Boston: Boston Marathon 2013

Yesterday tragedy struck close to home.

It's unsettling to think that bad things can happen anytime, anywhere.

Lives were lost, so many brutally injured and the rest are in shock, that a city, just trying to host a marathon, can't do so in peace.

I was supposed to meet Danielle yesterday at the finish line at 3pm, and was talking to Ana on Twitter about doing the same.

I was hesitant to leave the house, taking longer than usual to get dressed, dilly-dallying in the weirdest way, which is strange, because I'm always up for photographing events in the city and normally would have been out much earlier.

I was half an hour late, I got there at 3:30pm, wondering why so many people looked distraught, some crying. I wondered why everyone was on their phones. I wondered why there were so many ambulances and cop cars racing by, more than average for a marthon, I thought. Then I overheard someone say there were two explosions at the finish line.

I'm so thankful that both Danielle and Ana are safe, and that those we knew who were either running or volunteering in the area are also okay.

I'm so touched by all the family and friends who reached out via phone, text, email and tweets, even Instagram friends who reached out, and I thank you for your thoughts and concern.

We continue to mourn those who were killed and pray for those who are injured. Boston is one of the strongest cities that I have come to know since living here, and I know that we will be able to persevere.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Boston: Pillow Fight 2013

International Pillow Fight Day took place on April 6 at North Point Park in Cambridge, this year.

At precisely 3pm, it was game on!

I got pummeled in the head a few times (because I was carrying a pillow and trying to get some shots) in the center of all the action! I managed to swing a few myself, too.

Will you join in next year?

Boston: L.J. Peretti Co. Tobacconists & Cigar Merchants

Location:

2 1/2 Park Sq, Boston, MA 02116

http://www.ljperetti.com

Sounding like something out of Harry Potter, with the 2 1/2 Park Sq address, L.J Peretti's is a new discovery, for me, but an institution in Boston, having been in the city for over 140 years and has seen the likes of Bing Crosby, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Alan and Ginnie, who I introduced to you before in Amsterdam, were visiting with us in Boston last week, and Ginnie stumbled upon L.J Peretti's on one of her walks and wanted to take Alan (a pipe smoker and tobacco connoisseur) there.

Naturally, I wouldn't miss seeing a new (to me) place in Boston. I felt like I was in a Diagon Alley world!

Where the tabacco gives an earthy-ness to the air and the lingering puffs of smoke hover lazily above. Where a smartly dressed man smokes a cigar in the afternoon, sitting on a leather chair that is both sturdy and familiar. Where tins of tobacco and hand-made briar pipes line the walls and cigar boxes blanket every last inch of the counter.

The star of the show, though, are the brass scales. As classic as you can get!

I'm not a smoker, but after stepping into this historic society, I wanted to be a part of its world...and of course, anything with a "Co." in its name is a friend of mine!

Boston: Nemo, 2013

This weekend I experienced the first snowstorm since moving to Boston from Toronto. With everything shut down in the city and a driving ban in full effect, meant no New York Fashion Week for me.

And, I LOVED IT.

It reminded me of the crazy winters of Toronto, and having a SNOW DAY (sure it was the weekend, but still!)

For me, it was a PHOTO DAY. It meant bundling up in snow pants and boots with a camera in one gloved hand and an iPhone in the other. A four hour walk with a break for lunch at the Taj, meant a LOT OF PHOTOS. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll recognize one of these, taken on Charles St. which was a winner on @IgersBoston for the best Nemo coverage in Boston, thank you Igers Boston!

I hope everyone was safe during the blizzard! Props to the city of Boston; the salt trucks, snow plows and police for being on the roads all day clearing the snow!

Open HeARTS Inc. Presents #GoingMobile

I am showing a couple of Instagram photos at the Open HeARTS Inc. "Going Mobile" exhibit tonight from 6-8:30pm if anyone is able to drop by!

Boston: Marathon, 2012

It's interesting that Greece is currently being featured on the blog, because the "marathon" race comes from the legend that a Greek soldier Pheidippides ran from the Battle of Marathon (a town in Greece) to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. He ran the distance of 42.195 km or 26.2 miles, later established into the marathon sport at the 1896 Olympics in Athens.

