Mexican Food in New Hampshire

The weekend got started early this week, which I never mind. The office went to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire for a summer outing on Thursday. Basically like a woodsy and rustic mini Six-Flags on a lake in the middle of nowhere... very fun! The first picture is the eight interns that went on the trip (out of 12 total). We are outside our office downtown before we left. The next pic is of the entrance to the park, then Chip and John outside of a tavern in the park, then Chip and me on a ride. As you can see the "Starblaster" took me by surprise. It wasn't crowded at all so we waited in line 5 minutes max, most of the time not at all. Afterwards we all went a Mexican joint and had margaritas, appetizers, and enough chips and salsa to "feed a small army," as my mom says.

Thursday night I went to a place called Tia's on the Waterfront which was packed and awesome. That's Katie, me, Lailaa, and Kelly in the picture. It's very close to the Aquarium and apparently is the hang-out for the after work mid-twenties crowd. We will be back. It finally cooled off here and I accumulated enough quarters to do two loads of laundry this evening so I am in a better mood than ever! Kelly and I have plans to go out tonight and maybe hit up the North End for an Italian night tomorrow. I will update again at the end of the weekend! Until then...

*Meant to let everyone know that you can click on any of the pictures to make them pop-up larger.

How Is It Hotter Here Than N.C.?

Well pretty much all I can think about the past couple of days is the weather. Today on weather.com it said it was 97 degrees in Boston, and the humidity made it feel worse than that. Then again I don't need a website to tell me its sweltering. I couldn't sleep last night because it was amazingly still 82, I have no air conditioning, and not a molecule of air is moving through my open window. Enough complaining, but I just never thought it would actually be 10 degrees hotter here than it is in N.C.!

This week has been pretty cool besides the equatorial climate (no pun intended). On Sunday and Tuesday I volunteered through work at special performance of the Boston Pops called Edge fest. Symphony Hall is gorgeous and it was a really awesome experience. The Pops played by themselves for 20 min. both nights and they performed songs from West Side Story... which wouldn't have meant anything to me except I had just seen the N.C. School of the Arts put it on in May. Then they played original scores by special composers. The main performance was with Cowboy Junkies and Hem, respectively. The Pops played the band's music with a full orchestra and the band themselves... a really great effect! Hem was definitely more my style. Their sound is melancholic and folksy although the band is from Brooklyn. I have already downloaded half their songs on iTunes. The part of the performance I was helping with was the pre, intermission, and post performances by up-and-coming artists sponsored by OurStage.As if being in Symphony Hall with an all-access pass and listening to the Pops perform wasn't enough, I went to the VIP after-party on Tuesday hosted by Paste magazine. Wait, let me rephrase that... I helped work the door (controlled the door, the guest list, the wristbands, etc.) Although I guess the crowd can't be too rowdy if you let a couple of interns hold down the door. Keith Lockhart, the Pops conductor was there, as was Paul Oakenfold, probably the world's most famous DJ and lots of other Boston big-wigs. After the after-party... Lailaa, Kelly, Katie and I (all interns) went around the corner to a place Lailaa knew about since she goes to Northeastern. We stumbled upon a big crowd because it happened to be their karaoke night! Yes, of course we sang.

In other news:
-I have been running along the Charles River several days a week and it is beautiful, especially when it is windy and all the sailboats are out on the water or it is early in the morning and all the crew teams are practicing.
-Because today was the Northeastern co-op interns' last day... the whole office is spending the day tomorrow at Canobie Lake Park, an amusement park in New Hampshire. Yeah I thought N.H. was in the middle of nowhere too, but apparently this place is only 30 miles from Boston. We are meeting at the office at 11 am and then carpooling... how cute is that? Rollercoasters and funnel cakes: here I come! But not in that order.
-One of the people I met at the Scene First Student Film Festival wants Kelly and me to help out on a movie shoot next week while he is in town as the production designer... not sure if we can get off work to do it but we are sure going to try!

