Earl of Sandwich Opens in Boston Common

Last Monday (November 12th) the Orlando - based sandwich chain Earl of Sandwich opened up a brand new location right in the middle of Boston Common. 

The building in which the restaurant is held is actually a historical landmark. The "Pink Palace" (named for the colors of its stone) a 660-square-foot structure that was built in the 1920's, has been vacant for many years. It was also once the home to a public mens bathroom in the 1970's. Earl of Sandwich signed a 15-year lease with the City of Boston for the location and spent about $1 Million in renovations. 

Today, I had a chance to try out the new sandwich shop. I had the Italian Sandwich which had salami, capicola, roasted ham, mortadella, italian dressing, and mozzarella cheese. The order and pickup windows are located outside (which should get very interesting during the winter months.) The location also boasts tables and chairs located on a small patio in front of the restaurant (I'm guessing they are only seasonal). Overall, I had a great experience and the sandwich was wonderful.

Have you been to Earl of Sandwich yet? Let us know your thoughts on their food, service, and location by leaving a comment below.

Spring time in the city

©2012 Boston to a T

Spring in the city of Boston has always been a time for new additions and old traditions and this year is no different.

As I was walking around the city yesterday I found some new projects that were taking off and some regular occurrences that people were taking advantage of.

In Boston Common, the first signs of the Liberty Mall's rejuvenation were peaking out. The fences protecting the freshly planted sod have been taken down. New portable tables and chairs (much like the ones that are on the Green Way) have been placed all around the new granite plaza. The historic Brewer Fountain has been turned on and the FREE Wi-Fi is now available.

 A local food truck has also made a new home for itself on the plaza. Clover Food Lab, based out of Harvard Square, has ten other locations in and around the city and opened this new location for business yesterday. The truck will be open 7 days a week on the plaza from 7am-7pm selling breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You can check out a menu form their Harvard Square location HERE. You can also follow the new truck on Twitter: @cloverPRK.

On the other side of Boston Common a new type of addition is being constructed. Early last year Aaron wrote a post on how the "Pink Palace", a decrepit and unused men's restroom, built originally in 1920, would be transformed into an Earl of Sandwich Sandwich shop. It has been a long while in the making but the construction on the project is finally getting underway. The plan is for the restaurant to be open year round and have outside seating in the summer. There are currently no specific dates for when the restaurant is set to open. This will also be the first permanent restaurant/retail location in Boston Common.

There are also some old traditions that are roaring back to life here in the hub. Frog Pond was recently filled up and is ready to be enjoyed. There is also going to be a new carousel at the pond that should be debuted very soon. The beloved Swan Boats are awaiting their passengers in the Public Garden. Every year when these unique and beautiful boats hit the water it is a sure sign that Spring has hit the city.
Overall, spring is a very busy time here so make sure you go out an enjoy everything that the city has to offer! 

HAPPY SPRING! 

Boston Common Renovation Part II

Last March Aaron and I posted that historic Boston Common would be going under extensive renovation! Now, a little less than a year later the rehabilitation is almost complete.

The Liberty Mall, which runs from Park St. Station up to the Massachusetts State House, received the largest facelift from the project. Since I pass by the project everyday on my way to class I was able to follow the renovation every step of the way! The entire mall was completely torn up to take away all of the dead grass, cracked concrete, dead trees, and frost-heaved asphalt. Soon after everything was ripped up, huge amounts of loam were brought in and the reconstruction began! The entire Plaza that surrounds the historic Brewer Fountain received new granite tiles and wooden benches. All of the paths were repaved and received new granite sidings and drains. Most importantly however, yards upon yards of fresh sod was rolled down and numerous new trees were planted, creating and even greener Boston Common. To keep the new trees and grass lush and healthy all year long, a new sprinkler system was also installed along the entire mall. Currently, huge fences can still be found surrounding the newly planted sod and trees to make sure that the grass takes properly, but all of the paths are now open to allow pedestrians to walk through and see what's new! 

The visitors center under construction
this past summer

Another major part of the project was to restore the Boston Common Visitors Center. Now fully revitalized and open for business, the center received a head-to-toe facelift. All of the siding was taken down and replaced, a new granite walkway and new outside lighting were installed, and a fresh coat of paint was slapped on. The inside also received some attention with the installation of two LCD display screens, new lighting, and a totally reorganized gift shop. The center is now not only visually appealing, but a wonderful place for Boston's tourist to find out information. 

In the last post I stated that free Wi-Fi would be installed throughout much of the common and that  a stand or building would be installed near the Brewer Fountain. Currently, neither of those have happened and I have not seen or read anything that tell me they will be happening in the near future. Not to worry, though, as I'm sure they will be coming along once summer hits! Overall, the $1.5 Million project, funded by the Friends of the Public Garden, seems to be an overall success. All of the landscape development was done by Valley Crest Landscape Architects. 

Right now this is an eyesore but soon
it will be site of the new elevator!

View from the Red
line platform 

This post would not be complete, however, without a small tidbit about the MBTA. As many of you know, the MBTA is currently underway with its construction of a new elevator at Park St. Station. Although the project is still a ways away from its estimated completion date, Fall 2012, the project seems to be moving along full speed. When all is said and done this $8.7 million project will install two brand new elevators in the station. One will go from the Common to the Green Line westbound platform and the other will go from the Green Line westbound platform to the center platform of the Red line. 

