365 Things to Do in Boston - New Tips Daily

Start your weekend off with a bang at the Institute of Contemporary Art. On the first Friday of each month, from 5pm-10pm, the ICA hosts an after hours event, themed around the current gallery exhibitions. First Fridays feature DJs, live performances, gallery talks, specialty cocktails, and more. The Water Cafe at the ICA offers a small bites menu and full bar - this is where you can find the cocktails inspired by the current exhibitions

This, Friday, March 4th is Forever Young: 

Feel like a kid again at First Fridays: Forever Young. Featuring roving magic, comic books, and a game room. Pull up a seat for a round of Beyoncé musical chairs! DJ Frank White will run the dance floor, harkening back to hits of yesteryear along with today’s chart-toppers. As Picasso says “Youth has no age.” PLUS Walid Raad’s brand new exhibition will be on view!

POP-UP TALKS | Every 30 minutes from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Trained ICA gallery staff lead 15-minute “talk backs” about single works in our exhibitions. Get the inside scoop on a work’s context, process, and significance – and indulge your childhood curiosity by raising your hand and asking questions. Galleries close at 9:30 PM.

MUSIC | 5–10 PM
Want to be forever young? Let’s dance for a while.

COMIC CREATION | 5–9 PM
Release your creativity and get crafty in the Bank of America Art Lab. Materials and inspiration provided.

CITIZENS BANK + ICA MEMBERS VIP LOUNGE | 5–10 PM
Exclusive bar for ICA members and Citizens Bank card holders! Redeem your drink ticket here for a complimentary Harpoon tasting, while supplies last.

Admission is completely free for members of the ICA and only $15 for nonmembers.

These events are 21+

Start your weekend off with a bang at the Institute of Contemporary Art. On the first Friday of each month, from 5pm-10pm, the ICA hosts an after hours event, themed around the current gallery exhibitions. First Fridays feature DJs, live performances, gallery talks, specialty cocktails, and more. The Water Cafe at the ICA offers a small bites menu and full bar - this is where you can find the cocktails inspired by the current exhibitions

This, Friday, February 5th is White Hot: 

Don’t let the cold keep you inside all winter long! First Fridays gets cozy with Cabin Fever. Channel the flannel and embrace your inner lumbersexual (plaid and facial hair welcome!).  DJ Knife will create some heat on the dance floor – prepare to get toasty and dance your ax off. And what cabin campfire would be complete without some scary stories (and a spiked drink)? We’ve got you covered with a montage of spooky film favorites. And as always, cuddle up with compelling contemporary art. Don’t forget to bring the scruff for our best beard contest (home grown or crafted, all are eligible).

POP-UP TALKS | Every 30 minutes from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Trained ICA gallery staff lead 15-minute “talk backs” about single works in our exhibitions. Get the inside scoop on a work’s context, process, and significance – and ask questions yourself. Galleries close at 9:30 PM.

MUSIC | 5–10 PM
Check the long johns and stave off the wintry boredom with scorching dance party led by DJ Knife.

PHOTO BOOTH | 6–9 PM
Pose in your winter woolens for a snapshot with your chums.

CITIZENS BANK + ICA MEMBERS VIP LOUNGE | 5–10 PM
Exclusive bar for ICA members and Citizens Bank card holders! Redeem your drink ticket here for a complimentary Harpoon tasting, while supplies last.

Admission is completely free for members of the ICA and only $15 for nonmembers.

These events are 21+

Happy Thanksgiving from Charlesgate! 

The new Boston Home Décor show will feature 40 exhibitors in historic, modern and contemporary furnishings, fine art and design. The event will take place November 19-22, 2015 at The Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts in the historic South End. The show opens with a Gala Preview on Thursday, November 19 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm to benefit DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. Gala tickets can be purchased at www.diffaboston.eventbrite.com. Weekend show hours are Friday 1:00-8:00pm, Saturday 11:00am-8:00pm and Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm. Weekend tickets are $15, under 12 free. Ticket includes complimentary special programs, re-admission, catalog, and coat check. A bistro Café, and discount and valet parking are also available. Details: 617-363- 0405.

Click here for more information. 

Head to the Wilbur Theatre Wednesday, November 11!

"For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone’s favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a bestselling book of the same name. Now, he’s ready to tell his own story and explain how he came up with his incredibly unique sense of humor and perspective on life. He explains how he grew up “bone-numbingly nerdy before there was even a modicum of cool attached to the word.” The Bassoon King chronicles his journey from nerd to drama geek (“the highest rung on the vast, pimply ladder of high school losers”), his years of mild debauchery and struggles as a young actor in New York, his many adventures and insights about The Office, and finally, Wilson’s achievement of success and satisfaction, both in his career and spiritually, reconnecting with the artistic and creative values of the Bahá’í faith he grew up in.

RAINN WILSON is best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Dwight Schrute on NBC’s The Office, though today he’s equally well-known for his millions of Twitter followers and the philosophy website he founded, SoulPancake, which launched a New York Times bestselling book of the same name."

Click here to buy tickets.

"What are you up to today? Hitting the gym? Running some errands? Doing chores around the house? How about spending the day in the sun with friends drinking delicious, cold craft beer instead? Sound good? We thought so, too.

