Sk8r Guy

Looks like Lindsay caught onto a Boston tradition before it was cool. This past Sunday, the Globe had an article on the famous "skater guy" from Boston's frog pond. This guy is the real deal. He's a 52-year old tree surgeon from Concord, NH and makes the drive to Boston at least twice a month to entertain what sounds like a growing crowd. The real kicker? He's never had a lesson! Not many people could possibly pull that off so well.

Now that the weather has turned nice and chilly, Price and I are sure to be spotted on a bench in the common to catch a glimpse of this guy.

*Side note for Banks: I know you mentioned park ranger, but how about getting in on some tree surgeries? Sounds pretty green to me!

My ears are still ringing...

Bev and I went to the Garden last night and saw Bruce and the E Street Band play their second Boston show. As you can imagine the concert was awesome! Here's a setlist for you aficionados:

(1) Radio Nowhere (2) Night (3) Lonesome Day (4) Gypsy Biker (5) Magic (6) Reason To Believe (7)Darkness On The Edge Of Town (8) Candy's Room (9) She's The One (10) Livin' In The Future (11)This Hard Land (12) 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) [chosen in place of "Coming Down" -- damn] (13) The E Street Shuffle [chosen in place of "Backstreets" -- double damn] (14) Working On The Highway (15) Devil's Arcade (16) The Rising (17) Last To Die (18) Long Walk Home (19)Badlands (Encore) (20) Girls In Their Summer Clothes (21) Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (22) Kitty's Back (23) Born To Run (24) American Land

Bev had scored us sweet lower level tickets (about 30 yards from stage left), so you knew already the show was going to be better than Hartford, where we sat in the balcony behind stage. He played for 2hr 20min and once again went deep into the catalogue (as in "The Wild, The Innocent, The E Street Shuffle" deep)to pull out some good ones. "Working on the Highway" was great because Bruce seemed to be having such a fun time with it (appropriate song for Big-Dig Boston, no?), "Sandy" was a nice surprise, "Lonesome Day", "Long Walk Home", and "Badlands" were energizing as always, and the encore was highlited by a Clarence-heavy "Tenth Avenue Freezeout" and a joyful version of "American Land." We actually really liked how the show ended with American Land -- its lyrics and chorus (There's diamonds in the sidewalk, the gutters lined in song; Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long; There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man; Who will make his home in the American Land) are very appropriate for Bruce. The boys are off to Europe for a while now, but I actually saw they're playing a few more shows stateside in February and March, including a second stop at Hartford (2/28). Bev, you up for another show? Sadly, although I know Bev would be up for it, I don't think our wallets would be. It looks like my quest to hear "Thunder Road" live will have to wait till the next tour. My ears may still be ringing then.

"...You know that flag flying over the courthouse, means certain things are set in stone. Who we are, what we'll do, and what we won't. It's gonna be a long walk home..."

Chicagoland

Just a week ago today, Price and I were on our happy way to Chicago. We had a nice, long weekend ahead of us and couldn't wait to get to the big city. OH WAIT...it wasn't that simple! How could I forget our debacle at NY's JFK airport? I am officially afraid of that place, since I have now never passed through there without horrible problems. This trip proved no different. Price and I ended up on a plane with a bad brake and had to get towed from the runway to our gate. Here are the emergency crews racing towards our plane...eek!

Then we switched planes and just like that, it was 5 pm rush-hour! We have many great things to say about Jet Blue and are so happy with the service they provide between us and Richmond, VA (so convenient for traveling home). But they still seem to have trouble getting people to their destinations on time. At least we were compensated with some vouchers to cash in another time. And we did make it to Chicago and back, safe and sound :)

Onto the good stuff....

This was my first time to Chicago. I was so excited to experience another city and was very impressed. Chicago is beautiful and so wide open, much more so than NYC. Chicago is also a very clean and very well lit city, good for us nightcrawlers!

Our visit was a whirlwind and definitely warrants a return trip, but we had great fun doing just about everything.

Walking the Magnificent Mile.

A visit to the famous Billy Goat Tavern. "Cheezborger, cheezborger!"

An Architectural Foundation river tour.

Great food. Garrett's Popcorn is just melt-in-your-mouth delicious! The Chicago mix is what they are most known for - cheddar cheese and caramel crisp all mixed in one bag.

Millennium Park.

The Chicago Art Institute.

Riding the El.

Wrigley Field.

More great food.

Did I mention food yet? This is the original Uno's. It's a tiny place, just below street level, and all the pizzas are made-to-order. MMmmm, cheesey gooeyness! And I cannot forget to mention the holiday window display at Macy's. The theme this year is the Nutcracker (did they know I was coming into town?). I think this was my favorite thing!!Price, what was your favorite?

Fenway Improvements

It sounds like Fenway is getting more band-aids...sorry, improvements...added this offseason. Don't get too excited, though. Ticket prices went up by 9% and, as always, they'll be impossible to get without either great connections or the pleasure of waiting in massive lines (online or at the park). Among the noted improvements:

• 800 new seats, plus standing room tickets, in the State Street Pavilion.
• A new "standing room" corner on the 3rd base side.
• New scoreboards on the second level facades.
• And last but not least...Bleacher Bar and Grill, a year-round restaurant, will be opened under the center field bleachers. The restaurant will open onto Lansdowne St and have views onto the field, which could be pretty cool. Even better, I don't think you have to have a ticket to eat there either.

I'm guessing the ownership will continue to make these incremental improvements until 2012, when Fenway turns 100 and the park can gain landmark status. Then it can never be torn down. After that, here's hoping they open a new Fenway...same dimension, same intimacy...on the South Boston waterfront. I love the old ballpark, but it's time for more comfort and more seats.

A Blair Reunion - D.C. style

Price and I had a perfect weekend in D.C. last week. Thanks to party-planner Raine (just give the girl a headset and clipboard and she's all set to be your personal party assistant, too) we kicked-off the weekend with a trip downtown to the happenin' Velvet Lounge. Don't you want to host your next social event here? Just don't ask for more than 1 Captain and Coke - yea, they ran out!

Tommy, Gordon, and Price

Brooke and Will Blair's band, East Hundred, was playing that night and it was a great time seeing lots of family. Raine's fab. roomies, Lindsay and Kim, along with Susan and respective bf's and fiance's in-tow, dutifully came along for the Blair experience, too! It was a late night, but totally worth it!

The cousins.

Saturday's festivities got started in a smoky bar in Arlington, VA (cough) for the Liverpool v. Blackburn soccer game.

Price is quite the dedicated fan!

Mary, Raine, and I were along for the bloody mary's, so when those ran dry and half-time arrived, it was either naptime or sight-seeing time. We decided to head to the National Mall for some classic sights. We walked ourselves silly, but it was fun.

The new WWII memorial is beautiful; very peaceful.

It sure was a fun weekend seeing our family!

More coming soon....we're headed to Chicago tomorrow.