Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with massachusetts

Where can we go for a Tuesday night getaway near Boston?

david1230 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:03:45 -0800

Where can we go for a Tuesday night getaway near Boston? Veteran's day is Wednesday and I'd love to take my wife somewhere to escape Boston on Tuesday night. By the ocean, in the woods, in the mountains, or in a city in Western MA would all work. It doesn't need to be fancy (but we'd rather rustic charm than Days Inn). Within a 2 hr drive, and under $150 would be great (< $100 even better). Anyone know of such a place?

Things to Do and See and Eat on the Western Side of the Green Mountains

foxy_hedgehog — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:47:27 -0800

My sister planned a trip for us to Vermont next weekend, and we are driving up from the Boston area on Friday morning. We will be heading to the western side of the Green Mountains (in between Arlington and Manchester), and I'd love your recommendations for everything and anything in the area and along the way. I did a search for Vermont on the sight, but there doesn't seem to be any info on this specific part of the state.

I'd be particularly keen on recommendations for particular hiking trails in the Green Mountains or elsewhere, other potentially fun outdoor antics, and any strong opinions on local restaurants, roadside attractions, alpaca farms etc. in the area or places to stop or eat or sightsee along the way.

Our likely course will be Route 2 through W. Massachusetts, and then Route 9 through Vermont. And it looks like it is going to be cold.

Thank you!

Is it actually illegal to record conversations in MA?

um_maverick — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:50:30 -0800

Does the requirement for two-party consent to record conversations in Massachusetts (and other states) really mean that I can't legally record any audio from public places without getting the consent of everybody who can be heard on the recording? Massachusetts is a "two-party consent" state which means "it is a crime to record any conversation, whether oral or wire, without the consent of all parties" (Source) Does this mean that, technically, I can't do things like video/audio record a family party unless all parties consent to it? Is there an exception for conversations that occur in a public place? The law doesn't mention any exceptions, but it seems to be awfully overbearing without some "common sense" exceptions.

And yes, I know YANML, but this article brought the issue to my attention.

Thanks!

How to obtain medical records of deceased family members?

raztaj — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:09:37 -0800

How (and can I) obtain the medical records of a deceased parent, from hospitals in Massachusetts? I am interested in getting hold of my mother's medical records at two Boston hospitals. Her death is not a recent one, and I have no intention of using her records for any post-mortem investigations or anything, but I would like to know for my own curiosity and interest in family health history.

The problem is, my father is still alive. Would he be the only next of kin according to Massachusetts state law? For various reasons, I would like to obtain my mom's records without him - he is just not relevant.

From what I know, my mother was diagnosed with melanoma at or just after my birth at one hospital. Shortly thereafter, she began treatment at another hospital. Would it be easier for me to get information about her from the first hospital (since she was essentially admitted because of me, and our files must be connected to some degree)? Would there be a difference in getting records from the second hospital? What kind of information would I need? Assuming her records are still on file, can I circumvent my father in this?

Not that she's planning any accidents, but...

rmd1023 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:49:41 -0800

Massachusetts Health Insurance Filter: Is there a way to find some kind of bridge coverage for the time between 9/9, when the old insurance goes away, and 10/1, when the new insurance becomes effective? I'm posting for my girlfriend. Her COBRA insurance expires on 9/9, but all of the insurance options she can find won't start until 10/1. It doesn't matter too much what the insurance is over those 3 weeks or so, as long as it's not "no insurance". it would be nice to have *some* kind of insurance in case a meteor hits her or something.

None of the insurance options on the Mass Connector website seem to start before 10/1.

Unfortunately, we don't have access to a time machine, so she can't fix this so that her new insurance starts on 9/1.

Contesting car registration fee due to circumstances beyond my control

Sublimity — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:19:53 -0800

About to register a new car in Massachusetts--can I fight the Mass. sales tax if I already paid more in Washington State? Six weeks before my family was to move from Washington to Massachusetts, our only car was massively rear-ended and totally destroyed. As a consequence we bought a nearly-new car in a hurry from a dealership in Washington state so that my husband and kids could drive across the country to relocate with me.

The car's registration expires in September. While investigating converting our registration we find that we will be charged 6.25% of the purchase price of the car because we didn't own it for six months before we moved.

The purchase of the car was in no way intended to evade paying sales tax in MA. I can provide ample documentation about the accident destroying our previous car, etc.

I am so pissed off that I needed to buy another car due to circumstances beyond my control--it was a huge hassle and expense in an already stressful and expensive time. The idea that I'm going to be assessed an additional $1000+, just because some fuckwit rear-ended and destroyed my car, really puts the cherry on top of the whole experience.

