Freakin' Fun Friday aka Sunshine Funtime

Sometimes, you need to have a lot of fun on a sunny Friday. The weather is warming up, the humidity is sneaking back into the air and summer is right around the corner. Time to get back on the saddle and out enjoying the goodness of sunshine. 

A couple of friends and I went in search of those sunbeams by bike and found them in Cambridge. Take a pleasant ride over the Mass Ave Bridge, through MIT and Harvard and you'll find yourself in the middle of a mecca of goodness. From Central to Harvard Square, on through Somerville, there is much fun to be had on the other side of the River. 

We started at Charlie's in Harvard Square on their back patio. A lunch of their homemade black bean burger and a couple of BBC Steel Rail Pale Ales had us well on our way to enjoying the day. The energy of the follows diners and drinkers was contagious. People are ready to be out of their houses and down jackets. Ditttttto. 

Charlie's is a great little joint that has live music inside and two patios, a rare find in Boston. Patios are a bit hard to find here, due to the bizarre (read: really annoying) Blue State laws MA abides to. In addition to no happy hour (yea, that's right, no freakin' happy hour), it states that patrons may not be outside on a patio or roof for the sole purpose of drinking. (And this is a college town?! I feel like that's all I did in Boulder. Just kidding, Mom!) A meal must be purchased and you must have your tush in a chair. Lame. But, still Charlie's has good eats at cheap prices, so taking down a homemade black bean burger as the price to some Vitamin D is no big deal. 

After Charlie's, we meandered to Bowery Ballroom's new location, The Sinclair. A fantastic restaurant and venue, it's the hot new kid in town.  And their patio is unreal. A friend of mine did the interior design and let me tell you, it's one hip place. The menu, logo and identity were done by local design shop, Oat. Really well done. A nom-worthy meal of kale salad, deviled eggs, some grilled octopus and a dish they call Diablo Fries (waffle fries covered in chorizo, cheese and jalapeños - umm yes please) put us our quota of things to chew on. We ordered margaritas, old fashions, cicadas, wine, you name it. It was time to really let loose and enjoy a day in the sun. 

The food didn't disappoint and I'll definitely return to try out some more items from The Sinclair's menu. They have a fried chicken dish that is already beckoning me back. All in all, it was a great day in the sun over the River. Looking forward to many more in the coming months. 

-xo-

eb

This is one of my bike crushes.

My old neighbor in SF, Bike Mike, had one.

Real pretty.

Let's go riding!

Aka always wear a helmet, fool!

Daran breaking both the always wear a shirt and helmet rules.

Thumbs up for locked bikes!

Chaaaaaarlie's.

Lobstahbuuurgher.

(We're in New England here, people)

Kat's ready for summer!

A Berkshire Beer Company's Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale. 

One of my best New England introductions.

#FLNE

Homemade black bean veggie burger?

Don't mind if I do.

The back patio. 

Goodness happens here. 

The front patio. 

Goodness happens here, too.

Marg!

My FAVORITE summer drink.

Diablo Fries.

Don't tell me my business, devil fries.

Are we having fun yet?

HELL YEA!

Thumbs up for fun in the sunnnnn.

Twin Donuts! The noms!

Growing up in the Butner home, weekends meant a couple of things: one you would be spending time outdoors running around doing something and two, donuts would be consumed.

The art of the donut (or donnies as my dad calls them) is something to be studied. Since I've moved to Boston and away from Bob's donuts, I've felt hole in my heart (see what I did there?). Bob's on Polk Street is open 24 hours. They make sure a fresh round of donuts is available right at 2am. Hot out of the fryer. Smart folks at Bob's. Known for their apple fritters, it is my humble donut opinion that You. Just. Can't. Go. Wrong. At. Bob's.

So, finding myself in Boston with a donut hole in my heart, I've been doing research on where to find the best local fried dough. And considering that if you yelp donuts in Boston, you're thrown back pages and pages of reviews on Dunkin' Donuts, I needed to do some digging to find a real mom 'n pop place. This article on Boston's independent donuts shops helped a lot. If anything, created a checklist for me (and a sure increase in trips to the gym - ugh - I digress).