And so, it's very exciting to be in Boston during THE Boston Marathon. Although I wasn't able to see the runners actually RUNNING, I managed to catch a bit of the aftermath close to the finish line near Arlington Station. It was HOT, people. At 4pm it was still hot, and I couldn't imagine how the runners got through it.

Bravo to everyone who ran.

Boston: Bruins + The Yellow Bees

I'm happy to introduce my niece's blog! It's called The Yellow Bees. She, along with a group of friends from school have started this blog where they post about the jewelry they make and the things that they are involved in.

My niece recently posted about the Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game we went to at the TD Garden where we had amazing box seats.The Bruins won 8-0. Yep, that's right.

I'd love it if you would stop by and say hi to The Yellow Bees!

Boston: Blogger Meetup at the ICA

Last night I met up with some Boston Bloggers at the ICA in Boston, in the seaport district. The ICA is a beautiful structure completed in 2006, airy and minimalist in its style much like the art it houses. Some of the works were particularly interesting such as the paintings by Sue Williams, which I think we may have enjoyed a little too much!

Then we were off to Anthony's Pier 4, a charmingly old and nautically inspired resturant on the water. Reminded me very much of Toronto's similarly named and decorated, Pier 4 Storehouse. Can't speak for the food but I liked that they had Earl Grey and that too, loose leaved! Also the service was friendly at the bar!

Here are a few captures from the evening, with Emily, Sarah, Anna, Aubrie, Danielle, Clair and Melanie.

Some via Instagram.

Boston, Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel: Dress for Success

I had the honour of capturing the Dress for Success luncheon on Friday January 27 held at the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

Dress for Success is an incredible organization which provides professional attire, career guidance and network support to women looking to find work. This year marked the 11th year of empowerment of 6,800 women.

The event was emceed by WCVB-TV's Shayna Seymour, with speeches by event co-chairs Rosalin Acosta and Lois Cornell, Chair of the Board of Directors, Jacqui Budd and Executive Director Kim Todd. The auction part of the luncheon was conducted by John Terrio of AuctionKnights. Awards honoured Boston's First Lady Angela Menino, Rick Condon and Jacqui Budd and were presented by Co-Founders Enith Levine and Nancy Schneider.

Over 400 guests were in attendance, including many of Boston's familiar faces such as NECN anchor Bridget Blythe, Wanye Budd of Goodwin Procter, Dan Kramer and Annette Goubeaux of Neiman Marcus, Kristen Daly, Tara Goodwin Frier and Margrette Cardone Mondillo from Goodwin PR, amongst other sponsors and supporters of Dress for Success.

Thank you to Kim Todd and Emmy Whitney for the opportunity to cover this fantastic event!

Boston: New Wing Photo Contest Winner

Between Jan. 19 and 21, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum asked visitors to help tell the story of the opening of the new wing by posting photos on their Facebook page or on Twitter (@gardnermuseum).

I'm happy to announce that I won first prize (jazz concert tix!) for Thursday Jan 19 with the following shot (via Instagram and posted on Twitter: @hoggerandco).

You can see the rest of my photos from the day, here.

Thank you ISGM!

Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opened a new wing on January 19 and I was there to capture the spirit of the day. Loved spending time in the gorgeous and retro Richard E. Floor's Living Room.

One of the highlights was meeting artist Cesare Pietroiusti and taking part in his workshop which took place in the Claire and John Bertucci Education Studio. The artist's project is the production and distribution of free drawings - 3500 to be exact. Using varying mediums (from salt-water to tea, coffee and ink) the idea is to create a work of art that you leave behind for someone else to take home the following day. Each sheet of paper had a different condition on the bottom. That day it was:

"The holder of this drawing commits to give it away, three months after having received it, to a person of their choice who lives south of them"

The medium of the day was dark Boston beer, how perfectly. And at the end of the day I was so happy to come home with both coffee and salt-water art created earlier this week. I loved how the adults and elderly who took part in the workshop sat at the tables in child-like wonder playing with the medium, totally engrossed in the whole process. I certainly spent a long time in

The 2nd floor's Special Exhbition Gallery is absolutely stunning with it's magnificent high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A wonderful place to have work exhibited, to be sure. I also sat in on a fun performance in Calderwood Hall, the new space for acoustic events.

