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May 2, 2016
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Featured Stories
In The News
Meetings & Notices
Announcements
This Week's Featured Event
Arts, Entertainment & Events
Deals & Promos
Construction & Utility Work Updates
BID Services & Links
City of Boston Services
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RSVP Now:
BID Members Meeting on May 5th;
Celebrating Five Years of the BID!
The Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID) will host a BID Members Meeting on Thursday, May 5th from 5 to 7 pm. This will be a celebration of the BID's 5th anniversary! Please click here for the 2016 BID Report to learn about the transformation of Downtown Crossing.
This meeting will be held in the second floor lobby space of 101 Arch St. and is being catered by Central Bistro. The lobby space is where the campaign to start the BID was kicked off (see the photo)! Please RSVP to Doug Meyer at [email protected]. |
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BRA Community Meeting for Proposed Development at 533 Washington St. on May 5th
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is holding a community meeting regarding the proposed development at 533 Washington St., on Thursday, May 5th. This meeting will take place at Boston City Hall, 5th Floor, Piemonte Room, at 6 to 8 pm.
Rafi Properties, LLC plans to construct a 30-story mixed-use building with approximately 94 residential units, restaurant/retail space and nonprofit incubator office space. For more info please contact Raul Duverge of the Boston Redevelopment Authority at 617-918-4492 or [email protected]. |
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Boston Business Journal Power Breakfast: 'Real Estate -- The Move to Downtown Boston' on May 5th
The Boston Business Journal will host a panel discussion on "Real Estate: The Move to Downtown Boston" at The Ritz-Carlton Boston (10 Avery St.) on Thursday, May 5th from 7:30 to 9:30 am.
This panel discussion of local executives will discuss key drivers in the decision for tech and other companies to move Downtown. Bryan Koop, Executive VP of Boston Properties' Boston region, will be the moderator. The panelists will be: Paul Deeley, CFO of Bullhorn; Michael George, CEO of Continuum; and Danielle Sheer, VP and General Counsel for Carbonite. Click here to register for this event. |
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Vendors Wanted: Downtown Boston
Arts & Crafts Market 2016
The BID is pleased to announce we are expanding the Downtown Boston Arts & Crafts program for 2016 and are seeking vendors.
The market will be operated in various locations throughout the BID district on Wednesdays and Fridays from May 18th to September 17th.
All artwork, crafts and food offerings must be original and handmade by the vendor, vendor studio or enterprise. No mass produced or imported goods are allowed.
Arts and crafts in many categories are desirable, including fiber arts, paintings, photography, stained glass, ceramics, metal, wood, furniture, clothing, children's clothing, toys, items for pets, artisan foods, jewelry and more.
Click here for the vendor application packet, which includes info about the market, participation criteria, cost and regulations. |
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This Week's Featured Event
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How Well Do You Know Boston? Old South Meeting House Quiz Night on
May 4th
The Old South Meeting House (310 Washington St.) is hosting a Celebrate Boston Quiz Night on Wednesday, May 4th at 6 pm. Compete for prizes, bring friends to make a team or come by yourself to test your Boston knowledge.
Author and historian Susan Wilson will be the quiz master for this event looking to stump everyone. Get your tickets here now because space is limited and this event sells out. General admission is $15, $10 for students and $5 for OSMH members (with code). Your ticket includes complimentary food and a cash bar will be available. This event is cosponsored by the BID.
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Arts, Entertainment & Events
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The Latino Theater Company Presents 'Premeditation' at the Paramount Center Opening May 4th
The Latino Theater Company presents "Premeditation" at the Paramount Center from May 4th to May 14th. This play is a comedic maze of marriage, murder and mayhem.
Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, but how many end in murder? This play features two disgruntled housewives who discover the lengths they'll go to get their husbands' attention. The performance is a noir-inspired play. Click here for tickets and showtimes.
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Mother's Day Specials in
Downtown Boston
There are numerous ways to celebrate Mother's Day in Downtown Boston. Here are just a few:
Artisan Bistro (10 Avery St.) is offering a Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 8th from 7 am to 3 pm. This is a 3-course pre-fixe special brunch menu, and the a la carte brunch menu will also be available. Please call 617-574-7176 to make reservations. Price is $65 per person. Click here for more details.
Back Deck (2 West St.) is offering a special menu on Mother's Day featuring smoked salmon eggs benedict and panna cotta with strawberries for brunch and a garlicky linguune with grilled shrimp and asparagus and the panna cotta dish for dinner. Call 617-670-0320 for more info and reservations.
The Merchant (60 Franklin St.) is hosting a Mother's Day Champagne, Tulip and Jazz Brunch on Sunday, May 8th from 10:30 am to 3 pm, dinner at 3 to 10 pm and a late night menu at 10 pm to midnight.