The Pour House Won't Send Me to the Poor House

Wednesday night I headed over to Chip's apartment in this adorable neighborhood near the border of South End and Back Bay. It is surprisingly quiet and quaint... I met up with him in the neighbor's yard where Shauna and the boys were picking cherries right off the tree. They have a great roof deck, like something you would see in the movies, complete with an incredible and up-close view of the skyline as the sun was going down. It was so nice to have a home cooked meal. Thursday night I went out with Katie (another intern) and her cousin who lives in the city. We headed to An Tua Nua, a college place nearby my apt. and then met a pedi-cab driver who took us to the Cactus Club which was really cute. Last night we went to the Pour House where we had a great dinner (esp. considering it was 10 pm) and things got even better when I discovered that the 22 oz beer mug of Blue Moon was only $5.50, sadly, the cheapest I have paid since I have been here. We stayed here the whole night and I think will be back soon.

Today I went to Chinatown with Kelly where we ate at a very authentic Malaysian restaurant called Penang. You know how in a Mexican restaurant they immediately bring you a basket of unlimited chips? Well here it is a pot of unlimited tea which was really good. We ordered the only things we could pronounce and were quite happy with it. I think from all the Zagat ratings and awards this place has gotten, everything is excellent. It also made us feel better that we were some of the only people speaking English... now that's authenticity. We also walked around and shopped in all the cutesy, cheap stores. I bought Chinese slipper shoes and a wallet (total: a whopping $7). We also went into an Asian market which made me feel I had traveled around the world. Ironically enough my friend Todd called to tell me goodbye as he is leaving for 2 months in China tomorrow. I think he is the only person I know that could have read the labels on the stuff in that place. As for me, Chinatown is the closest I will get to the real thing for awhile. We also ran across a hole-in-wall place called "Anna's Fast Food." Doesn't sound very Chinese to me, but maybe my name is more exotic than I ever gave my parents credit for.

Will Work for Quarters

So the Scene First Film Festival in Wilmington was a big success and plans are already in the works for next year. I met some great people in the film industry that should be good contacts for the future and they were all extremely nice and appreciative. It was strange to drive to the Raleigh/Durham airport and then get on a plane to go “home” (to Boston), when I felt like I was already “home” (10 min from my Chapel Hill house). Although I will see my family in July when they come to visit, I am not going back home until August. This is definitely the longest stretch of time I have been away from good ole N.C. But I guess everything begins to feel like normal after a while. I had imagined that riding the subway back and forth to work (and everywhere else for that matter) would somehow be glamorous and exhilarating. After losing my $60 monthly pass along with any sense of personal space I ever possessed, it doesn’t seem so great… but at least I don’t have to pay for gas!

The only downside to the festival was that I was up and working from about 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. everyday so I really needed a day off after we got back on Sunday. But, alas I worked Monday too. Our boss decided to let us leave at 2 p.m. though so that was a relief. I finally had time to do some laundry, but only one load because I need 9 quarters to wash and dry. I now order things specifically based on the type of change I am going to get back on the purchase. Right now I am sitting in the Starbucks down the street from my office that I usually make a run to once a day, where I purchased a Grande instead of a Venti iced coffee so I could get two quarters out of the deal. I am having dinner near here in about an hour and by the time I battle the subway home it wouldn’t be worth it to turn back around and come back, so writing this is a good way to kill time, although I am not paying $7.99 to T-Mobile to post it on the Internet so it will be several hours later that it hits the blog.

Yesterday we had a meeting with a client at work so we drove over to Arlington, another city that borders Boston. It was cool to be one of the people around the big conference table, especially because the proposal we presented was something I wrote. Of course it was edited and added to by both of my bosses before the client ever saw it but the concepts were basically things that I had come up with along with Kelly (one of the interns). It seemed like they liked the ideas a lot and thought they were clever so that was a proud moment. After work I went shopping downtown with Kelly. We went to Filene’s Basement… a bigger, better version of a T.J. Maxx or Marshalls. As a bargain hunter, discovery of this place was quite exciting. We are talking designer stuff here which means the prices are still a little too much to swallow but I did find a couple of cute, cheap things.