Can I fight this? What are good strategies? The Attorney General of Washington State is a remarkably good consumer advocate--would they be helpful, or their Massachusetts equivalent? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Travel in the NewEngland states. A little help please?

filmgeek — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:38:37 -0800

Travel plans through the Northeast (New England States) Looking for the fun/quirky ideas. Myself and my g/f - we know we want to travel in the New England area for about week (from Aug 7th-12th). We're cheap and we like to keep it that way (but don't want to camp in tents.)

We're thinking about going to the Arlington craft sale in VT on sat the 8th and the Mystic Outdoor festival on the 9th...

And beyond that, we don't know. We're mobile, adults (late 30s), I've traveled more than she has; but this is a first (a random cartrip vacation together.) She's never been to a BnB (so kitchy little cheaper ones are good...)

Not so interested in food festivals, but a brewery visit is fine...music festivals aren't our cup of tea either. Also a no-go anything involving the caging of animals (circuses and zoos make the baby jesus cry.)

Maybe a meetup (or crashing at a mefi's place) would be fun too.

C'mon - Give us your best. Feel free to toss in quirky or touristy 'don't miss' things

Where can we find a fresh turkey in July?

olinerd — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:13:40 -0800

Where can we find a fresh turkey in Massachusetts before Sunday? Because we're cool like that, some friends and I are making a Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Our turkey was going to come from Whole Foods, but unfortunately they notified us today that that fell through. We need a big enough bird to feed about 15 people and we're looking for fresh, not frozen. Where in Mass do you think we could get one on such short notice? (We're in Cambridge/Boston, so closer is better, but we can't be too picky this time of year...)

Google shows us lists of turkey farms, but short of calling every single one of them, we're not sure how to find out which ones would actually have turkeys available this time of year. Actual recommendations would be really really helpful.

Where do birch trees grow in Massachusetts?

davidriley — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:10:00 -0800

Where do white/paper birch trees grow in Massachusetts? They must have them in the Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, but I am looking for a spot in the woods.

Where can I find a bottle of Absinthe in Massachusetts?

hwickline — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:28:04 -0800

I'm headed home to Massachusetts in August for a vacation at my grandparents cabin in the woods, and I'd love to have a bottle of Absinthe for afternoon sippin'. Anyone know where I could purchase one in either Boston or the Amherst/ Northampton area? Shipping to Massachusetts seems to be problematic, from what I've seen online, but if you know of somewhere that does it, it might be an option. Oh, and Kubler or St. George are my preferred brands. Thanks!

Where can I find my elementary school music songbook?

mr. remy — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:23:36 -0800

Oooooh once there was a goat / a very clever goat / spoke French and German fluently as you will note / ooooooooooooooo/ fa la la la la / tra la la la la la / spoke French and German fluently as you will note ... I remember this song from my elementary school songbook. As well as fragments, snippets and scraps of song both traditional folk and (possibly) written just for this book. What is the book? Where could I find it? I went to a public elementary in SE Massachusetts between 1984 and 1990. I went to music class twice a week, with Mr. Davis (who, incidentally, fell off his porch and broke both his wrists and was no longer able to play piano for us except with his elbows). The book we sang from was possibly published by Houghton Mifflin or McGraw Hill, and featured color illustrations in the margins of lyrics (and music? maybe?) to popular and not-so-popular songs.

I remember: I Love the Mountains, Molly Malone, Kookaburra, Linstead Market, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and a flag song that went:

There are many flags in many lands,
There are flags of many hue,
But there is no flag however grand,
Like our own red, white and blue.

Say HURRAH! for our flag,
Our country's flag,
It's stripes and bright stars too.
For there is no flag however grand,
Like our own red, white and blue.

Council of sketchy aliens?

galaksit — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:48:18 -0800

Can anyone find this web site about alien contactees, Billy Meier style, in Massachusetts? I recently found a highly entertaining web site by some Massachusetts-based alien contactee types, which included an incredible gallery of sketches of the very important aliens they allege to be in contact with -- and who form a kind of Space Council. Unfortunately I can't find it again and am growing ashamed of my limited Google skills. Can any readers help? Thanks.

Help me find my wedding site!

semacd — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:15:10 -0800

Wedding venue in the greater Boston area, near some sort of H2O. Getting hitched!

All I know right now is that I want the venue to be in the greater Boston area (i.e. could be as far as Concord, Cape Ann or as close as Boston/Cambridge) next summer. We'd like to keep costs down, but we're contending with big families so it'll probably be around 150 people. We'd like to at least look at places where we can bring in the caterer and the booze. Could be on a river, estuary, pond, puddle, ocean. I just want some water visible. The ceremony and reception will probably be at the same spot.

