Articles Written By: Alana Ferrari

An Icy Good Time Skating at the Frog Pond

Date: January 8, 2015 Author: Alana Ferrari

Don’t let the polar vortex keep you inside – a hop skip and a jump from the Batch Yard is the Frog Pond on Boston Common, where ice skating and a Café full of comfort foods can provide you with an active and social day out this winter.

Public ice-skating begins in November and usually wraps up in March each year. The rink opens at 10am daily and closes as late as 10pm on the weekend. So grab some friends and for as little as $5 you can lace ‘em up and be a kid again. What? You’ve never skated? Perfect – the Frog Pond not only offers rentals but also lessons to all skill levels – no excuses now!

Forget the brown bag lunch and plan on nibbling a wide variety of selections from the Frog Pond Café. Freddy’s homemade Mac and Cheese is what you’ll find people lining up for, while regular pub fare is also available such as burgers, dogs, fries and wings. There is a Soup of the Day as well as Belgian waffles topped with Nutella, Maple Syrup or whipped cream. Leave your Dunkins’ card at home too, Frog Pond coffee and hot cocoa will keep you plenty warm while you skate.

Check out the latest news and events for the Frog Pond on Twitter at @BosComFrogPond.

Just take the T to Park Street! For more information on planning your specific MBTA route, visit the MBTA Trip Planner.

Reclaimed wood makes for sustainable and stylish design

Date: December 19, 2014 Author: Alana Ferrari

One of the countries best-kept secrets is out and emerging on the east coast as the hottest trend in contemporary design. Reclaimed wood, along with its natural elegance, is a resource that makes a chic statement of economic consciousness and historical character throughout The Batch Yard. Previously the old Charleston Chew candy factory in Everett, MA, The Batch Yard utilizes 26,000 board feet of reclaimed heart pine timbers from the original structure in the flooring, paneling and furniture of the new luxury apartment complex. Pieces of artwork throughout the building are also composed of reclaimed long leaf pine and echo The Batch Yard’s industrial past.

Wood once was the primary building material in the US because it was strong, inexpensive and absolutely everywhere. Now, due to exploitation of the resource, many of the original woods that built the foundation of our country are attainable only through reclamation. Reclaimed lumber is often sourced from decking and timbers rescued from old warehouses, mills, barns, and factories. During the 19th and 20th centuries chestnut, oak, hickory, pine and poplar timber was harvested to build those traditional structures. These trees, grown over hundreds of years without air pollution and human contact, provide the strength, stability and durability of today’s reclaimed wood. Barns are the typical source for the wood but mill buildings and factories throughout the east coast also provide ubiquitous reuse possibilities, much like the historic Charleston Chew factory and the wood proudly displayed at The Batch Yard. Reclaiming lumber from retired mills and factories puts the material to conventional use rather than disposing of it in landfills. During a time of resource scarcity, reclaimed wood provides a sustainable and stylish solution for interior design.

The Craft Beer Renaissance

Date: November 24, 2014 Author: Alana Ferrari

By now we all know that buying local is the way to go; Dedication to exceptional quality, taste, and presentation provided by the passionate members of your own community- what more could you ask for in a beer? The craft brew renaissance is no secret to The Batch Yard neighborhood, this movement has recently established sipping local as essential to new-wave hot spots all over the country, especially in the Boston area.

Having provided the Boston area with its first “nanobrewery,” Being an innovator in the craft beer movement has come naturally to the brewers at Idle Hands Craft Ale. Their inspiration comes from more classic approaches to Belgian styles complimented with modern flavors that provide subtle yet complex taste in their brew. Idle Hands supports the local craft beer community surrounding The Batch Yard as well as the local flavor; food pairings are provided on every bottle’s label listing food and restaurants found in the Everett Area. Idle Hands Craft Ale has a commitment to perfection that is evident in their memorable barrel aged beers.

Night Shift Brewing Company, named one of Boston’s hottest beer gardens, provides an oasis for residents of The Batch Yard and other members of the Everett community. Night Shift’s understated outside appearance is perfectly balanced with it’s spacious industrial brew hall interior. Understanding that everyone drink’s beer for different reason’s, the brewers at Night Shift Brewing Company are sure to have a brew for even the most finicky connoisseur. Night Shift crafts their contemporary flavor using seemingly endless variety of unorthodox ingredients (you can grab a tall Habanero- Agave Rye Ale or Vanilla Bean Pale Ale as well as other vivid combinations year round.) Their style taps into the experimental excitement that comes with the artistry behind creating an innovative brew. Come back to Night Shift every few weeks and taste the whole new variety of brews that are made available.

In Everett, microbreweries reveal New England’s unique flavor where exclusive local brews and local ingredients come together before meeting you and your friend’s downtown. Beer interactivity is up and coming in Massachusetts; so join the hyper-local brewing revolution near The Batch Yard where many of Everett’s breweries are on top of their game.

Check them out here:

http://www.idlehandscraftales.com/

http://www.nightshiftbrewing.com/