URGENT MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO WILL ATTEND OUR MARCH 1 EVENT

112288 has asked me to do some of the logistical work on this event, and I can’t do it without your help.  VERY IMPORTANT.

We need a list of the number of people who will definitely be attending the game, the dinner before the game, and the brunch the morning after the game.  We need this information on this thread even if you’ve told us before about your plans.

On this thread, please write your board name and then write three numbers:

a. The number in your party (including yourself) who will probably attend the dinner before the game

b. The number in your party (including yourself) who will definitely attend the game itself

c. The number in your party (including yourself) who will probably attend the early Sunday brunch

Please also tell us, IF you will probably attend the Sunday morning brunch, what would be the best starting time for you.

Some Information to Help with Your Decision as to Dinner and/or Brunch:

Unfortunately, we’re still trying to determine where to hold the dinner and the brunch, which is why I included the word “probably” instead of “definitely” in those two options.  The way things stand is as follows:

Dinner will begin not later than 5:00 p.m. so we can get to TD Garden before the start of the game.  We’re trying to settle on a place that fits as many as possible of the following criteria:

• Walking distance from TD Garden (which, in March, shouldn’t ignore the possibility of snow or rain).  This will allow us to park cars in the
Garden parking lot prior to the game and access them readily after the game.  It should also relieve us from the need to get taxis, which is difficult-to-impossible within the first 45 minutes following a game.

• Diverse menu and good (not gourmet) food.  (Lots of complaints about Cheers last year)

• Can reserve for a party of our size.

• Reasonably priced—not some elite place that would cost an arm and a leg.

Jerry Remy’s has been suggested for dinner, and it apparently meets price and food criteria (although there aren’t many entrées on the menu); but, at 1265 Boylston St., it’s at least a mile from TD Garden (remember the snow or rain possibility).  They do have a parking lot, so it would be possible to park there during dinner and drive to the Garden after dinner.  But, by that time, Garden parking availability could be a real problem.  The link to Remy’s website is: http://jerryremys.com/fenway/

Boston Beer Works, at 110 Canal St., is very close to TD Garden.  Their menu is a little more extensive than Remy’s; and with entrées in the $10-$13 range, they’re quite reasonable.  I have never been there, but Mrkleen assures us that the food is very good and has offered to guarantee that, if you don’t like the food, he and Erin will give us their soon-to-be-born baby (at least during diaper-changing time).  Parking is on-street only, but presumably most of us would be parking in the Garden parking lot.  The link for the Boston Beer Works website is: http://beerworks.net/

So, for the moment, we’ll be going to Boston Beer Works for the pre-game dinner unless anyone has good reason to veto that place.  I have made a tentative reservation for 5:00 p.m. on March 1, but I need to give them an accurate number of attendees a.s.a.p.

As for the optional brunch on Sunday morning, there are many brunches to choose from, but we really need a place that will accept reservations and where we won’t risk having to wait in line.  The Wenham Tea House has been suggested by 112288 and Mrkleen.  (112288 offered a similar quality guarantee involving his grown twin daughters, but they threatened to beat him up, so he has retracted his offer.)  Actually, they both say the place is great.  It is located in Wenham on Boston ‘s North Shore, and it is open for brunch from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  (112288 says it’s a 30 minute drive from Boston.  I'll be calling them tomorrow (Saturday) to inquire into reservation possibilities, but we'd like your feedback on the appeal of  this place before we make it official.

For those who aren’t aware of this place, the link for their website (including the menu) is: http://www.wenhamteahouse.com/

Thanks for your help in planning this event.

Sam

That seems fine with us Sam. Too much of a walking distance would be a problem for Bill, he is now walking with a cane. We will be there for the dinner, I spend Sundays with my Mom, so do not count us in for the brunch.

Thanks to both of you for doing all this planning.

Rosali

.

Sam

I will be at the pre dinner and game with my father Eugene.

I am confident that the Boston Beer Works is better than Cheers.  Again, it is just bar food - but their burgers, apps and salads have been good...and they have some great in house brews.  I think it is as solid as any place in the general area of TD Garden.  I would be happy to have any help with changing diapers starting in May - so if that criteria, I GUARANTEE this will be a great place

Sunday for brunch is up in the air to be honest - as Erin' baby shower is the following weekend and we may be running around getting things worked out...but if you guys do agree to go there, we can work on getting up there.

