Hiatus

Bad news bears-

Rachel and I are off to Miami for some serious soaking of the sun. We won't be around to give you your weekly activity schedule for Camberville. But, no worries, we'll be back-so don't forget to check us out next week!
We return Friday 3/30 and we'll be well rested with lots of news, fun times, and adventures for all Camberville readers!

And in case some of you are unaware-if you have any ideas while we're gone, (or ever) and would like to see them posted, send us an email! We'll take care of it for you.

21-whoop whoop!

The Garment District is celebrating their 21st birthday! Go celebrate with them. Scones in the morning, and cake in the afternoon!
Things such as dollar a pound, vintage clothing and costumes.

The Garment District
An Alternative Department Store.
200 Broadway
Cambridge MA.
March 24, 2007

Funky Fitness Day

I have always wanted to check out Healthworks, but have always been a little intimidated. Not really sure why, mostly I think it is the rumored extreme pricing. But hey what can I say i am a WOW diehard :)
Now is my chance to check it out then. Healthworks is promoting by offering 2 classes and a day pass for the gym. The only problem is this event is in Brookline. Now if only we can convince Cambridge to do the same.

Your day includes two heart-pumping 45-minute classes to introduce you to the latest group exercise crazes... Smart Bells Strength Class and Cardio Stripe Tease Class. Fun for all fitness levels! We'll follow it up with a complimentary healthy snack in the Club Café, and send you home with a one-day pass for a return visit to Healthworks!

Saturday 3/31
Sign up at Healthworks by 3/29.
$10 for members
$15 for non members.

>>Funky Fitness Day

Dialogues on Diversity

Cambridge Women's Center is hosting a four part discussion on the topic of diversity.

Cambridge Women' Center
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge MA.
617-354-8807

Wed. 3/21 at 6:30
The discussion continues the next three Wednesday's.
3/28, 4/4 and 4/11

Childcare is available with 2 days notice.
This space is not wheelchair accessible.

Wine Tasting

Free wine tasting in your own home!

5 bottles of complimentary wine for you and your guests with a 45 minute wine course around the wines. Wine may be purchased from the distributor after the event for 30 to 50 percent off retail prices. Many added benefits for hosts as well as guests. Wines are from boutique vineyards throughout the world. All guests must be over 21.
Turn your living room into a tasting room!

Email: event-291484009@craigslist.org

Belle of the ball

You would think I would write something to do on St. Patrick's Day. Nope-sorry, I don' treally have that much interest. Yeah, I like to drink beer as much as the next gal, but it has never been one of my fav's. Anywho on to what I do enjoy :)
Prom season is coming! Can you believe it! No, I am not inviting you to my prom that was 9 years ago, although in secret I wish I could go back and do it again. I heart dancing. I digress- Prom-someone else's. Did you know the average girl spends appx. $650 on prom? That is ridiculous! Jordan's Furniture and Anton's Cleaners are pairing up to make it possible for as many girls to make it to their prom. Have an extra dress or two lying around the house? You can drop it off at any Anton's or Jordan's Furniture store.

The dresses can be any size, but must be free of damage, only “gently worn” and cannot be more than 3 to 4 years old. The prom dresses are collected and dry-cleaned free of charge by Anton’s, and on April 28, a “boutique” will be held at Simmons College in Boston where girls can “shop” for free dresses.

Somerville Residents can drop their dresses off at:
Anton's Cleaners
723 Somerville Ave.
Dresses will be accepted until April 15th.

>> Help a girl get a prom dress
>>Jordan's Belle of the Ball

Danu

Get in the spirt of St. Patrick's day with some Irish music by Danu at Somerville Theatre.

Named for the ancient Irish goddess of prosperity and the land, Danu has a strong loyalty to the tradition from which its music comes. Yet, the band still brings a fresh, inspiring approach to its performances.

Fri, March 16
8 PM

Somerville Theatre
55 Davis Square
Somerville, MA

>> Danu
>> Danu on Amazon.com
>> Other St. Pat's Music

Children's Haircutting fundraiser

Spring is just about on us and that means time to rid those locks of love that have been keeping our necks warm for the winter. Here's the catch-it is for kids 7 and under. There is a fundraiser at the Somerville Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday. Children can get their hair cut for $5 by Lauren Sciaratta and then enjoy the playspace for free!
All proceeds benefit the Somerville Children's Network.

Somerville Boys and Girls Club
181 Washington St.
Wed. March 14.
9a-10:30a.

