New England Boat Show has a boat for every price point. Visit in Boston through Feb 16

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to check out the Progressive Insurance New England Boat Show. It is the largest and best boat show in the area with over 700 of the latest boats for you to check out. Every year, over 50,000 people go to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to see the latest in boating and marine accessories.

Insider Tip: If you go, be sure to bring shoes that can be easily removed and wear socks, as most boat dealers will want you to remove your shoes before walking on the boat.

I enjoyed going on a few of the boats and found it quite interesting how they conserve space in each and every corner. When we toured the queen of the show, the Azimut 45, a glamorous yacht from exhibitor MarineMax, the bathroom combined the toilet with the shower area in a genius layout!

They have a bunch of family-friendly features include Salt, the inflatable humpback whale, kids paddle pool, and even an interactive casting tank. For boating enthusiasts of all ages, there are hundreds of seminars on topics and the latest tech and accessories from exhibitors like Goose Hummock.

They have many booths with vendors and you can get some great apparel, as well as accessories for your next boating adventure. We visited a few of them and recommend checking out Wears Woody for some really comfortable clothing, AirChair for a super relaxing chair that’s perfect for the deck, patio or even beach. Lastly there was a neat company called PaddleNorth who makes inflatable paddle boards and kayaks which are quite rugged and perfect for an adventure on the water!

The Progressive® Insurance New England Boat Show will feature a brand-new entertainment hub, the Discover Boating Experience (DBX). DBX offers guests a place to relax and have a drink while enjoying a variety of topics, seminars and inspirational stories from exhibitors and industry experts.

Boating truly offers something for every lifestyle and budget. Many boats can be financed for $200 or less a month. You can try the Sea-Doo or Yamaha’s new personal watercraft for under $99 a month if you finance, or an entry-level wake sport, fishing or pontoon boat.

I have a deal for my readers to get $5 off one ticket or $10 off two tickets using promo code BOATG03. Kids admitted free.

You can enter to win two tickets to the through Wednesday… enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: We were provided with an experience to check out the New England Boat Show in exchange for this review.

Blue Man Group Boston celebrates 25th anniversary during February School Vacation Week

Photo courtesy of Blue Man Group

Week includes FREE pre-show activities, added matinees & special restaurant offers

BOSTON-   Blue Man Group Boston will celebrate their 25^th anniversary in 2020 and to kick off the festivities, they’ll be bringing their brand of zany creativity to February School Vacation Week.

From Feb. 17-23, Blue Man Group at the Charles Playhouse will host 18 shows, including added weekday matinees at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. During each performance, guests will get in the anniversary spirit with commemorative 25^th anniversary temporary tattoos.

In addition, pre-show activities will let guests get creative with two options offered during the week. From Monday, Feb. 17-Wed. Feb. 19, audience members can join the Blue Man tribe by choosing or creating their own design with glow-in-the-dark face painting. From Thursday, Feb. 20- Sunday, Feb. 23, guests can use various materials like feathers, gems and paint to create their very own mask to wear during the show.

“As we enter our 25^th anniversary this year, engaging with the audience in creative ways is something we’ve always done in Boston and want to continue to do,” said Jonathan Screnci, Blue Man Group Boston Resident General Manager. “These added activities during school vacation week are definitely in that spirit and allows the audience to be a special part of our interactive show experience.”

After all performances, guests are invited to stay and meet the Blue Men and take the ultimate selfie to add to their collection. Doors open one hour before each performance, and, in addition to the special school vacation week activities, there is also a full bar and intactive music and light installation created by Blue Man Group called the “Lounge-U-Lum.” 

Blue Man Group Boston has also partnered with local Theater District restaurants to offer food specials and discounts during the week.

Fans can also save 25% off a family four pack of tickets for select shows Feb. 17-23.  More information about school vacation week activities, tickets and a list of special discounts offered by participating restaurants can be found at: https://www.blueman.com/boston/buy-tickets/school-vacation-week. All activities are free for ticketholders. 

For more information about Blue Man Group Boston and the show experience, check out www.blueman.com. Children under the age of 3 are not permitted in the theatre.

The Globetrotters are coming to New England in February and March

We absolutely love going to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I remember going to see them as a kid and loved their zany antics, fun show and amazing basketball skills. It is fun to be able to take my kids to see the show that brings together families, friends and basketball fans. They are coming to New England and you have chances to see them in three cities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island this winter.

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will bring their new “Pushing the Limits” World Tour to over 200 North American markets and 30 countries in 2020 including New England stops at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA on Feb. 19th at 7:00 pm, Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI on March 20th at 7:00 pm, SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH on March 21st for two games at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm and DCU Center in Worcester, MA on March 22nd 2:00 pm.

New to this year’s tour, and never been done before, include:

• Holders of 21 current world records, the Globetrotters will attempt a new world record live at each game on tour this year, hoping to add to their list of impressive accolades and innovations.
• In many markets, the Globetrotters will also perform their legendary pre-game “Magic Circle” ball handling warmups in the dark, using a glow in the dark Baden basketball to provide the illumination.
• The Globetrotters will celebrate their fans by introducing “The Fifth Quarter,” a free interactive post-game autograph session where fans will have the opportunity to meet the Globetrotters stars up close and personal.

As part of the tour, the Globetrotters will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the four-point shot, a shot 30-feet from the basket which they introduced to the sport in 2010. The team will also bring back its popular “Magic Pass” pre-game event, which enables fans to come onto the court, meet their favorite Globetrotters for pictures and autographs, and even learn how to spin a ball on their finger just like the stars.

