Shopping In Downtown Crossing

Hi everyone, time sure flies by fast. Tomorrow is Halloween and then November is coming. When mentioning November the first thing that probably comes to peoples' mind is Thanksgiving. But it is also the time to do some winter clothing shopping. I personally think that Downtown Crossing has a great variety of stores to choose from and prices are not as high as the stores in Newbury Street or Copley Place. Another positive is that it is easily accessible by public transportation. There are lots of stores at Downtown Crossing including H&M, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. Macys and Eddie Bauer are my personal favorite! Both stores often have sales and promotion going on. So you could usually find a great deal. If interested to know more about the stores and shops at Downtown Crossing;  more detailed information could be found on www.downtowncrossing.org .  If you feel hungry after shopping; you could always find a restaurant nearby for a great meal or just get some food from a pushcart vendor for a quick snack. If you like Asian cuisine, you could take a short walk to the nearby Chinatown which have lots of great retaurants. One of my favorite eateries in Chinatown is the Ho Yuen Bakery which is located at 54 Beach Street, Boston MA 02111. The bakery has a great variety of baked goods and pastries that aren't too expensive. Recommendation: Try the white sugar sponge cake which is a little sweet and chewy. Be sure to bundle up for the chilly weather and have a safe and happy Halloween :)

Last minute shopper? This local gem has got you covered…….

Are you one of those people who realize while you’re sitting down eating lunch the day before Halloween that you still need to find a costume to escape the risk of being shunned by your peers for not showing up in “festive” attire to their Halloween party? Or if it dawns on you as you find yourself standing in the children’s aisle in iparty amidst a death-stare fest with the tween next to you, bracing yourself for the fight over the last Hannah Montanna costume within a 10 mile radius that you can NOT get away with wearing a children’s size version of the costume you originally had in mind, no matter how much you convince yourself you can?  If you fit this bill, count your blessings and head over to The Garment District and Boston Costume over in Cambridge, Ma where you will find the Santa’s workshop of Halloween costumes.  Consider yourself warned though, this place is not for the faint of heart.  (or for those with allergies to excessive amounts of polyester and vinyl clothing…) Nonetheless, this place has got you covered when it comes to costumes and dramatic clothing.  There are TWO FLOORS stocked with props to pull off ANY and EVERY imaginable costume idea.  Added bonus: YOU CAN TRY EVERYTHING ON!!! Which, for those of you who do not take your Halloween costume planning lightly, will attest to encountering store upon store where you are not allowed to take the costume out of the package or disassemble it to try it on and see just how much of a fool  you look like before dropping some serious cash on a costume; which is frustrating, to say the least.  Not to mention, their prices are fairly reasonable and not excessively outrageous like some specialty Halloween stores can be.  They offer separates and full, complete ensembles that can be as cheap as $20.  Now, here comes the clincher, THEY’RE OPEN UNTIL  12:00AM (MIDNIGHT!) THROUGH HALLOWEEN!!!! What a novel (read: convenient/smart/lifesaving) decision.  

So there you have it. NO excuses.  Don’t even try and pull the ole’ “well, you know, I’m just super busy and didn’t have time to get a costume BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH WANH WANH WANNHH…” Head on over to The Garment District before you are left being the boring guy/girl at the party who looks like they think they’re “too cool” for a costume.  

Located at 200 Broadway, Cambridge, Ma 1-617-876-5230

Whats Hot South of Boston

Tonight, 6 Foot Sunday is playing at Vivid. This band is unbelievable, and Vivid is the South Shores new hotspot. Check it out, free parking and low cover charge. Its the place to see and be seen on the weekends.
Saturday, my pick is Frankie D's. They are decorating madly to get the bar ready for the costume party that is offering cash prizes! Last Call is playing and they will be sure to bring a full house to the bar. Have a safe fun Halloween everyone!

Frankie D's BBQ and Grille

Welcome to Kingston-home of Silver Lake High School, Rocky Nook, and most importantly Frankie D's BBQ.
Frankie D's is a place where you can start with dinner, and end up closing the place out. The food is awesome, try the pulled pork sliders or the bone out jalapeno sauced wings(the sauce is a family recipe and amazing)to start and the ribs with homemade mac n cheese(also another family recipe)for dinner. Every night of the week there is something going on there, kareoke on Sunday, open mic night on Wednesday, and live music Thursday through Saturday.
The owners make you feel at home here, personally greeting the majority of the people that walk through the door.
This Saturday night, October 30th, Last Call is playing. There is also a Halloween costume party with cash prizes.
Located in the Stop and Shop plaza off exit 10, Frankie D's is a place where you have to go. It is absolutley worth the drive down, regardless where you are coming from.

