credit: Jacqueline G. Freeman
caption #1: Will Onuoha, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Coordinator for the Back Bay, and Kate Quinn of the Newbury Street League, enjoyed hot cider at Poggenpohl on Tuesday, November 14.
caption #2: Martie Dwyer, executive vice-president and director of retail banking for Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, and Jackie Firestone and Laura Owen both of Playbill and Panorama gathered at the tree lighting last week.




Newbury Street is dressed up for the holidays. The trees that line the street are covered in white lights that were turned on last week to kickoff the holiday season.

Retailers from Newbury Street gathered at Poggenpohl for fresh holiday cookies, warm cider, live music and the ceremonial flicking of the switch on Tuesday, November 14.

President of the Newbury Street League Joyce Hampers thanked Citizens Bank for its financial contribution, which went a long way towards lighting the street this year. Martie Dwyer, executive vice-president and director of retail banking for Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, said, “This is the most beautiful street.”

The Back Bay saw a sharp rise in vehicle break-ins earlier this month, with 11 robberies reported in the six days between October 31 and November 5. Eight incidents involved the theft of items valued at over $200.

“The common denominator is people leaving valuable items in the passenger compartment,” said Sergeant Kevin Power. “The opportunities are there.”

Items stolen last week included global positioning systems, ipods, digital cameras, Blackberrys and CDs, as well as a snowboard, golf clubs, a fully packed suitcase, a leather handbag and wrapped gifts.

“If some of these people had taken some precautions, this wouldn’t happen,” Power said.

The majority of break-ins involved entrance through the passenger side window, according to Power. No arrests have been made. The thieves are most likely homeless people or “people randomly going along, looking into car windows,” Power said.

There were 26 vehicle break ins in the Back Bay between September 24 and October 24, during which seven global positioning systems, four laptops and four iPods were stolen. The police department issued a Citizen Observer alert to residents of the Back Bay and Fenway after this period, reminding drivers not to leave valuables in their cars.

Most of the victims were city residents, Power said. The department plans to leave notices the size of parking tickets on windshields in the Back Bay reminding drivers to take precautions with their valuable items.

SIDEBAR
A note from Back Bay police on vehicle break-ins:
Motor vehicle breaks are among the most easily preventable of crimes. They are typically crimes of opportunity, committed by thieves who look for valuables left unattended. These thieves can often be discouraged by taking a few simple steps. Here’s how you can protect yourself against motor vehicle breaks.

DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR WHERE OTHERS CAN SEE THEM. Valuable items such as your laptop, iPod, etc. should never be left in the front or back seat of your vehicle. Always take your valuables with you or move them into the trunk.

Lock your doors and windows. Even if your window is only slightly open, it makes your car an easier target for thieves. A thief will insert a wire into a slightly open window to pop up the door lock.

Replace your standard door lock buttons with tapered ones. Tapered door lock buttons make it more difficult for a thief to hook a wire or device onto the door lock button to pop it open.
Invest in an anti-theft device. When you buy a new or used car, checking to see if it has an anti-theft device is as important as checking the engine. If there isn't one, you should have one installed.

If you observe any unusual activity or observe a car theft or a break-in, call 911.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission will begin digging test pits next week near Embankment Road and construction will begin after Thanksgiving on a 10-month sewer project on Back Street, said Irene Woodfall, director of construction for the BWSC.

While the project will displace Beacon Street residents who park on Back Street, which runs between Beacon Street and Storrow Drive, most agree the work is necessary.

“It has to be done,” said Beacon Street resident Fritz Casselman, who has lived on the street for almost 30 years. “I am glad they are doing it. I thought [BWSC] was pretty cognizant of the issues,” he said.

The project involves replacing the sewer pipe from Embankment Road to Exeter Street, adding a drain pipe and adding a groundwater recharging system to help with depleting groundwater levels. Woodfall said the current sewer pipe is “in desperate need of repair.” The work will continue from Exeter to Massachusetts Avenue, but that portion of the pipe will be lined, rather than removed. Some small sections will be repaired, said Woodfall.

