CultureJunkie

Andover

I took a drive up to the old homestead in Andover today, after being away for the better part of 15 years. What a trip down memory lane!

The old neighborhood looks mostly the same, save for a few McMansions that have replaced some original homes.

Of course Philips Academy is still there, with its carefully manicured grounds, as is The Andover Inn (closed for major renovation) and The Andover Shop. I was also pleased to see that the venerable Lantern Brunch was still bustling with diners.

But gone are the days of Dolan's Seafood and the Purple Door. There's a new generation of store fronts in and around Main Street, a few of which rival the tony boutiques in Boston's North End and Beacon Hill. Among the highlights:

Izzy's Emporium. The BEST part of the day! Izzy's has a treasure trove of new and vintage clothing, accessories, and outerwear - all beautifully displayed in a whimsical space covered with ornate wallpaper and chandeliers. There is also a wall dedicated to designer denim - all overstock and marked down 40% from what you'd pay in department stores. And the Izzy's staff - very personable and fun -  will assist in finding the perfect fit for you, with alterations available on site. Be sure to check out the vintage section, full of Izzy's ReBorn creations - old world finds that have been lovingly updated with gorgeous new linings and buttons (think gray flannel jacket with tourquoise satin lining and silver & blue buttons). 

Dress Code and First Date. These two boutiques have gotten a fair amount of attention in the Boston press, which is what sparked my return to Andover in the first place. They both carry a variety of designer women's clothes and accessories...with price tags that are a bit lower than the Boston shops.

The housewares store whose name escapes me (!). There is a great shop across the street from Ultimate Perk (a cute coffee shop) on Main Street. I've tried to find its name online, but to no avail. I even called Ultimate Perk to ask them, but no one picked up. Ah well, you'll have to find it on your own. It's chock full of furniture, dishes, and other home decor, as well as some jewelry and Vera Bradley bags. Make sure to check out the adorable aprons, too.

There are a few other spots - the old Andover Bookstore, Beauty and Main, Chic Consignment Closet, and some others worth checking out. All in all, a nice place to stroll on a warm Saturday morning.

Boston Book Fest

The rain certainly didn't slow down the Boston Book Festival held in Copley Square yesterday, with all sorts of publishers, authors, and producers of various book-related products milling about under tents and in buildings between the Boston Public Library and Trinity Church.

I headed down specifically to catch Book Worms and Net Crawlers, a panel discussion of "the ubiquitous Internet and the explosion of social media" but in my wanderings beforehand I scored a first-edition, 1958, 5th Anniversary issue of The Paris Review, complete with an interview of Ernest Hemingway by George Plimpton, a story by Philip Roth, drawings by Alberto Giacometti, and fantastic old-school ads for Hennessy cognac, Christian Dior parfum, and Pan American airlines. Can't wait to read through it all.

As for the main event, the Book Fest assembled a fantastic group of authors to discuss how the 'net has impacted modern culture:

• Wired contributing editor Jeffrey Howe, credited with having coined the term crowdsourcing and writing the definitive book on the subject.

• Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks - a look at the mainstreaming of online gaming. Ethan's work is reminiscent of Second Skin (which I mentioned to him, and he acknowledged having met the creators of the film), delving into the roles of gaming and fantasy in the modern world. In short, participants love online games because they provide opportunities not available in the physical world (e.g., the socially awkward can be "popular" and the wheelchair-bound can run, jump and dance). This desire to escape physical world confines contributes to the wild popularity of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft (13 million players-strong) and perhaps even social networks like Facebook, which allow people to put their "best face forward" by constructing public profiles that make them look their most fascinating, witty, and attractive.

• Ben Mezrich, author Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires, among others; the latter has earned him the nickname "the Jackie Collins of Silicon Valley." I actually just read Billionaires, a fun romp through Harvard University with Mark Zuckerberg and friends (now enemies) as they try desperately to overcome their own social anxieties by creating Facebook. The irony of it all is that Mark Z. has remained famously closed off & tight-lipped, despite having created a world-wide phenomenon that encourages people to share the most banal details of their daily lives with anyone & everyone. It's a great story (fast, too) - run out and read it before the film version (starring Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker) hits theaters. Yes, another big-budget production in Boston! Catch Ben Mezrich in person if you can, too - he's wildly entertaining.

• The insanely high-energy David Pogue - NYTimes tech columnist and author of The World According to Twitter, his own experiment with crowdsourcing leveraging the popular microblogging service to tap into the collective wit and wisdom of his 500+ followers. I actually picked up a copy of this laugh-out-loud little book, which David was kind enough to sign for me. In it, he illustrates how Twitter (like other social apps) can be a great information source: pose a question to a group of trusted peers and you will get near-instantaneous responses to your query. He's a big advocate of Aardvark, the new social search app which identifies "experts" in your social sphere and solicits answers from them on your behalf.