And that is why Sam Adams is bringing you “For the Love of Beer Fest”! A day to spend with old (and new) friends where you can try over 50 different Sam Adams beers such as Boston 26.2, The Sphinx, Belgian Wit (Nitro), IPA (Nitro), Boston 375, and Coffee Stout (Nitro). You’ll also be able to devour some beer-paired-snacks while impressing your friends with all of the new craft beer knowledge you jammed into your brain at the Fest (not to mention the killer dance moves you picked up from the day). So grab your boyfriend/mom/bestie/sister-in-laws-second-cousin (hey-who doesn’t love a cold Sam Adams) and check this Fest out."

Check out one of our open houses this weekend! Click each picture to view more information. 

1. 9 Bartlett Crescent #1 | Brookline | Sunday 11/8 12-1:30pm

2. 93 Governor Winthrop Rd. | Somerville | Sunday 11/8 12-1:30

3. 255 Commonwealth Ave #2 |Back Bay | Sunday 11/8 12-1pm

Fall foliage, farms, and the near perfect weather makes Fall arguably the best season in New England. Embrace this autumnal perfection at one of these Fall activities, compiled by Boston.com. 

1. "Famous for its all-day breakfast and its maple syrup ribs, Parker’s Maple Barn, in Mason, New Hampshire (boyhood home of the original Uncle Sam), features plump pancakes that taste like pumpkin bread just out of the oven: not too heavy and not too sweet. Grab a few maple-glazed doughnuts, if available, before heading off to pick your own apples at Mason’s Birchwood Orchard (603-878-0542, 206 Old Turnpike Road), then continue another 45 minutes along Route 124 to check out the striking scenery around Mount Monadnock"

2. "At the Yankee Farmer farm stand (603-547-6421,www.yankeesiege.com) in Greenfield, New Hampshire, crowds gather every fall to watch as a medieval trebuchet catapults pumpkins up to 2,400 feet through the air. Why? Why not? Make it a day by going on a hike on the nearby Wapack Trail (www.wapack.org) – just be sure to grab a picnic lunch from Twelve Pine in Peterborough (877-412-7463,www.twelvepine.com) in advance. Admission to the catapulting is free; check the Yankee Siege website for dates."

3."For the best of all worlds – fall foliage, rolling farmland, sparkling water views, and a tasty tipple or two – pick up the Coastal Wine Trail (www.coastalwinetrail.com) beginning in Westerly, Rhode Island, and drive some or all of its 170 miles, stopping for a few sips along the way. There are eight wineries in all. Langworthy Farm Winery (401-322-7791,www.langworthyfarmwinery.com), Newport Vineyards (401-848-5161,www.newportvineyards.com), Greenvale Vineyards (401-847-3777,www.greenvale.com), and Sakonnet Vineyards (800-919-4637 ,www.sakonnetwine.com) all offer free tours and tastings of five or six wines for $6 to $9. But the views? Priceless"

Check out one of these 3 brunch restaurants, compilied by Thrillist: "Who doesn’t love brunch? Nobody, that’s who. There’s absolutely nothing better than waking up on a weekend and realizing that the only thing you have planned is eating a massive amount of bacon. While still drinking!"

1. The Breakfast Club | Allston

"A little off the beaten path down Western Ave, this popular John Hughes-themed diner serves dishes based on the eponymous movie. We like the Basket Case (two eggs any style with home fries/toast AND your choice of meat or French toast/pancakes) and the Bomblette. Factor in a million flavors of milkshake and a host of sweet seasonal specials (like this month’s pumpkin coffee cake French toast), and you should be all set. Plus, parking is always free on the surrounding streets."

2. Bistro du Midi | Back Bay

"If you’re going for more fun than fancy, Back Bay Harry’s monthly Super Fan Brunch is a worhy way to wrap up the weekend. The themed brunches celebrate pop music icons from Beyoncé to Michael Jackson (with upscale menu items specially made to match) and $35 gets you a glass of champagne (and coffee), a huge shareable appetizer for the table, a main course, and dessert -- all while “Thriller” plays in the background and fully-costumed women at the next table sing along. (We left with confetti stars stuck to our sweaters, and we’re not sorry.)"

3. Pomodoro | North End

"This itty bitty North End restaurant has a loyal following in the area for its authentic Italian dishes like pane al forno (toast with date butter and rum glaze) and breakfast risotto with seasonal fruits and honey. Other more lunch-like items, such as panini and classic zuppa di pesce, also pepper the menu. Just go early if you want a seat -- it fills up quickly."

Presented by acclaimed experts in the Boston Real Estate Market from Charlesgate Realty Group, as well as local mortgage market experts, our Boston Home Buyer Class is your opportunity to learn the home buying the right way - before you enter a transaction!  Get educated in a casual, fun setting and avoid the pitfalls that can cause financial and emotional problems during the buying process.

Get a $250 Closing Credit just for attending!

That's right! We are offering a $250 closing credit to those who attend the class and purchase their home through Charlesgate Realty. That is free money for starting the process with us!

Attend our FREE Boston homebuying class to learn:

• Renting vs. Buying: Whether it even makes sense for you to buy right now
  • Homebuying process and timeline: How long it actually takes to buy
  • Working with a buyer agent: How it works and whether or not you really need one
  • What mortgages are still available and how much cash you need to buy.
  • Using neighborhood level data (like discount ratios and real time trend graphs) to value properties
  • Negotiating 101: How to craft your offer to drive a hard bargain!
  • Top 10 online resources to aid your home search

Is this class for you?  Well, if you’re looking for a fun, low key, and informal way to learn the Boston real estate market from the experts, then YES!  You’ll have a chance to ask any questions you want and get the straight scoop from us. Plus we’ll have special catered treats by BG Events & Catering!  How can you pass that up!