I've looked at indiebrides and the eventective site and don't find that user friendly. Just wondering if you've ever been to or heard of some wonderful watery venue in the Boston area, preferably that won't cost a fortune but can accomodate a decent sized crowd.

Any other Boston wedding tips (vendors, etc.) more than welcome! Along those lines, I'm trying to avoid anything remotely conveying "princess."

Watching Baseball in Western MA?

.kobayashi. — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:58:31 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good restaurant/sports bar in the Pioneer Valley (Western MA) area to watch tomorrow's Red Sox home opener? Preferably a place with many TVs, good food, and not too too many undergraduate students?

Help Me Make Old New England New.

MasonDixon — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:38:40 -0800

Obscure New England? I've seen the best, what about the rest? What quirky, "second tier," and out of the way places have I missed? My SO and I have been all over New England, we've seen the big stuff, especially the major stuff along the coasts. So . . .

What quirky, unique, oddball, hidden gems or secretly awesome places have we not been to?

What seldom visited state parks, by-way diners, unusual attractions, great picnic spots, attractions from an earlier age and things only-the-locals-would-know can you suggest?

Help a transplanted Texan celebrate Independence Day

olinerd — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:35:21 -0800

Where can a friend find a Texas flag in Boston this weekend? Difficulty: no car.

Legal troubles over a decade-old debt to bank

not_on_display — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:35:08 -0800

[I am asking this for a friend.] Legal troubles over a decade-old debt to a bank. I am being sued by a law firm representing a collection agency. I would like to find a way to resolve this situation that does not involve hiring a lawyer, since I cannot afford one. I receive income via Social Security Disability. I recently received a letter from a law firm hired by a collection agency which has been trying to get me to pay a debt incurred about ten years ago through an overdraft credit line at Bank of America. The collection agency has owned the debt for probably six years now, and recently decided to sue me for the money. The letter came about the same time as a summons from District Courts of Massachusetts (Cambridge Division) letting me know that I had 20 days to respond to both the court and the law firm.

I would like to find a way to resolve this situation that does not involve hiring a lawyer, since I cannot afford one. I would like to negotiate a settlement, if possible, and am seeking advice about how this can be most effectively done.

I cannot really afford to make payments on the debt--as for my financial situation, I am the parent of a minor, and my income is derived from Social Security Disability Insurance and food stamps. I am officially "disabled" by Social Security standards, after having undergone a long process of evaluation a few years ago, and do not work. My annual SSDI income for 2008 was $10,692 plus food stamps amounting to approximately $2760 for a grand total of $13,452. I do receive significant financial help from my child's father, though this is not officially or exactly on the record.

During phone conversations with the collection agency in 2006, I explained and documented my financial situation, proposing to settle the debt for significantly less than the amount they then said I owed including interest. Following these phone conversations, I wrote to them via certified mail to make this same offer in writing. [I've pasted the letter below.] My offer was also less than the amount they were willing to settle the debt for, which was $4785.93. (This figure is several hundred dollars less than the original debt incurred by me). I received no response to, nor acknowledgement of, this letter. Instead, I received continued demands for payment by phone and mail.

My credit is otherwise fine; I have student loans in good standing (deferral) and I am able to get credit cards and have always paid them on time in the rare instances that I use them. This particular loan, however, I have paid almost nothing on, due to a continuous state of financial exigency and, honestly, a long period of denial and irrationally hoping it would "go away".

