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What To Do This Week, 7/23 - 26

Monday, July 23, 7 p.m. Local 149 The Free Love Dinner Party Grab your bell bottoms, peace sign necklace, and peasant top for a night celebrating the 70s with a cocktail hour and three course dinner featuring local food. More info here. 

Monday, July 23 - Wednesday, July 25, 9 p.m. each night Great Scott Boston Accents Funeral Party, Part 1 WFNX has played its last tune and while you mourn the loss of the iconic radio station, seek comfort in the company of others at the first night of a three night affair in Allston. Live music from four bands each night should definitely liven up your mood. Tickets are $10 for a single night or $25 for all three nights.  More info here. 

Tuesday, July 26, 6:30 p.m. Brookline Booksmith The Age of Miracles is about an impending apocalypse through the eyes of Julia, an eleven year-old who must deal with growing up as the entire world is falling appart. Reading and book signing with author Karen Thompson Walker. More info here. 

Wednesday, July 25, 8 p.m. Boston Common Commonwealth Shakespeare Company premieres its 17th season, presenting the Bard's Coriolanus. I lifted this directly from their website because I couldn't make it sound anymore relevant then they have: "The play explores the quixotic and symbiotic connection between the governed and the governors - an issue echoing around the globe in the Arab Spring and in our 2012 presidential election.  Coriolanus will capture the energy and passion of the community as we determine leadership of our country for the next four years." Plus it's free (although I'm sure a donation would be greatly appreciated). More info here. 

Thursday, July 26, 6:30 p.m. Brookline Booksmith Thrills without Borders, a reading and book signing featuring international best selling thriller writers Tana French and Sophie Hannah. More info here. 

Thursday, July 26, 5 p.m. WFNX Downtown Crossing Block Party (intersection of Washington St. and Summer St.) Live bands, free food, and a good liquor selection (not free) for the cover charge of nothing. I'm totally down for that.

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Boston Curiosities: Newbury Street

Newbury Street has a reputation for being not-so-affordable. On the Arlington St. side (the Public Garden side) definitely fits that bill. But Newbury St. spills out onto Mass Ave., and that side has a much different vibe. Here are a few examples.

Fairy Shop This shop gets curiouser and curiouser with every visit. Filled to the brim with fantastical movies, books, and novelties, it is both small and airy. The prices are a bit higher than perhaps the average college student can afford, but there is a reason why indulging yourself was invented (and trust me this store was made for indulgence).

Trident Booksellers & Cafe Mosey a little further down the street and you'll see a modest patio fenced in, but the patrons at the tables probably look a little different than the other tables. Inside you'll be faced with a choice: left for delicious food and right for books galore. Choices, choices, choices. If you are faced with this conundrum remember: you can always buy a book then sit down and buy the momos (which I HIGHLY recommend doing).

Newbury Comics Alright, so I already mentioned Newbury Comics. In my defense it is a local chain, there is bound to be a few of them. For me a trip down Newbury Street isn't completely without popping my head in here because I often can find sold out comics here.

Sweet N Nasty I could write an entire article on XXX hot spots around Boston because I made it my business to find these place while in college. My favorite though is this bakery. I've got an awesome story I'll share with you sometime involving one of my good friends, her mother's money, and a cake that had a bunch of servers to bring it out because it had a giant chocolate piece of male anatomy on it and said "Make a wish and blow". Cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet); solid chocolate pieces made from white, milk, or dark chocolates; and a lot other of XXX novelties that you'll want to see in person, as long as your person is at least 18.

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What To Do This Weekend, 7/20 - 22

Friday, July 20, dusk On the Waterfront Boston Harbor Hotel Tonight on the Charles waterfront sit and take in the Marlon Brando classic where he proclaims he couda been a contender.

Friday, July 20 - Saturday, July 21 Artbeat Davis Square If it sounds like another craft fair, you're right, as long as you believe that craft fairs have dance performances, a ton of live music, a myriad of hands-on activities for participants, short plays, comedy acts, slam poet performances, and of course local vendors showcasing their wares. This year's festival theme is migration. To see the entire schedule and learn more, visit the Somerville Arts Council's website. 

