I'm on a BOAT!

I freaked out a bit when the GPS led us right to a ferry! We tried to steer around Lake Champlain and I finally got the GPS to take us over Bridge Road.

Well, turn out Bridge Road doesn't exist - its a ferry. Turns out the ferry is free and 'leaving right now.' We drive on and sail out. Chris is a bit skeptical at first.

But we ended up loving the ride. We were off in New York, back on the back-roads on to the next stop.

Beer and Driving

We've attempted to space apart our driving and beer as much as possible and take turns. Our first day of vacation was actually a lot of work - four hours of driving followed by 6 hours of volunteering. Chris spent most of it in the sun, lifting heavy kegs for the brewers. Comparatively my job was easy - filling tasting glasses with stacks of drink tickets and handing them to festival-goers. Not only did the hard labor earn us a free tickets to the last session of the festival, but we also got free pint glasses and a t-shirt.

The weather was beautiful for our session - crazy clouds, gorgeous sunset over the lake and mountains. Two rainbows appeared in the sky as we turned away from the Dieu du Ciel and everyone oohed at the same time. Somehow the beer tastes better when the sky is beautiful.

Unfortunately the weather turned on us. Just as I was about to trade in my last ticket for a beer, the show closed down as lightening shot across the skies. We ran back to the car just in time.

Vermont Brewers Festival

I'm volunteering at VT Brewers Fest - vacation starts!

The Month of Travel

I love travel. Everytime I step into a bus station, train depot or out of my car at a gas station in the middle of nowhere I get a thrill.

So I'm lucky that work not only makes me travel, but allows me to. This month I'm on the road for two weeks helping out in canvass offices -- Amherst, Cambridge and New Haven. No where super exciting, but pleasant breaks from the routine.

Tomorrow is when the excitement starts! Chris and my two week National Park (& Beer) road trip starts tomorrow.

First up - Burlington, Vermont for the VT Brewers Festival. We'll be volunteering during the morning shift to earn our free beer in the evening. Follow along at my beer tracking site to see what beers we drink here and along the whole way.

Next stop is somewhere in the middle of Ohio where we'll likely sleep in our car. But then comes Mammoth Caves and Nashville.

The whole itinerary is here. Perhaps I'll see you along the way?

View Nation Parks Summer Tour in a larger map

Longest Days of Summer

I thrive on sun. I need it for survival. Now that I live in the upper part of our hemisphere and working an inside job I find myself craving the shiny orb. So that means weekends I am out all day. (Much to the horror of my dermatologist.)

My day started off greeting the sun by sunbathing at 6am in the park across the street. Its a good time to sunbathe in Boston since you'll draw less gawkers. In Miami you still would get harassed by the boys who stayed up all night at the clubs partying and then wanted to see the sunrise.

A long bike ride with a stop over for a tasting at Marshall's Fenway Farmstand.

My day ended at the Jamaica Pond watching the sunset. Not as dramatic as Santa Monica, but still nice.

Sunday there was another festival right across the street in the Southwest Corridor. The Green Roots Festival drew a fun bunch of hippies and bikers for a ride to benefit Bikes Not Bombs, based right here in Jamaica Plain. They even had a great little race for the tykes (and adults who thought they could fit on a tricycle.

Afterwards I headed over to the first free outdoor swing dance in Copley Square. They'll be happening every Sunday from 1-4pm this summer. I wished they had started before it got so damn HOT, but it was still a blast. Next time I wear as little as possible and bring a towel to wipe the sweat off. This was probably a better workout then the gym.

My bike home from the dance was slow and arduous. But I'm glad I made it. We ended the sunny weekend with a heavy thunderstorm and a summer bbq. Drinking watermelon beer and munching on potato salad and grilled tuna I wondered how much better the summer could get. What's your perfect summer weekend?

Boston Beer Wek

Quick on the heels of American Craft Beer Week came Boston Beer Week - a celebration of beers inside the 495 beltway (and a few others too). Events were not quite free, but still fun and a good excuse to go out drinking.

First up was the Kinsale for Allagash for a 'meet the brewer' event. Funny, we couldn't find the

brewer. But we did have a delicious bottle of Victor Ale for less money than its being sold at the liquor store.

Tuesday we attempted a beer bike tour. I convinced Chris and Colleen to bike to work, which is an extraordinary feat in itself. At 6 we biked over to Atwood's Tavern, a classy neighborhood spot. We downed some Smutty Nose and flattered their brewers. We then crossed back over the river to the Otherside Cafe to meet the Troeg's brewers. We did a ten beer sampler and had some of the best beer we'd ever had, and we've had a lot! By then we were pretty silly tipsy and saddled ourselves up to the brewer's table to have a full pint of their Sunshine Pils and talk shop with the guys. The bike ride home was slow and careful.

