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 « May 2007 | Main | July 2007 » June 28, 2007
Hybrid hype without the hectoring
Visitors will be able to take a simulated ride in a virtual Prius without an annoying salesperson asking them, "So, what would it take to get you to buy this today?" They'll also be able to learn about alternative fuels and hybrid technology, including regenerative braking, through interactive presentations. A section of the exhibit will focus on ways people can make a difference to help protect the environment. Ironically, the mobile hybrid experience is traveling across the nation on a semi-trailer truck that probably gets, oh, around .3 miles per gallon. To atone for the tour's carbon impact, Toyota says that it plans to plant up to 50,000 trees. The auto company has certainly taken the lead in hybrid car sales with its popular Prius, as well as the new Camry and Highlander hybrid models. But Toyota, which professes to be "committed to confronting the world's energy challenges and making the planet a healthier place to live," would have to plant an awful lot of trees to offset the environmental impact of its elephantine Land Cruiser and Sequoia models (13 and 15 mpg city, respectively). Highway to the Future Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. June 25, 2007
Massachusetts: the abridged version
Hello Arthur. We will be visiting New England the last week in August. We have never been in that area of the US. We will be flying into Chicopee, MA and want to know some of the sights we need to see in Massachusetts for a couple of days. We want to make round trip from the airport throughout some of the adjoining states. Can you give me a list of must-sees in the general area? Two days, eh Bert? I'm not sure that's enough time to visit Chicopee, let alone the rest of the state. Massachusetts may look relatively small on a U.S. map, but there are some distinct, diverse regions here and plenty to see and do in all of them. Narrowing it down to create a two-day itinerary would depend a lot on your interests, the age levels of your traveling party, your budget, and other factors. Do you want to see historic sites? Museums? Nature? Beaches? The list goes on. But, I'll give it a shot and offer some general thoughts. I couldn't imagine visiting Massachusetts for the first time without heading to Boston. The world-class, walking-friendly city offers history, culture, shopping, dining, and more. Among the sites to explore are the history-rich Freedom Trail, the simultaneously upscale and tacky Chntzy, er, Quincy Market (consider dining at the ancient and oh-so-Boston Durgin-Park), and the lovely Boston Public Garden, the first public botanical garden in the U.S., and the home of the quirky Swan Boats. Since you're flying in and out of Chicopee, which is in the central part of the state, you could head west to the breathtaking Berkshires. The mountains are lovely, and there are many sites to visit, including the Norman Rockwell Museum, Mass MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), and the verdant Mohawk Trail. That's more than two days worth of fun, and I haven't even touched on Cape Cod (visiting Massachusetts in the summer and not frolicking on the Cape's beaches would be crazy--crazy, I tell you), Salem and the rest of the North Shore, and countless other spots beckoning throughout our fair state. Bert, why not give yourself at least a week in Massachusetts alone or plan on coming back when you can spend more time? Photo: The Swan Boats of Boston June 20, 2007
Seeking 4th of July fireworks on the Cape
Hello Arthur. We are visiting the Cape for the first time over the 4th of July holiday and would like to know whether fireworks will be visible from the beach at our hotel, the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster. Hi Pamm. Thanks for writing. There will be plenty of kabooms lighting up the night skies over the Cape on or around July 4. Here is a list of where you (and anyone else seeking a fireworks fix) can find the pyrotechnics:
Pamm, your best bet would probably be Orleans. Still, I'd suggest you travel to the communities where the fireworks will be staged for best viewing. Have a great vacation! Photo: townspi.com June 18, 2007
Savor Plum Island's ocean blue.
But the inn is more than a place to rest your head. This is a place so chic and hip, its name has no use for initial capitalization. blue's suites feature amenities such as a marble bathroom with a giant, ceiling-mounted rain showerhead; a plasma television and DVD/CD player; a gas or wood-stove fireplace; overstuffed furniture; and a refrigerator stocked with water, soft drinks, and a bottle of wine or champagne. The staff delivers breakfast to each suite in a charming wicker basket.
Little touches abound at the inn. The lower-case "b" logo is imprinted on beach towels, complimentary beach flip-flops, matchboxes (provided to light the mood-setting candles), and cute doorknob hangars that read "b quiet" on one side and "b clean" on the other. There's even the ubiquitous blue "b" imprinted on the boogie boards available at the front desk. (Plum Island offers some of the world's most tubular body surfing conditions.)
If there's a cloud in Plum Island's blue-silver lining, it is the greenhead flies that love to annoy beachgoers throughout the month of July. Unique to the area's salt marshes, the nasty flies can make the island idyll a bit less than idyllic. By the way, Plum Island is easily accessible by car over the drawbridge that crosses the Parker River. blue, The Inn on the Beach The writer was provided with complimentary accommodations for the purpose of reviewing the inn. While it has not influenced this review, ExploreNewEngland.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. Photos: ©Arthur Levine, 2007. Licensed to boston.com. June 15, 2007
These fests will make you happy as a clam
Photo: dinewise.com June 13, 2007
Planning to be in a festive mood June 22 to 25
I am looking for a festival with food and music between June 22-25 anywhere in driving distance from Boston. Can you help? It'd be my pleasure, Lynn. With the summer season in full swing, there are a number of festivals to consider:
Photo: Provincetown Portuguese Festival June 8, 2007
Forget Cannes. Head to the Cape and Islands next week.
