Overall, this is a fun race. I would especially recommend it for beginning runners; the course is…read moreslightly (but not too) challenging, and like all Harpoon events, there's a spirit of fun and camaraderie. ANTICIPATION: I appreciated multiple options for packet pickup before the race; I got mine at City Sports in Back Bay earlier in the week. T-shirts were meh: Typical gray jersey with a printed logo. Getting to Harpoon on race day turned out to be a bit of a challenge since most runners had the same idea I did (take the T), so make sure to leave plenty of travel time. THE RACE: The course is a 5 mile loop that begins and ends at Harpoon and circles the reservoir. I thought running through the dry docks area was especially cool, with warehouses rising tall on both sides of the road. There are some gradual but long hills in the first few miles of the course that present a mild challenge, but bear in mind, you'll get to run DOWN those hills on your way to the finish. Water stops at about 2 and 3 miles will help tired runners. One criticism: The 2 mile marker was definitely in the wrong place for the race (I'd estimate at the 1.75 mile point). THE PARTY: The best part! Harpoon has two beer tents, a food tent, and a number of vendors giving away free swag (Clif bars, PowerAde, City Sports). Food this year included sausages from the Sausage Guy and pasta and salad from Bertucci's. It was really hard to eat while holding a beer, and there were no tables, so my suggestion is that Bertucci's provide pizza next year for easier eating. Runners who are Friends of Harpoon received 3 beer tickets in their race pack, with additional available for $5 each. For some reason, the awesomest available beer, the 100 barrel rye IPA, always had the shortest line. Your loss, fellow runners. THE VERDICT: I'll be back.

After yesterday's overcast yet humid 9th annual 5-miler to benefit the Angel Fund ($80,000 raised),…read moreI quickly realized that beer isn't the best motivation for completing the race. "Just one more mile for ice cold beer, runners!" Yells the volunteers who watch on as sweat pours down my face. Each sign I pass has a beer image representing the number of miles run; 1 beer at mile one, 4 beers at mile four. All I want is more ice cold water! I mistakenly did not train for this one but manage to pull off a sub 50-min 5-miles. As a friend of Harpoon, you arrive to pick up your race bag containing extra drink ticket. We snagged four, to be exact. The race started just near Nagle Fish Co. behind the brewery. The run is flat with multiple road stretches broken up by 6 of 7 turns. It's not a scenic run until you reach the south Boston causeway at mile 3 and til you take the last hump of Summer Street at the race's last mile with a view of Boston. Whew! 5-miles isn't too bad. And upon the sweaty completion, the rewards started coming in. Two tents each with a minimum of 5 lines of beer taps. One tent with buffet of ziti and tomato sauce, and sausage sandwiches. Vendors, including Zipcar, Puma, City Sports, Cliff, Scion, Vitamin Water, Cape Cod Chips, offer raffle prizes and a lot of free shite. The lines for brew was long at first but after about an hour and two strong beers and of course a buzz, the lines really broke up in plenty of time for Harpoon's follow up festival: Summer Session. Watch out for heat, sun, and dehydration!

Had an eventful trip to Boston. Took a tour to explore downtown. I love history so I enjoyed…read morelearning about the historic spots we stopped at. Even had time to do some light shopping

Seems to me this must already be reviewed. Maybe under a different name? It's not the Ferry…read moreIsland cruises that I see already yelped. I love those, too....whatever. Remember that mini heatwave in October this year? That was the day I went on a lighthouse and foliage cruise with Boston Tours. The procuring of the tickets wasn't too straightforward, and though I printed everything I could think they would ask for, they still disappeared with my "documents" before returning to say I could board. The boat was comfortable, but the loud speaker on the top deck was not working so we sometimes didn't hear what was being said. I'm somewhat familiar with the local lighthouses, but not completely. I took pictures and figured it out when I got home. That was a major drawback , and the guys giving historical tidbits seemed really into it so I was sorry we couldn't really hear them. Hopefully they've fixed that. They had a nice cabin where you could get tea and food...maybe booze, too? Not sure, I was too happy outside and didn't go in. There was no foliage because trees don't follow the rules. It was still a lovely day, though and we began by heading to Scituate Light and then North. Must've seen about 13 lighthouses in all. My fave will always be Graves since that's the one I saw from my parents' living room. We got good and close to most of them for photo ops. Five hour cruise.

