Johnny’s List of Quirky Boston Events: 12/15/05

12/15/05 by

Ho ho ho. This week, there’s
Christmas Caroling, Dec 18 & 21, with the Loose Canon Chorale. Dec. 18, 3:00-5:00 PM, for Downtown Crossing & Harvard Square. Dec. 21, 7:00-9:00 PM, Jamaica Plain. They have caroling booklets available for download if you want to make up your own caroling parade, too.
A few months ago I picked up an adult education coursebook, and this was the big event that stood out. It’s
Art Weekend for Beginners, Dec 17 & 18, with the Boston Center for Adult Education. In just 2 days you get to try a variety of art projects and what better way to spend a weekend with a buddy. $159 for 2 days, register in advance. 617-267-4430. Classes in Arlington. Class # YBAI 09. There are a variety of other courses as well.
Another alternative activity for the holidays is to
Leave Boston Entirely. I have to confess, I’ve always been one of those people who thought traveling was so expensive that I had to do it the BIG way, or no way at all. Recently, I’ve been getting advice that package deals — if they come from a good source such as AAA or Budget Travel Online (which is Frommers) — are worth the gamble. Even if you only have $500 to spend (each), you can do something fun domestically. If you have $1500, you can go anywhere in the world. Personally I managed to get train & hotel to NYC for $500 for about 5 days. Now let’s see how much I can spend on Broadway. 🙂
Actually, while I have your attention here’s the
trick to cheap NYC show tickets. Also see this link. I’ve never done this myself but insiders swear by it. Go to the TKTS booth in Times Square on the day of the show.
Ask your hotel when they open, because you want to be there when they
open. The line is really long, but it moves quickly – and it shouldn’t take
much more than half an hour tops. When you get to the counter, there’s a LED screen showing which shows have tickets available, and they’re usually good seats at half price. If you have your heart set on one particular show, you may want to buy tix in advance, but if you just want to see a good show and are flexible as to which, it’s the only way to go. Note: cash only!
Also coming up is the
Illuminations Tour (Xmas Lights in Somerville), Sunday Dec 17th. This is a trolley tour for 45 minutes around to Somerville’s most decked out holiday houses. At first I felt this was just an excuse for some rich Somervillians to show off their mansions. But it’s one of the few outdoorsy things going on this weekend, it’s happening all day from 4:30pm to 9:30pm, and they have chorus music and cookies. Can’t beat that!
Another fun thing to try this weekend would be
Skiing at Wachusett Mountain. It’s the best combination of close to Boston and yet not sucky. The Blue Hills is closer but it’s just too short. Nashoba Valley I haven’t tried. And definitely get yourself up to New Hampshire — the White Mountains has Wildcat Mountain, Canon Mountain, and tons of alternatives to choose from. If you’ve never tried it before, skiing is easier to learn than snowboarding, and go to a place that also offers snow tubing. Snow tubing is when you sit on your butt on a big inner tube and just go for a sledding ride. Anyone can do it, and it saved me a couple of years ago when I went skiing with a first-timer who tried skiing and didn’t like it. No, people do not break their legs. The snow is soft! More on skiing next week.