#28 Boston - Jacob Wirth Rules! - December 17, 2004
Who is this Jacob Wirth you may ask? Well my friends, he is a good man - actually our friend Jacob here, he came from a family of wine growers in Prussia and settled in the good old US of A quite some time ago. In 1868 he opened his restaurant across the street from the current locale. The place consists of a typical old style dining hall, but the highlight are Friday nights at Jake's - Mel Stiller on the piano next to the bar plays his heart out, and guess what, everyone sings along. Every table has song books, and in between the tunes, which most people sing decidedly off key, everyone screams page numbers with their ballad of choice at poor Mel. Mel has the final veto though, and if he thinks it is too early to sing "Obladi Oblada" there ain't nothin' you can do. [http://www.jacobwirth.com/]
My favorite bit of the evening was the MBTA Song, which features the tragic saga of "Charlie", an ill-fated chap who was condemned forever to ride the Boston transit system because he did not have the required exit fare (a nickel). It was performed by the Kingston trio in 1959, but was originally written for the 1948 Boston mayoral race to protest a candidate who wanted to charge an extra nickel to exit the system. [Interestingly enough, the MBTA is currently advocating an automated fare collection system called "The Charlie Card". ]
People, I was singing like you would not believe (really, you would not), and I ended up returning home at 1 AM with almost no voice left! Saturday started out slow, on account of the long night, and it was just great to loll around in my PJ's and read, have a good cupa tea, that kind of stuff.
In the afternoon I headed to volunteer as an usher at the Boston Center for the Arts, which is located in yet another (can you stand it?) quaint part of this wonderful town, the South End [http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.asp?id=18]. Cute brick houses, lanterns, neat stores, lotsa culture..... My "work" assignment took place at the beautiful Calderwood Pavillion (http://www.bcaonline.or) - the performance was "Johnny Guitar" a musical spoof based on the 1954 not-so-spoofy and unamusing movie with Joan Crawford. All I had to do is show a few folks to their seat, make sure they did not fall down the steps or over the railing and I was home free. The performance was fabu, very entertaining, and the audience loved it!
Sunday did not start off so well, my old chronic stomach problem decided to come back to haunt me, and so most of the day was spent on the couch watching movies, reading, and taking a nap here or there. I had signed on for the Jingle Bell Run that evening, and I actually scraped myself off the couch and headed toward Back Bay, where a pretty dappled hoi polloi had congregated - most folks were dressed in Santa Claus outfits, and whatever else inspired them. All runners got little bells for their sneakers, and off we went, jingling and such. Running down Comm Ave with a bunch of Santas was so much fun! I met up with some friends from my running group, who won first price in the costume contest. The Hash House Harriers ("A Drinking Group with a Running Problem") actually pulled a sled!
The week has been pretty busy, and mostly filled with work-related responsibilities. Tuesday night the book group met at my new favorite Japanese place, Ma Soba on Cambridge Street, where we stuffed ourselves with tasty sushi dishes. I then ran home (literally, because it was 15 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course) out there, make that 4 with the wind chill), the homeowners' association in my building had a Christmas feast that I wanted to attend.
Right now I will be heading off to the office Christmas Party, where some chocolate-covered strawberries are waiting for yours truly. Tonight I will be heading over to the Old South Church at Copley Square, where the Chorus Pro Musica will perform a "Joyeux Noel" concert (http://www.choruspromusica.org/) - I believe there is a sing-along component as well, which is right up my alley. Tomorrow I am going for a hike with my friends Linda and Roger, Sunday I will meet up with my friend Christiaan, who is in town from DC, and we are planning on a little ice skating at Frog Pond followed by some good grub in Beacon Hill.
Next week is Christmas, wow, I can't believe it! We had the occasional little dusting with snow here, and it has been freezing this week, temperatures were semi-glacial - those nights, where even when you run out of essentials, you keep thinking of ways to wing it, because you really do not want to go outside. I will be back in town for New Year's where I will be participating in First Night - another great Boston experience - you buy a button for $15 and with this button you can attend events all over town, music, art, comedy, there are also ice sculptures, a parade and fireworks at midnight. I tell you folks, this town is definitely happening!
I want to wish you all a very happy holiday - be safe, and hopefully you will be able to spend some time with family and good friends. I will be in touch next week from Germany.
For a finish today, I am enclosing a little write up from Boston Magazine, under the heading of "Hot Dates" by Andrew Rimas
Merry, merry......
pet:)
Hot Dates:
What is happening this month:
12/1 - The Cheers Pub 35th Birthday. Where nobody knows your name. Because you're a tourist.
12/2-5 - Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show: In the pit bull gallery, Ann Coulter disqualifies herself by foaming at the mouth. Meanwhile governor Mitt Romney edges Barney (Frank) to grab the blue ribbon in the White House lap dog division.
12/5 - Vienna Boy's Choir: Voices of Angels, costumes of Austro-Hungarian sailors
12/7-19 - Tea at Five at the Shubert: Actress Kate Mulgrew portrays Kathryn Hepburn at the beginning and end of her career in this one-woman play. Word is that Imhotep, accursed mummy of the underworlds, was pursued to play Hepburn during her "On Golden Pond" period, but declined, citing conflicts with the filming of "The Mummy 3".