There was also a brief discussion at the end about technology's impact on the book publishing business, including marketing and distribution of new "books" in the age of the Kindle and other e-readers. I'd love to see this topic in a future panel (and I'd love to participate, given my experience with blogger outreach and emarketing). These authors could learn a thing or two from Paolo Coelho.

PS: there were no signs of the SCORPIONS at the book fest, which makes me question their commitment to the written word.

The SCORPIONS: Read. Bleed.

They operate in the shadows: in dive bars, back alleys, dog tracks, firing ranges, and the occasional all-you-can-eat buffet. 

Their mission is to motivate, educate, elucidate, and intimidate. They live amongst us, and yet they are a total mystery.

I'm talking, of course, about the SCORPIONS, the toughest book club around. 

Haven't heard of them? Don't worry, you will.

You see, this "hard guy" book club is taking the country - the world, even - by storm. First came coverage in the New Yorker. Then a post on Gawker. Now, Playboy.

Yes, the granddaddy of lad mags actually cited the SCORPS in a short article about the "best hard-guy books of all time" (see page 19 in the Marge Simpson collector's issue). Next up: Cafe, the highest-selling men's magazine in Sweden (watch for the November issue).

The invite-only club is comprised of eight members who meet on a regular basis to discuss "tough guy" books...things like Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridien and Steve Alten's MEG. But like most book clubs, the reading is only part of the fun: each meeting of the SCORPIONS incorporates discussion of selected reading material as well as competition, gambling, tests of strength (mental and/or physical) and trivia. And in some way, the losers always pay. Or as the SCORPS would say, "We read. We bleed. We kick ass."

So who exactly are these mysterious book lovers and what makes them so tough? The CultureJunkie took it to the streets (and pool halls and back alleys) to find out.

CJ: Why all the interest in the SCORPIONS?

SCORP #8:  As in the insect?  Next question.

CJ: Has the attention distracted from your mission?

Tanaka: No. We still kick a lot of ass and are comfortable with how awesome we are.

CJ: What makes you so tough?

Shakelton: What makes water wet?  What makes birds fly (besides their wings)?  What makes a guy struggle when he is in a choke hold?

CJ: Which is more fun: the books or the physical challenges?

Judge: None of it is fun – it’s a way of life.

CJ: Tell me something we don't already know about your membership.

MC Trouble: We’ve applied to have SCORPIONS headquarters recognized as a sovereign nation.  Status is still pending.

CJ: If you could have any super hero be an honorary member, who would it be?

Scorp #8:  MC Trouble’s Mom.  [members nod their heads in unison]

CJ: What song/artist would be on the SCORPION soundtrack?

Undead:  Scorpions – Winds of change

CJ: If I wanted to take a SCORP-themed vacation, what would you recommend?

The Spaniard:  Travel light and bring fist packs.

CJ: How about best spot for dining out?

Slayer: Medieval Manor.  Ask for Waffles, he knows us and will take care of you.

CJ: Favorite shopping destination?

Undead:  Bangkok Red Light District [I contemplate asking what MC Trouble's honorary-member Mom would say to that, but then fear the answer]

Shakelton:  Hip Zepi in Downtown Crossing

CJ: What's next for the SCORPIONS? Are you hoping for an invitation to the Playboy Mansion?

Tanaka: If invited, Hef should hope we accept.

Sail Boston 2009

The beautiful Tall Ships have returned to Boston Harbor as part of Sail Boston 2009, the city's celebration of its maritime history and designation as official Port of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

About 40 ships from around the world participate in this trans-Atlantic regatta which takes participants from Vigo, Spain, to the Canary Islands, Bermuda, Charleston SC, Boston, then on to Halifax and Belfast.

Here are pictures of the first group of arrivals in the Seaport District today:

Bye Bye, Mounted Police

When we marveled at the beautiful horses that carried the Boston Mounted Police at the Bunker Hill Day Parade on Sunday, we didn't realize it would be for the last time.

Back in March, Police Commissioner Edward Davis announced budget cuts which included disbanding the Mounted Police Unit, which is the oldest in the country and provides daily community policing, crowd control and other services to the citizens of Boston.

There is a petition site with 2508 signatures, Facebook group with 3045 members, and patrons who have pledged over $200,000 in private funds to keep them from being disbanded and put up for adoption - none of it enough to secure the $600,000 needed to maintain them.

