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Archive for June, 2006

France in the Summer

A new Parisian pal of mine talks about France in July and August, Paris mostly but because I asked him to. When I lived in Europe, I didn’t make it to Paris often enough, typically it was to stock up on wine or shop. He writes about Marselle, the World Cup, and the response to it, beautifully giving me a visual to remember about European summers…..so much so that I easily travel back in time and remember so many wonderful moments about living and traveling there. On Marseille: I’m here in a very popular neighborhood with a very large number of “Cafés-Terrasses” which are full of people crying and jumping… simultaneously, there is a strike by the local garbage-men. When will Marseille be a clean city? Paris without cars. Paris without Parisians. Paris without stress. That’s Paris in August. So quiet. So smooth. So hot. A kind of mirror. Good moment to think about ourselves. The weight of a great history appears so clearly against an individual. We have to be proud. That’s an invitation to innovate. History as a gift for another future, for other things, for improvisations, for games. You know: in France, all things end in songs.…

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Tony Robbins Takes on Al Gore

While I covered TED a few months ago, including the Al Gore talk, Bruno Giussani also does a recap, highlighting the moment where Tony Robbins takes Gore on face-to-face from the center stage. I was sitting in the second row behind Al and Tipper Gore for a large chunk of the day, including Al’s speech, which centered around Global Warming. Says Bruno about the moment when Tony Robbins intervened, which I thought was an extremely accurate summary from where I sat: “At one point during his speech, motivational speaker Tony Robbins asks the audience to raise their hand if they have ever failed to achieve something significant in their lives. All hands go up. So Robbins asks: why did you fail? And starts listing the answers: not enough knowledge; lack of time; not enough money; lack of other resources; wrong boss. “The Supreme Court”, says a voice from front row, and it’s Al Gore’s. The whole room laughs. Robbins too, and walks towards Gore to shake his hand. But then he becomes serious again: “You may not have enough money, you may not have the Supreme Court. But that’s not the defining…

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Five Easy Pieces Plays in San Francisco

It’s great — no fabulous — to have a client who not only understands and appreciates music, but plays it. 5 Easy Pieces will be playing in San Francisco this week, so be sure to check them out on Wednesday, June 28, 2006: 406 Clement Street @ 5th. For more info: 415-387-6343.

Stephanies on Newbury Street

I’ve eaten at Stephanie’s on Boston’s Newbury Street several times over the past five years, but it has largely revolved around drinks, appetizers and coffees. Their lobster and specialty dishes are a little on the pricey side, but the presentation is fabulous, particularly given the size of their portions.

Somerville’s Blue Shirt Cafe

One of my favorite old haunts in Somerville is Blue Shirt Cafe, mainly because they serve wheat grass, more frequently hard to find in the Boston area. Try the seared tofu wrap or any of their burritos. While very casual, they serve inexpensive vegetarian food, fabulous smoothies and great soups, like carrot with ginger or black bean with something unusual added. Tag: Blue Shirt Cafe

Artist Elisabeth Cugini’s Work

Art from local artists on Boston’s Newbury Street. I loved Elisabeth Cugini’s work, so much so that this wonderful piece may end up on an office wall. Not only did her style draw me in but her use of colors.

Anthony Pier 4 for Snails

Worth checking out at Anthony’s Pier 4 in Boston are the snails draped with garlic and butter. Yeah, I know, I never eat butter, but this lunch was an exception. It’s also one of those places that you tend to go to when you return to Boston as a ‘tourist’ or on business and not really a frequent hangout for locals. It reminds me of all the seafood restaurants I worked at post college in Florida – the music, the view, the generic bread rolls (with butter sticks of course), the carpeting, etc. But the snails, ah, yes the snails.

The Red Tent and Other Inspirational Readings

I was fortunate to participate in a wonderful book reading by a handful of New England’s star-authors in Boston this week, including Anita Diamant, Dennis Lahane, and Steve McCauley, at Union Street’s upstairs Attic in Newton, Mass. Steve McCauley is humorous and witty, but its dry, in the way that New Englanders and Brits would appreciate. He weaves in local nuances that are prevalent here and now and connects people of the area to experiences they can relate to, such as a handful of devistatingly hot Boston summers, where the humidity becomes king and nothing else can live amidst its presence. Newtonville Books owner Tim Huggins with Steve McCauley: He reads us a passage from a story he wrote for the Washington Post, during a summer where the male character was having an affair with a married man — his neighbor, who he later refers to as Plan B. Plan A, his stagnant at-home relationship is referenced in passing, while the lively dialogue he engages us in is largely about Plan B…

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