Friday, July 20 - Sunday, July 22 Armenian Street Fair + Festival Food and a bunch of different kinds of live music, what more could you want in a street festival? Activities for children, okay you got it. Cooking demoes, done. They've even thrown in a book signing from New York Times best seller Chris Bohjalian. Visit Boston-Kermesse.org for all the particulars.

Saturday, July 21, 2 p.m. Step On It Scholars Bistro is challenging all you know-it-alls to prove it. You and your team (no more than 5 people) must sleuth out 15 secret objects and take a picture with the entire team in it and the object. First team back with all the correct objects gets a $50 gift certificate to Scholars, a Harpoon gift basket, and more. To purchase your tickets and learn more, visit the Eventbrite page.

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Love That Dirty Water

Charles gets all the love (at least in the song) but save some of that goodwill towards liquid for these Boston-based breweries that offer delicious beers and a look under the hood.

Sam Adams brewery tour Learn a few of the Sam Adams brewing secrets on tour. I'd hint what they might be, but I swore a tour-taker's oath of secrecy. Tour admission costs $2 with the proceeds donated to local charities and you'll get to taste the raw ingredients and the finished product. Tours often reach capacity on weekends and during Red Sox games, and reservations are not taken. This is a first come, first serve deal. If you miss the tours for the day (and if you make one of the tours), stop by the factory store because there are products at the factory that you can't get anywhere else. 

Harpoon Brewery Although Harpoon Brewery is lesser known, it is in fact older than the Sam Adams brewery. What may be slightly confusing is that tours and tastings are not the same thing. Tours are $5 and happen only during non-brewing times (meaning the weekend). Tours often sell out (these are also on a first come, first serve basis starting at 10:30 a.m.). Tastings are complimentary and happen every week day at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The last Friday tasting usually reaches capacity (wonder why) and the tastings are also first come, first serve for a look at the brewing process plus a sample of a bunch of tasty beers.

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A Boston of Chocolates

Massachusetts may not have the same reputation as Switzerland, France, or Mexico when it comes to chocolate, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its own chocolate culture. Jump all over the globe trying different types of chocolate from the cost of a few rides on the T.

Taza Chocolate Outside of Taza Chocolate Factory and Store in Somerville looks like an industrial site. Inside it smells exactly how you imagine Willy Wonka's factory to smell. Taza Chocolates are all direct trade (as opposed to being fair trade) paying premium prices to ensure quality product that everyone can be proud of. You can take a tour of the factory, but make sure to reserve a space before you get there (and to follow the rules: no strong perfumes, hair tied back, etc.) and be prepared to eat some good chocolate made in the Mexican tradition. 

Max Brenner Max Brenner seeks to change chocolate culture. It's not just a food, it's all the emotions and senses and memories and history (both ours and its own) that come with it. Chocolate is sensual and loving (and probably a little dangerous), experience the chocolate here and it may infuse you with its wildness.

L. A. Burdick Chocolate Larry Burdick made a three year training out of his time in France and Switzerland. To do this day Burdick's still handmakes all of their chocolate bon bons, the most famous of which being the mice. Another must-have is the drinking chocolate, which can be served hot or iced.

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Boston 101: Science

Boston is well known as being a college town and having some of the finest schools (Harvard and MIT, both of which are actually in Cambridge). Fire up your synapses and get ready to cram a little more knowledge into your head. Whether your a science buff or you need to entertain a gaggle of kidlets for an afternoon, these places have you covered.

Museum of Science Normally you don't know when or where lightning will strike. Unless you, like the Museum of Science, have a Van de Graaf generator and a lightning show schedule. Other notables include the IMAX theater (it's no MOM but it's also not in a furniture store), the 41 different exhibits (three are temporary: The Science of Pixar Exhibit Lab, demonstrating how exhibits are made; Lost Egypt; and Made In Greece), the planetarium (where if you're lucky you might catch a Pink Floyd laser show at night), and the simulator (which is a bit like MOM actually).

New England Aquarium Get revved up for marine animals from the start with the harbor seals exhibit (before you even buy your tickets) and then go inside for a SeaWorld-esque show in Marine Mammal Center. Walk around and take in the giant tank filled with all sorts of sea life (and sometimes scuba divers), and then gather up all your courage and head over to the shark and ray touch tank (largest on the East coast). Wrap up your visit either a visit to the penguins, the Amazon Rainforest, the IMAX, or perhaps all of them.

Children's Museum This isn't simply a science museum geared toward children: it's an entire museum spanning a broad range of topics geared toward children: a 3 story climbing sculpture, science playground, a Japanese house, an art studio, and so much more. Go there and prepare to watch your children learn and tire themselves out.

Franklin Park Zoo Travel back to see dinosaurs with Zoorassic Park, then into moderns times and around the globe with Outback Trail, Tiger Tales, Serengeti Crossing, Kalahari Kingdom, Giraffe Savannah, Tropical Forest, and even the Franklin Farm.

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What To Do This Week, 7/16 - 19

Monday, July 16, 7 p.m. Literary First Middlesex Lounge Each quarter an essayist, a fiction writer, a poet, and a confessional writer walk into a lounge. They each get up to the mic and share a tale of a deflowering: theirs, a friend's, a fictional character's, whomever. It might be an awkward topic to broach in front of parents, but who says you have to bring them? Gather a group of your friends for what is sure to be a night you won't soon forget. 

Monday, July 16, 6:30 p.m. Boston Poetry Slam with Regie Gibson and Fey Rey Radio For $5 you get a heaping four course meal of poetry and music. Start off your night with a short poetry workshop from Regie Gibson. Next is an open mic. Following shortly after is Regie Gibson's poetry performance. The dessert course is a musical performance of fey rey and the freedom sound.

Tuesday, July 17, 5 p.m. - 12 a.m. An All Out Pizza Eating Extravaganza  Flatbread Company Grab some grub and knock things over for a good cause at Flatbread Company in Somerville's Davis Square. Grub Street (the writing org mentioned here) is holding a fundraiser consisting of pizza and bowling pins (please note: donations will be made according to pizza sales, so feel guilt free buying another slice or three).

Tuesday, July 17, 7pm Bulleit Patio Dinner Grafton Street Pub & Grill A prix fixe four course dinner with each course paired with a specialty cocktail featuring either Bulleit's Rye or Bourbon liquors. Chef Eric Gregory is preparing the meal and we'll be chowing down on it on the outdoor patio. It's fancy schmancy night time picnic without having to lug a large basket weighed down by delicious food and liquors before, the worry of ants during, or having to do dishes after for $60.

Wednesday, July 18, 7:15 p.m. Boston Poetry Slam presents Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie Cantab Lounge Open mic followed by Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie's performance, the 2011 Providence Grand Slam Champion, and lastly will be another installment of the 8x8 open poetry slam. The cover is $3, which means that it is only $1 for each part of the night. 

Wednesday, July 18, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Rock Therapy with Brendan Boogie Arts at The Armory  Peek into the minds of local musicians tonight at the Armory's Cafe. Brendan Boogie hosts Abbie Barrett and Glenn + Nate from the Parlour Bells.

Thursday, 7/19, 5 p.m. Gardner After Hours: Wanderlust Isabella Gardener Museum This week's theme for Gardner After Hours is Wanderlust. Check out one of Isabella Gardner's travel journals (she traveled through Asia in the early 1880s), listen to accordion music from Peter Bufano, participate in a collaborative drawing game, and create a terrarium you can take home to remember your whirlwind world travels.

Thursday, July 19, 6 - 8 p.m. Microbrews for Microloans Alibi Bar and Lounge Combining these three things: good beer, hand-up (not hand out) charities, and a bar that used to be the Charles Street jail this night out, which supports MicroLoan Foundation USA work in Malawi will be a wicked good time.

Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m. "Pure Beef" author gives Cooking Demo Trident Booksellers and Cafe  Author Lynne Curry cooks up something savory to help promote her new book "Pure Beef", a guide to artisan meat with recipes arranged by cut. There will also be a discussion of the book, which was released this past May. 

Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m. Arts at the Armory Dance Party Arts at the Armory You've watched So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent this week and now your shoes are just itching to show the world your moves. You're in luck because Arts at the Armory is hosting a dance party with live music and local craft beer (in case you dance better with a little alcohol encouragement).

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Boston Geekery: Comics

As geeks from all over the world assemble in San Diego for a Comic-Con of epic proportions, let's not forget how awesome Boston can be on this front. Comics, and geek culture in general, have a few stigmas that surround them: being exclusive and being for the socially awkward. Having dealt a few judgmental store clerks, here's a break down of metro Boston stores where the help won't look down their nose at you if you know what Storm from X-Men's powers are called (atmokinesis) or if you have no idea what a trade paperback entails (also called TPBs, they are a compilation of single issues with one story arc into a book). 

Million Year Picnic: Before you start making jokes about a comic book store being below street level location, please note that it's in the middle of Harvard Square. The is staff minimal but they are all quite friendly and can answer pretty much any question you throw at them. The selection of comics and graphic novels are enormous: everything from DC and Marvel to IDW and Image to micro-press comics.

Newbury Comics: More than a comic book store, it's a pop culture store. In stock you'll be able to find comics, CDs (new and used), books, DVDs, accessories like Wonder Woman cape socks, and other novelty items. If you're looking for a place to get your comics fix and pick up a box of mustache bandades, you've found it. Plus they're all over the New England area.

Comicopia: Fenway may be known for something a little more physical then comic books, but this medium sized shop holds it own against other comic book stores in the area with a good selection of single issues and a good selection of graphic novels and TPBs.

Comicazi: It's easy to understand why they were voted Best Comic Shop by The Phoenix this year. Good selection of comics, check. Friendly, knowledgable staff, check. A lot of in-store events, including an in-store mini-con of local creators July 21st, check.

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Geek out with other "True Believers" at The Factory Theater tonight

For those of us stuck here in Massachusetts instead at the geek and pop culture mecca that is San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, we can rejoice in small things like opening night of local playwright Thom Dunn’s play "True Believers" about the lives of fanboys and fangirls intertwining at a comic book convention. If however you were lucky enough to get tickets to SDCC, don't fret. The play runs until July 21st. Delve a little deeper into the story behind the play without the obsessive fan stigma by reading the interview with writer Thom Dunn below.

Tangentially Related: Your play "True Believers" is about a bunch of fanboys and fangirls. What is your connection to comic book culture?

Thom Dunn: Comic books were my first love, at least as far as I can remember. Like most kids my age, I'm pretty sure my very first exposure to the world of spandex and superpowers was the 90s X-MEN animated series (which holds up surprisingly well, even to this day -- except for the accents. *shudder*). I started reading comic books and collecting Marvel Comics trading cards shortly after that -- my dad set up a kind of reward system for me when I still played sports, that if I scored points or made an out or a block or whatever, I could "trade them in" for comic books after the game. I used to memorize the "power ratings" and all the facts on the back of the trading cards, and basically taught myself how to read and do math that way. I'd spend my free time writing and drawing my own comic books (which I'd sell at the pool in the summer for a quarter each so I could buy a Premium Cookie Sandwich from the snackbar because let's face it, those things are delicious), and I had a FileMakerPro file with nearly 300 different characters, complete with names, origins, power ratings, etc. I wish that file still existed, but I'm also fairly certain that every character was painfully derivative of the entirety of the early 90s / Image Comics boom.I stopped collecting (but not reading!) comics around middle school, although I still tried to keep up with the storylines and whatnot using the then-limited resources of the internet. Once I got to college, I made a few friends who were really into comics, and we all started going to Newbury Comics every week to pick up all the new issues, and it's a habit I've kept since then. In recent years, I've started going to comic book conventions and making friends with comics professionals, so all in all, it's a pretty significant part of my life. I even had my first story published in a small press comic book anthology earlier this year, which was pretty exciting.

(I also did a few promo gigs for Marvel during college that required me to dress up like Spider-Man and get paid for it, which means that I actually got to fulfill that irrational childhood statement of "I want to be a superhero when I grow up!")

TR: Are the characters based on people you've met, archetypes, stereotypes, or some mash up of all of them?

TD: Yes.

The initial genesis of the play came out of my first overall experience at San Diego Comic-Con, in 2010. There's something so inherently theatrical about the forums that take place, and the interactions between the fans and the creators -- and of course, the costumes. So there were lots of little specific moments that inspired similar moments in the play. For example, there's a bit where the character Billy, our token belligerent fanboy, gets up on the microphone at a forum and verbally assaults Chad, our pseudo-protagonist, in front of the entire crowd. That came out of a moment at New York Comic-Con 2010, when a fan got up during a forum and asked Marvel writer Rick Remender, "Yeah, what the f*** were you thinking when you made the Punisher into FrankenCastle? 'Cause that was retarded." (word for word; I wrote that down in my notebook when it happened) Remender gave what I think was the best response possible: "I was thinking it would make a kickass comic book," which is the same response that I have Chad give to Billy. That's not to say that Chad is meant to be Rick Remender by any means -- I've never met Rick personally -- but a lot of those little story beats were inspired by things that really happened -- spilling someone's drink at a bar, awkward encounters in the bathroom, post-marital problems with a Han-Solo-in-Carbonite coffee table, and so on. The very last scene in the show was inspired by a Grant Morrison anecdote that I've heard / read several times, but didn't actually experience myself. He has this great story about stumbling across the train tracks one night at San Diego Comic-Con, a little messed up, and encountering a cosplayer dressed as Superman. Naturally (because if you're any bit familiar with Morrison, he's all about totems and magical omens and whatnot), he started interviewing the guy, who completely played along and answered every question in character as Superman. This interview ended up being the inspiration for Morrison's All-Star Superman, which I considered the greatest Superman comic ever (and possibly the greatest epic poem of the last 50 years). I loved the idea of encountering a "superhero" and interviewing him, and I actually tried writing it as a one-act play at least a dozen times, but it never quite felt right.

Of course, if you ask my mother, she will tell you exactly which of my childhood friends correspond with each character in the show, so maybe the whole thing is completely autobiographical on a subconscious level. Who knows?

TR: When and why did you first start writing (this play and in general)?

TD: In general? I've always told stories; it's all I've ever wanted to do. I guess it wasn't until college that I specifically realized that writing -- that the art of wordsmithing -- was going to be my vessel; before that, I thought I wanted to direct films and act, neither of which I have any interest in any more. I like stories in all different mediums, and to me, it all starts with the word. I actually started college as a film major, but changed my mind even before I got there because I realized that I cared less about cameras and frame rates, and more about the stories themselves, and I didn't want to limit myself to just film, or just theatre, or just comics.

As far as this play is concerned though, I started writing it in early 2011. I had a funny idea about doing a Comic-Con musical -- I have lots of ridiculous ideas for musicals, but I also kind of hate the trend of "[Thing That Traditionally Totally Shouldn't Be a Musical] the Musical!" because 99 times out of 100 they rely entirely on the crutch of being idiosyncratic instead of being a good story BUT I DIGRESS -- and so I mapped out a basic plot and cast of what this musical would be about and then put it away. I had been (still am...) working on an adaptation of The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, which is one of my favorite novels when I learned about this playwriting fellowship at the Berkshire Fringe Festival and decided to apply with this adaptation. But I couldn't get this Comic-Con story out of my head, and even though I was working from a novel for one of these scripts, the Comic-Con idea seemed more fleshed out and complete, and something I was more interested in, so I grabbed a new notebook and pumped out something like 50 pages in a month or so (which only covered about the first 20 pages of the current draft) and sent it in as my application, along with a plot synopsis. I ended up getting invited to this fellowship Fringe, and finished up the rest of the script in the intervening months before the start of the fellowship, where I spent 2 weeks workshopping and re-writing every day with an incredibly supportive group of dramaturgs, directors, and actors.

I guess the "why" of it is that I love comics, and I love theatre, and I wanted to write a play that comic book fans would be interested in seeing so that they could understand why I love theatre (in general, comics culture is more obsessed with movies, of course). I also wanted to write a play that theatregoers would enjoy that might make them more interested in comic books / sci-fi and that whole culture, and make them understand what it is about comic books that I love. I actually think there is a lot in common between comics and theatre. They're both visual means of storytelling, much like film. But unlike film, which is typically driven by a director's vision, comics and theatre are both more of a writer's medium (at least in my mind). Just as there's a poetry to theatre, I think there's a poetry to the pacing of panels and page breaks in comic books. Whereas in film, every aspect of the piece is controlled by the director, comics and theatre both encourage the audience to participate actively in the story. I could easily go on for hours about this theory of mine, but let's let True Believers be the thesis instead.

TR: Once "True Believers" ends it's run at The Factory Theater on July 21st are there any plans to find another stage to put on the show? If no, what other projects do you have cooking?

TD: While there are no specific plans for the show locked down from here, I certainly plan on sending the script out every opportunity I get, in hopes that I can find another theatre company interested in it. Even in my first round of submissions, I had a lot of nibbles, but no one who was able or willing to commit to it right then -- except for the fine folks at Vagabond Theatre Group, of course. Now that the script has seen some polishes, maybe some of those other previously interested parties will want to take another whack at it. Here's hoping, anyway. There's also been a little unofficial, noncommittal talk about trying to do a short run in NYC with this cast, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Otherwise, once the show closes, I am going to sleep, and then take a vacation, and catch up on my life. I have lots and lots and lots of plot outlines in my moleskin right now -- some theatre, some prose, some comic books -- but none of which I have 100% committed myself to as my next project. I'm the kind of person who tends to overcommit and overextend myself (when we started rehearsals for True Believers, I had 3 other shows running that I was involved with, too), so I've kind of intentionally kept myself from committing to anything after this, because sometimes I get so busy doing things that I don't have any time of my own to, well, do things. I want to leave the Fall open so I can write, and write, and write, and then play music, and then write some more. I'd been doing a lot more freelance blogging work for a few websites, and there are some companies that I owe pitches to for larger projects, and I've kind of fallen behind on all of that (understandably, I hope!) while this has been going on, so I want to get back into that, too.

Lastly rapid fire questions on your favorites:

Comic book series (currently being published): Superhero Fare: Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender. Non-superhero Fare: The Unwritten by Mike Carey

Comic book series (ever): Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: David Mack

Writer: Grant Morrison and/or Joss Whedon

Publisher: I'm a Marvel guy through and through, but I think that Vertigo consistently puts out the best and most groundbreaking work around (since it's mostly creator-owned projects)

Excited to see the production now? Awesome. Grab your tickets here.

*minor edits to keep the language PG 13.

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What To Do This Weekend, 7/13 - 15

Friday, 7/13,  Bastille Day Party French Cultural Center It's a French block party resplendent with live French-flavored music from Dible Dibala and Sarazino. The party will stretch from Berkeley to Clarendon on Marborough St. in the Back Bay, so there will be plenty of room for dancing. Of course there will be French food galore, so come hungry and be prepared to dance off the extra calories. Tickets in advance are $28, tickets at the door are $35. 

Friday, 7/13, starts at dusk An American In Paris Boston Harbor Hotel Keeping with the French theme for the evening take in this Gene Kelly classic that won 6 Oscars at dusk for free courtesy of the Boston Harbor Hotel. 

Friday, July 13 (6 - 9 p.m.) through Saturday, July 14th (1 - 4:30 p.m., 6 - 9:30 p.m.) Drink Craft Beer Summerfest For $45 each ticket holder will get access to unlimited 2 oz. samples of over 70 beers from 25 New England craft brewers. The Summerfest is specifically celebrating Saisons and other Farmhouse ales, which means lighter feeling beers but not lighter tasting beers. Also featuring food from local vendors like B. Good and Taza Chocolate.

Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 15th True Believers The Factory Theatre For those of us stuck here in Massachusetts instead closer to geek and pop culture mecca San Diego Comic-Con we can rejoice in small things like opening night of local playwright Thom Dunn's geeky play True Believers about the lives of geeks intertwining at a comic book convention. Tickets are $18. More info here.

Saturday, July 14th, check in starts at 10 p.m. Great Boston Beer Marathon You'll need to get a ticket to know where this is going down. A total of 26 bars around Boston. Approximately 4,000 participants expected. A massive and scattered all day massive bar crawl. Tickets are $25 each and with it you get a T shirt, Viking helmet, Mardi Gras beads, swag bag, and food and drink.