Any advice would be much appreciated.

~~~~~

Here is the letter, and the offer I am still able to make now:

"I am writing to reiterate the offer I made with representatives of your company, [person 1] and [person 2], during our telephone conversation on 6/17/06. At the time of this writing, the offer still stands: I would be able to get a loan of $2000.00 from my mother on the condition that I show her a letter from [the Debt Recover Company] agreeing that this amount will settle my debt. Upon receipt of such a letter, I would be able to get $2000.00 from my mother and would be happy to pay it to you immediately.

"It was explained to me that your company wouldn’t accept this amount to settle the debt, and has opted instead to accept a monthly payment from me in the amount that I can afford to make. Enclosed is a check for five dollars, to be applied to my balance, as well as documents outlining my financial information.

"As you can see from my financial documentation, it is not possible for me to make anything beyond a "good faith" payment unless my health improves (or some other windfall occurs!) allowing me to substantially change my financial situation. Unfortunately, because my illness is degenerative, this is unlikely. For this reason, and because I don’t know how long the offer from my mother will continue to be available to me, I urge you to reconsider accepting the $2000.00 to settle the debt."

Setting down roots near Boston

Sublimity — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:18:50 -0800

Resources for an experienced gardener moving to the northeast? I learned how to garden on the West Coast and have spent the last twelve years getting pretty darn good at it here in Seattle (mild winters, damp springs, partly-cloudy summers). I know what vegetables grow year-round, what soil amendments work best, what weeds need to be obliterated on sight and which can be ignored for a while. I can coax a crop of tomatoes to fruition in even the cloudiest summer and have fresh flowers from the yard pretty much every month of the year.

Now my family is preparing to move to the Boston area. I'm sure that the gardening game is very different due to the different climate. Experienced gardeners of the northeast, where can I start learning about how to do it right "back east"?

I just learned that Sunset (producers of the epic Western Garden Book) has a Northeast Garden Book as well, so I know the first book in my new garden library. Other recommendations, from more local sources? I'm not interested so much in pretty coffee-table books--I'd like to know proven, nitty-gritty how-to and reference sources, and possibly field guides for things like pests and weeds too.

I'd also love to hear about great nurseries and public gardens in the area. Maybe garden clubs or shows to check out?

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise!

Fired from the Borg! Can I get Unemployment Insurance in MA?

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:17:50 -0800

Can you get Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance if your fired for a "violation of company policy"? I worked for a financial services company as a software engineer for over 7 years. I was just fired for a "violation of company policy" (I'll explain what happened below if your interested).

I was told to go home after speaking to company investigators about the "violation" and my boss took my company ID. The next day I got a phone call from my ex-boss who said I was terminated, because of a "violation of company policy". The boss (or now ex-boss) said the company would not contest it if I applied for unemployment insurance.

Yesterday I applied for unemployment, the very nice man on the phone said that someone would phone me in due course about why I was let go, and that they would contact the firm.

My main question is, will I get unemployment insurance for being fired? What recourse do I have if I can't get unemployment insurance?

What I did to get fired, and other trivia (and me ranting a bit):
I was using NX to connect to my Linux desktop at home so I could access my personal e-mail (which is blocked at work).

I started doing this late last year so I could help my sister co-ordinate arranging home-help for my elderly mother, and then my sister broke up with their parter of over 10 years and was devastated and I continued accessing my e-mail via NX to talk to and comfort her. There's a major time difference between us which is why I wasn't doing this after work hours (and Gmail mobile is too hard to use for long e-mails on a small phone).

When I was investigated I was asked did I know why I was there. I admitted to what I had done, and when asked if I knew it was a violation I said yes (I wasn't really sure if it was, but being confronted about it I think I said “yes” because otherwise I wouldn't be there). Unfortunately, I didn't tell the investigators (who were like CSI only nicer) about the mother & sister thing, I only said I was using it to communicate with my family in Ireland, and not why. Afterward I told my boss ... about the mother & sibling thing.

The investigators admitted that they didn't think I'd revealed any company secrets and so on, which I assumed was their primary concern.

On top of that, for 2008 I had a boss that I didn't get on with and ended up with a bad, very bad review for 2008. Before this my reviews were good, and my boss never complained about my work (he was moody and just very difficult to deal with, and treated everyone like servants). Things were looking up when I got assigned to a new manager (whom I respected) . But, then to be dumped like this; and no or little support (and 95% of my money in the 401K that's worth 50% what it was worth last year).

To be honest I'm kinda shitting myself; I'd worked there for over 7 years and thought I was a conscientious employee, maxed out my 401k into the company's 401K and now feel like I'm getting the shitty end of the stick.

Beside my unemployment insurance question, do I have any legal or non-legal recourse about my termination? (I doubt if I do, as I probably signed something when I was hired for just such a thing.) On top of that they'll be doing layoffs any day know (with a severance package), and I suspect I might have been picked to be laid-off (due to the bad review) and suspect this was another reason I was let go.

Any advise is appreciated, and for anyone suggesting a lawyer, I don't think I can afford a lawyer to fight a financial company with their hordes of legal staff.

