Category Archives: what to know

Touring Boston – The Unexpected Awesomeness of Candle Pin Bowling

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Until I moved to Boston I didn’t know such a thing as Candle Pin Bowling existed, but I’m so glad we’ve discovered it!

Candle Pin bowling is similar to the usual ten pin bowling in the sense that your sending a ball down a lane to hit over pins, but the pins are tall and slender (hence the name candle pin) and the ball is also small, about the size of a grapefruit and much lighter than the ten pin bowling balls.  This makes it awesome for kids!  For once they can actually hold the ball without being toppled over by it!

However don’t think that just because the balls are lighter and that kids have a blast that you, as an adult, wont be challenged by this sport.  It’s surprisingly difficult to knock over those little pins with your little ball, and there are no perfect games in recorded history.

Wikipedia’s input on the subject – The main differences between candlepin bowling and the predominant ten-pin bowling style are that each player uses three balls per frame, the balls are much smaller (11.43 cm, or 4.5″ diameter) and do not have holes. Also, the downed pins (known as ‘wood’) are not cleared away between balls during a player’s turn and the pins are thinner, and thus harder to knock down. Because of these differences, scoring points is considerably more difficult than in ten-pin bowling, and the highest officially sanctioned score ever recorded is 245 out of a possible 300 points.

We went to the FlatBread Company/Sacco’s Bowl Haven for our bowling and enjoyed some wood fire pizza while we waited for a lane to open. We didn’t have a vehicle so it was nice to be able to reach this place by public transportation with only a little bit of walking.

As far as bowling went…  I loved it! I think it’s much more fun than regular bowling and much faster! You don’t have to wait for your ball to be returned every round or for the pins to be cleared each time. You just grab three light little balls and roll them down the lane as quickly as possible. The downed pins are helpful in knocking over some of the standing pins.

On the other hand keeping your own score on a piece of paper was a bit confusing initially.  I had the benefit of competing with two MIT students and they got it figured out pretty well. All in all we had a blast and I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting or living in New England.

Rating: 

★★★★★
Five Stars.  I like bowling, and I loved candle pin bowling.  Perfect for both kids and adults.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Sacco’s Bowl Haven / FlatBread Company (Candle Pin Bowling)
45 Day Street
Somerville, MA

Phone: 617.776.0552
Website: http://flatbreadcompany.com/FlatbreadDirectionsSomerville%20MA%202010.html 

OPEN 7 Days a Week
Baking Hours: 11:30AM -11:30PM
Sundays close at 10:30PM

Bowling Hours 9:00AM – Midnight
Sundays close at 10:30PM

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the Boston Public Library with Kids

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The Boston Public Library is amazing!  It’s the second largest public library in the US (second to the library of congress) and the building itself is jaw dropping.  Whenever friends or family come out to visit me this is one attraction I always make sure is on our list of things to see.

It starts with a gorgeous building complete with Gothic looking metal work on the outside, then you walk through the doors and are greeted by a wrapping marble staircase, giant lions, a courtyard view and breath taking floor to ceiling paintings. This library feels more like a museum (at least the front half) than a modern day library.  I love walking through it and seeing the art works and exhibits, and when it’s all said and done I usually end up checking out a book or two.

Things to Note:

1) Price
Free.  It’s a public library, but it feels like you’re getting to walk through an amazing museum for free.

2) Stroller Friendliness
You can certainly bring a stroller here and there are elevators to help you get around, but if you can stand to leave it behind I would suggest it since the elevators are out of the way and not super easy to get to.

3) Child Friendliness
This place is child friendly.  You can walk around, enjoy the courtyards, pick up some books, see the art and the things that shouldn’t be touched are generally safely tucked away behind glass cases.

4) Check out Books
You have to be a resident of the Boston area to be able to check out books.  We live in Cambridge and I have a Cambridge library card, but I needed to get another greater city of Boston type card before I could check out books here.

5) Getting There
This is right off the Green Line, Copley “T” stop, seriously.  You walk out of the “T” station and you are on the library steps, however if you’re planning on driving you’ll be right in the middle of the city and parking can be both expensive and hard to find.  I would highly suggest getting here via public transportation.

Summary & Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars.  I’m a sucker for books in the first place, which makes me a sucker for libraries, but this is one of the most amazing libraries I have ever set foot in.  It huge, elegant and historic, it’s free and it has tons of material to check out.  It makes a great outing on cold days and if you bring children and they end up getting bored of the museum like aspects you can always retreat to the children’s book area.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have for touring it with children in the comments section below. 