Located in Masconomo Park and near the marina, this is a bronze life-size statue of a standing WWI…read moresoldier. He is holding a flag in his right hand and holds his left above his head. At his feet in bronze, "Lafayette we are here." It was sculpted by Philip S. Sears in 1931 and is a memorial to those who served in WWI. The inscription reads, "In honor of the men of Manchster who served their country in the World War, 1917-1918. Erected by the Town of Manchester 1931." On the back, "Died in service" and lists five names. [Review 18587 overall - 1169 in Massachusetts - 2109 of 2022.]

The Best Projects Ever group did a great job of organizing the event. Directions and info was…read moreemailed out in advanced. We gathered at Dana Park for check in where we picked up our safety vests, snacks, flags, hats then marched out to the water. This is about a mile and I think the group could meet closer to the watering launch site in the future but overall it was fun to see the whole crew of us marching down the street. Once at the water dock we picked up our rafts and pumped them up. There were not enough pumps for everyone right off but eventually they were all full. I had a small portable one I could have brought but it would have been one more thing to carry. We got sandwich zip locks for our personal items. We brought gallon zip locks to put our cell phone and keys in. We didn't flip but it is good to have since I know people who have lost their car keys and camera before. The rafts we got fit us but it does get tight making it hard to switch or move positions. Be comfy with your partner or at least know you are going to be. They serve chili and hot dogs but we missed that since we floated up ahead. We docked along the side and I got some food from the vendors and brought it back to our raft along with a potty break. Some did bring coolers and drank but you are out on the raft for quite a while so either dock and stop or be creative. The fireworks don't start until 10:30 so we were out floating around for quite a while which was relaxing. There were many canoe and kayaks around right up at the front. The fireworks were awesome. This was one of the best places to be. The air was much cooler than being up on land with a zillion people. We paddled down and took our time as people moved along. We docked, deflated our raft, packed up our stuff and headed down the road. This was the fastest and easiest and best way to see the Fireworks! We are keeping our stuff so we can do this again! Yes, Best Project Idea!

Today, I paid $15 for a chance to sample over 20 dishes of lamb concocted by chefs, friends who…read morecook and random-ass people all over Boston who just love to eat, cook and share their findings on one of the most delicious things to devour. I filled my plate four times and left with a "I Heart Lamb" temporary tattoo. When's the last time your money was that well spent?

I came here to support a friend who is a huge lamb aficionado and I really had no clue what to…read moreexpect. What I got was a huge crowd of hipsters, foodies, and elderly people who seemed generally concerned about their lamb all coming together to chow down on baby sheep and cause mayhem. I got to try 18 amazing lamb dishes and man, I love me some lamb now. My only problem is that I arrived rather late and was unable to obtain a fork. Have you ever tried eating lamb stew, Cajun spiced lamb shanks with jambalaya, and lamb bolognese with rosemary gnocchi...all with just a spoon? It is not pretty. It seems they have these takedowns from time to time with other kinds of food and I would certainly recommend you attend. BYOF though? Oh yeah, lamb swag is nothing short of amazing. A tote bag with lamb puns on it? Just what I need! You're all out of lamb, I'm so lost without ewe...

This adorable little open space features some finely-manicured flower plots amidst a colorful,…read morewinding boardwalk and various comfy chairs. An excellent place to relax, right in the middle of a quiet, residential street.

Oh Day Square! You…read moreare FULL of local flavah, that's for damn sure. You are also where my Auntie lives, so I like to visit you. It reminds me of my childhood. There are so many great places to eat, and if you are lucky enough to find somebody who wants to join, nice walks down the new parkway, after stuffing bellies at any local restaurant seems like a good deal. If only you were closer to other things I do, I'd visit more often. Stay Classy, Day Sq.! Fondly, Julia F.

I just moved out of Ball Square and miss it a lot. Not only was it a place that you could get…read morebreakfast at 4 different places, you could also get cheap baked goods, wash your laundry, get your car repaired, cheap eats for dinner, liquor store within walking distance that hosts wine tastings all the time, and catch the 89 bus...which is far superior to the 101 simply because it runs more often. And, you are close enough to Davis to walk, but far enough away to not have to deal with Davis. Perfect.

There are a lotta dudes in this square. Maybe that's why it's called Ball Square? Anyway, you…read moregot a few breakfast places and pizza places. You have a kickass liquor store (Ball Square Fine Wines and Liquors), where yours truly is a regular. And, you have Lyndell's. Which is the best fucking bakery this side of the Chaaaaahlz Rivah. Just try it out and maybe you'll move here, too.