For the Tea House - it is very charming.  I have eaten there only once and it was very good.  My parents go there often and I even think Erin had her engagement brunch there, so would give it a thumbs up as for it quality.  It is a good 40 minute drive North of Downtown however, so be aware

I've been to both Jerry Remys and Beer Works, both are no comparison to Cheers. The entre to get at Jerry Remys is the beef tips, its actually chunks of marinated steak exactly like Korean barbecue, absolutely delicious and their burgers are great too, a notch above Beer Works, which is also pretty decent.

I'll be with my same 5 as last year, I think the wives are going to play Mah Jong with some other ladies, we will defintely do dinner and game. Sunday brunch is too early for us as I'm very lazy and still a late sleeper.

Thanks Mrkleen. Sounds like we won't get to see Erin, but it's very understandable. It was my impression that Wenham would be more than a 30-minute trip, but 112288 swears he makes it in 30 minutes from Boston. I just checked, and it's 29 miles from Boston to Wenham. We'd welcome more input about whether eating brunch in Boston rather than Wenham would dramatically change the attendance rate.

Cow, I just called and placed my order for the beef tips. It worked out well, because they'll have only one order left on the evening of March 1.

Sam

Karen and I (2) will be attending dinner and Sunday brunch wherever.  I think the Beer Works is looking like the most logical in terms of walking distance, quality of food and price so my vote is THE BEER WORKS!

Karen and I wander wherever, so distance is no problem for brunch. Karen and I have had brunch at the Wenham Tea room  5 -6 times and the breakfast is TOPS (french toast, waffles, home fries, bacon, scones!),  and for tea drinkers they have a very nice selection of interesting tea blends.  Nice atmosphere with a gift shop for the ladies.

112288

1 for dinner and the game, won't be able to make the brunch

Thanks, 112288 and BobC. We still need to hear from everyone who's attending any part of the event a.s.a.p., even if you already think we know your plans. We'll be making reservations based on what we see on this thread.

Thanks,

Sam

I'm getting in to Boston, taking the Chinatown bus from NY, on 3/1. I haven't booked the ticket yet, since I was waiting to see a thread like this about extracurricular activities.

A. 1, the number for pre-game dinner. Me.
B. 1, the number attending the game. Me.
C. 1, the number attending Sunday brunch. Me.
D. 14 or so, the number of people who will be sick of seeing me by Sunday afternoon.

I will have no transportation in Boston, so I would appreciate any lifts to/from locations.


bob


.

Bob, consider the lifts a fait accompli. And thanks for responding.

Sam

Rosalie, I'm with Bill in terms of walking. Since Sally will be at the dinner but not the game, we'll be parking outside the Boston Beer works during dinner. Then, she'll drop me off at the Garden and will pick me up after the game. So we can give you and Bill transporation even from the dinner to the Garden and, if you'd rather leave your car somewhere easier and/or inexpensive than the Garden parking lot, we can even pick you up from that spot and take you to the dinner.

Thanks for responding, and you know we're all looking forward to seeing you (and in BobC's case, seeing you again).

Let me know (on the board, or via Private Message, or by email at SlipSamCelt) what would be the best park-and-be-chaufferred plans for you.

Sam

So far, I count the following as attending:

Cowens party of 5 (dinner and game)
Rosalie party of 2 (dinner and game) Local transportation to be provided by Sam
Mrkleen party of 2 (dinner and game)
BobH party of 1 (dinner, game, brunch) Local transportation to be provided by Sam
BobC party of 1 (dinner, game)
Worcester party of 2 (dinner, game)
112288 party of 2 (dinner, game, brunch)
gyso party of 2 (dinner, game, brunch)
Sam party of 2 (dinner, brunch) and party of 1 (game)

That's a total of 19 for the dinner, 18 for the game, and 7 (possibly 9 depending on Mrkleen) for brunch.

I have the feeling we are missing people.  Anyone else?

Thanks,

Sam

Worcester and son will be there for dinner and the game, but not for brunch.

BTW, I have sent an e-mail to Skip about having the meal at his Applebee's and am awaiting his response.

Bob Heckler and Cow- I'll be arriving in Boston late Friday evening and staying at a hotel. If you want to get together for brunch March 1st, I can show you a little of Boston.

I HAVE MADE RESERVATIONS AT THE WENHAM TEA ROOM IN WENHAM, MA.

-  FOR SUNDAY MARCH 2nd - AT 9:30AM - UNDER RICH/SAM'S CELTIC FORUM. 

-  THE WEB SITE IS BELOW - AND DRIVING DIRECTIONS.