The gorgeous exterior and beautiful brightly lit Cafe G complete the new wing.

It was my first time visiting The Palace, the original Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which opened back in 1903. Photography was not allowed which allowed me to really immerse myself in the iconic works of art as well as be enveloped in lavish antiques and their history.

I could have been there longer, and I was already there the whole day! :) Time flew by, it's a mesmerizing place to be in Boston.

Boston: Celtics vs. Raptors @ TD Garden

I went to my first ever basketball game tonight at the TD Garden (many people don't know that TD stands for Toronto Dominion) and it was extra special because it was the Boston Celtics vs the Toronto Raptors. Whaa-!

We had spectacular seats and were surrounded by green jerseys, hats, balloons and other memorabilia. It was hard not to cheer on the Celtics, but there was no booing for the Raptors from us! The Celtics won 96-73.

The best part of the night? Likely the drummer outside North Station who had a whole audience dancing to his tunes and us bopping home.

Boston: The Ether Dome

One of the most fascinating historic landmarks that we've visited since moving to Boston is the Ether Dome in the Bulfinch Building at Massachusetts General Hospital.

One Year Ago...2011

Happy New Year Peeps!

2011 was a crazy year for us:

We moved from Toronto to Boston.

I said goodbye to my animation job (The Backyardigans, Justin Time) in Toronto to focus on professional photography full-time.

I shot two of my favourite families before we left: The Brights and The Hamiltons

I launched HOGGER & Co., consolidating three (Foodhogger, Fashionhogger, Photohogger) websites into one.

I shot at Boston Fashion Week within weeks of moving to Boston.

I reviewed some amazing restaurants like Nil Bleu in Montreal, Roy's in Hawaii and reviewed some interesting products like Olivado's Avacado Oil.

I shared some fun recipes, like Cardomom Cake, Spicy Tilapia and How to make Cake Pops.

We travelled to Hawaii, Quebec City, Montreal, Boston, Amsterdam and Greece.

I tweeted the Royal Wedding LIVE. With my Mom. Whilst we wore hats.

My photographs were selected for an exhibit at the Boston Convention Center and are ongoing until April 2012!

I met designers Zac Posen, Badgley Mischka, Roopal Patel and Bibhu Mohapatra while covering them for Neiman Marcus.

I met Mindy Kaling.

I got to know some cool Boston Bloggers at several fun events (Holiday Party, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lit Boutique, Zoora)

We went home for Xmas.

One year ago on the blog.

Thank you for all the support through 2011; it was so nice to meet a few of you in person last year and I look forward to getting to know each of you better in 2012!

Let's do this!!!

Mindy Kaling Book Signing

If you've checked out my "Links" page, you'll notice that I list them under "Blogs I've Read that I Like"; an ode to Mindy Kaling's "Things I've Bought That I Love", which has since been resurrected into "The Concerns of Mindy Kaling". Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you're aware that Mindy, not only an accomplished writer, producer, director and the actress we best know as Kelly Kapoor in The Office, has also recently published a book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)."

The book is hilarious, heartfelt and had me bursting out into laughter throughout.

When Mindy tweeted to the world that she'd be at Harvard Book Store for a reading and signing of her book on Dec 5, she caused the site to crash leaving many of us unable to purchase tickets to the event.

Taking place at the Brattle Theatre, some of us who were not lucky enough to get tickets, waited in the rush line and as we waited, Mindy strolled by with a smile. Most of us were rendered speechless by her presence and soon the moment was gone. Then we found out we couldn't get in as the theatre was at capacity with those who had tickets. Disappointed, most of the people in our line decided to leave.

Except for the three of us.

I met Sailaja and Torey. Sailaja had been waiting since 3:20pm and was fuh-reezing. The three of us decided to wait it out in the hopes that they'd let us in for the book signing part, at least.

An hour or so later, they did.

We got to meet her, tell her about our wait in line, tell her about our blogs and got this photo.

I also love that Mindy's holding my card in the photo I took of her, which gives me hope that she may see this post, someday.

Be sure to hop on over to Brown Girl Magazine for a recap from Sailaja's POV.

Here are the photos from the event.