
Description: Interviews with people who make the city tick
This time, I’m going to introduce you to the creator of an art installation, a street festival, a musical event, a tourist attraction, and a giant party that all happen at the same time throughout the summer and fall in Providence, Rhode Island: Waterfire. Waterfire started as a one-time event in 1994, but the residents of [...]
Audio|Mon, 18 Aug 2008
|warmthfound at1:43, 0:14
“…com. Is the with the -- of the wood smoke and warmth of the fire in the engagement of the public. Transforms it into something that really is a fully immerse youth urban environment. In a way that you don't often experience and it has warmth and romance and mystery to it it's very hard to a mansion unless you've actually seen it. I've heard you say that …”
“…the creator of an art installation street festival a musical event. A tourist attraction and a giant party for all happen at the same time throughout the summer and fall in Providence, Rhode Island a thing …”
On today’s show I’ll talk to a driver — or I guess I should say rider — for Boston’s most unusual taxicab company, Boston Pedicab. I found my guest at the AltWheels Festival last weekend, where he sat among million-dollar hydrogen-powered cars and hi-tech hybrids on the simplest (and probably the greenest) vehicle at the [...]
Audio|Mon, 8 Oct 2007
|tax debtfound at2:00, 0:22
“…bicycle taxis that gets it about three comfortably and we -- tax debt service so. We have a number you called -- number we meet January town. But he -- easily get out every year saint Patrick's day and we run until. The middle of the summer -- early December but it's kind of an interesting deal because down here at the alternative transportation convention. We are one of the few companies that does support global warming because why not longer warm winters. More rides bulls that's getting -- you know save time will go until it's too cold …”
“…festival last weekend pre set among million dollar hydrogen powered cars and high tech hybrids. On the simplest and probably the greatest vehicle at the show. A giant tricycle with a three person seat on the …”
For this episode, I took a good look at something many of us find ourselves pointedly avoiding: Spare Change News, a newspaper sold - and written - by Boston’s homeless. Of course, Spare Change News doesn’t just help the homeless; the vendors may have a place to live (and even a job). The paper is there [...]
Audio|Mon, 24 Sep 2007
|quarkfound at3:24, 5:49
“…helps people buy on. And the extra golf for a quarter -- quark an extra thing diapers you know whatever and he. We -- conscience Britain's Andy. And as you said you started 15 years …”
“…what it takes now to produce a newspaper it's printed on real printing presses and has color photos and it. That is basically put together by period low income repeat. …”
For this week's show I went out for pizza -- and came back with a meat-less, cheese-less pie that's pretty close to the real thing. T.J. Scallywaggle's Vegan House of Pizza & Subs sells all of standard pizza-place "comfort foods" without many of the standard ingredients. I found the idea unusual (to say the least!) and some of the food surprisingly delicious. So, I headed out to Allston a while back to find out what it takes to successfully make a meatless meatball sub.
Audio|Mon, 10 Sep 2007
|good foodfound at2:06, 3:31
“…a safe place for people to meet two network and to enjoy good food and to relax. …”
“…something new interact with other. Folks aren't pistons social change we provide good food. . We try to do a lot we have Thursday evening concerts here we have an art gallery that features local artists. -- …”
For this episode, I took a stroll in the Public Garden â and a ride on the Swan Boats . The Swan Boats have been around almost as long as the Public Garden has, and through four generations, the Paget family and their crews have paddled around the lagoon pushing people from all over the world on a leisurely, human-powered ride. Of course, the boats and their drivers have figured prominently in many stories â the two most famous ones are probably Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan â but they have stories of their own. To hear a few of them, I visited Lyn Paget â the current owner of the fleet â on their dock in the Public Garden.
Audio|Mon, 13 Aug 2007
|City Councilfound at5:06, 10:07
“…to bring those to what was then kind of the box the City Council which is a group -- that he had to prove her case to year in year out to maintain the business in …”
“…couple years and then they go on maybe before college or during high school those things you've been here. Throughout your entire life do you have any particularly interesting memories there are stories about being partisan …”
I'm back after a bout of laryngitis with a look at the life of a modern-day nomad: a Faneuil Hall street performer. Most of us have tried our hand at juggling, magic, or other such tricks at some point in our lives, but I bet very few of us have ever thought of making it our livelihood. Well, that's exactly what my guest does for a living: while you are at your desk, he's trying to convince strangers to pay him for getting out of a straight jacket. Oh, and if that's not enough, he's just debuted a new version of his act where he wriggles free while hanging upside down 20 feet in the air. Jason Escape performs in many places around the world, but I caught up with him recently on the Quincy Market steps -- waiting for some bad weather to pass before finding some people to tie him up.
Audio|Mon, 30 Jul 2007
|real estatefound at2:40, 7:23
“…it's funny shower I get tied up then I give you the real estate that. So fundamentally you get put in a straitjacket tied up for real not by plants team that are real people out …”
“…there was a point where dollars and I was I went to Berklee College of Music in the early 90s and I brought a friend of mine out saxophone player. And I dragged him out …”
This episode is a bit of an enigma: we'll visit Eureka Puzzles in Coolidge Corner. I've always loved puzzles -- particularly those little metal ones you have to take apart. The problem is that over the years I've gotten pretty good at them, and most of the new ones I find are pretty easy. That's not a problem at Eureka Puzzles. My guest is the owner, David Leschinsky, and if you like puzzles he's your guy. With thousands of puzzles, books and games -- including a jigsaw puzzle with 23,000 pieces -- David's store is quite an experience. It's one of only a few puzzle stores in the country, so I figured that there must be an interesting story in amongst the brainteasers. So to find out, I stopped by for a chat -- and couldn't resist leaving with a few puzzles for the trip home.
