A Preview of My Love/Hate Relationship with the MBTA: Links

Deciding to adventure around Boston involves a lot of subway rides (or, "T rides," if you will).  Coming from a state known for its lack of public transportation, I know I shouldn't be complaining; at least I have the option of taking the T.  However, each trip is...an experience to say the least, particularly anything involving the dreaded green line.

I am in the process of making an article all about the horror that is riding the green line, and I still plan on posting that.  In the mean time, BuzzFeed created this list:

Hocus Pocus 20th Anniversary

To the five or so of you out there who are not aware, Hocus Pocus is THE Halloween movie.  It tells the story of three 17th century witches who are resurrected for one Halloween night in 1993, and they must suck the life out of children in order to keep living.  Hocus Pocus is also probably one of the most underrated films of all time.  It flopped when it came out, and it has a measly 33% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (although it does have a respectable 66% approval rating from fans).  The movie seemed destined to be forgotten until ABC Family started showing it in October during its 13 Nights of Halloween marathon.  Since then, it has garnered a respectable cult following and has gotten at least some of the appreciation it deserves.

Learning How to Salem (part I)

Actor/Judge: "I ask you then, Goodwife Bishop, why did you attack a three year old child?"
Random woman in the audience: "Because she met a three year old child?"

The Witch House

This year, my sister and I spent Halloween in the only place you really can spend Halloween in Massachusetts: Salem.  Salem, obviously, is known for the Witch Trials of 1692.  Although most of the actual "witches" were from Salem Village (today known as Danvers), Salem was the site of the trials and the hangings, and they have full-heartedly embraced their heritage.  The city celebrates for the whole of October in what they call Haunted Happenings.  So sit back, relax, and let me take you Halloween in Salem (it was a long day, and it's going to be a long post, but there's a surprise at the end).

HuffPost: What Boston Can Teach the Rest of the Country About Living Well

I plan to post a longer article tonight, but here is a great article about Boston from the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/boston-health-wellness-happiness_n_4214600.html

This article covers everything from the prevalence of outdoor attractions to the early legalization of gay marriage.  It's not overly long, but it's worth a read anyway! 

The New England Aquarium (or, PENGUINS!)

Glow-y Jellyfish

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a crazy busy week.  As I mentioned before, my sister was in town for about 10 days, and we tried to pack as much as we could into her visit.  So, even though I did not post last week, I now have a bunch of posts just waiting to be written.  This one is all about our visit to the New England Aquarium.

One of the first things that we noticed about the Aquarium was that is was actually fairly small.  The exhibits focus on penguins, fish, and jellyfish, and there are two seal tanks.  However, there are no dolphins, which I found very disappointing because I love dolphins.  Even though it was small, the Aquarium has just been renovated, and what they have is very well done.