Parking will be removed on Back Street as crews work, in approximately 100 foot increments, said Woodfall. BWSC has arranged for displaced residents to be able to park along Beacon Street, either in metered or residential spots, with a special placard. “At this time our plan is to provide parking on Beacon Street,” said Tom Bagley, manager of Community Services for BWSC.

State Representative Marty Walz expressed concern about removing on-street residential parking. “Loss of any parking spaces in this neighborhood is no small matter,” said Walz.

She asked the commission to look at offering parking in neighborhood garages instead. Bagley said the commission is looking at that possibility.

Walz said the success of the project rests on communicating the day to day construction updates with the neighborhood. “The real challenge will be effective outreach to all the residents of Beacon Street,” said Walz.

To that end, BWSC has a 24-hour phone number (617-989-7000) that residents can call with questions or concerns. They will also be leafleting neighbors with updates and will post project information on the web at www.bwsc.org.

Woodfall also invited residents to let the BWSC know if they are planning a big party or event at their homes. She said they would work with residents to lessen impact.

BWSC started baiting for rats last month in preparation for the project, said Woodfall. She encouraged residents to report heightened rodent activity and to monitor trash and dumpsters along Back Street, which will entice rats out of the sewer.

Walz agreed that the need for the project is unquestioned. “The project is vitality important, particularly to help address ground water depletion in that area” she said. “We have to do the work; we have aging infrastructure.”


SIDEBAR
Some contractors will need to gain access to certain homes during the Back Street project. Woodfall warned residents against opening their doors to strangers. She said all contractors should have a copy of a letter authorizing their request. She encouraged residents to call BWSC or the police if they have any questions.

The common wealth —finally

Deval Patrick’s campaign was short on specifics. This is what you can get away with when you are a handsome, articulate candidate.

Then, in his acceptance speech ten days ago, he got very specific in one realm — our civic realm. He used such words as “civic life,” “a renewed sense of community” and “common wealth,” not just commonwealth.

Then, instead of ranting about cutting taxes in a state where the bridges, parks and schools are falling apart, he talked about goals that we must accomplish as a community of citizens: a revived economy, better schools, better affordable health care, safer streets and more affordable housing.

How he will accomplish those goals is still to be learned. But we’re not even sure it matters. ANY steps that he takes will be better than what we’ve had over the last decade, in which bettering the state has taken a back seat to our leaders decrying same-sex marriage, trying to reduce taxes on their mult-million dollar incomes, and trying to obstruct scientists from using embryonic stem cells to try to find cures for diseases. Efforts to make our lives better were simply forgotten.

But it looks as if the times are changing.

What we liked most about Patrick’s speech was that he articulated the situation we’re stuck with. More than six million of us live together in 351 cities and towns on 10,555 square miles.

Whether we are rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, tall or short, we operate in a public realm and having a good one benefits everyone. Even those who barricade themselves inside gated communities have to emerge onto public roads at some point. Even those whose own children attend private schools have to rely on the public schools to train the employees that staff their companies, law firms and hospitals.

If Massachusetts Avenue is in good repair it helps all of us get home at night. An Esplanade where the grass is trimmed and the landings are in good repair makes life better for all of us. A Muddy River that is free of debris makes a walk nicer and, more important, helps keeps the harbor clean enough to support fish and lobsters.

There was a time in America when the citizenry seemed proud of the democracy they had created and the public spaces that resulted from that democracy. One example is the Boston Public Library, designed with great fanfare as a temple to a new country providing education for all. All across the mid-Atlantic states and the middle west, there are stately Greek Revival libraries and town halls, built between 1820 and the Civil War, which demonstrate a community’s pride in its formation and place within the “last best hope for mankind.”

The name Massachusetts calls itself refers to how its founders regarded the civic realm — we’re not a state, we’re a commonwealth. The plain English says it best. The wealth we hold in common, whether it is the condition of a park or a road, a courthouse, a library or a school, is the measure of how much each of us has been doing our part.