12/21 - Winter begins. Dammit.
12/21-22 - The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera opens. "The Phaaaantom of the Op-e-ra is theeeere inside your mind." That is, if you left your brain in 1986.
12/31 New Year's Eve. Red Sox Won. World did not end. All in all, things worked out ok.
My favorite bit of the evening was the MBTA Song, which features the tragic saga of "Charlie", an ill-fated chap who was condemned forever to ride the Boston transit system because he did not have the required exit fare (a nickel). It was performed by the Kingston trio in 1959, but was originally written for the 1948 Boston mayoral race to protest a candidate who wanted to charge an extra nickel to exit the system. [Interestingly enough, the MBTA is currently advocating an automated fare collection system called "The Charlie Card". ]
People, I was singing like you would not believe (really, you would not), and I ended up returning home at 1 AM with almost no voice left! Saturday started out slow, on account of the long night, and it was just great to loll around in my PJ's and read, have a good cupa tea, that kind of stuff.
In the afternoon I headed to volunteer as an usher at the Boston Center for the Arts, which is located in yet another (can you stand it?) quaint part of this wonderful town, the South End [http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.asp?id=18]. Cute brick houses, lanterns, neat stores, lotsa culture..... My "work" assignment took place at the beautiful Calderwood Pavillion (http://www.bcaonline.or) - the performance was "Johnny Guitar" a musical spoof based on the 1954 not-so-spoofy and unamusing movie with Joan Crawford. All I had to do is show a few folks to their seat, make sure they did not fall down the steps or over the railing and I was home free. The performance was fabu, very entertaining, and the audience loved it!
Sunday did not start off so well, my old chronic stomach problem decided to come back to haunt me, and so most of the day was spent on the couch watching movies, reading, and taking a nap here or there. I had signed on for the Jingle Bell Run that evening, and I actually scraped myself off the couch and headed toward Back Bay, where a pretty dappled hoi polloi had congregated - most folks were dressed in Santa Claus outfits, and whatever else inspired them. All runners got little bells for their sneakers, and off we went, jingling and such. Running down Comm Ave with a bunch of Santas was so much fun! I met up with some friends from my running group, who won first price in the costume contest. The Hash House Harriers ("A Drinking Group with a Running Problem") actually pulled a sled!
The week has been pretty busy, and mostly filled with work-related responsibilities. Tuesday night the book group met at my new favorite Japanese place, Ma Soba on Cambridge Street, where we stuffed ourselves with tasty sushi dishes. I then ran home (literally, because it was 15 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course) out there, make that 4 with the wind chill), the homeowners' association in my building had a Christmas feast that I wanted to attend.
Right now I will be heading off to the office Christmas Party, where some chocolate-covered strawberries are waiting for yours truly. Tonight I will be heading over to the Old South Church at Copley Square, where the Chorus Pro Musica will perform a "Joyeux Noel" concert (http://www.choruspromusica.org/) - I believe there is a sing-along component as well, which is right up my alley. Tomorrow I am going for a hike with my friends Linda and Roger, Sunday I will meet up with my friend Christiaan, who is in town from DC, and we are planning on a little ice skating at Frog Pond followed by some good grub in Beacon Hill.
Next week is Christmas, wow, I can't believe it! We had the occasional little dusting with snow here, and it has been freezing this week, temperatures were semi-glacial - those nights, where even when you run out of essentials, you keep thinking of ways to wing it, because you really do not want to go outside. I will be back in town for New Year's where I will be participating in First Night - another great Boston experience - you buy a button for $15 and with this button you can attend events all over town, music, art, comedy, there are also ice sculptures, a parade and fireworks at midnight. I tell you folks, this town is definitely happening!
I want to wish you all a very happy holiday - be safe, and hopefully you will be able to spend some time with family and good friends. I will be in touch next week from Germany.
For a finish today, I am enclosing a little write up from Boston Magazine, under the heading of "Hot Dates" by Andrew Rimas
Merry, merry......
pet:)
Hot Dates:
What is happening this month:
12/1 - The Cheers Pub 35th Birthday. Where nobody knows your name. Because you're a tourist.
12/2-5 - Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show: In the pit bull gallery, Ann Coulter disqualifies herself by foaming at the mouth. Meanwhile governor Mitt Romney edges Barney (Frank) to grab the blue ribbon in the White House lap dog division.
12/5 - Vienna Boy's Choir: Voices of Angels, costumes of Austro-Hungarian sailors
12/7-19 - Tea at Five at the Shubert: Actress Kate Mulgrew portrays Kathryn Hepburn at the beginning and end of her career in this one-woman play. Word is that Imhotep, accursed mummy of the underworlds, was pursued to play Hepburn during her "On Golden Pond" period, but declined, citing conflicts with the filming of "The Mummy 3".
12/21 - Winter begins. Dammit.
12/21-22 - The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera opens. "The Phaaaantom of the Op-e-ra is theeeere inside your mind." That is, if you left your brain in 1986.
12/31 New Year's Eve. Red Sox Won. World did not end. All in all, things worked out ok.
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