>>Boys and Girls Club

Bad Art

I think its safe to assume that most of us like good art, but what about bad art. I know that I like bar haircuts (on other people) and bad outfits, they make me laugh, will bad art have the same effect? If you are interested in finding out there is an exhibit of pieces from The Museum Of Bad Art at Magpie in Davis through the 17th.

March 3 - March 17

Magpie
Davis Square
416 Highland Ave
Somerville MA

>> The Museum Of Bad Art
>> Magpie

Digital Living

Our digital consumption of information is changing every day, even when I think back to when I was in college (what was that like 3 years ago), things were so different. There was no myspace, I didn't compulsively check my email on the T, I didn't carry a flash drive on my key chain, my news wasn't pushed to an RSS feeder. As we the consumers bob and weave through these changes, advertisers are scrambling to keep up.

Woody Benson of Prism VentureWorks will tee up the discussion by reviewing media spending by category and the challenge for brands in this rapidly developing space where new and hard-to-reach audiences are constantly being created.

Come listen to a panel of experts and their plans to address the challenges of adapting to and pioneering in this new environment. Jeff Morris from CBS/Showtime will speak about how a network-based media company addresses this challenge. Jeremy Allaire, CEO and founder of BrightCove, will explain how companies can take advantage of Internet TV and other new media. Eric Alterman, founder of KickApps, will talk about how a user-generated content company works with brands and marketers to extend their reach to new users via the net. Finally, Baba Shetty, Director of Interactive at Hill Holliday, will address the race by brands and agencies to take advantage of this changing marketplace.

Wednesday, March 14
5:30pm-8:30pm
Members $20/ Non-Members $30/ Students Free

MIT Stata Center (Bldg. 32)
Kirsch Auditorium / First Floor
32 Vassar Street
Cambridge, MA

>> MIT Enterprise Forum Of Cambridge

Stout & Porter Dinner @ Redbones

Light beer drinkers beware, this beer dinner event at Redbones features stouts and porters.

Redbones
55 Chester Street
Davis Square, Somerville

Stout & Porter Dinner
Monday, March 12 @ 7 pm
$45 per person
Call for reservations - (617) 628.2200

LUNAFEST: Films By, For and About Women

Ladies, take some time recovering from the past weekend and prepping for St. Patrick day’s events, with a film fest catered to you.

This unique film festival will highlight women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine films by women filmmakers. The films range from animated shorts to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women’s health, body image, spirituality, relationships, cultural diversity, and breaking barriers.

All proceeds from the LUNAFEST premiere will go to Breast Cancer Fund.

Monday March 12
7:00 - 8:30
$12 in advance, $15 at the door

Somerville Theater
55 Davis Square
Somerville

>> Lunafest

Chinese New Year in Harvard

The cold is finally gone and tomorow afternoon is suppose to be sunny and warm. Get out of the house and head down to harvard square for the first annual Spring Forward Chinese New Year event. Its a mouth full, I know.

Public Events outside and inside the Hong Kong including Rice Dough Sculpture, Calligraphy, and Paper Folding Craft Stations. Learn how to make crafts. Plate Spinning & Magic Show, Ribbon Dancing. Samples of food and fortune cookies!

Sunday, March 11
1:00 - 4:00 pm:
Lion Dance Parade 1:00 - 1:30

>> Spring Forward Chinese New Year Event

Underground Beer Series

Looking to improve your beer skills, not party skills like keg stands and funneling, but gown up things like pairing beers with food and cooking with beer. If so, part two of Cambridge Common's Underground Beer Series, which focuses on IPAs, is tomorrow.

Cambridge Common begins their "Underground Beer Series", which will be sponsored by BeerAdvocate. The series will focus on craft & micro beer education including, beer styles, craft breweries, pairing beer with food, and cooking with beer. The series will run from 3:30 to 5pm and will feature guest brewers/speakers each month.

Get underground, get beer, get educated.

Cambridge Common
1667 Mass Ave Cambridge

Sunday, March 11th, 3:30 to 5pm
Tickets - $23

>> Cambridge Common

Free coffee!

I have never been a fan of coffee, then I found something that made it all OK. Flavor shots. Well between that 6 sugars and lots of cream coffee tastes OK! But besides me, I know a lot of people truly enjoy a good cup of Joe in the AM. As well as after lunch and before you go out at night. If you are on of those people listen up!
Three days of free coffee according to yumsugar.com

We missed the first one. It was yesterday. March 8. McDonalds was handing out free coffee just for asking for it. I guess they beat out Starbucks in a taste test.

Second date: March 15. Starbucks 10A-12P Second annual "Coffee break" time.