We’ve done it pretty badly over the last decade as everything from the Esplanade to the Longfellow Bridge shows. Perhaps now, with new leadership, we can better that public realm. That a new governor is talking about it is a good first step.

We used to sip red wine, nibble on cheese and swig water. Now we sip varietal wine, nibble on artisanal cheese and choose water for its degree of fizz and mineral tastes.

Given the distinctions that now lend status to other common foods, wouldn’t you expect to have designer turkeys? We do, right here in the neighborhood.

“The top of the line,” said Virgil Aiello, owner of DeLuca’s Market on Newbury Street, “is Eberly, an organic, all natural turkey from Pennsylvania.”

Like DeLuca’s other turkeys, the Eberlys have never been frozen. These turkeys are priced at approximately $4 a pound. Another brand offered at DeLuca’s are the Plainville from New York at $3 a pound. This turkey is not organic, but it has not been fed antibiotics or anything artificial and has been kept in a “reduced stress” environment. DeLuca’s least expensive brand is from Bell & Evans at around $2.50 a pound. It arrives in a chill pack, which is not frozen, but does keep the turkey pretty hard, according to Aiello. This one has a pop-up thermometer.

The Bell & Evans is the leanest type of turkey and has been bred for a large amount of white breast meat, said Aiello. Because these turkeys are so lean, they dry out more quickly if they are overcooked, he advises.

What is Aiello cooking this year for his own Thanksgiving dinner? “I’m trying the Eberly this year,” he said. “I’m expecting a full, satisfying flavor and a succulent, moist turkey.”

He said that freshness is probably one of the most important parts of taste. His turkeys arrive on November 20, three days before Thanksgiving.


Whole Foods has three types

Jason Pearsall, the meat coordinator for the North Atlantic region for Whole Foods, expects to sell about 1500 turkeys at the Whole Foods grocery store at Charles River Plaza.

He said the most popular turkey is the Whole Foods Market brand turkey that sells for $1.99 a pound. “It’s one of the best turkeys out there at that price,” he said.

The turkeys are the Lovelace breed, which was developed on the farm in Orefield, Pennsylvania, where the turkeys are raised, ranging free, with vegetarian feed with no antibiotics. This turkey is Pearsall’s choice for his own Thanksgiving. These turkeys have a pop-up thermometer, but Pearsall cautions that pop-up thermometers tend to overcook turkeys. He suggests that you stick your own thermometer into the thickest part of the bird and roast it until the temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Whole Foods’ two other turkeys are also produced on family farms in California and Pennsylvania. They are fully certified as organic. The Holland White is the most popular commercial turkey breed, since it has a wide breast and short legs. It sells for $3.49 a pound.

The Heirloom Bronze Organic Heritage turkeys come from an old breed celebrated for their flavor, said Pearsall. They cost $3.59 a pound.

Shaw’s has variety

Shaw’s carries both fresh and frozen turkeys and will have brand names like Butterball, which will be familiar, even to hard-core organic food buffs.

“Butterball is a household name,” said Karen Peirce, Shaw’s communication manager, “and our customers are looking for it.”

Shaw’s also carries the brand names Jennie-O, Honeysuckle White, Wild Harvest, Bell & Evans, Aaron’s Kosher and New England Fresh. The Wild Harvest brand is described as free-range and natural.
Shaw’s birds come from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York and Minnesota. The buying team chooses the turkeys based on consumer demand for the brand, quality of the turkeys offered, service (delivery time and storage options) and, of course, price, said Peirce. Before choosing a new supplier, the product is sampled in the Shaw’s test kitchen in West Bridgewater.

“Turkeys with pop-up timers are preferred by most customers,” said Peirce.

Peirce cannot say how many turkeys Shaw’s at the Pru sells because Shaw’s does not disclose sales information. She also said the company does not release pricing information either.