Highlights of the Nantucket Film Festival:
Highlights of the Provincetown International Film Festival:
Photo: Lorne Michaels and Steve Martin at last year's Nantucket Film Festival. Courtesy of Nantucket Film Festival. June 4, 2007
Pig out at the BBQ party
I'd imagine the aroma on the weekend of June 22 will be intoxicating as the smoke from 11 grilling greats, including local faves Redbones of Somerville and Firefly's of Framingham, Marlborough, and Quincy, along with BBQ masters from Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, and other locations, will waft around Government Center. Guests will be able to purchase small samples from multiple stands or gorge on platefuls of ribs, chicken, brisket, and other barbecued delights from the BBQer they consider the most, um, smoking. There will also be pizza, Chinese food, ice cream, and more food choices, but would anyone really want to eat a slice of pizza when slow-cooked barbecue beckons? The "beach" theme will be augmented by some trucked-in sand, a few pools of water, and a Ferris wheel. Phantom Gourmet BBQ Beach Party Photo: Firefly's     This blog is a feature of explorenewengland.com. It is not produced by
writers and editors of The Boston Globe. Questions or comments? E-mail us.
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If you're like me, you're seriously thinking about a hybrid for your next car. And, if you're like me, the last place on earth you'd want to spend any time is at a car dealership. (Frankly, I hope you're not any more like me, because the similarities are starting to freak me out.) How, then, can dealer-phobic folks like us get a better sense of newfangled hybrid automobiles? We could pester the neighbor who recently jumped on the green bandwagon and try to weasel our way behind the wheel of his shiny new hybrid. A better alternative, however, might be a visit to Toyota's Highway to the Future, a touring "mobile hybrid experience," when it stops in Boston or Newburyport.
Sometimes the questions sent to my mailbag are quite vague, and I really don't know how to best answer them. For example, Bert writes:
A message in my mailbag made me realize that it will soon be the Fourth of July, and that folks will be looking for fireworks to mark the occasion. There will be plenty of people vacationing on Cape Cod around the holiday. People like Pamm, who writes:
If I say, "Massachusetts, beach, and vacation," I'll bet your knee-jerk response is "Cape Cod." And for good reason. The Cape is home to world-class beaches and is synonymous with oceanside fun. But Boston's North Shore also has some wonderful, if less heralded, beaches. In fact, the shoreline at Plum Island in Newbury ranks, in my estimation, second only to the Cape's Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, as the state's best beach. Until recently, pretty much the only way to stay amid Plum Island's picture-perfect dunes and crashing surf was to rent a cottage. But with the recent introduction of blue (sic), The Inn on the Beach, visitors now have an idyllic hotel from which to enjoy the idyllic beach.
With our arduous winters and springs that should be more aptly named "mud season," we savor summer in Massachusetts. That's why we endure two-hour waits to cross the Cape Cod Canal (fly over THIS, State Highway Department!), sport lobstah-red sunburns, and eat far too much clam chowdah. Ah, clam chowdah. The creamy broth, the chewy clams, the delicate potatoes, the hint of butter: Is there anything that says summer in Massachusetts quite like a bowl of delectable chowdah? If you want to overindulge and help separate the littlenecks from the quahogs, visit these chowder fests and get slurpin'. But be forewarned: While you may know that Boston baked beans, beans are good for your heart, you may not be aware that clam chowdah makes it louder.
See that "Ask Arthur Here" box in the right column of this page? It's your opportunity to pose questions or share information about things to do throughout the state. I enjoy getting the mail, so I encourage you to send your queries. I often post the questions and replies right here in my blog. Occasionally the questions are quite broad, and it can be a challenge to provide meaningful info. For example, a number of readers will send me missives such as, "My family and I are thinking of visiting the Cape and Islands in August. Can you provide a list of places to stay, recommend some restaurants, and suggest an itinerary of things to do?" Well, yeah, but that could fill a book! Other times, readers send along questions that are very specific, and are much easier to address. For instance, here's one from Lynn:
Do you love films? Do you love the sun, surf, and beautiful Cape Cod locations? The two need not be mutually exclusive. There are two area festivals that will have cineastes shuttling between indoor movie houses and picture-perfect outdoor settings. Since they are both scheduled for next week, June 13 to 17, you could attend the Nantucket Film Festival or the more offbeat Provincetown International Film Festival; or, you could consider taking a ferry and catching parts of both events.
It won't exactly be "gourmet" fare, and the concrete abomination known as City Hall Plaza in Boston would certainly never be mistaken for a beach, but I'm willing to give the organizers of the Phantom Gourmet BBQ Beach Party, scheduled for June 22, 23, and 24 at City Hall Plaza, a pass for their truth-in-advertising standards. That's because they will be presenting what sounds to be a fun event featuring world-class barbecue at reasonable prices.