Yvonne's (2 Winter Place) is hosting a Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 8th from 11 am to 2 pm. The menu will feature their cosmopolitan take on brunch favorites, while also paying homage to the mothers of Culinary Director Tom Berry, Executive Chef Juan Pedrosa and Chef Preston Miller. In addition, all proceeds of the Hazelnut Friand Cake will benefit Boston's Bakes for Breast Cancer. Reservations are encouraged and are available on OpenTable; for parties of six or more please call 617-267-0047.
And don't forget about Mass Mobile Massage's Mother's Day deal offering a 60-minute massage for $99 available through May 8th. Click here to take advantage of this deal.
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MCDRA Walking Tour of Downtown Crossing Neighborhood on May 7th
The Midtown Cultural District Residents' Association (MCDRA) Social & Events Team is holding a walking tour of the neighborhood on Saturday, May 7th. MCDRA member Allan Hodges will lead the tour.
This tour will be from 10:30 am to noon and meet in front of the AMC Loews Boston Common theater. The walking tour is free and will be followed by an optional lunch at PAUL Bakery. Space is limited to 25 participants so please register by clicking here. |
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Emerson College's Naming Ourselves Public Dialogue Series Continues on
May 10th
Emerson College's Naming Ourselves Public Dialogue Series concludes on Tuesday, May 10th with "Some Other Race: Exploring the Diversity within the Latino Story." This free and open to the public event takes places at 7 pm at the Paramount Center's Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre.
This session will be moderated by Noe Montez, assistant professor of drama at Tufts University. While this series is free, registration is requested by clicking here. |
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Learn About Natural Remedies for
Your Dog on May 11th
marlo marketing's Health & Wellness Series is going to the dogs on May 11th. Learn about natural remedies for your dog from canine expert Marie Cargill at 6 to 7:30 pm.
Learn the secrets to helping your dog live longer -- everything from how to prepare the best diet to using herbal medicine and even doggie yoga and acupuncture. The cost is $10 per person and all proceeds will be donated to the MSPCA. Click here to RSVP and this class is taking place at marlo marketing's offices (38 Chauncy St. 3rd Floor).
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Boston Ballet's 'Swan Lake' at Opera House Through May 26th
The Boston Ballet's "Swan Lake" will be at the Boston Opera House through May 26th.
"Swan Lake" was first performed in 1877 and is set to Tchaikovsky's romantic and ageless score. The story has been told many times, but is always different in some way. Click here for tickets and showtimes. |
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New Flash Forward Festival Art Exhibit in Lafayette City Center Passageway
[Photo]gogues: New England (Part 4), a new Flash Forward Festival art exhibit debuting last week in the Lafayette City Center Passageway. This new and free exhibit is not a definitive study of New England Photography Pedagogues, rather it is a sampling of faculty members from the region.
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| Untitled (Marti) Havana, Cuba
by Dana Mueller |
This exhibit is comprised of the work from nine photography instructors who were invited to exhibit their work by Paula Tognarelli and Frances Jakubek, executive director and associate director of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester.
This exhibit is being presented by the Lafayette City Center, the Downtown Boston BID, Magenta Foundation, the Flash Forward Festival Boston 2016 and the Griffin Museum. The Lafayette City Center Passageway links Macy's with the Hyatt Regency Boston and is open 10 am to 9 pm on Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and 10 am to 9 pm on Sunday. This exhibit will run to August 26th.
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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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sweetgreen Opening This Week on
School Street
A new sweetgreen is opening this week at 13 School St. The very popular salad chain will also be opening a second store on Summer Street in the coming months.
Proceeds from opening day will fund The Food Project's efforts to build community gardens in South Boston to create a more sustainable food system for our local communities.
sweetgreen (note the lack of capitalization) offers simple, seasonal, healthy food. They have seasonally-inspired salads, grain bowls and more.
The new store will be open 10:30 am to 9 pm Monday to Friday. Click here for a menu and more info. And remember romaine wasn't built in one day!
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Businesses and Residents Come Out in
Force for Boston Shines
Downtown Boston looked even better after Friday's annual Boston Shines organized by the city. Business employees and residents volunteered to put on gloves, grab shovels and paintbrushes and make Downtown's streets cleaner.
Employees from Chen PR, the Hyatt Regency Boston, The Ritz-Carlton Boston, The Merchant, FlyWire and the Boston Redevelopment Authority volunteered in different projects led by BID Ambassadors.
"CHEN PR has always given back to the community. When the agency moved to Summer Street in Downtown Crossing nearly three years ago, we set out to build more connections to help Downtown Crossing and the city of Boston thrive --from helping clean up our work neighborhood with Boston Shines to supporting Boston's tech innovation," said Chris Carleton, CHEN PR co-founder and partner. "We love volunteering for Boston Shines and the organization's team makes cleaning up fun and rewarding."
 Volunteers did various projects -- painting light poles and utility boxes, planting flowers, cleaning up streets and more. Thank you to everyone who volunteered this year!
