Suffice it to say, it was a cheesy couple hours, but I enjoyed myself.

Yeah, Todd was right: In small doses, New York can be a lot of fun. But small doses is key. I’m not moving anytime soon.

Changes

19 Nov

The more things change … I returned to my old second home, Star Market/Shaw’s on Comm Ave., last week and was shocked to learn that the whole place had been remodeled! It was only in April that I moved, and while I now do my weekly grocery shopping in other Star Market locations, I find it hard to believe that I haven’t been back to this one in a long enough time that it gave the store a chance to totally change and look completely different. And don’t get me wrong: It looks great! I really enjoyed walking up and down the aisles discovering where all the foods had moved to. Yes, I know it’s totally lame to be excited about a supermarket’s new look, but I spent a lot of time here during the first 11 years of my Boston residency, so I considered this a big deal.

The more they stay the same … Alright, I finally have to post something about this: My new next-door neighbor plays an instrument. A guitar. Or at least I think it’s a guitar. It sort of sounds more like a banjo. But it’s an instrument nevertheless. And he plays it a lot. Like, every night. However, things are different now. For one thing, a guitar (even one that sounds sort of like a banjo) is not nearly as bad as a violin. Or a flute, for that matter. Secondly, it’s not like it’s soooo loud that it interferes with my TV-watching like the playing did in my old place. And finally — also most importantly — I’ve met my neighbor and he’s a nice guy. So if I was ever that annoyed by his playing, I’m sure he’d stop, even though I know he doesn’t have somewhere else to go. So I’m going to keep a positive, tolerant, flexible attitude about this. Still, it’s totally amusing to me that I’ve moved next to another instrument player. What luck I have.

Ah well. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Out of Town Goes Out of Town

19 Nov

Well, this sucks. When you think of Harvard Square, chances are good you think of Out-of-Town News, that iconic newsstand located right in the heart of the square. For more than 50 years, it’s been right there at the top of the escalator after getting off the T. With the store closing later this month, the Square loses not just a landmark but also more of its character. It’s true, I’m not a big fan of Cambridge, and I like Harvard Square a lot less now than I did when I was in college, but I know a loss when I see it. I never took that newsstand for granted and can remember (though not in any specific terms) countless times when I stood there browsing the new issues, often buying them too. I’ll miss Out-of-Town News — much more than the nearby Crate & Barrel, which is also closing — and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.

Spending the Weekend

9 Nov

I went out this weekend to buy some stuff for my place — an air-cleaning filter, a box of tissues, that kind of stuff — but something weird happened: I found myself buying more than I planned. By Sunday evening I had also purchased three sweaters, a book, a reed diffuser, a CD, and some other stuff. I was seeing things and just buying them, on impulse. It was like I was my own personal economic stimulus package. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I was buying everything in sight. Far from it. But a bunch of stores had their Christmas decorations and items out (including Harry Connick Jr.’s new holiday album, which was totally worth paying full retail at Target), and I just got in the buying spirit. Sometimes it feels good to treat yourself to some new stuff, and this was one of those weekends where that was the case for me.

Whoopie!

7 Sep

When I was looking to buy a condo, one of my priorities was that it have an actual kitchen, with counter space and room to cook (yes, I really shot for the moon on that one). And believe it or not, in the past two weeks I’ve actually made great use of my kitchen. Last week, I made a baked French toast that was really tasty and totally easy to make. That was a good warm-up. Yesterday, I made whoopie pies completely from scratch — that means no cake mix, no pre-made icing, no easy way out. I mixed the flour and the eggs and the cocoa powder and all the other ingredients all on my own, and made a nice mess in my kitchen. The pies were a challenge at times — my mixer got a good workout — but the end result was worth it. Suffice it to say, they went over really well with my friends. The recipe came from a recent issue of Hannaford supermarkets’ Fresh magazine. If you’re so inclined, I highly recommend making — and eating — them.

Someone Drop the Soap, Please

26 Aug

Alright, who’s with me? Tomorrow, all the employees at the LUSH cosmetics store in Natick will be wearing only an apron and sandals, thus exposing their backsides for all to see. Why are they doing it? Does it really matter?? (It’s to protest the environmental hazards of excessive packaging that comes with many store-bought commodities, according to this article.) Anyone else want to take the day off from work and head on over for a peek?

Update, 8/27: Good thing I opted not to take the day off of work. Only two guys protested. Any others were told not to.

Let the Eagle’s Soar

31 Jul

One thing about having a blog — a public outlet for writing whatever I want to — is that you never know who’s going to be reading what I write.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my bad experiences at the food places in Cleveland Circle. Well, Boston.com and UniversalHub.com both picked it up, and soon all kinds of people were telling me how wrong I was. How could I judge pizza places without actually having the pizza, one person asked. Why didn’t I just go to this place or that place, other people asked.

And thankfully, some other people did agree with me. Continue reading →

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