Wednesday I managed to get into the Sam Adams open house for free beer paired with molasses cookies. By Thursday I wondered if we could keep going . . . and we did.

Free beer at Champions Bar. Champions, located in the Marriott has got to be the worst touristy,

loud bar. Too bad. But this is where the beer was. Another 'meet the brewers' event, this time it

was the Harpoon guys. Strangely enough it was three of us and two random old dudes that showed. More beer for us! It was basically just pitcher after pitcher of free beer. I felt like telling other folks at the bar there was a table with free beer over there, but there was no one that looked worth hanging out with. We capped the night off with fondue and the house beer of Brasserie Jo, summery Hopla.

By the weekend we were shot. I spent Friday through Sunday catching up. But oh, what a lovely week.

Aquitante Group

My latest love? The Aquitane restaurant group. I've particularly been in love with Gaslight since they donated to a silent auction I was running, but considered myself too poor to actually eat a meal there. Enter in Yelp. Gaslight was opening their patio and asked Yelp to hold a kick-off party. I got in and so Gaslight and I were finally introduced. It started off with very little food, but a very generous open bar, a great little jazz quintet and beautiful weather. After a few drinks our stomach began growling for food and we decided our feet didn't want to go anywhere, so we got ourselves a table and had one of the best meals I've ever had in Boston.

Then the parents came and I got to try Metropolis' $30 three-course menu. (Wine included!)

So that's it, I don't think I need to search anymore the perfect restaurants on this side of the river. And really, they aren't as pricey as I thought. Try the $30 three-course, have your dining partner get an entree and then just split the appetizer, dessert and wine. There, that's nearing affordable. And while they advertise this special as being 5:30-6:30 in all their restaurants I got it a 8pm on a Saturday.

Locals v Tourists

Locals and Tourists #14 (GTWA #7): Boston
Originally uploaded by Eric Fischer

The locals vs tourists distinction has been in the zeitgeist a lot as Summer vacations ramp up. Last week the Improv Everywhere gang got featured for drawing lanes on the sidewalk to keep tourists and New Yorkers separate. Here's a map showing where locals and tourists take pictures in Boston. Nice to see our lovely Jamaica Pond featured in blue.

Blue Hills . . . Brewery

By now, you know I love beer. I also love parks. So what happens when you combine beer and parks? Blue Hills Brewery!

Just a few minute drive past the Blue Hills State Park in a barely marked industrial complex you'll find this unassuming brewery. The place is small, I mean small. The 'tour guide' hanging out at the bar pouring from a few bottles. We got to try Watermelon Ale, Red Baron Ale, two kinds of IPA and Extra Pale Ale. We had to cajole the guy giving us our pours into giving us some history and tell us about the brewery. Turns out they're just about a year and a half old and run by one of the brewery suppliers for the northeast. They just do one tank at a time. And they hand-bottle everything. Here's the actual bottling equipment:

Growlers are only $9 here (vs $11-20 at the corner store), so the drive becomes totally worth it.

They also do four events a year. Check out their next event on my Boston on the Cheap calendar on July 10th: Summerfest. Music, beer, and beautiful blue hills . . .

The Groupawn Comes to Beantown

The Groupawn is arriving tonight in Boston. I've had fun living vicariously through his blog as he has given up every single worldy possession and given a stack of groupons to live off of for a year. (Oh if I didn't have life commitments.)

Let's see what he does! Maybe something from the Boston on the Cheap calendar? Maybe the Helicopter tour from today's groupon?

Days that stand out.

"When we look back on our lives, what will remember are the crazy things we did, the times we worked harder to make a day stand out."

-Donald Miller in A Million Miles in A Thousand Years

Its true - the days where everything went right, when I laid on a beach all day or went to bed early aren't the days that stick in your head so well.

And what life is worth living if nothing you ever do sticks?

Its not just that things must go awry for us to remember them, though I have plenty of memories I look back and laugh at, its the days where I went out of my way to make it different. Maybe that's why travel is so satisfying. Everyday on a trip you're working harder to make the day stand out.

But I can do the same thing when I'm at home. After reading this passage on Saturday I baked some crackers, bought some cheese and took Chris on a bike ride up to a little-known mount in the city with a great view of Jamaica Plain. The uphill bike ride wasn't cake, but the hard work to get to the top made the view icing.

I promised myself to keep working harder to make my days stand out.

Free Tastings . . . of Alcohol!

This weekend I wrote about free food tastings. This week has also become one big alcohol tasting fete!

Last night I was inducted into the Secret Sherry Society. Which actually isn't so secret. Masks were provided, but most of us decided to show our own face. Not only did we get unlimited cocktails and shots, but also tasty tapas and a flamenco show! (Who knew sherry was Spanish?)