Rally on Boston Common

So even though it's been a week since the death of Osama bin Laden and it's old news by now, I thought I would share some photos of the rally on Boston Common celebrating it that took place on the morning of May 2nd. (Last week was finals week, so I was really busy, but I'm finally home now!)


Dan and I were out on a walk with our friend Trevor on Sunday night/Monday morning. At 1am when we were on our way back home, walking up Tremont Street coming from the South End, we saw a ton of college students (I'm guessing mostly from BU and Emerson) all marching towards the Common, so we decided to tag along with them. We followed them through the Public Garden and into the Common, where everyone gathered around the bandstand and started celebrating and chanting. Cheers such as "Yes we did!" and "Fuck Osama!" along with the national anthem were all sung throughout the night. 


Police kept a close eye on the crowd and were stationed along the edges of the park to make sure the crowd didn't get too out of hand, which it fortunately didn't. The rally was actually pretty short overall, only lasting about an hour and a half. We arrived with the crowd at around 1am and everyone dispersed at about 2:30am. 


So that's my firsthand account of that interesting night. Check out some of the photos I took of the crowd.

"Pink Palace" to Get a New Lease on Life

Late last month the mayor's office released a statement announcing that Earl of Sandwich, a sandwich shop based in Orlando, Florida will be moving into the Boston Common. The restaurant will make its home in the Common's "Pink Palace," an old and decrepit men's restroom, built originally in 1920. The plan is to have outdoor seating.

The Palace, nestled near the tennis courts and the gazebo on the southern end of the Common is a 660 square foot structure that has been long since abandoned and has seen much better days. The city considers it a historic landmark, with its granite walls and glass ceiling. Today one can observe the front door to the Palace locked and hanging by its hinges, the floor falling through, and the ceiling broken all over. You've probably walked by this tiny building many times before without even knowing it. I know I have. 


The project to allow a commercial restaurant to operate within the Common is part of the city's larger plan to help revitalize the 377 year old park, one of the nation's oldest. In addition to the Palace's face-lift, the city has begun construction of the Liberty Mall, located further up the Common, as Dan talked about in a previous post. A remodeling of the Visitor Information Center to upgrade the HVAC system and the restrooms and to allow for less wind to come through the entrance, along with a remodeling of the exterior of the Deer Park Maintenance Building on the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets are also in the works.


Earl of Sandwich has 11 locations nationwide in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Michigan. This new location will be the second for Boston, the other one located at Logan Airport.

Boston Common Renovation!

If your regular commute brings you by the Boston Common, like mine and Aaron's does, then you're probably wondering why there is suddenly a huge fence that stretches from the head houses at the Park Street station up through the liberty mall to the edge of Beacon Street and closes off everything in between.

When I first got back from Spring Break I was very annoyed that these fences were impeding my morning walk to class. When I found out what they were for though I figured I could deal with them for a little while. Well here's whats happening!

Thanks to the Friends of the Public Garden the Common will be getting a well needed, 1.5 million dollar facelift. The 1.5 million will pay for a lot of great upgrades. All of the cracked concrete and pavement in the Liberty Mall will be replaced with new granite pathways and edges. Old decaying trees will be cut down and replaced with new ones. The amount of green space in this area of the Common will be almost doubled. An extensive sprinkler system will also be installed in order to keep the lawns looking lush and beautiful.   Much like the Rose Kennedy Greenway, 80% of the common will have access to free WI-FI service. The largest advancement for the entire project though, is the addition of a stand/building that will serve as a reading room and a rental station. The building will hold magazines, newspapers, and about 400 books, along with rentals of checkers and chess sets. There will also be lots of moveable tables, umbrellas, and chairs to give people a nice place to relax. Visitors of the common may also be able to enjoy free music which will be played by a professional pianist on a custom built piano for the Common! Another thing that is in the works for this project is to get a high end gourmet food truck that will serve this new revitalized area. 

This is a little blurry,  but you can get the gist of it.

The Common isn't the only thing that is getting a facelift though. The MBTA is also funding a large elevator installment and renovation at the Park Street station. This $8.7 million project will install two brand new elevators in the station. One will go from the Common to the Green Line westbound platform and the other will go from the Green Line westbound platform to the center platform of the Red line. 

All of of the renovations to the Common and to the Park Street station are said to start by the end of this week and hopefully end by the beginning of August. If all goes according to plan college students and tourists alike should have a very nice and relaxing place to spend their time!

Sarah Jessica Parker Spotted on Boston Common Today

Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted on the Boston Common today, filming for her new movie I Don't Know How She Does It, set to release in 2012. The comedy, based off the novel by Allison Peterson of the same title, also features Christina Hendricks from Mad Men, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Munn, and Kelsey Grammer, along with other well known actors. SJP stars as Kate Reddy, the main character, who is a big-shot business woman and mother of two children. Check out the awesome shot my friend Caroline Thorpe captured of Parker and Hendricks:

And here's a pic that my friend Malorie got that shows more of the set:

According to an article by the Boston Herald, the crew finished filming in New York and now moved on to Boston to shoot the outdoor parts. Scenes were filmed in the Common, the Public Garden, Post Office Square, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where they will be wrapping up on March 10th.

So if you're out and about in Downtown Boston in the near future, keep your eyes peeled for these stars!