March 2008 Issue
The Smart Buys in a Scary Market
We know: Between the topsy-turvy prices and the subprime mess, it’s a real estate nightmare out there. But after grilling dozens of brokers and hundreds of industry experts, we’re pleased to report there are some bright spots for jittery house-hunters (and owners). A road map to 29 neighborhoods and towns that are holding their value, or are poised to be big winners when the next boom rolls around.
Feature
Hooking Up with the Joneses
If you believe the cocktail chatter, swinging is alive and very well in Cohasset, Needham, Marblehead, and everywhere in between. Suburban legend? Or are your neighbors, and their neighbors, really getting it on? Pagan Kennedy went to find out for herself.
Ben Mezrich: Based on a True Story
Ben Mezrich digs up real-life tales that are almost too incredible to believe, then turns them into bestselling books—and that has transformed the one-time Harvard geek into the bigshot writer he always wanted to be.
The Race to Save the Rare Books
While City Hall and activist patrons quarrel over the future of the Boston Public Library, thousands of the world’s oldest and most valuable books sit on its shelves, slowly rotting away. It’s up to Stuart Walker, Lord help him, to wage the lonely, page-by-page battle to keep them from being lost for good.
Department
The Copycat Saint
Boston has no shortage of nonprofit groups. The provocative question at the heart of venture capitalist John Simon’s GreenLight Fund—which cribs the best initiatives from around the country and imports them here—is whether we have the ones we really need to solve the city’s problems.
The Coolest Sellouts in Town
Edgy ads! Side projects with U2! A court fight with ex-clients! Gratuitous punctuation! It’s all part of the business plan for maverick ad firm Modernista!, whose founders are about to find out if the mainstream will line up to buy what they’re selling.
Bombs Awaaaay!
Critics say the once-raucous, now-lame Southie St. Patrick’s Day breakfast ought to be killed off before it gets any more embarrassing. But the critics are wrong. More than ever, Boston needs this show to go on.
Restaurants
Dining Out: Ooh La Voile
The authentic French fare at the new import on Newbury Street is the ingredient that’s been missing from Boston’s brasserie boomlet.