South End Answers: Where Can I Grab Coffee and Access Wifi?
Ask a question you have about the neighborhood and get an answer in this weekly column. South End Patch News
Things to Know in the South End Today: Mayor Menino Hosts Coffee Hour [Updated: Cancelled]
1. Weather: The National Weather Service is predicting a cloudy day, with a high near 70 degrees, and a 70 percent chance of showers, including a possible thunderstorm. 2. Coffee with Menino: Mayor Menino was slated to be in the South End today to host a neighborhood coffee hour this morning, but the event has been cancelled due to weather. The mayor will be in Mattapan tomorrow for another coffee hour. See here for more information. 3. New Public Art: On Friday morning, the South End will get a new public art installation at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Brookline artist and resident Tony Lopes commissioned a 12-foot tall stainless steel and bronze sculpture, designed by Medford-based artist David Phillips. Titled “Dancing with Spheres,” the sculpture will be unveiled at the League’s dog play yard at 10 Chandler Street on Friday, May 31 at 2 p.m. See here for more information. 4. Skin cancer screening: Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (1153 Centre St.) is offering a free skin cancer screening on Wednesday, May 29 from 5-7 p.m. The screening is open to all residents who have not seen a dermatologist in more than a year. Appointments are required and can be made by calling the Community Health and Wellness Department at 617-983-7451. 5. Clifford Visits BPL: If you’ve got younger children, take them to see Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Boston Public Library today at 11 a.m. The event is sponsored by MEFA, which will also be having an open house today. See here for more information. Things you can do every day on South End Patch: Share your news with the rest of the community. Click here to add an announcement. Add your events to our events calendar. Click here to sign up for breaking news updates. Want up-to-the-minute news? Click here to follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Share your thoughts on your community in a blog. Click here to get started. South End Patch
Memorial Day Travel: No Construction, Free Coffee Served
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has released a list of its accommodations for drivers on one of the heaviest traffic weekends of the year. Here’s what driver’s can expect this Memorial Day Weekend, provided by MassDOT: Construction work on major roadways will be suspended between Friday, May 24 at noon and the start of business Tuesday, May 28. Free coffee will be served at 18 MassDOT service plazas between 10 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 27 and 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28. MBTA buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. MassDOT recommends avoiding driving during peak traffic times, which are between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday. A specific note on where traffic is heaviest, from MassDOT: “Traffic is especially heavy at the I-84 interchange at Exit 9 in Sturbridge on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and at Exit 11A, I-495, which handles cars headed south to Cape Cod and north to New Hampshire and Maine. In 2012, the Friday before Memorial Day was the 13th busiest day on the Turnpike in terms of toll transactions with approximately 350,000 logged between I-95 and the New York Border.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Menino To Host ‘Coffee Hour’ in the South End
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the 15th annual Neighborhood Coffee Hour Series in local parks citywide from May 8 to June 3. The South End meetup will be held Wednesday, May 29 at Ringgold Park, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The open hour is an opportunity to speak directly with the mayor about open space and other needs in their neighborhoods. Through these one-on-one discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Menino is looking to hearing how the city of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and city services, the city said. All participants will enjoy coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin’ Donuts and fresh fruit from Whole Foods Market. In addition, each family in attendance will receive a flowering plant grown in the city’s greenhouses as a gift from the mayor. Residents at the event will also be eligible to win a raffle prize package including a Dunkin’ Donuts gift basket. For more information, call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 or visit cityofboston.gov/parks. All coffee hours will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Dates for the full schedule of Mayor Menino’s 2013 Neighborhood Coffee Hours are as follows: Jamaica Plain—Wednesday, May 8; Brewer Burroughs Playground, 2P Brewer St. West Roxbury—Thursday, May 9; Hynes Playground, 502 VFW Parkway Charlestown—Friday, May 10; John Harvard Mall, 29 Harvard St. South Boston—Tuesday, May 14; Buckley Playground, 210 West Third St. North End—Wednesday, May 15; Christopher Columbus Park, 110 Atlantic Ave. East Boston—Thursday, May 16; Sumner Lamson Park, 430 Sumner St. Hyde Park—Friday, May 17; Iacono Playground, 150 Readville St. Back Bay—Tuesday, May 21; Clarendon Street Play Lot, 260 Clarendon St. Dorchester—Friday, May 24; Martin Playground, 95 Myrtlebank Ave. Allston-Brighton—Tuesday, May 28; Ringer Park, 85 Allston St. South End—Wednesday, May 29; Ringgold Park, 10 Ringgold St. Mattapan—Thursday, May 30; Ernst Cherry Jr. Playground, 74 Orlando St. Roslindale—Monday, June 3; Fallon Field, 910 South St. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Five Things, April 25: New Moms Tea and Coffee Hour
1. Weather: The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers in the morning, which should clear up. The temperature should reach about 63. The evening will cool off to 42. 2. New Moms Tea and Coffee Hour: Join in with other neighborhood new moms for a tea and coffee hour! Hot drinks, fruit and bagels are waiting for you — never served on paper or plastic because New Moms deserve special care for all the hard work they are doing! 3. Jumpstart Your Job Search with FREE Workforce Development Training: Boston Neighborhood Network’s Free Workforce Development Training Helps Unemployed and Underemployed Residents Gain New Skills to Impress Future Employers 4. Writing in the World: A Creative Workshop for Adults: Writing in the World: A Creative Writing Workshop for Adults is aimed at beginning writers who want to experiment with poetry and short fiction. Writer and teacher Debka Colson will lead the group in discussing works by noted writers, peer review, writing exrecises, and a public reading. 5. South End Athletic Company Run Club: Fun runs from 652 Tremont St. Group drills and light workouts. South End Patch
South Ender Bought Everyone’s Coffee at the Buttery
It was a simple enough act, especially when you consider coffee is already designed to brighten your day. But in light of the terrible events in Boston on Monday afernoon, South End resident Jeff Long decided to pay for everyone’s morning coffee at the South End Buttery on Tuesday. Long, who has been a loyal Buttery customer for eight years, approached the store’s owner, Richard Gordon, early on Tuesday morning and asked if he could pay for everyone’s coffee and tea drinks on their way to work on Tuesday morning, Gordon said. “Although I recognized there were some logistical issues to doing this successfully and efficiently during our busy morning rush, I immediately said ‘Yes!’ and we worked on a way to make it work,” Gordon said. “Less than 5 minutes later, we were telling customers things like ‘One of our customers wants to buy you coffee this morning,’ and ‘Your latte today is on one of our customers who wants to take care of it for you.’ Gordon said there was a huge outpouring of appreciation and gratitude for Long’s thoughtful gesture. “It was like as though this simple act had unleashed a wave of emotion over our customers,” he said. “It was such a thoughtful way to help people – most of them complete strangers – deal with “the morning after” the attack at the Marathon finish line on Monday. Customers were genuinely touched and grateful.” Do you have an uplifting tale to tell from the South End in the last few days? Email sara.jacobi@patch.com or leave a comment. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch