Exotic Flowers, the official florist of the Boston Red Sox.

They’ve got Big Papi En Fuego hot sauce!

Available in Single, Double, Triple, or Grand Slam for just $9.95 each!

Surprise that special someone. Bring home Big Papi En Fuego hot sauce with a bouquet of roses today!

Is this the official ambulance of the Boston Red Sox?

It was parked near Faneuil Hall. Perhaps they were waiting for the breakdancers to break something. Or they were looking for entertainment before tonight’s game. Your guess is as good as mine!

The sun, which has been pretty flaky lately, sets while people wait for the Boston Pops rehearsal to begin.

Let this photo be proof that the sun actually came out today. I was beginning to think summer was canceled.

I was excited to hear them play “Sweet Caroline” and grabbed my iPhone as soon as they started:  Click here to hear them rehearse “Sweet Caroline”.

I wasn’t expecting anything fantastic as far as sound quality goes, as the iPhone mic definitely isn’t meant for recording live music, but it turned out pretty well! (I used the new Voice Memos application and edited it for length in Audacity after syncing with my computer.)

Enjoy! And happy birthday, America!

Sure you want to throw that change in here?

The evening before, I was walking through Copley Place and saw a sign in the fountain asking people to refrain from taking the change from the bottom to buy breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. There was a pair of dummy legs in khaki pants sticking out of the water. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture and it didn’t occur to me that there may be more funny ads until I encountered this guy. When I was passing through the mall again today, it was gone.

So did you see anything funny from Dunkin Donuts last week? Were there more? Are there still some out there? I Googled, but I didn’t find anything.

Nice marketing. I laughed. (But I didn’t buy breakfast…)

Harpoon Brewery, 306 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA

For $5.00 (some of which goes to Harpoon Helps), you get a tasting glass, a tour, and about half an hour to sample whichever beers they’ve got on tap. Everyone’s first sample is the IPA. After that, I went for their Crystal Wheat, Helles Blond Bock from the 100 Barrel Series, and the new UFO White.

I’m a huge fan of their regular UFO and the White did not disappoint! I went home with a growler of it. The Crystal Wheat and Helles were excellent as well. I recommend them if you’re into those types of beers (or even if you’re not. Try them anyway!) I’ll definitely be picking those up soon.

I’ll stop now before this turns into a beer blog. Here are some pictures.

The beginning of the tour

I believe this is the boil tank.

Tanks and tubes.

"The freshest beer you've ever tasted."

During the tour we were given a sample of the IPA before the last step in the brewing process is performed. There was no CO₂ added yet, which was definitely strange at first sip, but it was really good.

More tanks.

Where the bottling is done.

The Harpoon staff was so friendly and knowledgeable (not that I expected otherwise!) I had a blast. It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

Earthfest 2009, DCR Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade

People celebrated the Earth, music was played, beach balls were thrown…

The Lemonheads and beach balls

…bags were confiscated and some kids were thrown out.

Busted!

???

I need a good caption for the above photo.

Possibilities:

• “If you’re happy and you know it…”
• “Talk it up infield!”
• “Olé olé olé oléééééé!”

Look at that sky!

But seriously, what a beautiful day in our fair city! It was nice to finally see the sun this week!

Unfortunately I couldn’t crash the party because they’re checking for tickets.

But let me just tell you, there is an impressive number of projectors, including one showing race highlights on a giant balloon.

What’s more impressive, though, is that these people can even think about dancing right now!

Congratulations to all who participated!

(I just realized this is my third post from Faneuil Hall. It’s because I work in the area. And not for their marketing department, I swear! Haha.)

Rami Salami and... that other guy.

As you can see, Rami Salami has the ultimate set up. Very extravagant. Big, colorful sign with his name on it. Another sign explaining how his pricing works. He had a microphone and music. And he wears a blue afro wig.

The other guy (red and blue jacket) just has some crates with colorful paper in them. But the crowd around him is larger, so he must be making superior balloon hats. Unfortunately, I did not get a hat from either of them so I cannot say for sure who makes the best ones.

Who would you go to for your balloon hat?

Clock near North Market Building

There better be some serious May flowers in store for us after today’s nastiness. I guess I should just be happy it was raining and not snowing. Faneuil Hall Marketplace was desolate.

Wet Marketplace

But it was not a total wash. One of the outdoor carts braved the weather and opened up…

Toy cart

The toy cart! So the city of Boston was able to fulfill its need for severed hands, Bob Marley wigs, and those things that pop when you throw them on the ground. Thanks for taking one for the team, toy cart!