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August 11, 2014
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Meetings & Notices
Al Fresco Dining
Deals & Promos
Announcements
BID Ambassador Services & Links
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This Week's Featured Event
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Phillis Wheatley Day at Old South Meeting House on August 18th
Learn about the life and poetry of Phillis Wheatley on Phillis Wheatley Day at the Old South Meeting House (310 Washington St.) on Monday, August 18th.
Wheatley, pictured above in statue at Boston Women's Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue, joined the congregation as a full member of the Old South Meeting House on August 18th, 1771. After being kidnapped in Africa as a child, she was sold into slavery in Boston. Wheatley gained international attention after publishing a book of her own poetry in 1773. An original edition of her book will be on display. Children will have the chance to try their hand at writing with a quill pen like Wheatley. There will be other family-friendly activities. From 11 am to 3 pm. Admission prices vary from $1 to $6.
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Bisnow's First 'Future of Downtown Boston Summit' on August 13th
Join Bisnow on Wednesday, August 13th for its first Future of Downtown Summit with keynote interviews of Anthony Pangaro, Boston principal of Millennium Partners, and Ronald Druker, president of The Druker Company, as they examine the state of Downtown Crossing.
The event is from 7:30 to 10:30 am., with opening remarks made by Larry DiCara, of Nixon Peabody, and Allen Lynch of Nixon Peabody will be the moderator. An 8:30 am panel will take place with Rosemarie Sansone, president of the BID; Kirk Sykes, SVP of the New Boston Fund; Douglass Karp, EVP of the New England Development; and Margaret Ann Ings, AVP of Government & Community Relations for Emerson College. Click here to register for $99.
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Midtown Park Plaza Neighborhood Association Meeting on August 13th
The Midtown Park Plaza Neighborhood Association (MPPNA) is meeting on Wednesday, August 13th at 10 am at Limelight Stage & Studios (204 Tremont St.).
The scheduled agenda includes hearing from about the plans for a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the Locke-Ober Cafe (3-4 Winter Place). This is a public meeting. |
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Make Your Reservations for Dine Out Boston Weeks
Dine Out Boston is offering two weeks of prix fixe meals at many restaurants during August 17th to the 22nd, and August 24th to the 29th. Participating restaurants are offering lunches from $15 to $25, and dinners from $28 to $38.
Downtown Boston restaurants participating in Dine Out Boston include: Ruth's Chris Steak House, The Merchant, Artisan Bistro, Avenue One, Back Deck, GEM Italian Kitchen & Lounge, Marliave, The Oceanaire, and Parker's. Click here to see menus, make reservations, and to all restaurants participating.
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Salon Euphoria Moved! Now Offering College Students 20% Discount on All Hair Services
Salon Euphoria recently moved to 333 Washington St. Suite 221, and is offering a 20% discount on all hair services to college students.
College students may receive the 20% discount by showing their college ID. Call 617-742-7951 to make a reservation.
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'To The Moon and Back' Package at The Ritz-Carlton is Great for Young Astronomers
The Ritz-Carlton Boston Common's "To The Moon and Back" Overnight Package is inspired by the Boston Children's Museum's "My Sky" exhibition, and is a great family experience that includes having a star named after you.
The "To The Moon and Back" package includes overnight accommodations in a luxury park view suite for two adults and two children, which offers uninterrupted views of the sky and beyond; a picnic basket full of snacks; four passes to the Boston Children's Museum, which includes the My Sky exhibit; Sun, Moon, and star cake pops for children delivered as a turndown amenity when the suite's ceilings are fully illuminated with moving constellations (adults get rock candy and astronomy truffles); Personalized star registry named after young guests or with the family's surname; a stuffed own for each child; and valet parking for the family's auto.
The "To The Moon and Back" suite experience is $2,275 per suite/per evening, available now through December 30th. For reservations and more info please call 617-574-7100, or click here. |
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A Three-Course Cooking Class with Chef Foley of The Merchant
If you haven't had a chance to taste the food at The Merchant (60 Franklin St.) yet, you'll have a great opportunity to taste the food, and learn how to cook from Chef Matt Foley at a Boston Center for Adult Education class.
No reservations are necessary for this three-course meal with drinks included on Monday, October 20th from 6 to 9 pm. The class is taking place at 122 Arlington St. $70. Join Chef Foley for a simple and delicious cooking and eating class as part of the BCAE Celebrity Chef Series - and prepare to get your hands dirty! Click here for more info. |
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Clean up the Boston Common with Handybook, BostonTweet & b.good on August 13th
Get your hands dirty while cleaning up the Boston Common with Handybook, BostonTweet and b.good on Wednesday, August 13th.
Click here to sign-up for #CleanBoston taking place from 11:45 am to 1:30 pm. Participants will meet at the
Brewer Fountain on the Tremont Street side of the Boston Common from the above mentioned times. Grab a free t-shirt and a broom and go sweep the Common while picking up trash. Then meet back at the Brewer Fountain at 2 pm, and enjoy a free lunch at (and compliments of) b.good (84 Summer St.).
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BID Internships Available
The Downtown Boston BID is seeking qualified, enthusiastic interns to assist with the following projects: - Office administration and customer service
- Policy research and analysis
- Data collection, input and management
Please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. |
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BID's New Maps Make Travel Easier for Visitors Throughout Downtown Boston
Have you requested your free new Downtown Boston Visitor's Guide map? The new maps are being distributed by our ambassadors to hotels, restaurants, ground level retail stores, and to residential concierges. If you are interested in receiving our new maps, please email [email protected].
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Construction & Utility Work Updates
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Summer Street Makeover In Full Swing, Burnham Building Restoration, and More
Downtown Boston is continually transforming, with new buildings rising, as well as transportation projects taking place underground and at street level. Looking for the latest updates on developments, construction, sidewalk closings, and more? Click here. 
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BID Ambassador Services & Links
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BID Ambassadors Provide Walking Escorts 24 Hours a Day in Downtown
The Downtown Boston BID Ambassadors provide hospitality services seven days a week, nearly 24 hours a day. BID Ambassadors provide walking escorts all day or night - they'll even tote an umbrella if it's raining!
Please call 617-261-0066 to arrange an escort or for other BID Ambassador services. Please call 20 to 30 minutes prior to desired escort. You can also email [email protected], which is encouraged.
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Additional BID Ambassador Services
- Providing walking escorts 24 hours/day: contact 617-261-0066 to arrange.
- Landscaping, watering flowers, making sure handicapped ramps are not obstructed and storm drain openings are not clogged.
- Cleaning and powerwashing in Downtown Boston during warm weather.
- Friendly, welcoming downtown presence: helping visitors with directions, notifying fire and police personnel of incidents, etc.
- Contact [email protected] for more.
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Learn About New Developments & Initiatives at the Summertime BID Members Meeting on August 20th! RSVP Now
Don't miss out learning of the exciting new developments and upcoming initiatives happening Downtown during the BID's summer members meeting on Wednesday, August 20th.  The meeting is being held at the recently renovated Lafayette City Center lobby, pictured above, at 2 Avenue De Lafayette from 4 to 6 pm. Our meeting will feature a "meet and greet" and a warm welcome to many new businesses, property owners and residents who have moved into the district during the past year. Please join us in welcoming our new business partners and friends as we hear about exciting new developments in the district. A cocktail reception will follow the business portion of the meeting at 5 pm. Please RSVP to [email protected] if you are planning to attend. |
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What Do You Think Is Happening in These Photos in Downtown Crossing?
Let's play a guessing game! What do you "see" in the images below? And where do you think these images are in Downtown Crossing?
Here's a hint - the artist is pictured above (and below) between two Vancouver sisters who were eager to talk about public art... The answers will be provided in next week's Downtown Boston BID newsletter. But in the meantime if you think you know the answers - email [email protected]. Winners will receive prizes!
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Draft Kings Participate in Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS Research Funding and Awareness
Draft Kings Boston (125 Summer St.) visited the Summer Street Market on Friday and took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Participants are "challenged" by someone else who took the challenge, and Draft Kings Boston was challenged by Draft Kings New York. 
The ice bucket challenge is an online sensation utilizing social media that has gone viral to raise awareness and money to fund research for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), a progressive neurodegenerative illness that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The challenge started as a way to support former Boston College baseball player Peter Frates, who was diagnosed with the rare disease two years ago. |
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St. Anthony Shrine Embraces Tech with New App, and More
St. Anthony Shrine (100 Arch St.) has embraced technology in a major way by encouraging parishioners to text their prayers, and recently hiring John Kendall, below on right, as Director of Social Media & IT.
Kendall, seen above with Father Thomas Conway, executive director of the Shrine, has already helped design a new app (available on iTunes and Android) to help parishioners learn about Mass schedules, who is presiding over Mass, and more. "A lot of people can't get on a website (during the day) and look up (schedules, hours, directions, etc.). Now it's just a click away." The app, below, is seen on Father Conway's iPad.