We also had to check out Victoria’s Secret Semi-Annual Sale since it was next door. Doesn’t it seem like they have those about every other month? Last time I checked that’s not what “semi-annual” meant. Perhaps it’s just that the image of psycho women digging through bins of $3 undies is just seared in my mind so vividly that it merely seems like a fresh memory. Needless to say, fighting the crowds was only worth the effort because of my $10 gift card. After our exhausting shopping we had dinner at a place called Global Bar and Café. We had a great sidewalk table outside and the food was surprisingly good, especially considering the salads and sandwiches were on the $8-$15 range. It was right near Copley Square at the Copley station on the Green Line of the T.

This weekend I am working at a pre/post party and concert at Symphony Hall in conjunction with the Boston Pops Orchestra. I think it is acoustic musicians playing before, during breaks, and after the symphony, but in the same building. It is called the Boston Pops Edge Fest and should be something new and different to fill a couple of nights.

Well this has been long but thanks to those of you who are still reading… if you are out there. I had had a couple of complaints that the time between postings was too long (mostly several from my mom) so this was an attempt to satiate the fans’ desire for my unorganized ranting on city life.

The First "Scene First"

For the new readers: I am currently in Wilmington, NC to help with a student film festival event being put on by the Boston company I am interning for.

The student film festival in Wilmington Scene First, really got into full-swing last night. We had screenings of some of the student films in a few of the great historic venues in the area. The big kick-off was started off with a rock band performance. The group was a local act called Labeling Deloris. Sort of a 90s No Doubt sound, complete with the all-male musicians and a female vocalist. We set up a 4-story screen and stage with the river as a beautiful backdrop. The film, One Winter Story tells about the life of the first female to surf Mavericks a seasonal big wave phenomenon in San Francisco. This documentary on the legendary Sarah Gerhardt was made by two of our special guests, Elizabeth Pepin and Sally Lundberg, who traveled all the way from CA and Hawaii respectively, to join the festival. I will upload some great crowd pictures once I get back to Boston and can hook up my digital camera.

Today has been some great panel presentations/discussions by the industry professionals brought in for the festival and more student film screenings. Speaking of films, I just went to the theater last week to see Ocean's Thirteen. I thought it was great, but then again I also like Ocean's Twelve and apparently I was the only one. Any movie with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and George Clooney in the same screen shot is high quality in my mind. Expect the unexpected twists you have come to anticipate from this trilogy.

Well one more big night for the festival and more of the same Hollywood pro panels and screenings tomorrow... then back to Beantown on Sunday afternoon!

Film Festival Day #1

Run down on yesterday
12:45 am-3:30 am: Sleeping
3:30 am-2:00 pm: Traveling to Wilmington (cab to the airport, Boston to LaGuardia, LGA to Raleigh/Durham, rental car from RDU to Wilmington)

When we did finally get to Wilmington I drove around to all the local surf shops in the city and at the beach to talk up the festival and put up our posters. I met some great people and hopefully convinced them to come to the screenings and the kick-off film tonight. All the staff in for the festival went out to a great dinner last night at a place right on the riverwalk called George's. I had a great grouper and glass of wine, so it was nice to have a legitimate sit-down dinner... it's been awhile.

The other two interns and I went out for a beer or two afterwards at a place called Reel Cafe just a block or two from the water. I actually stumbled upon this place in May with Alec. They have a huge outdoor patio and bar and seem to have live music often. It was really fun but I had to hit the sack early so I could get up this morning and start picking up the festival VIPs from the airport. We have some really great people coming to give workshops including the Director of Charlotte's Web and 13 Going on 30 and also the Executive Producer from Walk the Line.

The Hilton is great. I have an 8th story view of the North Carolina battleship and the river. The beds are Tempur-Pedic... I forgot how much I missed sleeping on one of those. Nice to get away from the Boston apartment and get a shower in a bathroom that is actually clean. Well I am off to go pick-ups some more big-wigs!

Haaa-vard and the Aquarium

On Thursday night my boyfriend came to visit for the weekend. We headed across the Charles River over to Cambridge on Friday. It was about a 25 minute ride on the T. The area around Harvard is beautiful and has a bunch of cute stores and restaurants. We happened upon some of the graduation foot traffic so there was a lot going on that day. Of course there about 10 stores carrying the university merchandise since wearing the T-shirt is the closest most of us will ever get to the Harvard experience. If you wait and buy your shirts or other logo-gear at the entrance to the Harvard T Station on the Red Line you can save at least 50%.

On Saturday we headed to the New England Aquarium off the Blue Line. The price seemed steep at $17.95 for adults, but if you combine the ticket with the Imax theater right next door it only costs $5 more. We saw "Sharks in 3D," a little lame compared to what we expected, but I guess a talking turtle as your guide through the ocean is more kid-friendly than sharks attacking other mammals in slow-mo. In the aquarium the main attractions are the open penguin exhibit (which we watched for probably 45 min) and the large cylindrical tank with a wrap around ramp all the way to the top. This has everything from moray eels to sharks to sea turtles. The changing exhibit was on jellyfish, while they aren't the most active of marine animals it was pretty interesting. I think Alec and I were probably the only people there without small kids but we still found it a fun way to spend the afternoon. We also found probably the only Panera Bread Restaurant in the Boston area for lunch, which made Alec happy since it's one of our favorite place to eat on the weekends in Chapel Hill (we are easy to please).

My company, TRP Sports and Entertainment Marketing, is sending me back down to North Carolina for 5 days. About 8 of us are going down to help with the Scene First Film Festival in Wilmington, NC. It's a combination of accepted student film screenings and workshops by well-known industry people. Check out the website

Working for the Weekend

The job is going great, everyone is really nice and we have some cool projects in the works. I am so tired when I get home from work and fighting the other commuters on the T that I basically only have energy to make dinner, watch some TV and fall into bed. I tried to make more out of my evening today so I would feel like I actually had a true break before hitting the sack and doing it all over again the next morning. So after work one of my fellow interns and I went shopping. Then I went way out on the T to the far edge of an area where BU students live to have dinner with William Hinkle, a friend from Winston-Salem who goes to BU. We went to a really cool place called Sunset Grill and Tap, it sort of looks like a dive but they have a huge really eclectic menu (b/w 100-150 items) and the food was great. They also have 120 beers on tap which I feel like is unheard of... along with probably 400 available in bottles. It's technically in Allston, MA but definitely worth the 20 min trip out on the T.

Duck Tour and First Day of Work

On Friday night I went over to a friend's apt. The girl on the right is another one of my roommates. Saturday afternoon I went on one of the famous "duck tours" that go on land and water with Grace Vaughn, a friend from Winston-Salem who is a rising junior at Boston University. Our duck happened to be the one of the ones used for the parade after the Red Sox World Series win! We had an hour long tour around Boston on land and then 20 min on the Charles River. Our driver was hilarious... I highly recommend these tours, students can ride for only $24 and it is a great way to get a better feel for the city.

Today was my first day of work at my internship for TRP Marketing. The office building is downtown near the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center. It seems like it is going to be a really great work atmosphere. The commuting is the only thing I will not look forward to... the "T" at rush hour is insanely crowded, especially near downtown.

The picture to the right is Grace and me on the boat.

Art and Artsy People

Last night I went shopping at the Prudential Center and the Copley area downtown with one of my roommates. We had dinner at one of the many Legal Seafoods locations... this one was complete with a great view of the skyline. Later I went out to bars in the Faneuil Hall area with one of my other roommates and her friend who are both born and bred Bostonians. The girl in front is Taylor, my roommate. We met up with her boyfriend and celebrated one of his friends 21st birthdays. I think every bar in Boston is an Irish pub... just from the names: Purple Shamrock and Black Rose.

This afternoon I walked several blocks from my apartment to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She was a arts patron and world traveler. The entire building is built around an amazing courtyard. This picture is off the website b/c you can't take any there. There are paintings by Titian, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Tinteretto and more. In 1990, 13 painting were stolen by men posing as Boston Police officers and the frames still hang empty in the galleries. The FBI is still offering a $5 million reward for information. From there I hopped on the T to check out Coolidge Corner, an area with an indie theater and some really cool stores and restaurants. Defintely an artsy area with some interesting people and shops.