Posted anon as being terminated and people knowing about it isn't good for one's career, and I'm rather mortified about the whole situation. And sorry for ranting a bit.

Please email me at my throwaway email if you require more info, or want to provide advise (off-forum that you don't want public): MassUnemploymentQuestion@gmail.com

Thanks

Car storage in Massachusetts

underdetermined — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:22:24 -0800

Car storage in Massachusetts I'm looking for a place to store my car, for 6-9 months, in Massachusetts. Preferably, it would be accessible by T or Commuter Rail. I see lots of options out there, but I'm wondering if anyone with personal (or indirect) experience might be able to suggest a place. Thank you.

Can you break a lease in Massachusetts without pentaly because of a bad neighbor and unresponsive landlord?

csimpkins — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:20:07 -0800

My friend and his fiance have a mentally ill woman living below them who is making their lives absolute hell. They live in Massachusetts. Would there be consequences if they break their apartment's lease to leave because of her? The lady who lives in the apartment below them is schizophrenic. She routinely throws furniture around, pounds on walls, screams during the night, posts awful derogatory (and often scary) notes in common areas (pics of some are posted on my flickr, if you're interested), and stomps up and down the building's stairs while singing in the middle of the night.

It's getting worse. Neither of them are sleeping well and they don't feel safe there anymore.

They've already called the landlord regarding her behavior many times. Over the last couple months, they've called at least once a week to complain. The landlord keeps saying he wants to take steps to evict her, but other residents at the building claim he's been saying the same thing for longer than they've been living there. (Can you even evict someone because of a mental illness?)

They're six months or so into a one year lease. Can they legally break the lease and move without penalty because of the situation? If so, are there any formal steps that need to be taken to either get deposits back or protect themselves from this guy taking action on them?

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long?

bostonhill — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:15:54 -0800

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long? Will Marijuana be taken off the drug testing roster?

Guidance Counselor Filter: Where in MA should I go to school for Computer Science?

lizzicide — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:01:28 -0800

If you had to live and work four days a week (Friday-Monday) in Framingham, Massachusetts, and your employer was giving you $10,000/year toward tuition reimbursement, where would you finish your Information Technology / Computer Science degree? I've been taking online courses through UMass Lowell for almost two years now on my employer's dime. This May, I'll have enough credits to graduate with an Associate's degree in Information Technology. The courses are fine, the convenience is wonderful, and I've been doing much better than I expected - lowest grades being a couple B+'s - but because I basically picked UML overnight, I feel like I might be missing out on some more interesting opportunities. Now that I have a car, I'm no longer limited to online courses, so can anyone recommend schools that I could reasonably commute to three days a week?

Things I'm concerned about:
Transferability of my credits
Hecticness of commute
Stretching my $10k/year tuition reimbursement limit as far I can, though I'll take out loans if I end up going to a school that I lovelovelove
Being able to juggle school and a 32+ hour work week

I'm also interested in grad schools, in case I end up finishing my BS at UML.

So Mefites, given my situation, where would you go? I'm not afraid of pushing myself. Am I crazy for considering devoting the next two years to excelling so I can do grad school at MIT? Is there anything I should be considering that I'm not?

Good eating in Western MA

micawber — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:36:39 -0800

Northampton/Western Mass filter: I'm going to be in nearby Ashfield for six days. Can you give me a crash course on the area? I'm going on a writing retreat in Ashfield shortly and I'd like to get my bearings fast with the help of some locals.

I know there are two places in town to get food (I have to self-cater) but I figure that'll get old easily and since Northampton is only 1/2 an hour away, that's where I'll likely be heading for dinner every night and for groceries beyond what I can get in town.

I've written down a bunch of places from Yelp which seem obvious (Haymarket Cafe, Amanouz) but what else do I need to know? What would be a good distraction or two in the area (besides the Emily Dickinson house)? Good grocery stores? Great bookstores?

My filter is that I don't want to have to drive more than 30 mins one way from Ashfield.

The most important thing: I will be spending Thanksgiving there on my own and I assume that everything will close up tight that day - true or false? If true, where can I get some basic, prepared Thanksgiving provisions ahead of time? It doesn't need to be fancy, just edible. For Thanksgiving stuff I will drive more than one hour.

Many thanks.

Family-friendly pool near Boston / Metrowest?

bondcliff — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:49:44 -0800

Where’s a good place in the Boston or (preferably) Metrowest area to take my six year old son to shoot some pool? He’s six and pool is his current obsession. We don’t have our own table, nor will we be getting one, so I’d like to find a place to take him. At six years old by “shoot some pool” I mean “fool around with the balls for an hour.”

I’d prefer a family-friendly place not filled with seedy pool hustlers and guys with neck tattoos*. A place with lots of tables where we don’t have to wait very long. A couple of old-school pinball machines would be a bonus. Does someplace like that exists? I know six isn’t exactly the target demographic for pool halls.

I believe Mr. Billiards in Framingham is now closed. I’ve never been to Jillians but I’d prefer something without too much sensory overload. Fun & Games in Framingham hasn’t had pool since the 1980s and is a depressingly bad arcade now to boot.

*not that there’s anything wrong with that.