NPR ran a story this morning about a job fair for city workers that confirmed the unit will, indeed, be disbanded and their civilian caretakers (but not any of the police) will be laid off with them.

I feel terrible for the 550 humans that will lose their jobs this month, as well as the equine workers who have been so visible in the city for all the years I've lived here.

Bunker Hill Day Parade

Just came in from watching the Bunker Hill Day parade. For the uninitiated, Bunker Hill Day remembers the famous Battle of Bunker Hill, which was actually won by the British but is considered by many to be the point of no return for the Colonists in their fight for independence.

We stayed outside long enough for Lulu to get her much-desired photo with Mayor Menino, and then headed in to watch the rest of it from the warmth of our living room (where we got a lot of attention from some of the parade walkers, like my new friend, The Clown).


The entire set:

TripAdvisor (and FlipKey!) on Chronicle

We were excited to see a segment on TripAdvisor in Tuesday night's episode of our local news program, Chronicle.

In it (starting at minute 3:53 in the clip), Founder & CEO Steve Kaufer explains how the user reviews supplied by everyday travelers have made TripAdvisor a premier online destination for people planning trips, and gives a peek inside the TripAdvisor offices.

But the best part was when host Mary Richardson (at minute 6:37) gave a nod to TripAdvisor's newest feature: the ability to rent individual homes...thanks to its partnership with FlipKey, vacation home rentals with real reviews.

Great press for two great companies. If you want the backstory on FlipKey, read my earlier posts about their launch and their one year anniversary. 

And then go book a vacation rental!

Social Media Breakfast @ PUMA City

Just posted a recap of this morning's Social Media Breakfast at PUMA City over on the PARTNERS+simons blog. Here are a few photos from the event:

PUMA City

Last night we attended the opening night party for PUMA City, the portable retail store/bar/event space made of 24 shipping containers on Boston's Fan Pier.

The portable "city" is part of a 3-week celebration while the Volvo Ocean Race is in town, and a huge publicity event for PUMA, one of the official sponsors, whose headquarters happens to be just down the street on Drydock Ave. By joining the race, PUMA has entered a new premium category and launched a full range of marine clothing and apparel.

After a bite at nearby LTK (FINALLY some warm weather here...and we got to eat outside!) we headed over to the event - just in time to beat the crowds who lined up shortly after 9. In fact, the city/containers reached capacity very early, forcing security to turn many party-goers away. But not us - we lucked out and got in early, able to enjoy the warm night on the waterfront in PUMA's open-air bar with a dj spinning hip hop & dance beats.

The space is very cool (see Inhabitat's coverage of it here): the containers are all adjoined like building blocks, but large panels have been removed to give it an open feel. The first and second floors contain retail space, while the 3rd is the bar & patio. The beautiful Volvo and Puma sailboats are docked alongside, and the area surrounding the City - normally an empty parking lot - is filled with other sponsor tents, bars, stages, and flat-screen TVs for viewing the race. Definitely a fun addition to the waterfront, if temporary. But be forewarned: the indoor bar area can get extremely hot (presumably from the 80-degree sun beating down on those shipping containers all day)
and the bathroom situation is terrible: deluxe port-a-potties (that's not the terrible part) that are not situated in the bar area (that is) - and if you have to leave the party to answer Mother Nature's call, you cannot gain readmittance without waiting in an unbearably long line (see previous note about being at capacity).

Thus, we departed on the early side, but not before the highlight of the night: photographers from The Achilles Project & New Brahmin showed up and snapped pix of my oh-so-stylish friends, Ryan and Shibani. See all the shots here:

The Headhunt Fishing Tournament

I realize Spring has just begun, and it's still rather cold outside, but it's not too early to start thinking about Summer fun. And one of the most fun events of the Summer is the Harwich Headhunt, a Cape Cod fishing tournament started by my friends, Ryan and Sean Burke.

In an effort to increase exposure within the fishing community to one of the best fishing areas in the country, the Burkes started this annual event in the waters off of Harwich, MA - home to some of the best striper fishing in the world.

The Harwich Headhunt is the fastest-growing striped bass fishing tournament on Cape Cod. This year's tourney on July 25th marks the 6th anniversary of the event, which typically draws dozens of fishing enthusiasts, local business sponsors, and other assorted hangers-on (like me) who simply show up for the big weigh in and after-party.

For those in the boats, it's a full day, with a 4am start time, weigh-in at 2pm, and all-out celebration from that point on.

If you're interested in fishing, register here, and be sure to check out the rules & regulations. If you'd like to sponsor the event, buy a t-shirt, or get any additional info, contact the Burkes.

Oh, and don't miss the colorful commentary going on over on the Headhunt blog. You'll be hooked!