Tonight take your pick of events.

Friends of Harpoon Open House 6-8pm (Friends of Harpoon card or email required)

Scotch Tasting at Mantra 5-7pm

Boogaloo Event with free drinks at Salmagundi 5:30-9pm (password is Boogaloo)

Wine Tastin at rialto all night

More events abound at my Cheap Boston calendar.

Tastings Weekend

Free tastings galore this weekend! First up . . .

Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand is a pretty new fresh produce joint right next to Fenway, which I'm sure makes shopping hell on game days. No worries, it's an away game on Saturday.

This Saturday, 12-3:00 catch tasty samples at the stand--pies, icecream, pita chips and spreadable fruits. Sounds like a full lunch to me!

Cheese Cellar always has super classy events, with knowledgeable staff and often art too. This Saturday 1-4:00, store-owner, Kathy, will feature condiments. We're talking plum butter, pickles, hot sauces, olive bruschetta and more. Not lunch, but certainly will get your tastebuds going.

See more tastings and events going on this weekend at my Boston on the Cheap Calendar.

Luck of the Irish

Only my name is Irish, but I seemed to have been touched by their luck. Just this week I won another contest. I recommend you get on the Daily Dig list yourself. It's funny, but I can't even find a link on the Weekly Dig website for this amazing deal-bringer. Here's the link from my email. Each day you'll get news on a couple events going on in town. The Weekly Dig often has tickets for the event you can score by being the 11th person to email them, or in my case, emailing them a name of a song from Jesus Christ Superstar.

My two tickets for Jesus Christ Superstar were in the orchestra and worth $186! That, and Ted Neely, who originated the role of Jesus in the movie was starring in it. (You don't even have to be a theater geek to appreciate that.)

Our pre-theater dinner was at Jacob Wirth's, a great downtown German restaurant with an excellent beer list. And our meal was $25 off, thanks again to the Weekly Dig. Check out Dig Deals to snag your own coupon for JW's and other local restaurants. Hot tip: forgo the shipping charge and waiting for your gift certificate in the mail. Email Amanda @ the Weekly Dig dot com. You can pay for your deals in cash and pick them up from their studio near the South End.

Happy cheap weekend adventures - I'm off to the Lilac Festival.

Free Weekends

Spring in Boston means free stuff galore. Keep your eye on my Boston on the Cheap calendar for future free stuff. Here's a sampling of my recent adventures.

Free doesn't get much better than free sailing. That's right, the hi-brow leisure activity which normally costs hundreds for lessons (let's not even talk about actually buying a boat), was free last weekend Courageous Sailing offered free trips around the Boston Harbor with a barbecue on the dock.

Monday I enjoyed the Museum of Fine Art, which has an extror extraordinarily dinarily high admission fee of $17 for free. The museum was celebrating it's annual event, Art in Bloom, in groups submit floral arrangements inspired by art in the museum. Yes, it's just as strange as it sounds, but really I'm there to see the art anyway. The new Tomb exhibit was amazing and well worth dodging the flowers for.

The world is practically your free oyster when you have a bike--any beautiful day turns into a bike ride into an event in itself. Friday I rode around the historic North End, picking up produce, fresh fish and spices for the weekend bbq. My search for phyllo dough led me to the Golden Goose on the waterfront. They had the phyllo dough I needed and a free wine tasting, hosted by a Southie-type, whom you'd expect to know about types of Miller than the Lorraine region of France. I topped off the beautiful day with a near free meal alfresco, thanks to my Groupon.

Saturday was Wake Up The Earth Festival - over 30 live acts of musicians, dancing, circus performers and all manner of hippie craziness right out our front door. I started off the day, though, with a free tour of orchards in Boston by Bike, which showed where I can get free fruits all summer long. Only the rhubarb is pickable, so far, but stay tuned for updates as I venture out picking in a few months.

Beer Lists

Want to check out all the beers Chris and I have drank on our last two trips? The count is at 109 in seven days of traveling.

Find the lists here.

Ending impressions of Montreal

Jean Talon Marche

One of my favorite things in any city, whether I'm in my backyard or abroad is shopping in markets. Montreal's Jean Talon Marche was a winner. We snagged a giant bag of carrots for $4, massive portobello mushrooms to cook for our hosts, cheap cheese and bread for a picnic lunch and the best crepes I've ever eaten in my life.

Beer is Pretty

Our collection of half pints at Dieu du Ciel.

Canadian Apparel?

Look familiar? This clothing store called 'Made in Canada' is exactly like American Apparel! Same concept, same look. I got myself a nicely-fitting t-shirt for $12. (Canadian, that is.)