.::|TheDish|::.

Relaxing in the Banks

We are back from our Banks vacation, and I must say, I am truly relaxed. The week consisted of going to the beach, cheffing-up tuna steaks fresh off the boats, dipping into a coffee shop here and there, reading A Thousand Splendid Suns (two words - READ IT!), hanging out with family, and just completely detaching from the stresses of city life.

We stayed at a property, owned by Mike's sister-in-law Annie's colleague, just one block from the beach on Hatteras Island. Its the post-Labor Day off-season now, what I consider the paramount time to visit the islands; as you can see from the photo above, there is in effect no one on the beach. Most of the homes are either multi-million dollar mansions that are owner occupied in the summertime, or rental units that would be bustling with beach-goers and families just a couple weeks prior. My assumption is that, because it is active hurricane season for much of the southeastern US and islands, people would not want to gamble with the chance that their vacation may be fiercely interrupted by a tropical storm. So, the beaches, restaurants, and ferry's were near-vacant this past week. Mike and I toyed with the idea of being adventurous and kite boarding or para-sailing, but we opted for complete relaxation and just spending quality time with his family. I must say this is by far the most relaxing vacation I have taken, and am realizing, that's more and more becoming the way I like it.

Stella is Expanding!

I was chatting with Michael, the bar manager at Stella, last evening at a cocktail party and he informed me that Stella is expanding & construction is already underway! They have acquired the space next to the restaurant and are adding a new bar, a fireplace (perfect for the ensuing winter months), and a cafe that will open at 5AM, featuring Italian coffees & pastries. Additionally, the Fall menu should be making its debut in a week or 2.

Peter's Park - Dog Recreational Space Update

For those of you who are wondering when the Peter's Park Dog Park, located on Washington Street in Boston's S End, is going to be complete... its looking like this Fall! I have been eagerly awaiting this day, not because I have a dog here in the city (though my Mom & Dad have in fact indefinitely adopted my dog, Bailey), but because I cannot wait to see the little munchkins frolicking around in their new arena.... my back yard! So, its great news that they have apparently raised over $100K since my last post in April, just $30K shy of their $300K goal.

For those of you who are not familiar with this project, its the first officially sanctioned dog park on city land.

Want to give a little to help them reach their mark? Then donate here!

Also, be sure to check out the events in and around the neighborhood to benefit the dog recreational space; there was a great one tonight with special guest Mayor Menino, and sponsored by local shops and restaurants like my personal favorites The Butcher Shop, Brix Wine Shop, Oishii Boston, and the South End Buttery.

The Outer Banks: Frisco, Hatteras Island

In one week we will be vacationing with Mike's family in the Outer Banks, a string of islands that bends into the Atlantic Ocean, about 130 miles off the coast of North Carolina. From the Outer Banks website:

Our islands are filled with watery hideaways where wildlife takes refuge and nature lovers delight, quiet beaches for sport or peace, and history that dates back to America's beginnings. As you will see, The Outer Banks is a destination sure to delight you with its variety of adventure, art, dining, and history and beach fun...

We are headed to the remote community of Frisco, located on Hatteras Island at the southern tip of the Banks (check out the map - its waaaay down there!). Apparently there is little to do outside of relaxing on the beach, reading, exploring, and enjoying time with friends and family. Sounds like heaven to me!

Update: Myers & Chang

I have an update on the opening of the new Chinese, soon-to-be-hotspot, eatery in the South End. Myers & Chang, brought to us by Christopher Myers (Radius, Via Matta and Great Bay) and his fiancée Joanne Chang (Flour) is opening this Monday the 17th! I heard that all the dishes are going to be under $13 and will be void of gels, powders, and gooey sauces. Thank God for that.

See you Monday?

Myers & Chang
1145 Washington St.
South End, Boston
617.532.5300. Opens Monday, 9.17.07

The Real Fake Steve Jobs

Ok, so this post is probably long overdue and a tad stale for some readers, but I must say, I can't stop reading The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. For those of you who don't know the story, shame on you.... kidding. Just read the blog and check out the FSJ identity revealing video on Forbes.com.

The brilliant man behind the Apple-infused satire is Boston's own Daniel Lyons, also a Sr. Editor for Forbes. Despite his anonymity and the mystery being exposed by the New York Times last month, I still just cannot get enough of his writing and can't wait for his book, "Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, a Parody!", to hit the shelves this October.

The Natick Collection

I took the short 15-20 minute drive over to check out the Natick Collection this weekend. Aside from it being a total zoo the day after opening day, I was very impressed. The beautiful new addition to the mall boasts an impressive list of high end stores such as:

Neiman Marcus - Opening September 15
Nordstroms
Michael Kors
Louis Vuitton
BCBG
Stuart Weitzman
Betsey Johnson
Anthropologie
Burberry
Gucci
Juicy Couture
Kate Spade

Additionally, you will definitely need to refuel if you plan on walking the mall circumference, so there are quite a few new restaurant additions to help out, such as:

Finale
Melt Gelato & Crepe Café
Metropolitan Bar & Grill
P.F. Chang's (coming soon)
Sel de la Terre (coming soon)

TECH Cocktail Boston

Thursday night I attended the first Boston TECH Cocktail night with a colleague and Product Manager, Aleks. The event, sponsored by Compete, Geezo, ZoomInfo, and North Bridge, drew-in approximately 4-500 attendees, including many entrepreneurs, start-up technologists, bloggers, mobile enthusiasts, and more for an evening of cocktailing, mingling and networking. 

I saw some interesting product demos and had a few lengthy conversations with some mobile industry folks: former m-Qubers, the guys from Geezo, the folks at Veveo and Mobicious. A special thanks goes out to Dayna of North Bridge for inviting me to TECHCocktail!!

I am now looking forward to meeting more mobilists, and getting my mobile technology fill, at the next Mobile Monday on the 17th.

Nordstom's Opening Day - Sept 7th

Opening day for Nordstrom's in Natick is tomorrow, September 7th (yay!). Check out more details here.

Nordstrom Natick Collection
290 Speen Street
Natick, MA 01760

Hovis London Freewheel

Boston is known to have terrible drivers. Those drivers, from my perspective, fit into one of two categories. They either don't know how to drive - you know, they switch lanes without a blinker, swerve, cut you off, etc - or they are one of the aggressive road-rage types, who are so outraged with the don't-know-how-to-drive types that they ride everyone's bumper, honk the horn, and drive at excessively dangerous speeds through our cow-path streets. So its no wonder that cyclists are never a majority at any time on Boston city streets. And if they are, then they are among the brave ones. Its really a shame that we all don't accept bike riding as a preferred means of transportation; after all they are easy to navigate the terrible streets, easy to park, good for the environment, and even provide quite the cardio workout.

So I was jazzed to see what London is doing to boost bike-use in the city. The event is called The Hovis London Freewheel. The city is closing down 9 miles of  traffic-heavy streets and allowing only cyclists to make their way through. As noted on the Freewheel site, "All Londoners – from mums on shoppers to old folks on rusty relics – will be coming from far and wide to ride down the city’s most famous roads, seeing sights like London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge". No cars, no traffic, and no bad drivers! And when you tire of pedaling, there is a secure area to leave your bikes and wander around the Freewheel Festival with demonstrations, maintenance centers, and entertainment. I don't know that Boston would ever embrace cyclists like this, but it sounds like it could be so much fun and a great (safe) reason to dust off your otherwise abandoned bike for a day.

Labor Day Weekend in Rockport

A few pics to share on this glorious weekend that marks the end of the summer: