January 2019 - This and That

Brunch and Dinner

I read in a travel magazine that Jim’s Deli was one of the best diners in the country. I lived in its neighborhood for eight years and had never heard of it! So I had to check it out.

My boyfriend and I arrived right before throngs of college-aged people on a late Sunday morning. There isn’t much seating so we were lucky to nab a small table. The menu is quite extensive, but I went with a classic breakfast.

The prices were reasonable and the food was good. It’s a cafeteria-style line for ordering and paying, so because there was a long line, it wound around the restaurant awkwardly. So there were people standing right next to us for the majority of our stay. Therefore, this is not a place for people who want privacy while they’re eating!

My boyfriend and I went a little more upscale for dinner recently and went to The Backroom at Moody’s.

I’m generally not a foodie, so it’s a real treat to go out for a nice meal once in a while. The appetizer was a pleasant change from the usual: thin pepperoni slices and crispy noodle things. We ordered a flatbread, mussels, and grits to share. Everything was delicious.

We were quite pleased with both meals and will frequent these restaurants again!

El Día de Los Muertos

I celebrated El Día de Los Muertos for the first time in November. I read that the City of Boston was constructing a Day of the Dead altar in Copley Square, and people were invited to send in photos of their departed loved ones. I submitted a photo of my dad.

I didn’t find him on the altar when I visited it, but that was OK. It was still nice to be there and think of him and all of the strangers on the altar.

Before I stopped in Copley Square on my way home, I made plans to make a little altar at home. Components of the altar are photos, candles, flowers, and favorite foods of the departed loved one. I picked up some pizza to eat for dinner and some hard candies. I was five minutes from my house when I realized that I had forgotten to pick up flowers.

Within a second of the realization, I looked down on the sidewalk and saw this.

How many times have you seen a formal floral bouquet discarded on a sidewalk? I had never seen one until that night. I picked out a nice-looking floral stalk and brought it home. Thanks, Dad.

Tiffany Windows

I’ve always loved Tiffany glass, maybe because I grew up with Tiffany-style lamps in the house. So when I learned of the Tiffany Windows Education Center at a church in downtown Boston, I made plans to go with a friend.

The weather was on our side so the windows were especially gorgeous that day. The Arlington Street Church has 16 Tiffany windows, which were installed between 1898 and 1930. I couldn’t pick a favorite because they were all beautiful. Any Tiffany enthusiast in Boston should make a visit here.

You Don’t Have to Take My Word for It

Happy 2019 to all. 2018 was a rough one for me, so I feel kind of shell shocked as I face a new year. Sometimes all you can do is put one foot in front of the other, and that’s what I will do for now.

To cheer myself up, I’ll tell you about seeing one of my favorite celebrities a couple of months ago. Hint: “You don’t have to take my word for it.”

Yes, LeVar Burton, for those of you who did not watch Reading Rainbow religiously. My father and I also watched him religiously in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

When I learned he was coming to Boston, I bought a ticket to his show even though I had no idea what he would be talking about or doing. I didn’t know about his popular podcast until I asked Google what the show would be about.

So what he does in his live shows is pick a local author and read the author’s short story, with musical accompaniment. Then he invites the author on stage and they do a Q & A and take questions from the audience.

For the Boston show, he read a short story by Ken Liu. It was a sci-fi/fantasy story, so at first I was unenthused because I don’t read that genre of literature. But, of course, it did not take long for me to fall under LeVar’s spell.

The Q & A was great because both LeVar and Ken were charming and witty as hell. If you are a fan of LeVar Burton or a fan of literature, I highly recommend his live show and podcast. Seeing him in person was one of the highlights of my year!