“Halloween through ‘the lens of fashion’” –Simon Doonan, Barney’s New York Creative Director

(Photo Courtesy: Target.com)

Say it ain’t so?! Afforable? Couture? Target? Halloween?? OH MY! Put those 4 words together and therein lies the solution to your Halloween 2010 costume dilemma. (Well, as Target would have you believe anyways) As I’m sure the majority of you have not heard, this year Target has teamed up with the renowned Simon Doonan of Barney’s New York and is doing their part to put an end to the surplus of slutty nurses/construction workers/Disney characters (don’t scoff, you know you’ve seen y

our fair share of Glinda the not-so-good Witches from the Wizard of Oz lurking around)/slutty-anything that unfortunately but predictably flood the streets during the weekend nights of the much anticipated All Hallows Eve every year. While those of you who do not deem yourselves fashion mavens may argue that couture fashion more closely resembles Halloween costumes than wearable, everyday clothing anyways; I think the consensus amongst those of us whos vision is not impaired is that we would GLADLY like to see more costumes aim to be stylish and trendy, rather than provocative and distasteful.

While the stylish alternatives Target offers are not couture in the traditional sense, compared to the barely-there cheap, hive-inducing materials of alternatives, they are by far the more chic route to go. While one bad apple regrettably managed to get through their production line (the dreaded “Snooki” and “Situation” costume) Doonan’s couture costumes include: Diva Witch, A List Celebrity, DJ From the Crypt, Candace Corn, Pumpkin Punk Rocker Costume, Spaghetti, Glamour Ghost. All of which Doonan suggests were influenced by the avant-garde looks he saw on the runways during fashion week for the upcoming spring 2011 season.

(Photo Courtesy: WWD.Com)

For those of you who DO consider “Fashionista” among your list of accolades, why not take the idea of a couture costume even further (and perhaps a bit more literal) and don one of the looks from your favorite designers spring 2011 collection while you’re out conquering the quest for a sugar-induced-coma this year?  If the necessary resources to fund this creative endeavor for my own costume this year weren’t limited [sighhh L] ….I would opt to strut door-to-door (err, bar-to-bar?) in this stunning embellished gown from John Galliano’s spring line and make the necessary tweaks to be a modern Bride of Frankenstein. Or a Ghost that just won America’s Next Top Model who has come back to haunt Tyra in the most beautiful of frocks.

Either way, whether you’ve got the dough to dress up in a $3,000 jewel-emblazoned gown or the 30 bucks for a Coture Costume by Simon Doonan, you can be certain should you heed this advice, you will be the best-dressed freak of the night.  While I’m sure the number of [real-life] Snooki’s and Pauly D’s peppered though the crowd will be more than you bargained for at these places, see below for a  few local hotspots around Boston who’ll be hosting wicked scary Halloween Paahhtty's where you can show off your “I'm more stylish than thou” costumes.  Send us your pics if you think you pulled of a more fashionable look than the girl/guy next to you at the bar!  

If you find yourself intrigued and dare to follow suit in said couture apparel, if you hurry, you can find the props at these local Boston targets:

1 Mystic View Rd, Everett, MA (617) 420-0000
550 Arsenal St #1, Watertown, MA (617) 924-6574
36 Furlong Dr, Revere MA (781) 922-6030

Halloween Parties

Looking for somewhere to go out this weekend on Halloween? Well here's a few good options to choose from and feel free to comment on any other place you think will be fun this weekend!

Club Prime @ Umbria: Mardi Gras Party this Thursday 10/28. Its hosted by Ashlee Feldmen of the Real World New Orleans.

The Greatest Bar: Floors of Terror Halloween Party this Friday 10/29. Each floor will consist of a different frightening theme. 1^st floor will have Cops and Robbers with DJ Theo, 3^rd will be mad hospital and Doctors with DJ Rouskov, and 4^th floor Nightmare on Elm Street with DJ A.I

The Greatest Bar: This Saturday 10/30 Haunted Halloween party with cash prizes Naughty costume gets $250, couple costume gets $200, and outrageous gets $100.

Gypsy – Halloween costume party this Saturday 10/30 $500 cash prize costume contest

Royale- Club Wars Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10/28, 10/29, 10/30. 10/28- Jedi Master Steve Aoki. 10/29-$3000 in cash prizes. 10/30-$5000 in cash prizes.

Estate- Saturday 10/30 Sinners & Saints Halloween Bash with NYC DJ Jason Smith. Sunday 10/31 Haunted Estate Industry Party

Revolution Rock Bar- Thursday 10/28. 1980s Halloween Party

Rumor – Friday 10/29 Celebrity look a like Halloween party with DJ Jem and $500 cash prize

Venu – Saturday 10/30 Halloween costume party $500 cash prizes

THIS WEEK IN BOSTON: (October 25-31)

Highlight of the week: Boston Celtics home opener! Lebron James’ first game after his dramatic leave from Cleveland… I’m sure the Celts’ fans are going to let him have it! Also, plenty of Halloween events/promotions/parties to get ready for… look for updates throughout the week.

As always, feel free to post comments about any other particular shows you are excited about…

Monday, October 25:

Too Late!

Tuesday, October 26:

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat, TD Garden, 7:30 PM

Phish, Manchester, NH 7:30 PM

Wednesday, October 27:

Demetri Martin, Wilbur Theatre, 7:00 PM

Thursday, October 28:

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leaves, TD Garden, 7:00 PM

Friday, October 29:

Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks, TD Garden, 7:30 PM

Yonder Mountain String Band, House of Blues Boston, 8:30 PM

Saturday, October 30:

Railroad Earth, Paradise Rock Club, 7:00 PM

Sunday, October 31:

New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings, Gillette Stadium 4:15 PM