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This week has been terrifying. Last night, while glued to local news streams and Twitter feeds at 2:30AM, a friend who was awake doing the same asked how she was ever going to fall asleep. I felt that way as well but eventually dozed off after putting on an episode of Parks and Rec in an attempt to feel a bit lighter. And speaking of the show, wonderful human being Amy Poehler has now provided a few wise words of her own on just how to cope with everything that's been going on in the last few days. 

Casey Affleck: model citizen of New England. And of course, as Boston’s finest cinematic gem—save his multi-Oscar-winning brother and/or Matt Damon—Affleck has taken on the job of Creative Advisor to the city’s Independent Film Festival. For IFFBoston, which kicks off this year on April 24,  the actor, director, and writer will “offer programming output, reaching out to studios, filmmakers and talent, connecting the festival with local charities, and advising on it’s growth into a ‘a world-class film festival.’

Every Boston-dwelling Patriots fan needs their bar to watch the game, chow down on some loaded potato skins, and eventually cry into their coagulated nachos and eighth Heineken. Lucky for them, we've found the five best Boston sports bar to do just that. No matter who they're with and what atmosphere they're craving, these spots will leave them happy on Sunday - or, at least, as happy as they can possibly be. 

Boston, ultimately a rock & roll town, makes lurches towards more glamorous, New York conceptions of nightlife, but tends to never go too boldly into it. But the W Boston carries the brand’s DNA, and could thusly be trusted to carry it off with panache. And so while everyone seems to be reaching higher and higher into the sky, the W is plunging party people down into the Earth with its new and unambiguously named 3000-square-foot bar Descent.

It's not easy being spooky or chic, but luckily, we're here to help. Introducing Cointreau’s Spooky Chic Halloween, a nationwide celebration throughout Halloween week. Check out some of the photos in Boston ( Read More »

Boston fashion circa 1999? Not so much. But since arriving in the colonial town yesterday, I've noticed just how much has changed since I last lived here. The once stuffy neighborhood of Beacon Hill is surprisingly unstuffy. There's now a monthly gay party in South Boston (South Boston -- this is no man's land), and people actually look happy walking around during the coldest month of the year. Scratch that, people are actually walking around. My favorite change, however, is the addition of the Liberty Hotel, which didn't exist back in my Boston days (it opened in 2007). To make the boutique attraction, a former jail built in 1851 was gutted out and transformed, apparently, into what's now a model-magnet - on the Thursday night we were there, anyway.

A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again? Drive in a snowstorm. Not a good idea from the get-go, but Sam was nervous about driving after dark, so we hopped in our Toyota Yaris and drove through the great white abyss onto Highway 95. To make no mention of the howling wind or our obstructed view from the wall of gray clouds and falling snow, one early sign we should have pulled over was the fact there was only one "good" lane on highway 95, and it was less than drivable. Other signs? The song "I can see for miles" by the Who came on the radio, which was just a little too ironic, and while I was texting our friend Chris about the dangerous conditions—"roads are awful, we may wreck"—he texted back jokingly that we should wear helmets. Right then, the car suddenly hit a solid patch of ice and spun out of control.

When I lived in Boston as an undergrad, my least favorite neighborhood was Beacon Hill. Perhaps I was a jaded, broke college student who grudgingly worked at the high-end Savenor's Market in the heart of the 'hood selling $3 apples to customers who paid $3 for apples, but the only thing I truly miss about Beacon Hill is XV Beacon, which opened the year I left the city. It was the place to go, whether as an over-night guest or as a local grabbing a drink. The atmosphere was elegant and chic but not in the neighborhood's typically pretentious, super-rich way. Ten years later, not much has changed at XV Beacon, atmosphere-wise. What's different? The hotel has completely enhanced the property in honor of its decade as one of the most appreciated hotels in Boston.

As conventional wisdom would have it, city governments are usually too calcified by stubbornness and bureaucracy to really change the world. But, together with nonprofits and activists, many American cities have imagined novel ways to reduce pollution and help make society more sustainable. Here’s a look at a few places, from New York and Los Angeles to Anchorage and Braddock, that have found creative ways to tidy up their corners of the world.

A study conducted by Men's Health magazine, which will be released in the March issue, has ranked the most and least drunk American cities. A more complete ranking can be found here, but I'll give you a quick roundup. The most drunk cities, from most to least, are: Fresno, CA., Reno, NV., Billings, MT., Riverside, CA., and Austin, TX. The least drunk, from least to most, are: Boston, MA., Yonkers, NY., Rochester, NY., Salt Lake City, UT., Miami, FL. As a native Bostonian and an adopted New Yorker, I take umbrage with this list -- severe umbrage! No lily-livered, cheeba-puffing, foie gras feasting, West Coast hippie town could ever compete with us hard-drinkin' Nor'easterners in a straight up boozin' competition! Men's Health magazine, you, SIRS!, have insulted not just me, but my entire way of life. I must defend my cultural heritage!