As the Director of Social Media, Kendall has tasked himself with engaging with a younger audience, as the average parishioner for St. Anthony Shrine is women older than 50. "We're appealing to a younger generation, and trying to get the word out through things like Friar Friday on Instagram, which highlights a friar every week." Check out St. Anthony Shrine's Facebook and Twitter pages. |
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Check Out These Restaurants for Outdoor Seating in Downtown
Get out of the office and head to these restaurants for al fresco seating during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Caff� Nero (560 Washington St.) is a great spot on Washington Street to sit outside with an authentic Italian cup of coffee.
LX Crossing (558 Washington St.) is Downtown's version of Legal Sea Foods, offering fine dining on the less-trafficked Avenue De Lafayette with pretty red umbrellas.
Sebastian's (1 Devonshire St.) offers outdoor seating for breakfast and lunch. It's also a great place to people watch!
SIP Wine Bar and Kitchen (581 Washington St.) offers fine dining, and of course wine to enjoy on Washington Street.
Marliave (10 Bosworth St.) was originally Restaurant Marliave when it opened in 1885 at the same location!
The Terrace at Avenue One is inside the Hyatt Regency Boston (1 Avenue De Lafayette) and offers a live jazz trio on Thursday nights.
Both Boston News Caf�s (28 State St. and 80 Arch St.) offer outdoor seating.
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Arts, Entertainment & Events
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45th Annual August Moon Festival Celebrated in Chinatown
Dancing dragons, martial arts performances, and traditional Chinese songs, were all on display during the 45th Annual August Moon Festival held on Sunday, August 10th in Chinatown.
The traditional festival was presented by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England, the Chinatown Business Association and Chinatown Main Street. Macy's representatives were also on hand with a spin wheel giving away prizes and coupons that people had a blast with, see below.
The festival celebrates the harvest, but also honors women, who are associated with the moon in Chinese cosmology, and mountain climbing, as the festival is said to have originated when the god of a sacred mountain invited other gods to a feast. |
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'Play Me Piano' Having Keys Tickled at 100 Summer Street
The BID's "Play Me Piano" is now in the lobby of 100 Summer St. Within a minute of the piano being placed in the lobby two passersby sat and played.
Pat Walsh, above, of Equity Office Properties, was one of many happy people to tickle the keys of the "Play Me Piano." Anyone passing through the lobby is welcome to play the piano. |
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Sarah McKenzie: Performing at Berklee Performance Series This Week
The Berklee Performance Series, featuring students from the Berklee College of Music, takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is a perfect way to spend your lunch break.
Performances are at 100 Summer St. (adjacent to Long's Jewelers), from noon to 2 pm. Sarah McKenzie is scheduled to perform on August 12th and 14th. McKenzie is a pianist, vocalist, and composer "already in full possession of an individualistic voice,'' according to DownBeat magazine. McKenzie's second album, Close Your Eyes, won the ARIA award for Best Jazz Album in 2012. Lady Rogo will perform on August 19th and 21st. Click here for a full schedule of performers.
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Go Back In Time with Arthur Griffin Photography Exhibit at Lafayette City Center Passageway
Arthur Griffin was one of New England's top photojournalists during the 1930s and 40s with the Boston Globe Rotogravure Magazine, as well as Life and Time magazines. Now through October 6th you can see his work of Boston and New England at the Lafayette City Center Passageway through the free exhibit "Arthur Griffin: A Singular Vision."
The Lafayette City Center Passageway is at 2 Avenue De Lafayette between Macy's and the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The passageway opens at 10 am daily and closes nightly when Macy's closes. This exhibit is brought to the public courtesy of the Lafayette City Center, the Griffin Museum of Photography, and the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District.
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Do You Hear That? It's the Downtown Boston Dixie Band
No, you're not imagining hearing Dixie music throughout Boston - it's the strolling Downtown Boston Dixie Band!
The four-piece strolling Downtown Boston Dixie Band, pictured above, plays Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from noon to 2 pm. The band stops at highly-visible areas and plays a song or two - and they take requests! |
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Looking for a Gift? Shop at the Summer Street Market on Wednesdays & Fridays
Delicious popcorn, handcrafted jewelry, soy soaps, and candles are just a few items for sale at the Summer Street Market on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The market has a new location (125 Summer St.) this year due to construction on upper Summer Street. Original artwork, food, crafts, and more are for sale by local artisans. The market is open 11 am to 6 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
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$3 Movies at AMC Boston Common 19 Support Good Causes
All summer long AMC Boston Common 19 is showing $3 movies Monday through Wednesday at 9:30 pm. All proceeds will go to the Will Rogers Institute, the Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, and AMC Cares.
"Ride Along" is being shown August 11th through the 13th. Click here for more info and all movie schedules.
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Downtown Boston BID Weekly News Update
For questions and comments, please contact David Ertischek, newsletter editor, at: [email protected] |
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