Saturday, July 14th, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. African Festival of Boston Live music from local and international musicians. Other live entertainment includes a drum flag parade. Plus there is an African food court. 

Sunday, 7/15, 1 - 5 p.m. The Big Party Eastern Standard A benefit for arts non-profits that reach out to young professionals that is a 1920s style garden party with card games, board games, live music from Ben Powell's Quartet and live mixing from DJ Ryan Brown plus silent short films for $75? Awesome.

Sunday, 7/15, all over the city Circle the City  An all day affair devoted to exploring the city and getting outside/exercising is great. It's also free. Events are separated into bicycling, kiddie fun, sports, food, and walking (tours).

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Boston 101: 24 Hours Eats

Boston is known as a college town because of how many schools we have in the area (approximately 50 in the metro Boston area). Surrounded by so many scholars it makes sense to turn exploring into an exercise in academia. Keeping dining hall hours doesn't always happen (sometimes in the middle of last minute exam cramming a pizza is what is most needed). Below are a few choice places that aren't an IHOP but still keep their doors unlocked 24 hours a day.

South St. Diner: A college kid hang out during the school year due to its 24 hour menu. There is inside or outside seating (but unless you have to smoke, take the inside seating if it's between 12AM-5AM). The diner is quite close to Downtown Crossing, Boston Common, and the Public Garden. 

Market in the Square: This is a more recent addition to the 24 hour eatery scene. It is a little more expensive but with its prime location at the end of Church St. in Harvard Square and being one of the only places nearby that has hot, prepared food after 2 a.m., you'll be willing to shell out a few bucks for any one of its many sandwiches.

Bova's: There are so many reasons to love Bova's. They bake throughout the night. They have both sweet and savory items available. It is a little off the beaten path and devoid of a place to eat inside, but if you're driving by the North End on your way home nothing beats a ham and cheese turnover fresh out of the oven.

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Boston 101: History

Freedom Trail This is the classic Bostonian way to explore the city's historic side. At 2.5 miles you can pick and choose what works best for you or devote an entire day to it. Plus it is a great way to see how historic Boston rubs elbows with contemporary Boston everyday.

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum In Atlantic Wharf there are two ships docked named Eleanor and The Beaver. Above the two ships is the museum. The reason these two ships in this spot are so important is because this is the site of the Boston Tea Party. Plus the museum just reopened at the end of last month.

Boston Duck Tours Get a professional tour of historic Boston while resting your most likely now tired feet. This tour is gives a one two punch by land and sea (well Charles River anyway). When they first started in Boston in late 1994 all the Duck boats were former World War II military vehicles, however due to the Ducks boats popularity they have manufactured replicants. Tours during the summer season often sell out, so check the website for more information.

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Boston 101: English

826 Boston Where else in Boston (nay, the world) can you find a cryptozoological research institute that doubles as a non-profit writing center? The Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute is part of Dave Eggers' 826 family making it part book store, part writing center, and part I-feel-ridiculous fun.

Grub Street When you want to be a writer there are many paths you can take, but most of don't seem to include a supportive, in-person community of other writers. Grub Street offers different kinds of classes, memberships, and benefits for the writers on the rise; this includes the brown bag lunch series (writing instruction and talking shop with fellow writers) that takes place every few months in their headquarters in downtown Boston and is free to everyone.

Boston Public Library What happens when a ton of books (good for cash strapped writers and bibliophiles), tons of branches (good for accessibility), great and varied programming, and a restaurant at the main branch in Copley Square are combined? A swoon worthy public library system, that's what.

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What Is A Smoot?

About two weeks ago I posed this question: where is this? Answer: It's on the Harvard bridge over the Charles on the Cambridge side. MIT is right there, which is the reason why the bridge is marked by smoots. However you're probably still wondering what is a smoot?

To be honest I wasn't sure until about a month ago. I figured it had to do with an MIT fraternity, a person, and that it probably happened in the 70s or 80s. I was right on two out of three of those. Turns out it's the shortest member (around 5'7'') of an MIT frat in the late 1950s.

