Au Bon Pain - Free Iced Coffee (today only)

From Au Bon Pain ...

"If you are looking for a good excuse to stretch your legs, we've got one for you. Join us anytime after 2pm on Thursday, June 26th for a FREE Iced Coffee. Stop by for an afternoon break! Bring a friend and 'treat them' to an iced coffee as well. Offer good for one complimentary medium iced coffee per person on 6/26/2008 after 2pm only. No purchase necessary. No coupon required. Not redeemable for cash."

Find the nearest location to you.

It's a bit budget for them to do it only after 2pm and, truthfully, it would have been much better if they made their pastries or baked goods free. Mmmmm, Cherry Strudel ... drool.

And yes, we realize that the photo is not of an iced coffee.

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Meat After Meat Joy

Mmm... Meat... Me hungry...

Sorry, I drooled a wee bit just thinking of about meat. What was I posting... Right, "Meat After Meat Joy". 

What is "Meat After Meat Joy"? It is an interesting new art exhibition at Pierre Menard Gallery which is located in near Harvard SQ., Cambridge, MA. 

According to the gallery's website, "Meat After Meat Joy investigates the paradoxical relationship meat has to the body. Meat combines flesh, skin, muscle, organs, blood — each with its own relationship to the body, yet meat’s only reference to the body is as a once-upon-a-time living biological thing. By putting these artists together, Meat After Meat Joy seeks to investigate the uncanny effect meat as a medium is for artist and viewer. This is not a show about meat as spectacle but about meat as signification, precisely because meat does not signify (a body) but its very annihilation".

The photo on this posting is pretty much the tamest one. Check out the gallery's website and you will be surprise to see what kind of other art works are included in this collection!

This exhibit will be running until July 20th, 2008. 

The photo is a Tamara Kostianovsky, Abacus, 2008, clothing belonging to the artist, ink, shellac, polyester batting, meat hooks

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Tales of Girls, Boys, and Marsupials

Once up on a time, there were girls, boys, and marsupials in the land far far away...

That’s pretty much all I got... Sorry to disappoint for those who expected to read about some fairy tale story involving girls, boys and marsupials. There is no story here. 

But, there is an album released by The Wombats, titled “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation” (<- iTunes Store link) and its first track is called “Tales of Girls, Boys, and Marsupials”.

It’s about time that this album got released here in the US. Damn the record companies for putting on DRM (For those who are not geeky enough to know what DRM is, click here) and not releasing albums quickly in different parts of the world! I guess better late than never. 

Originally, this was release in UK last year as The Wombats’ debut album. Anyhoo, listen to tracks such as “Moving to New York”, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”, “Kill the Director” and “Patricia the Stripper”. These folks are indie-rock-disco and a laugh! Lyrics maybe silly, but do you really need deep and meaningful lyrics when you are drinking and having fun?! 

Photo from The Wombats' album

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MINDmatters

If you are in South End, try to pop by Laconia Gallery for an interesting show called “MINDmatters, Mechanisms and Mysteries of the Mind".

According to the Gallery press release, “This exhibition may show how science affects human experience and artistic expression. In this exhibition by 8 artists working in several disciplines there is new emphasis on brain mapping, identity stabilization, integration of self, and healing. Several of the participating artists have had intimate contact with dementia, brain surgery, and bi-polar disorder. Notably absent are reflections on Freud, dreams, sex or violence. Lingering references to visions, parapsychology, and spiritual disciplines (so pervasive in the 80’s) share space with the new imagery inspired by neuroscience.”

Better hurry though, it ends on June 28th, 2008.

Photo is from Laconia Gallery (Constance Jacobson, Tome Series, #20)

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Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Yeap, if you are scratching your head what the title of this post means then don't worry. You are not alone! 

It's a title of a new album (<- iTunes Store link) from one of my favorite band, Sigur Rós. The new album will be released this coming Monday (23rd June, 2008). 

In the meantime, you can listen to the new album via streaming. Song "Gobbledigook" can be download as an mp3 as well. 

For this album, they are decided to sing in mostly Icelandic and few songs in English. No "Hopelandic" :(  Also, they have collaborated with Nine Inch Nails' producer, Flood and they made very interesting transition from their previous album. Unlike their previous album, Takk... (<- iTunes Store link), this album is less rock oriented. More along the lines of acoustic guitars, but the sund is still the same: ethereal, grand, and complex layering. Just listen to the song "Festival". It's just brilliant!

photo from Sigur Rós album

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Finally! Girl Talk drops a new album!