Enter Twin Donuts. Or twin donuts as you can see from the awesome and stellar neon sign that acts as the pearl gate to donut goodness. A bike ride away in Allston, this place is legit. Old School like nobody's business. No frills here, just honest to goodness calories and, well, goodness. You can grab a donut from the counter, or sit down to be served standard breakfast fare like egg combos, brekkie sandwiches, flap jacks and omelets. The healthiest thing on this menu must have been the... errr... let me get back to you on that.

On to the donuts. Since I'm in Boston, I took a chance to snag the last Boston Creme (and this was only at 9:45am) and a Honey Glazed. Now where I come from (the West, remember here, people), this Honey Glazed thing was new to me. I guess as the donut traveled West, we dropped the Honey and called it just plain Glazed. Regardless, both donnies stood up to the test. I left satisfied and charmed.

So, twin donuts, thanks for filling that donut hole in my heart. See ya again real soon.

-xo-

eb

(And speaking of indy donut shops, if you ever find yourself in Sisters, Oregon get thyself to Sisters Bakery - no joke, one of the best donuts I've ever had in my life. Perfect for Bachelor skiing mornings.)

My Ride

Gone is my daily ride to work. 

Sigh....

Guess intervals will have to do. 

Sadface, 

eb

Wolf lady

That's me!

Spent Sunday biking down to Jamaica Plain, a cute and hip neighborhood, to help a friend shoot a music video. Costumes included wolf masks.

The sun was out and bike ride was great. JP is up and coming and supposed to have some great restaurants. We stopped by Tacos al Churro for a burrito. Pretty good. I can't wait to go back and explore some more!

xo,
eb

National Lobster Day!!

Whoaaa. It's been one of those weeks. All work, little play. Well, ok, I was in NYC last weekend for fun, so there's that. I love that place. 

Anyways! On to the important stuff. 

TODAY IS NATIONAL LOBSTER DAY!

And by golly, let me tell you. Since moving to New England, I have eaten more than my share of lobster. And let's be clear, I will continue to do so. You just trip over the stuff here. 

Enjoy the smattering of lobstah I've come across since my move here. 

EAT YE CRUSTACEANS ALL!

xo, 

eb

It doesn't get any more New Enland than this. 

Just add: the Red Sox, lobster and Narragansett.

Lobster fusilli from Giacomo's in the North End. 

This place is the REAL DEAL.

Ate here with my mom back in April.

Lobster traps in Rockport.

Full lobsters and lobster rolls from Roy Moore Lobster Company in Rockport.

This place is ALSO the REAL DEAL.

Wild Maine blueberry leomonaide (yea - it was THAT good) 

and a lobstah roll from Fox's Lobster House in Maine.

I love this one. It was snapped by my friend Rachel from work. 

Wicked rad, eh?

1 if by Land, 2 if by Sea, 3 if by Bike - The Minuteman Trail

In 1775, Paul Revere took a midnight ride that forever changed the history of the United States. 

"One if by land! Two if by sea!" he warned as he raced on horseback towards Lexington and Concord as the British troops approached Boston. Yikes! And so the American Revolution began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. 

A few years later (um...  in 1992), the Minuteman Bike Trail was constructed to follow almost the exact route Revere took that famous night. The trail runs from Somerville's Davis Square out to Bedford, Mass. The paved path passes by small towns, ponds and lakes. It's shaded by huge old trees that create a magical and cooling canopy for the bikers, joggers, inline skaters (yay, Rollerblades) and walkers. 

I've ridden the path for the past two weekends, with 26 miles being my longest ride. Let's just say this, I'm kicking myself for not bringing my road bike out East. Three to four hours is along time to spend on a single speed. Lesson learned: people do bike in New England!

The Minuteman Trail has become my favorite weekend activity. I can't wait to ride further - after the paved road ends, it spits you out onto the road where you can travel to places like Thoreau's Walden Pond and gives you a chance to really explore the charming New England countryside. 