-  ADDRESS: 4 MONUMENT STREET - WENHAM, MA.  01984 - TEL. (978) 468 - 1398



http://www.wenhamteahouse.com/

 DIRECTIONS - FROM BOSTON

1) Take the I-95 N exit, EXIT 37A, toward Peabody.
   
2) Merge onto RT-128 N.
   
3) Take the RT-1A N exit, EXIT 20A, toward Hamilton.
   
4) Turn slight right onto RT-1A/Dodge St. Continue to follow RT-1A.
 
5) Turn left onto Monument St.
Monument St is just past Cherry St
Wenham Public Library is on the corner
If you reach Arbor St you've gone a little too far
 
6) #4 MONUMENT ST is on the right.
If you reach Cherry St you've gone about 0.4 miles too far
 


112288

112288 - I just heard back from Skip. This is what he had to say:




Worcester -
I'm no longer involved with Applebee's and there is no Applebee's close to the Garden.

You may be thinking of my Irish Restaurant and Pub (The Kinsale) which is a 10 minute walk to the TD Garden.

Log onto "ClassicIrish.com" and click on The Kinsale.

You can see pictures of the restaurant and our menu.

There's an area in the bar ( what the Irish call a "Snug") that we can block off but the bar is noisy.

If it's a reunion of sorts, I wouldn't recommend the bar.

The dining room is quiet, with high ceilings, and easy for conversation

I'm sure we can accommodate your party and they'll take good care of you.

Let me know if you want me to make a reservation at the Kinsale for your group.




Skip

Thanks for the response, Worcester. By the way, we'll be driving up for the brunch and then driving back through Boston on our way home after brunch. If all that's keeping you from attending the brunch, we could take you two there and back to Boston afterwards. That's what we're doing for Bob Heckler.

I've edited my previous summary. So now, we will have 17 for the dinner, 16 for the game and a minimum of 5 (hopefully more) for the brunch.

Sam

Worcester,


THANKS!

112288

Sam, no, my son and I will be driving to Maine right after the game; then we hope to go skiing Sunday.

Thanks anyways.

If Boston Beer Works is 5 minutes from the Garden, Kinsale is no more than 10 minutes further (probably less), and if Worcester has a hook up there - that sounds good to me.

Only issue with the Kinsale is there wont be any street parking in the area, as it is right across from City Hall and all the Federal buildings with very tight security since 9/11 - so people would need to park near the garden and walk over, or park in a lot near the Kinsale and walk to the Garden and back

Worcester,

Are you going to Sunday River or Sugarloaf? Maine usually means one of those two. Great spots either way.

Sam

I'd prefer Sugarloaf by far, but my kids probably can't get away long enough for the trek there so we may just go to Shawnee Peak. Also that's near my d-i-l's mom who can babysit my two grandsons.

So we now have two candidates for our dinner venue: Boston Beer Works and Kinsale. As I understand it, they're both pub-type places that also serve food. The menus of both seem to have a variety of entrees. I have no reason (unless someone can tell me) to believe they're very different from one another in terms of food quality. Prices are comparable; the entrées at Boston Beer Works range from $7 to $20; and, at Kinsale, they range from $10 to $17. On-street parking at both places is no better than very iffy, although at 4:45 (when I believe we're going to convene for dinner), it might be a little less bad on Boston Beer Works' Canal Street than at Government Center, which is always extremely busy even on a Saturday. It appears that either place will make a reservation for us.

I believe the main difference is location. We'll be having a wide variety of attendees, with a wide range of physical capabilities. We also will be in a climate that is no stranger to snow at the beginning of March and rain at all times. The difference between a five-minute walk and a 15-minute walk may seem like only a simple 10-minute add-on to some but more like three times the length to others; and that's without factoring in possible weather contingencies.

I'm going to park on the street if it's Boston Beer Works or at the Government Center Garage if it's Kinsale, and my wife will drop me at the Garden on her way to enjoy evening television at our hotel, and she'll pick me up later. So which place we eat at really doesn't matter to me, because I won't have far to walk either way and the weather won't bother me in the car. We currently have a reservation at Boston Beer Works; I just need to let them know the number in our party. But the reservation can be canceled without financial penalty.

However, we have to come to a decision soon. So thrash it out among yourselves and let us know which place you prefer. (Please, no additional candidates this late in the going.) I'm going to make an arbitrary deadline of this coming Tuesday (Feb. 11) at 9:00 p.m. for the board to make a decision, so I may confirm a reservation.

Thank you,

Sam

Sorry for the delay with my answer.

Two for dinner
Two for the game
Two for brunch

Thanks,

gyso