I have been waiting for some new music from Girl Talk since his last album ("Night Ripper" in 2006). Little birdie told me this morning (ok, it was an e-mail) that Girl Talk has released a new album called "Feed The Animals".

Definitely another classic from Girl Talk. Mashing with Faith No More, Sinead O'Connor, Busta Rhymes, Police, Radiohead, etc.! Overall, the album is very upbeat and fun! If you can dance then you will be dancing up a sweat storm listening to this album! So far, I have been non-stop head-bopping (This is the most extent of me dancing).

 

Also, Girl Talk is following Radiohead's great internet experiment of "name your price" for this album. I say it is well worth $9.99 (No need for physical CD. Digital download and reduce carbon footprint)! Give the man some of your hard earn dosh so that he can continue to make great mash ups!

photo from Girl Talk Album

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Chefs in Shorts

On the off chance that you haven't had a chance to go to one of the many outdoor events with food, here's another one on June 27: The 11th Annual Chefs in Shorts

Tickets are $60 but include beer, wine, and food tasting from various chefs in the Boston area. And to make you feel better about going, proceeds go to the Greater Boston Food Bank.

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Beer Fest!

I am afraid we have been downright negligent here at BostonOnTheGo, and for that I apologize, but too much beer has killed far too many brain cells.

This Friday and Saturday there will be the American Craft Beer Fest at the World Trade Center, located in the Seaport area.

Highlights include 75 brewers and 300 beers to sample, and the opportunity to talk to some really friendly and knowledgeable beer masters. The Extreme Beer Fest (where all the beers had high alcohol content) back in February was a huge hit, and this one surely will be as well.

Tickets are $40 dollars per 3.5 hour session. Time to get your drink on ... 2 ounces at a time.

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Burritos of Beacon Hill

It appears the Boston Burrito War is spreading to Beacon Hill.

Anna's Taqueria has just opened up their latest store - this time in Beacon Hill (Cambridge St and Garden St). Indications are that Boloco is planning to open a store a mere block away at Cambridge St and Irving St. Could a Qdoba, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, or Boca Grande be close behind?

Prior to Anna's, burrito options in Beacon Hill consisted of Viva Burrito on Staniford St (large portions but kind of bland) and the hidden gem Villa Mexico. Why is Villa Mexico a hidden gem? It's a gem because the food is handmade and absolutely flavorful and delicious. And it's hidden because it's located in Grampy's gas station (on Cambridge St across from MGH). That's right ... a gas station. It's perfectly fine though because the restaurant and gas are staffed by different people. And while service can be a bit slow since things are handmade, it is definitely worth the wait.

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Amtrak (update)

Quick update ...
Amtrak has postponed their bridge repairs between New York and Boston. There will be service between June 14th and 17th.

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Amtrak Service - Boston to NY (and back)

For those traveling between Boston and New York, Amtrak has always been a nice alternative to buses and planes. With buses there is always the fear of being delayed by traffic jams and of possibly dying in a fiery rollover accident (yes, I am talking about Fung Wah buses). With planes there is always the hassle of security lines, not ending up quite in the city, and the guilt of a large carbon footprint.

In any case, there will be NO Amtrak service between Boston and NY between June 14 and 17th. Work will be done on a bridge during that time and, while this is probably a good thing, four days seems a bit on the short side.

Disclaimer: I have only ridden Amtrak once since an agonizing Thanksgiving weekend trip from NY to Providence back in 1999 ... but that's a story for another time.

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More Free Ice Cream

Tomorrow is supposed to be a scorcher in Boston with highs into the low 90s. Sure there'll be rain too, but that's only going to add to the humidity and make the day more miserable.

Friendly's ... the restaurant with the little red sign that serves diner type food and the Happy Ending Sundae ... is offering free ice cream to customers tomorrow (details).

They're not the easiest to get to if you don't have a car, but when it's free, it's hard to complain.

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Hungry Mother Reviewed

A couple of months ago we brought you info about Hungry Mother (opening) and (review)

If you haven't had the chance to try out Hungry Mother yet, you may want to wait a couple of weeks. The Boston Globe just came out with a review today, and if history repeats itself, the line will be out the door for the next few weeks.

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