USVI-On-Line

Hey, I just realized that La Summa is where we ate two weeks ago. Friends brought us there, on the recommendation of a longtime resident of the neighborhood. We had some quite unusual and delicious arancini and some good homemade pastas. Mine came with ribbons of eggplant. Silky and very good. And the service was good the night we went, as well !

liamsaunt wrote:Just a note: the John Hancock observatory is permanently closed. It never reopened after September 11th and in fact the space is now offices.

oops - sorry for the mis-information.

I thought it was more recent that we visited - but I guess it must have been the Pru.

It's the wrong time of year but if you are ever here in the late spring the Beacon Hill Hidden Garden Tour is one of my favorite all time Boston things to do. I have a slew of pics from this years tour. Maybe that would make a good pictoral thread when we get a little deeper into the winter chill.

liamsaunt wrote:Just a note: the John Hancock observatory is permanently closed. It never reopened after September 11th and in fact the space is now offices.
The Prudential Skywalk is open though! It's basically the same view.

Liamsaunt- Is BCN still in the top of the pru, or am I rediculously out of date? Last I was up there was probably 12 years ago...

I don't know what BCN is, unless you are talking about the radio station--which is in the Fenway now.

The restaurant on the top of the Pru is called Top of the Hub. Pretty horrible food, but beautiful views. When we lived down the street John and I used to go up there almost every Friday night for sparkling wine and a fresh baked cookie plate. There is live jazz on the weekends.

liamsaunt wrote:I don't know what BCN is, unless you are talking about the radio station--which is in the Fenway now.
The restaurant on the top of the Pru is called Top of the Hub. Pretty horrible food...

Yeah I meant WBCN, it was in the top of the Pru in the late 1970's...you used to be able to go up there and check out some of the studio through a window...you know, like a zoo sort of. Sorry I wasn't more specific. Back then WBCN and WCOZ were the two big Rock stations...this is when there was still a "combat zone" in Boston...unrelated but just a time reference...

My sister and I had an apartment together before I married John...we used to go over to WBCN sometimes. I have a Carter Allen (WBCN DJ) book with a page long dedication to my niceness in conversation

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) wrote:

Agent99 wrote: Marcia, best of luck to your daughter. We're also on early action pins and needles, I feel your pain. Although BC was our first pick for #1 son, he has his heart set on Emerson College which is right off Boston Common. We'd be thrilled for him if he gets good news. Emerson's letters go out no later than Dec 15 so I'm running to the mailbox every day!

Don't you think that BC will have an answer out to us before they break for Christmas? What admissions people would really be hanging around pouring through applications when the whole place is shut down after next week? I'm heading to the post box now, I think I just heard the mail carrier drive away...

Good luck to your son, too! Might all of our children end up in Boston? That would be kind of funny. And wonderful.

Fingers crossed.

Amber got her first response from a school today, U-Michigan at Ann Arbor: accepted. This is her 2nd choice school but there is MUCH rejoicing going on here with this news. At least she knows she's in a school that she WANTS to go to and if BC falls through, that's just the way it is meant to be...

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) wrote:

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) wrote:

Agent99 wrote: Marcia, best of luck to your daughter. We're also on early action pins and needles, I feel your pain. Although BC was our first pick for #1 son, he has his heart set on Emerson College which is right off Boston Common. We'd be thrilled for him if he gets good news. Emerson's letters go out no later than Dec 15 so I'm running to the mailbox every day!

Don't you think that BC will have an answer out to us before they break for Christmas? What admissions people would really be hanging around pouring through applications when the whole place is shut down after next week? I'm heading to the post box now, I think I just heard the mail carrier drive away...

Good luck to your son, too! Might all of our children end up in Boston? That would be kind of funny. And wonderful.

Fingers crossed.

Amber got her first response from a school today, U-Michigan at Ann Arbor: accepted. This is her 2nd choice school but there is MUCH rejoicing going on here with this news. At least she knows she's in a school that she WANTS to go to and if BC falls through, that's just the way it is meant to be...

For anyone who cares (JMQ). Deferred at BC. So, she is thrown into the regular pool of applicants. Answer to come by April 15. Don't know what she'll do here. Accept Ann Arbor and move on or wait for BC decision this Spring.

Marcia, congrats to you and your ute on U of M! My guy is over the moon that he was accepted at Emerson and we are very relieved because he had his heart set on it. We didn't really have a plan B option that would have made him as happy. I'm thrilled that he'll be close to home and can hop on the commuter rail and be home in an hour even though he will have the experience of living in the city. It's also great to have that stressful process in the rear view mirror!

Agent99 wrote:Marcia, congrats to you and your ute on U of M! My guy is over the moon that he was accepted at Emerson and we are very relieved because he had his heart set on it. We didn't really have a plan B option that would have made him as happy. I'm thrilled that he'll be close to home and can hop on the commuter rail and be home in an hour even though he will have the experience of living in the city. It's also great to have that stressful process in the rear view mirror!

Oh, sweet about Emerson!! I've been wondering about you guys, hoping for the best. Isn't it nice to have that whole waiting, worrying part behind you? Congrats!

Congrats Marcia. Re BC, going by what you indicated her app profile looked like, wow now that is selective. At least not rejected at BC. Isnt it much tougher to get in with early decision (smaller pool accepted?) Guess now you'll become an expert on how to play these cards you've been dealt (wait til April, etc.)

Back from Boston. Weather was wild. Snow blew into town on NYE day, temperatures plummeted, and the wind absolutely howled, limiting us to dinner (HAD to take a cab to the North End) and later, a frigid walk up to the Park Street Church for an amazing evening performance by Hannke Cassel (Scottish/Irish fiddle, with cello and guitar accompaniment – great acoustics in there). Midnight fireworks were cancelled. We brought the dog with us and it was so cold that night that even he was shivering, and I’ve never seen a Sheltie bothered by the cold before.

The Hyatt was great, very friendly service, quick valet service for the car. Had some great meals at B&G Oysters, Pomodoro (thanks liamsaunt) and Giacomo's (now we know why locals stand in line outside this place – unbelievable food).

Went to the Gardner museum (which was a huge disappointment - I do not fault those of you who recommended it – all the guidebooks do too), took a ride along the south shore (too cold to walk around town much), over to Harvard Sq., and out to BC, and around BU. Even drove through Wesleyan and Quinnipiac in CT on the way home. Now will have to decide which will be applied to and/or formally visited. Would be nice to come back to Boston in warm weather.

Maybe next year winter break we can go to DC. My wife refused to set foot in that town while whats-his-face was in office, so its been awhile.

JMQ, how did your daughter like BC? When we went, it was August and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

To answer your previous question about early action at BC, yes, it is considerably more selective but, it doesn't hurt anything to give it a shot. Amber is about to send a letter with her updated courses (she's enrolled in EMT classes two nights a week and will be working this summer as an EMT for our village). She is going to wait until April to decide on U-Mich-Ann Arbor. She still really, really wants to go to BC.

She liked it but its one thing to just see a place when its basically shut down for break and another to get a vibe for a place like you do on a tour/visit when class is in session and kids are around you can talk to. I was surprised how compact the main campus is and it must rock on Saturdays during home football games as the stadium is smack dab in the middle of campus. She did get a good idea of how far Boston is from NJ, which was good, because lets face it, some kids deal with homesickness better than others.