Audio|Mon, 21 May 2007
|high techfound at8:20, 3:37
“…ended up doing this he said he started in the in the high tech world. But this store doesn't really have computer puzzles earlier high tech following exception -- opposes a couple of -- that involve lasers are games that involve lasers but. You you seem to be …”
“…people that love doing jigsaw puzzles. It's becoming looking for jigsaw puzzles rush hour which is a very. Com and graduated puzzle was something that most people know about and got approximately 50 years have different …”
This time we'll visit the largest membership library in the country, the Boston Athenaeum . The Athenaeum is in the middle of celebrating its 200th year with an impressive exhibition covering their continuous collecting of books and art over the last two centuries. The building holds books, paintings, and sculptures from the libraries of John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and others, along with many important pieces of Boston history. As a working library, the Athenaeum runs community outreach programs throughout New England in addition to serving its 5000 members -- who get to use the library's amazing fifth-floor reading room. I visited the library on Beacon Hill for the first time a few months ago, and went back a few weeks ago to get a feel for the place from the institution's director and a tour of the anniversary exhibition from a curator. Photo Credit: Boston Athenaeum
Audio|Mon, 30 Apr 2007
|Boston public libraryfound at7:25, 1:40
“…oldest and the second largest. Of these large urban public libraries only New York public library is larger. There was a very strong movement in the late 1840s to persuade the trustees of the Boston apnea. That this institution should become the first Boston public library. . And in -- atrocities took a vote and agreed to that should be the case. But what went to the actual proprietors to the members of that time they overwhelmingly voted against it. That vote came in 1849 another when he came in 1852 very 1853. And so the Boston public library was instead established as a separate institution. This library had served as Boston's public library until that point much more so in the Boston library of society. And indeed we have remained open to public. Ever since …”
“…are centrally a library. But in addition to that we have an art collection fairly sizable one. We've always had a strong public program -- lectures and talks. And in fact in the early 19 century …”
This show is an exciting look at Boston's 500,000-spectator sporting event, the Boston Marathon . 2007 marks the 111th running of the oldest annual marathon in the world. Started just one year after the first modern Olympics revived the marathon in 1896, the Boston Marathon brings tens of thousands of runners to Hopkinton, Massachusetts, then quite literally runs them out of town toward Boston's Copley Square -- 26.2 miles away. Along the course, the runners battle the weather, their competitors, their own tired bodies, and the notorious Heartbreak Hill. To get the inside story of the marathon, I went to the Copley Square offices of the Boston Athletic Association . The BAA has organized every marathon since 1897, and my guest this episode has been following those efforts since he was a kid. He's covered it as a reporter, run it as a contestant, and now helps make it happen from his office at the BAA.
Audio|Mon, 9 Apr 2007
|Boston marathonfound at3:10, 0:13
“…and marathons. You know at the turn of the century when the Boston marathon was first round Yonkers had a very prominent marathon for not number of years and there are others. They've all sort of -- away in Boston continue to grow through the decades. And early 70s there's very you know Israel running boom especially in the United States inspired by people at frank shorter. Bill Rogers Boston was growing. Quite a bit and that's excellent qualifying times for instituted a boss and in trying to get a handle on the field size. And around that time marathons are popping up in big cities New York City Chicago London land these races just growing growing current -- have some of the space constraints that Boston has embossed millions of hopkinton instance small town. The roads only about 20 feet -- you -- north at how many people out there you know in New York City marathon in particular -- being. Inner city urban race. As opposed to Boston which goes from the rural and urban these races became hugely popular to the point where I think New York had about 37000 finishers last -- the largest. Number history actually last year Boston New York Chicago London and Berlin. Formed a partnership called the world marathon majors and you know for years -- been recognized as the …”
“…place and today we'll look at Boston's 500000 spectator sporting event the Boston marathon. . This year marks and 111 running of the oldest annual marathon in the world. Started just one year after the first modern olympics revive the marathon an 1896. The Boston marathon brings tens of thousands of runners to hopkinton Massachusetts. Been quite literally runs them out of town toward Boston's Copley square 26 …”
Today I talked to someone about talking -- specifically, the way people talk in Boston. The Boston accent is famous for its misplaced Rs and strange vowels, as well as its well-known speakers. John F. Kennedy, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Click and Clack from Car Talk, the character Cliff Clavin on Cheers, and even The Simpsons' Mayor Quimby have all have brought variations on the Boston Accent to the world stage. It's a dialect I hear every day, but almost all most people know about it is encapsulated in the phrase "Let's pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd," but that isn't really the way people talk here. To do a little better, I went to someone who could give us the real deal: MJ Connolly grew up just outside of Boston, and is now a professor of linguistics at Boston College. He's listened to -- and spoken with -- the Boston Accent his whole life, so I went to him to tell us what it is.
Audio|Mon, 26 Mar 2007
|New Yorkfound at0:23, 3:38
“…and strange vowels as well as well known speaker. John F Kennedy new York's mayor Michael Bloomberg can collect from car talk the character quickly even on cheers. . And even the Simpsons mayor queen -- have Albright variations on the Boston accent to the world stage. Now with a dialect …”
“…Boston grew up in Roslindale and -- Milton when I was in high school but I've known as literal life. But you don't have the strong Boston accent that most people are familiar with so is …”