1st Weekend in October

The weekend came and went in a flash, proving to be a very enjoyable one. The highlights of the weekend would be a night out "on the town" with Kate Saturday. We went to P.F. Chang's for dinner and of course got their signature lettuce wraps as an appetizer. It had been a long time since we had been there. It was nice to find out that the wait (which used to be as long as 2 hours) was all but eliminated. This is likely due in part to another location that opened up at Copley Plaza. P.F. Changs seemed like an obvious choice due to it's proximity to the theater district which is where our evening would be taking us.

After dinner, we headed over to "The Roxy" on Tremont St. to see an Indie act called "The National". I bought their recent album "Boxer" several weeks ago and fell instantly in love with it. When I saw that they were coming to Boston, I didn't have to think long and hard about whether I'd be going to the show. Not long after I had a pair of tickets in my possession I bought two of their earlier albums which were also excellent. A blurb from Wikipedia gives some info on their history.

As I'm not prepared to devote the energy to give the concert a proper review (really... it was so good I don't think I could do it justice) I'm going to link you to this review of a live performance by "The National". http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/live-dc/livedc-the-national-930-club/

I tend to casually say The National sounds like a lo-fi Indie band with a touch of new wave. I heard one description claiming they performed "bar soaked blues". I sort of like that one myself.

One observation that did strike me was the great relationship the band members seemed to have with each other. They joked amongst them selves and with the audience with ease, as though we were just old friends at their private party. Additionally, there were improv jams and changes to songs that were all impressive. Sometimes bands tend to take away from their own material by doing this, however The National just blew us all away.

For those who have not been to the Roxy, it actually was a nice venue. The club has good sound, high-tech lighting, set in a grand old ballroom complete with chandeliers and balconies. My only complaint was that if you want an unobstructed view of the band you need to be right on the dance floor in front of the stage. There are various bars and lounges around the perimeter of the venue, however because the dance floor is raised a foot, it partially blocks one from watching the band from those vantage points.

The Paradise remains my favorite club-venue in Boston primarily because the Balcony access provides for a great vantage point to catch a show.

Sunday Kate and I went out for breakfast with her friend Kevin who was in town for a business conference. Kate and I are bringing Soundbytes in Somerville a lot of business. I think we should get a discount!

After eating we walked around the Tufts campus a little bit. Kevin had a flight out of Boston early Sunday evening so we tried to make use of the little time that we had.

During the course of our walk we had a couple close encounters with some feisty squirrels. One such squirrel even screeched at Kate when she walked by a tree it was perched on. Both Kate and the squirrel seemed equally threatened by the other's proximity and repelled as though they were magnets of the same polarity.

When Kevin had to head over to Logan, I drove to Brookline with Kate. We decided to go out walking in Newton and enjoyed the crisp fall afternoon. We walked circles through the affluent neighborhoods, admiring flowers, leaves, and the general "Rockwellian" quality that the community has. When we arrived in Newton Center it was probably past 6 pm and Kate and I were beginning to get hungry from all of the walking. We decided to go to a diner called "Johnny's Luncheonette". For the type of restaurant we thought it was a little pricey, but the food was good, and they dished out plentiful helpings. Kate had a fried chicken dinner, and myself, a roast turkey dinner complete with stuffing and cranberry sauce. I don't even think I was able to eat half of what they gave me. I just finished the leftovers tonight.

I hope everyone else is enjoying the fall, get out and go to a fair or carve a jack-o-lantern! At the very least, bake yourself some chocolate chip cookies.