For the full low down check out this rather helpful article on io9: 10 Unbelievably Strange Units of Measurement

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What To Do This Week, 7/9 - 12

Monday, July 9, 6-9 p.m. Opus Affair July Scholars Bistro Come drink for the cause at Scholars Bistro. Which cause you ask? There's three up for the punchbowl fund this month: Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Grand Harmonie, and Word Song. How it works: donate $5 to the punch bowl fund and get a drink ticket for a glass of punch and a ballot to vote for your favorite charity. The charity with the most votes at the end of the night takes home the bounty. More information here.

Tuesday, July 10, 7 p.m. Tom Perotta presents The Leftovers Newtonville Book Apocalypses are currently in vogue, and Tom Perotta's book The Leftovers looks at what would happen if there was a Rapture-like happening and you got left behind. The Leftovers was named "Best Book of 2011" by the Oprah magazine, Amazon.com, NPR's Fresh Air, and many others. The event is free. More information here.

Wednesday, July 11, doors open at 7:15 p.m. (Open mic starts at 8 p.m.) Boston Poetry Slam Cantab Lounge The weekly literary staple in the Greater Boston area Cantab lounge will feature a poetry slam (competitive poetry reading) between four teams after the open mic. All the teams are bound for National Poetry Slam, so the competition should be fierce and fun to watch. The event is 18+ and there is a $5 cover charge. More info.

Thursday, July 12, Flirting with Disaster 6 - 9 p.m. West End Johnnies A free event where you can feel proactive about preparing for a disaster, network with other civically minded individuals, and are encouraged to flirt with do-gooder firefighter types? Check.  Learn more at the Eventbrite listing.

Thursday, July 12, 5 - 8 p.m. Neighborhood Nights: Gardens Alive  Isabella Gardner Museum Tour the museum's garden, plant seeds that you can take home, and enjoy jazz music at Calderwood Hall. More info here.

Thursday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. True Believers The Factory Theatre For those of us stuck here in Massachusetts instead closer to geek and pop culture mecca San Diego Comic-Con we can rejoice in small things like opening night of local playwright Thom Dunn's geeky play True Believers about the lives of geeks intertwining at a comic book convention. Tickets are $18. More info here.

Thursday, July 12, 8:30 p.m. Two Alike  ICA Boston Art is often known to bridge the gap between what is taboo and uncomfortable to talk about and what isn't. In choreographer Jack Ferver's and sculptor Marc Swanson's Two Alike the mix their two mediums to look at the not often talked about issue of abuse of queer youth. Tickets are $25 for nonmembers. More info here.

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What To Do This Week

Tuesday, July 3rd, 5-9pm The Night Circus Paperback Release party, Bookish is not used to describe parties of note, but when its a paperback release party for Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, don't mistake bookish for boring. There will be circus performers and live music from The Army of Broken Toys. More info.

Near by eatery of note: Zaftigs Delicatessen

Tuesday, July 3rd, 8pm (doors open at 7pm) Balagan Presents:Refraction/Reflection The allure of looking into a mirror and exploring what those reflections mean is a concept familiar to humans in general and these artists in particular. The evening starts with a dance party celebrating the debut of these fringe films, followed by the screening of the seven short films, and then an after party at a local bar. What's not to love? Get you tickets at Brattle's site.

Near by eatery of note: L. A. Burdick's

Wednesday, July 4th, 5-8pm Red, White, and Ewe While everyone crowds the Charles River Esplanade and the Hatch Shell, you can enjoy gourmet eats a few blocks away at Liberty Hotel. Check the Facebook event for more info.

Nearby fun of note: Boston Pops! Concert

Thursday, July 5th, 6-9pm Opening Reception for Aaron North's solo show @ The Hallway Gallery After the sun and fun of July 4th what better way to unwind then the opening reception for Aaron North's first solo show at The Hallway Gallery in Jamaica Plan? Answer: none. Check out North's portfolio to get psyched.

Nearby eatery of note: Fiore's Bakery (Wear a hard hat as the website is currently being reconstructed.)

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Riddle me this Bostonians, do you know where this is? And do you know what a smoot is?