Trish "the Dish" F.'s Profile

I'm surprised they didn't blacklist me after the million scheduling issues my friend and I had. First my friend had a family emergency (understandable but I had already moved around the appts once).. then I realized I had a volunteer thing too close to the rescheduled time.. then I cancelled one of my treatments, a pedicure, because it seemed pointless (was doing a 60 mile walk at the end of this week).

But they didn't. And my shoulders and back were very happy they didn't. :)

On a Sunday afternoon the place was quite quiet. My friend had her massage first so I hung out for about a half hour in the waiting area reading a magazine. It was raining so I figured I'd stay inside. Plus I had a 15 hour day on Saturday, so I was feeling just fine staying in one place. I was offered a few different beverages (they have all kinds of tea and different coffee) but I went with water.

My massage was really great. One of the better ones I've had in the city. I think I may have even fallen asleep at one point. I had talked to the massage therapist in the beginning.. expressing that I had some shoulder, back, and some foot aches because of training/work. She originally told me that she'd go for a more therapeutic massage as opposed to a relaxing massage because of what I'd told her. In the end she went for the relaxing massage though because that's what she felt I needed. Her pressure was perfect and my back felt terrific afterwards. She also gave me a little lecture on my posture. It's horrible. haha.. On top of that she wasn't intense with the massage oil so I didn't feel like a mess when I left.

On Sundays they only have a few people on staff. So the way our appointments were originally scheduled had my friend and I not really seeing each other. So if you're looking for a girly hang outy kinda day with your friends, it won't happen on a Sunday. This place is super low key so don't expect too many amenities although I did notice a menu for Bouchee on the counter with the teas. Everyone is incredibly nice (and this is coming from someone with some Newbury St. complexes) and the place just had a really good vibe.

My friend and I used a Groupon ($50 for $125 in services - restrictions applied - ask all the questions you have up front so you won't be surprised) but I'd definitely come back to treat myself in the future.

While this place can accommodate a group (saw a few when I was there), I think it's better for a date or a couple friends. It's super dim (candlelit) and can get pretty loud.

We were there around 1AM. The servers were very nice, although the service itself was a bit slow (winding down?). We decided on the chocolate fondue paired with dessert wine. The chocolate was fantastic and the fruit was fresh. If the pot wasn't so hot, I probably would have licked it (not sure if that has anything to w/my state of mind). The dessert wine was much sweeter than I'm used to so, for me.. girl who drinks girly sweet wines all the time, it was just ok.

A friend of mine lives close by, so I'll definitely be back to sample their other wines!

Dear absolutely-delicious-melt-in-your-mouth scones,

I heart you. Please tell your bakers to come to Boston and open up a bakery. Both my stomach and I would greatly appreciate it.

Love,

Dish

This is where I stayed the night before the 60 mile Komen walk. So, basically I was here for about 12 hours or less.

Komen told us that only a few hotels were offering shuttle service to opening ceremonies so I went with the cheapest option, Palomar. Our "special" price was $249 a night, but after taxes it's closer to $300.. AND if you use a debit card, they charge you $400 (or $100 more) for "incidentals" and to see that your card has enough money on it. This amount shows as pending for a couple days, which for most people is probably all well and good, but for me it was kind of like a shot to the heart.

When I was checking in, I walked in to the complimentary wine reception that they have each night for guests. Cheese and all. I was exhausted from the train ride and wanted to lie down for bit, so I skipped it. Everyone did look like they were having a good time though.

The room was a lot nicer than I had expected. The elevators are TEENY so I was thinking my room would look the same. My room reminded me of a sorta weird bachelor pad - leopard print and a lot of black finishing. The room had some pluses and minuses.. a good clock radio with iPod dock (but it doesn't charge), a flat screen (but with bad reception), some nice bath products (but bad water pressure), 2 different robes (leopard or zebra print I think.. HAH), and a recycling bin (two thumbs up). The walls were pretty thin and I could hear the people next door every time they changed the channel. Although the bed was what mattered and it was very comfy with its million pillows.

When I was told that the hotel would hold our stuff while we were doing our 60 mile, I was absolutely ecstatic. I even woke up before  4AM (even though I knew I was walking 20 miles that day_) so that I could iron something to wear to church on Sunday. I hung up my stuff and put it in a garment bag and handed it in before we got on the bus at 5AM.