Boston Public Library
700 Boylston St.
Boston MA 02116

Phone: 617-536-5400
Website: http://www.bpl.org/

Hours:
Monday–Thursday
9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Friday & Saturday
9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Sunday
1 p.m.–5 p.m.

Touring Boston – How to Welcome Spring with a Trip to Sullivan’s

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Boston, unfortunately, has long and awful winters.  Winters that just seem to drag on and on and on, and being stuck indoors for long periods of time with young ones can be enough to drive you mad.

In an attempt to get out of the apartment we’ve been having Stellar Saturdays, where we go exploring. This week my husband took the initiative and planned a trip to Fort Independence, on Castle Island… mostly because he discovered there is a little burger/hotdog joint there, and the locals all go on opening day to welcome in spring, and Saturday, opening day, was suppose to be warm.

We looked up the trip and we could take the Red Line to within two miles of the place and then taken a bus the rest of the way there… but buses are really stressful with a stroller and the day was warm.  So we decided we could walk it. It was a longer walk than I expected and we kept going up and down hill after hill until finally we saw the simmering blue of the ocean.

I must admit this is the first time I’ve been to a beach half covered in snow.  Lame. We walked along the ocean around Pleasure Bay (ha) until we came to Sullivan’s.  Holy crap there was a million people there.  The line was out of the build, across the parking lot and nearly to the ocean.  We had a short debate about if we should wait, but we decided we had just walked two miles we get there, we should just make it happen.  So my husband waited in line while I took our toddler to explore the fort.

There is a great path that goes around the fort with an amazing view of the ocean, but it was breezy and too cold for me to sit and enjoy it.  Also the days have been warming up which means the snow has been melting so there were soggy snow puddles everywhere… which is not the best environment for a toddler to crawl through.  As we rounded the fort we also saw that they having some picnic areas and a great playground.  I think we’ll have to try adventuring here again come summer when we can use more of the great beach.

Eventually we met back up with my husband as he got into the building, ordered, and our food came quickly, but there was no seating inside, it was too cold to sit around and eat outside, and our boy made it very clear he was done with our adventure.  Oh to have a car.  This is one of those times when a vehicle would have been magical. *Sigh*  Instead, I enjoyed my burger while pushing the stroller and my husband snacked on a few fries while carrying, warming and shielding the baby.

Things to Note:

1) Transportation
There is a big, free parking lot here.  If you have a car, drive.  If you don’t the Red Line will take you within two miles and there are buses from there.  We walked after the Red Line, but if we go back I think it would be worth our time to figure out the buses.

2) Opening Day
First day of spring.

3) Food
Totally fast food.  Burgers, fries, milk shakes and the like.  Greasy, fresh, artery clogging and delicious. My fries were hot and crispy, my burger was amazing!  Ten out of ten for fast food.

4) Seating
There is none.  You order your food, then wait by the side while it’s prepared then go on your way.  There are few benches out front near the parking lot (none indoors) and if you’re willing to walk a little bit there are even more tables near the playground

5) Beach
In early spring it’s still freezing and the sand is covered in snow.  There is also a good chance the wind will be blowing up from the water and you’re going to want some good protection from it.

6) Sullivan’s First Day of Spring Line
The line is forever long, but they move surprisingly fast.  If you get there late morning I would expect to wait about 1/2 and hour… maybe less, but still a decent wait especially if you’re going with kids.

Summary and Rating:  ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  I thought the food was amazing and Castle Island was really pretty.  Going the first day of spring might not have been the best call because there were so many people there, the line for food was super long, and it was too cold and wet for our toddler to enjoy the outdoors.  However, since our first visit we’ve been back (during the summer) and the food was still amazing, the line was much more manageable, and being able to walk around the fort, play at the playground and splash in the ocean made it wonderful!

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Sullivan’s, Castle Island
Castle Island, next to Fort Independence, Pleasure Bay
2080 Day Boulevard, South Boston, Massachusetts

Open 7 Days a Week: August hours are 8:30-9:00 p.m. every day weather permitting. Closed if there are more seagulls than cars in the parking lot. Call ahead before heading out if the weather is bad: 617.268.5685

Phone: 617.268.5685
Website: http://www.sullivanscastleisland.com/

Seasonal Opening: Late February – Sunday after Thanksgiving  

Touring Boston – What to Know About Union Square Donuts (Delicious Eats)

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If you’re looking for a good and unique food experience you should check out Union Square Donuts.  It’s a small donut shop, but it’s been named Boston’s Best Donuts by Boston Magazine… so, I’m just saying… if you like donuts you really ought to try some of these.

