The All Members Meeting for May was held on May 12th at the Commandant's House and the Constitution Museum in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Members arriving for our meeting were greeted outside with a chance to experience a short ride on a Segway and to learn more about Boston Gliders and the tours they offer of the Freedom Trail and the Waterfront.
Elizabeth Gemmelli was our gracious host for the beginning of the meeting. She supervises the use of the Commandant's House and was very pleased to welcome us to the house. This was the first time that most of us had seen this wonderful place. Jennifer Wheaton of Barbara Lynch's "9 at home" catering group provided refreshments. The Commandant's House in the old Charlestown Naval Yard was the home of the admiral who headed the First Naval District of the US Navy until the Navy Yard was closed by the Federal Government in the early 1970s. The house was built in 1806 and 70 Commandants and their families have lived there over the years. The house was donated to the National Park at the Charlestown Naval Yard and after it had sat empty for a number of years, it was refurbished and opened 4 years ago for functions. The rooms were redecorated for a Designers Showcase event and the house now is a beautiful venue for parties and functions. The grounds surrounding the house are a great place for clam bakes or picnics for groups as well. Rental fees for the property all go back into support of the Navy Yard National Park and the upkeep of the house.
The members then moved to the Constitution Museum and President Ellen Silverman began a fun and information packed meeting. Robert Morrissette, VP of Membership, reported that our membership now stands at almost 240 members and that we anticipate reaching 250 members soon. Lists of members will be sent via email shortly. He invited members who have been having difficulty receiving our emails to send a message to
gbca@hotmail.com so he can send some information to pass along to your IT person to try to resolve any blocking of our emails by your email system. He also introduced two new members attending their first meeting this year: Luciana Camargos of the Hyatt in Cambridge and Chris Leary of the Atelier 505 Condominiums in the South End. Both were presented with GBCA membership pins by Ellen.
A great deal of praise was voiced about the 2009 Trade Show and compliments and thanks were tendered to Julie Doherty Pagano and her many assistants for a fantastic and enjoyable evening. There have been many great comments have been received both from vendors and GBCA members.
The meeting then proceeded to the speakers. Elizabeth Gemmelli was again thanked for hosting us and Jennifer Wheaton spoke about the many restaurants and projects of Barbara Lynch. After the success of #9 Park she started a number of other ventures: B & G Oysters, The Butcher Shop, Plum (produce) and Stir (for cooking lessons in small groups) in the South End. Being a Southie girl she turned to the developing area of Congress St. near the Children's Museum for her bar Drink and Sportello for up-scale Italian counter service. She has also undertaken the catering service, 9 at home, and will be opening another upscale dining restaurant in Southie soon, as well as a cookbook due for publication this fall.
The Constitution Museum was next on the agenda and Ann Grimes Rind introduced us to the new exhibit opening in June called "All Hands on Deck, a sailor's life in 1812". The exhibit will take up the 2nd floor and has been researched for years and tested with many visiting families. The family reviews have been tremendous and the program is now considered a model for historical museums around the coungry. Laura Neil is the PR and Marketing person for the museum and welcomes our questions and comments at any time. Admission is always free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Mike Leone of Massport then spoke of how impressed he was with the Trade Show and invited us back next year. He gave us info about the Cruise Port: well over 100 ships sail from Boston each year, either to Bermuda or to Canada and on to Montreal. A highlight of this summer is the Queen Mary II which will leave Boston on July 4th. Many of the passengers on these cruises will also be staying in Boston overnight either befrore or after the cruise, so they are our guests as well.
Colette Randall of the Institute of Contemporary Art spoke about the immense popularity of the Shepard Fairey (creator of the Obama Hope poster) exhibit which continues through Aug. 16th. Check out Harborwalk Sounds and Harborwalk Shuffle, free outdoor concerts on the waterfront deck with Berklee School of Music and family days every last Sat. of the month. Everyone under 17 has always free admission to the ICA and all are free after 5pm on Thursdays!
Michele Topor, famous for her renowned North End Market Tours, spoke next about her new Chinatown Tours. The Italian and Chinese cuisines are among the oldest and healthiest styles of eating in the world. Learn about true tastes of these two cuisines while having great fun: contact her at 617.523.6032 or
Michele@foodtoursofboston.com
The next speakers were Paula Fisher from the Plymouth County Convention and Visitors Bureau along with Patty Keller from Plimoth Plantation. They look forward to welcoming us to an upcoming fam trip to Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation on June 15th. Plymouth and Brockton Co. buses will provide transportation. They stated that these P&B buses are the best way for hotel guests without cars to get to Plymouth, even more convenient than the commuter trains at present. We will learn about the numerous attractions of Plymouth County and the Plymouth Rock Studios with 14 soundstages in development. We can look for a lot more movies to be made in our area and more celebrity guests in our hotels when this is open in 2011.
Adam then spoke for Granite Links Golf Club which sent information about its premiere facilities (ranked among Golf Digest's 100 greatest public courses in America). If you need tee times for guests within 48 hours call the Golf Shop directly at 617.786.0016 or 617.786.0017 and they give special attention to hotels. An information sheet was passed out with complete information and it will be emailed to all concierge shortly.
The Annual AIDS Walk will take place on June 7th and this is an ongoing charity/outreach event of the GBCA. Our team will be captained by Adam Castiglioni, VP of Public Relations. Anyone who can join the team should contact him or visit
GBCA Aids Walk Team Page. Anyone who cannot walk can make donations to the team through the
GBCA Aids Walk Team Page.
Boston Gliders Segway Tours and Rentals
Barbara Lynch Group
Massport
Institute of Contemporary Art
Michele Topor's Market Tours
Plymouth County CVB
Granite Links
Aids Walk 2009