Fast forward to Sunday. I came in looking quite raggedy since it was the last day of the walk. I was probably a hot mess, carrying 3 days worth of stuff and my sleeping bag. It was very hard to make eye contact with anyone from the desk but finally a guy asked if he could help me. I asked for my bags and after telling him repeatedly what my bags looked like, he just let me into the back room to look for the stuff myself. I looked at everything that was hanging, nope, mine wasn't there. After sorting through baggages, I found my garment bag pinned between two big pieces of luggage. Next to it was my hanger cracked in two and on the floor.

"Umm.. we're sorry bout that. Have a good day." And that was that.

The nicest people in this hotel are probably the bell men. They were so friendly to me (even though I didn't have any bags for them to take up) and they were probably the only ones that smiled and wished me luck on my walk.

There's free wifi in the hotel, but in my room it was spotty on my Touch. The business center downstairs charges you per minute to use the computer (rip off) but it has both windows and Mac operating systems. There's also a printer and ATM in the center.  

The location is right in Dupont Circle which is really great. Tons of restaurants within walking distance, a CVS, ATMs, the metro, and some buses. I would probably seek out a cheaper hotel the next time around, but it's in a very convenient location so I may be swayed..

It's been 2 years and I still absolutely adore Bella Sante. Best massage in Boston (IMHO).

After coming home from the 60 mile Komen walk in DC (Columbus Day weekend), all I could think about was a massage here. A couple years ago, I did the Avon 40 mile and was in pain for a couple weeks. This time around, thanks to a massage by Darryl, my legs felt so great at the end of the 1st week. I even walked out of the spa without the limp that I walked in with! I wasn't completely pain-free (feet swollen, etc), but I was feeling soooo much better. They may be a little on the pricey side but the masseuses here KNOW what they're doing.

The staff is still so fantastic. From checking in to leaving, it was just a great experience. Again. :)

Room to Grow is an incredible organization that helps pregnant women in need. Women are referred by their prenatal doctors and then begin check ins with RTG every three months starting from their third trimester. Check in includes everything from teaching women how to hold their child to making sure their child gets books/toys and age/weather appropriate clothing. The games and toys are not only fun but RTG makes sure that they help children through their developmental stages. Visits continue until the child turns 3.

As a volunteer, I helped sort through donated clothes. To RTG, it's important that families get new or almost new clothing.. so anything with any kind of stains/rips are either donated to the Salvation Army or thrown away. To ensure privacy, clients are generally not around when volunteers go in to help.

I thought the staff was super friendly and that time totally flew by while sorting. Mostly because I'm easily amused by children's clothing and you'll definitely see some costumes, fancy dresses, and outfits you wished were in your size. The space itself is filled with donations (although they could always use more.. heh) but it's also organized, well lit, and kind of puts a smile on your face as you look around. :)

To help this amazing organization, contact them to donate, organize a drive, or even host a "baby shower".

Their location in Back Bay is accessible by both the green line (Copley) and the orange line (Back Bay).

http://www.roomtogrow.org/

On the Rise is primarily a wet shelter for homeless women.. but women from all different backgrounds go to OTR. They may be victims of abuse/rape, have mental issues, substance problems, or are experiencing other crises. Located in Inman Square, it's one of few day shelters in the area.

OTR is basically a large house. In the basement, there is a clothing closet, "nap" room, laundry room, storage for women who have frequented the shelter, and donations that haven't been sorted. On the main floor there is a TV room (that just got an elliptical machine), a kitchen, bathroom/shower, and phone. On the second floor, there are offices for those working at the shelter. Women can also receive mail at On the Rise.

The shelter has a few programs depending on their funding and volunteers at the time. They've offered massages, haircuts, writing, and other creative activities. There is also someone who comes in weekly (I believe) for those women who are having legal issues, ie domestic abuse/immigration/etc. A somewhat recent addition to the shelter is the Keep the Keys program that assists women who are determined to keep clean and move into their own housing.

Volunteers come in once a month on a Saturday when the shelter is closed. Things that people did when I was there: sort through donations, clean out the clothing closet to make sure that in season clothing was on the racks, make decorations for the house to make it homier, flyer the neighborhood about an upcoming fundraiser, and general upkeep (they also have a lovely yard that needs attending to when the weather permits). We probably could have found stuff to do all day.

I think that sometimes people mean well in wanting to work directly with the homeless population, but they sometimes forget that general upkeep needs to be done in order for the women that work there to attend to other pressing issues. Just a Trish opinion side note thrown in there for people who think that soup kitchens are the only way to help out the community.

In addition to volunteering at the shelter, you can help cook meals for the women, work in their wellness program (perhaps helping with a creative activity, etc), or even run a toiletry drive at your work.
For a list of what to donate or when to volunteer, I'd contact them directly through their website. :)

Harvest is probably one of the more interactive volunteer opportunities for those looking to work at a food pantry. If you've ever worked at the Red Cross Food Pantry, it's definitely more low key.

The food pantry is located in the basement of the Cambridgeport Baptist Church. It's not affiliated with the church, it's just where they've settled. If you get there early, there will already be people on line for the pantry, so you'll just have to knock a few times on the side door to get the attention of one of the regular volunteers. First thing you'll do is probably set up chairs and tables. How it works is people line up outside before they are seated inside. Once they're called, volunteers escort them downstairs where they get to "shop" for their food. Similar food items are placed on tables and they get to take a certain amount/boxes/etc from each table. Sometimes there will be fresh bread/etc but it's whatever they get from food banks or grocery stores in the area. So, once they're out of something, they're out.

As a volunteer, you'll be asked to.. man a table and make sure it's stocked.. escort the clients around and help them pick out food.. watch the children while their parents shop.. and do general set up/clean up.
If they have enough volunteers, they'll open up their clothing closet.

After volunteering, we went out for lunch with some of the regular volunteers. I thought this was great since I always like finding out about people's backgrounds and why they volunteer.  

This food pantry runs the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month and is open to anyone in need. Harvest is easily accessible by bus and T (Central Sq.). I went with Boston Cares as a project leader, but you can also just show up at 9AM and they'll find something for you to do! :)

Am I drunk or is the boat moving? That seemed to be the most uttered phrase of the evening.

I haven't been to a Yelp event in months and what a way to reacquaint my liver. I'm pretty sure they ran out of liquor before we even left the wharf. And NO, it wasn't my fault.

I'm so glad Boston decided to take one for the team and put aside its pouty rainy self to give us some absolutely gorgeous weather. A few of us made our way all the way to the top while the boat was still boarding and it was really one of those classic summer moments.. sharing some cold bevvies with friends as the sun was setting and water was splish splashing. Wait it's Monday? Shoooottt...  

The food was great. Way classy (no paper plates here), and like everyone else I love me some mashed potatoes. Sad I didn't get a chance to check out the chocolate fountain.. mostly because my hands were full and I was gettin' my dance on. I thought the drinks were mixed well. I liked both the Malibu bay breeze and the Maker's Mark mojito. The MGDs.. well.. most know how I felt about that. ;) The servers were great. I chatted with a few of them since I like when they have those tags that say where they're from. One of them said Philippines, but  the server wasn't from there.. apparently you can pick whatever location you want! haha.. I taught her some curse words and "yes" and "no" in Tagalog. Just trying to give her my appreciation for being so attentive.
heh

Backslash.. after a few drinks.. the cover band started to grow on me. Even though I had to do the awkward robot for the first minute of each song since I didn't know what they were trying to play.

There were so many people and the boat had so many different areas, I didn't get a chance to catch up with 3/4ths of the people I wanted to see, so I wish the cruise was a little longer. Then again, it was a free cruise.. so what am I yapping about? ;P

Thanks to Leighann for organizing this whole shebang and for making sure things ran smoothly. And it's always lovely to see Ms. Miriam make an appearance to check up on all of us crazy Yelpers. Thanks thanks thanks to all..

PS - I didn't spread any rumors or cause any fights. That must have been some other girl in a bright yellow dress.

You gotta eat at one diner when you're on the road (at the least), and after several hours of driving, we ended up at this one.

This place reminds me of most diners. Like it wouldn't be strange if I saw a dude in a leisure suit, a family of 4, and some college kids binging on fries and shakes. Diners don't judge (usually).

This diner however, had an unlimited salad and soup bar option! Famished, I did it up and got some salad and a monte cristo. The salad bar was actually super fresh. Everything looked great and I saw one of the workers continually filling everything up. The soup was just okay. They had some chicken noodle-ish concoction which I sampled. It tasted homemade but slightly old. My monte cristo, however, was below diner standard. The turkey and ham kind of made me gag when I opened up my sandwich.. and the waitress looked at me funny when I asked for some raspberry preserves/jam. That's how it's always served in other places, do people not do that in PA? She brought back strawberry jam and syrup. Um.. ok. I did eat a chunk of it, after taking out most of the ham and turkey (the contents could have easily made 2 1/2 sandwiches).  

The service was quick and the tables/trays/salad bar were clean. Would I stop by again? Sure. I'd probably partake in the salad bar or order breakfast foods. I'm pretty sure they'd be capable of handling pancakes.