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The Fashion Designers of Tomorrow Showed Off Their Stuff in Downtown Crossing
On Friday Summer Street transformed into an Open Runway as more than 40 local designers showed off their fashions to a spirited audience.
Jay Calderin, founder and executive director of Boston Fashion Week, curated the event with designers Jeffrey Dickerson, Tatiana Tejedor, Chynna Pope and Carlos Villamil, offering positive thoughts on all the designs. This free event was presented by the BID, Boston Fashion Week and Platform Downtown. |
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Freedom Trail Foundation
Expands Spring Tours
As the weather warms the Freedom Trail Foundation is expanding its tours.
Starting May 1st, the Walk Into History tour is being offered on the hour, every hour daily, from 11 am to 4 pm, and departing from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center (139 Tremont St.). The tour is also offered on Mondays through Fridays at 2:30 pm. The Walk Into History tour is a 90-minute walking tour of the Freedom Trail walking to 11 of Boston's historic Freedom Trail sites. Click here for more information and to buy tickets for tours. |
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Now You Can Submit Your Own Event to the Downtown Boston BID Website
If you have an upcoming event you can now submit your own event to the Downtown Boston BID website. Click here to submit your own event.
Once approved by BID staff your event will be on the BID's calendar section and could be featured in this newsletter on social media and promoted elsewhere.
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Sign up Now for the Downtown Boston Lunchtime Baggo League
The next Downtown Boston Lunchtime Baggo League is kicking off its season in mid-May. This is a free league and games only take about 30 minutes -- so you'll be back at the office without missing a thing.
Games will be played at 100 Summer St. and 133 Federal St. from noon to 2 pm. Players typically have one game a week. There will be playoffs with prizes awarded after the championship. Please contact Mike Testa at [email protected] to sign up or if you have questions. |
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Still Time to Shop! Macy's Friends & Family Sale Ends on May 2nd
Mother's Day is right around the corner and mom deserves a special gift -- so take advantage of Macy's Friends & Family Sale. This sale ends today (May 2nd).
There will be a 25% off discount storewide and 10% off electrics/electronics. |
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Planet Fitness Membership Sale Now Through May 13th
Planet Fitness (17 Winter St.) is offering a $5 down, $10 a month membership deal with no commitment. This deal is available through May 13th. New members can join in the club or online by clicking here.
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Signup for 'David Maister Presents
High School Hop' Series
Signup now for Downtown Boston resident "David Maister's High School Hop Series" on Sundays starting in September.
Although this 8-week seminar isn't for five months, you should signup now because it books up quickly. This seminar will cover pop music and artists from 1955 to 1963.
This seminar is being held at the Paramount Center's Bright Family Screening Room (559 Washington St.). Only $30 for all eight sessions. Please send a check for $30 per person (plus your email address) to: David Maister, 1 Avery St. Unit 32A, Boston MA 02111. |
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Boston Area Spanish Exchange Classes:
Next Course Period Begins May 9th
The next Boston Area Spanish Exchange (50 Milk St. 16th Floor) course period will begin the week of May 9th. It's not just Spanish being offered, there's also Intro to Portuguese and more.
Click here for more information about classes and to register. |
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Construction & Utility Work Updates
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What's Being Built? Millennium Tower, Congress Square 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 Ambassadors Provide Clean & Hospitality Services in Downtown
The Downtown Boston BID Ambassadors provide clean and hospitality services seven days a week, nearly 24 hours a day. Ambassadors create a friendly, welcoming Downtown presence by helping visitors with directions, notifying fire and police personnel of incidents and more.
BID Ambassadors provide walking escorts all day or night -- they'll even tote an umbrella if it's raining or snowing! 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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| | The daffodils are in bloom in Downtown |
- Ambassadors remove litter and graffiti
- Ambassadors clear handicapped ramps and storm drain openings
- Ambassador powerwash in Downtown Boston during warm weather
- Ambassadors maintain the BID's landscaping by watering flowers
- Masonry Ambassadors fix sidewalks and more
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Additional BID Services & Info
- Communication and Business Networking: Along with the weekly newsletter; safety and construction/utility alerts and more are provided that affect the district and businesses
- BID staff schedules individual meetings with BID members to discuss neighborhood affairs
- Entertainment programming: The BID sponsors and organizes entertainment throughout Downtown to engage the neighborhood
- Member Advocacy: The BID works collaboratively with the City of Boston and other agencies on behalf of the district. For advocacy-related assistance or questions please contact [email protected]
- Capital/Public Improvements: The BID coordinates and develops streetscape beautification, provides tables and chairs with umbrellas, public art, plantings and more
- Wayfinding: The BID is installing a wayfinding signage system to assist pedestrians throughout the district
- Please click here for the 2016 BID Report to learn about the transformation of Downtown Crossing
- Contact [email protected] for more
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