These donuts are handmade, unique, and totally delicious.  The shop for them is pretty small and they often sell out, so if you’ve got a favorite (like maybe the maple bacon donut) that you’re dying to try you had better get there at least by mid-morning.

Someone brought in a box of these donuts to my husbands lab and since that day he’s been super excited about going back with us so that we could enjoy some crazy donuts with him.  We went and ended up bring home half dozen which included the following donuts: two Maple Bacon, a Birthday Cake, a Carrot Cake, a Chocolate Covered, and a Vanilla.

Maple Bacon was surprisingly not disgusting, it’s got the sweet salty thing going for it and is kind of like kettle corn, however the favorite by far was the Birthday Cake. … Ha, it was the one we got for our toddler to try since it was covered with sprinkles, but the Birthday Cake donut was still warm and super soft on the inside, but a little bit crisp on the outside and full of goodness.  My husband spent the rest of the day marveling that he had fallen in love with a sprinkle donut that looked like it was made for a two year old. 🙂

Things to Note:

1. Price
These are fancy gourmet donuts, and you pay for it.  They are about a million times better than Dunkin Donuts, but for us they are more of a special occasion food.  They run between $3 – $3.50/donut

2. Location
You’ll probably want to drive here.  I didn’t look up public transportation, and I’m sure at least a bus goes near it… but it seems like it could be a lot of effort to take a bus for a donut… on the other hand, these were amazing, so it might be worth it.  They are also sold at a handful of farmers markets around the city.

3. Flavors
They have a whole bunch of flavors to choose from, most of them are pretty unique, and they change all the time.  If you fall in love with a donut buy another asap because there is no guarantee that it will be there next time.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  These donuts are amazing, mouthwatering works of art… but their brick and mortar store is pretty out of the way and the donuts are fairly pricey.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know what you think of their crazy flavors in the comments section below. 

Union Square Donuts
20 Bow St
Somerville, MA 02143

Phone: 617.209.2257
Website: http://unionsquaredonuts.com/ 

Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 7AM – 1PM
Saturday-Sunday 7AM – 3PM

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum with Children

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Before moving to Boston I participated in a book challenge at my local library and as part of it I ended up reading “The Gardner Heist” a book about an unsolved major art heist.  The book was interesting but hearing about how the museum responded to the heist was even more facilitating.  

I’ll summarize:    
Two people broke into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum one evening dressed as police officers. They did a smash and grab and stole a total of 13 art works from various rooms in the museum before escaping.  To this day they haven’t been found. 
What I found even more interesting is that in Isabella’s will she said she wanted her estate to become a museum, but because she had put so much time and effort into each of the rooms of her estate nothing was to be moved or changed.  Ever.  If there were changes made then she would no longer allow her house to be opened as a museum.
What that means is that while walking in the museum you will occasionally see empty picture frames on the wall. Since the curators are not allowed to change anything they have simply left the empty frames in their spots on the wall awaiting the day when the paintings might be recovered.  
I thought it made the walk through the museum so much more fun having read the book first and slowly dawning on the realization that this was the museum I had read about and then looking for the empty frames.  Some are fairly subtle and some are impossible to miss, but it makes for a unique viewing experience for sure.  

Things to Note: 

1) Price 
$15/Adult (Students with ID $5)
18 and under Free
2) Stroller Friendliness 
Stroller are permitted… kind of.  You can bring a single stroller, but double and oversized strollers are not allowed and can be checked in at the coat check.  This is unfortunate, but necessary because some of the entry ways are fairly tight and your not going to be able to fit through them with a huge stroller. 
3) Kid Friendliness
Semi kid friendly.  In the sense that children of all ages are welcome and encouraged to come and learn more about art, but there are a lot of things that might be tempting for little hands to touch that aren’t suppose to be touched.  

Summary & Rating ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  If I was just going as an adult I would have given this a solid five stars because I thought the price was fair (especially since we’re students) and the museum was gorgeous. Plus having the additional background from my heist book made the whole thing a bonus as we saw the empty frames and the realization that this was the place I had read so much about dawned on me.  However, keeping little hands away from delicate works of art is not an easy feat and it’s something you should certainly keep in mind if you want to go with little ones.   
Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 
Isabella Steward Gardner Museum 

25 Evans Way
Boston, MA 02115

Phone:
General Information: 617 566 1401
Box Office: 617 278 5156
Website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/

Hours:
Open daily from 11 am to 5 pm
Thursday until 9 pm
Closed Tuesday