Tickets are available at harlemglobetrotters.com and the venues’ websites and phone numbers below:

Feb. 19: Lowell, MA at Tsongas Center
Phone: 866-722-8780
Website: www.tsongascenter.com

March 20: Providence, RI at Dunkin Donuts Center
Phone: 401-331-6700
Website: www.dunkindonutscenter.com

March 21: Manchester, NH at SNHU Arena
Phone: 1-800-745-3000
Website: www.snhuarena.com

March 22: Worcester, MA at DCU Center
Phone: 1-800-745-3000
Website:  www.dcucenter.com

NOTE: We are providing this information since we know our readers are Globetrotter fans. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are our own.

Splitsville: a great place for a bowling birthday party with nothing to spare!

If you are looking for a fun place to have a kids birthday party then look no further than Splitsville at Patriot Place. They have two different packages available where you can rent two or three lanes depending on the size of the party, and the party package comes with pizza, chicken tenders, and all you can drink soft-drinks (soda, lemonade and iced tea). The nice part about the party package is that you just have to show up a little bit early, and hand off the cake to your server who will handle everything. Our server was a very nice woman named Emily who ensured that everything went off perfectly.

A lot of people were invited and we ended up having the larger party, so there were 8 kids per lane and we took up three lanes easily. It was easy to get the shoe rentals and they had the balls right at the lanes. We had to look around for the smaller sized balls for the younger kids, and Emily was a great help. We made sure to use the gutter blockers and they even had a special contraption for the youngest kids to roll the ball down a ramp so they didn’t have to throw it with momentum. If you’re looking to keep score, and even if you’re not, you need to set up the computer so that you can play. We found that you needed an adult should be present to enter it in and having multiple tech-savvy adults made it a lot easier. If you need assistance the staff is easily accessible and very helpful. Our waitress was great because she brought everything perfectly timed and even helped us round up all of the presents after the meal was over.

The tables with booths are set up right near the lanes so that you can eat while bowling and there are other round tables behind the lanes that adults can sit at to watch the kids bowl. What was nice was that you could start bowling and then have the food come out whenever you want. We chose to have it arrive half-way through the party. My wife ensured that the kids had many activities to keep them busy if some weren’t interested in bowling. The best activity enjoyed by all was a little game of birthday-kid-trivia which were some cute questions about the birthday kid’s favorite items that some classmates might know and some friends would know other answers. The one with the most answers won! We also brought some coloring sheets along just in case some kids didn’t want to bowl.

A few things to note, there is an additional gratuity fee ($20 per lane, or 21% of the food & beverage bill, whichever is greater, at the time of this post) since your server is dedicated to your lanes and party. They will help serve the food that is pre-ordered & included in your package or help you order more food from the lane-side menu-if need be! The server will also help serve drinks, for kids & parents. They have all the utensils for the cake and do not charge an additional cake cutting fee! They also have serving utensils, forks, knives, plates & napkins. There are balloon decorations, but you can bring in any other items or goodie bags if you'd like.  One last thing, you also have to sign a contract to save the party date/time and they ask to have a credit card on file that will be charged in full the day of the event.

We highly recommend Splitsville for your kid’s birthday party. A great time was had by all!

NOTE: We were provided with the party package in exchange for writing this review. All opinions, as always, are our own. No other compensation was provided.

What I'm Thankful For

As the holiday season rolls around, I'm mindful of how good my situation is: I have a wonderful, loving wife, two great kids, parents, in-laws, and an extended family that is just amazing. I have a job I enjoy and great colleagues to work with. Our town is a wonderfully diverse community that is full of some really great people. We have friends that are like family and family that are like friends. Through my 40 years of living, I've learned that life is like the tides of the ocean, it ebbs and flows, things go up and things go down. I need to remind myself that when things are going well for me, to enjoy and cherish those moments because they can change at any given point.

So, I wanted to take the time to thank everyone in my life, including you, my readers, because without you, I wouldn't be able to offer some fun opportunities and givewaays. I'm also thankful for the brands and various partners I have met through this journey - it has been quite a fun time!

Stay tuned for 2020,  I have some great things lined up and can't wait to share them with you all!

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Looking for a new electric razor? The Lawn Mower 3.0 by Manscaped is a great option!

Looking for a new electric razor for the holidays? The Lawn Mower 3.0 by Manscaped is a great new option that offers a great trim without any cuts as long as you're careful. This new version comes with an LED light embedded in the razor so you can see where you're trimming if the lighting isn't so great. They also have a ceramic blade that operates at 7,000 RPM so that it offers a close trim with the blades running at just the right speed so you minimize the risk of a nick or a cut. They also partner with the Testicular Cancer Society to educate and help spread the message about early detection and self-screening to protect against men’s health issues and cancer risk.

NOTE: I was provided with a razor to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was provided.

RENT the musical 20th anniversary tour is in Boston through 11/10

RENT, the musical's 20th anniversary tour is in Boston through 11/10 at the Shubert Theater. This weekend, I had the chance to check it out and it was quite moving! One thing I learned is that the first national tour of RENT began in the same spot - Boston's Shubert Theater - back in 1996. One thing to note, it was quite loud (measuring over 100 decibels at the beginning of the show), so if you're sensitive to loud noises, you may want to just be prepared!

In case you're unfamiliar with the show, here's the summary according to the press release:

In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s RENT continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, RENT follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters—love.

Here are some photos I took of the beautiful Shubert Theater, a restored 1500+ seat theatre; and considered Boston Theater District's "Little Princess".

NOTE: We were provided with tickets to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions, as always, are our own!