Yay, bikes! YAY!

xo, 

eb

p.s. here's a map of the trial.

Rad signage that peppers the trail. I knew America's Founding Fathers loved bikes.

(Nice whip, Paul.)

I DO bike Boston!

Feels like riding through the forrest.

Perfect way to end the 20 mile ride. Beers 'n food in the sun at Harvard Square's

restaurant Upstairs on the Square.

Pittsburg Ain't the Pitts One Bits

I took a quick trip down to Pittsburgh for a work trip last week. We just landed a new client who's headquartered there. I have to say that I wasn't expecting much - but was incredibly and pleasantly surprised at the city. 

It's a very salt of the earth type of town; it's history is obviously built on old school industry - in 1911 it was producing half the nation's steel. This makes for some pretty beautiful architecture and creates an overall feel of Americana. Lots of interesting bridges dot the city skyline, it almost feels a little like Portland.

I was surprised how hip it is. There is a HUGE bicycle subculture. We stumbled upon a rad little bar that could have been plucked from the Mission. OTB Bicycle Café offers regional brews and burgers with peanut butter. Yay, that's a big thing around here. PB & Burgers. I've decided I'm a fan. Bikes and their parts decorate the entire place. I can't wait to go back. 

We caught a game at PNC Park. What a great ballpark. It faces downtown, the city buildings basically feels like they're spilling into the park. It'd be a great place to catch the 4th of July fireworks. 

The economy took it's toll on Pittsburgh, but it's proved to be a pick yourself up by the bootstrings type of town. It's now peppered with start ups taking advantage of inexpensive rent and a change of scenery. There's even a strongly supported rumor that Pitt is next on the list to receive an Ace Hotel. If that doesn't say hip, I don't know what is. 

All in all, I am now officially a fan. 

xo, 

eb

Beer me.

Arrrrrrrgh Matey - Go Pirates.

Sunny Steel.

Boats over Bikes in Boston

I love my bike. 

In SF, I rode to work, so I got my fix of bike love daily. But here in Boston, if I hopped on my ride in the morning, I'd be hopping off a mere four minutes later when I arrived at my office. Boo. 

So now that biking is out for commuting (tear), I took to the city to find a good weekend ride. After some research, I decided on an 18 mile loop around the Charles River. 

One thing I learned: It's boats over bikes in Boston. 

The scenery was amazing - looping around all the sailboats out enjoying the sun and the historic boathouses was a great way to see the river. But as for the trail itself? Boo. And ouch. Bumpy and poorly maintained, riding this trail was painful. Tree roots caused cracks and uneven surfaces, narrow paths ensured a slow and at times, an almost stop and go ride. There were parts of the trail that had so much debris, rocks and dirt that my little single speed whip wished it was a mountain bike. 

Biking and maintaing bike paths seem to take a back seat to other outdoor activities here, mainly boating and sailing. I'm confused as how Boston was named the 4th Best Biking City in the US. Am I missing something? I have heard that the city is trying to improve city bike lanes, so I guess we're headed in a good direction. Time shall tell...

Anyways... after riding for a few miles bummed out, things took a dramatic and amazing turn. Come to find out, every Sunday, Memorial Drive (which boarders Harvard) shuts down to all car traffic. The Drive is sandwiched between gorgeous historical buildings and a great leafy park overlooking the Charles. There were families on bikes, kiddos skateboarding, picnicking persons and an overall sense of goodness.

I treated myself to a watermelon blueberry basil popsicle from Ocean Ave's Popsicle cruiser (think beach cruiser meets freezer). Nom. I want to head back this weekeend to try the taco and BBQ trucks.

All in all, it was a great way to spend a hot spring day in Boston. And yes, bike, I still love you.

xo, 

eb

Boston's Gate: Not as red as the Golden one, but still a sight.

Biking paradise every Sunday! Yay for Memorial Drive!!!

Sailing away.

Boats on the bike path. No biggie.

I deserved this.