Third: march 21. Dunkin Donuts (my true love) They are celebrating spring by giving out a free 16oz cup of iced coffee.

>> Free Caffeine fix for all!

Cheap is the Word

The next best thing to free food is cheap food. There are a lot of places that have really good happy hours. I can't tell you how many times I have spent a Friday night after work hanging out at Uno's just because of their cheap appetizers. I decided to branch out recently, and I thought I would take you guys with me. Here is just the beginning to a very long list of happy hour specials in Cambridge and Somerville.

Uno
Harvard and Porter Square
Sunday-Friday
3p-7p and then again 10p-closing (12:30a)
In the lounge they have "snack hour" most of their appetizers (but watch out not all) are 1.99 or 2.99.

Grendal's Den
Harvard Square
All food is half price 5p-7:30p and then again 9p-11:30p Sunday through Thursday.
They also have the Sunday Seven. Seven items are listed for $1 from 8p-11:30p.
Chips and Salsa, 4 Bean Chili, Hummus bi Tahini, Pasta w/Pesto, Pasta w/Puttanesca, Cheese Quesadilla, and a Hamburger. (Minimum $3 beverage)

Orlean's
Davis Square
1/2 price appetizers 4p-7p weekdays.

Bukowski's Tavern
1281 Cambridge St.
Burgers and Hot Dogs for $1.69 until 8p weekdays.

Jasper White's Summer Shack
149 Alewife Brook Parkway
$3 Apps
4p-6:30p Mon.-Fri.
Only in the lounge.

Noir
Charles Hotel Harvard Square
5-4-3-2-1-0 Unwind special.
$5 Sandwiches, $4 Flatbreads, $3 Salads, $2 Skewers, $1 Sweets, and $0 Nuts.
5p-7p Mon.-Fri.

El Guapo's
704 Broadway-Somerville.
1/2 price Margarita's and appetizers. Wednesday's.
This is the only place i have heard of that has half price beverages!

Redbones
Davis Square
1/2 price appetizers in the upstairs bar.
4p-6p Mon-Fri.

And there you have it. As I said, I am sure there is more to love. If you want feel free to let me know about your favorite! Also, make sure you are careful, some places only offer happy hours in the lounge. I tried to find out all the info I could, but they aren't all so easy to find online.

TT the whats?

TT the whats?? The bears. Huh. What a random name. If you have ever wondered where clubs got their names, there is an article in the Herald that takes away some of the mystery.

T.T. the Bear’s Place - You may have seen a show at T.T. the Bear’s, but do you
know the story of Tough Teddy? He was the beloved pet teddy bear hamster of
owners Bonney Bouley and Miles Cares, who opened their Cambridge club in 1985
and found themselves needing a name -- and fast.

>> Name that room: How clubs got their handles

Restaurant Week is back! II

I thought just letting you guys know that Restaurant Week was upon us would be enough, but no, Rachel thought otherwise. She (the boss) said I need to give you a map. It is an actually extremely helpful map. Similar to google maps, but it has all the restaurants participating. You can sort them by neighborhood, or get directions to a specific one.

>> Unofficial map to Restaurant Week Boston

My New Obsession

It's been a while, I know. I wish I could say I have been slacking off, drinking beers, catching up with friends, and getting lots of sleep; sadly that is not the case. Instead I have been obsessively reading real estate listings, pounding numbers into mortgage calculators, dragging myself to open houses, and going blind from reading first time buyer articles; that’s right I'm thinking of buying a house. There is a slim to none chance I can pull it off this year, but I have started the process and it is slowly consuming my life. Of course I'm looking to stay in Cambridge / Somerville and I have found a few resources I thought I would pass along to you.

>> Somerville Housing Programs and Services
>> Cambridge Housing Division
>> Craigslist Real Estate
>> MLS Homefinder
>> MassHousing
>> Housing Affordability Calculator

Restaurant Week is back!

Restaurant Week: A week where approximately 130 restaurants in and around Boston put together a three course meal (you can usually choose between 2-3 options per course) and there is a set price. Lunch is $20.07 and Dinner is $33.07
I have to be honest and say I have not yet been to a restaurant in Cambridge during restaurant week so I can't review, but I promise I will try this week.
Last year I was lucky enough to visit the Wine Cellar in Boston. A FABULOUS fondu restaurant. This year I think I will hit up Temple Bar, or Henrieta's Table at the Charles Hotel.

Boston's Restaurant Week
Sunday March 4-Friday March 9.

Here are two websites with participating restaurants. You can even reserve online for some.

>>BostonUSA
>>Unofficial Guide to Restaurant Week