Since we’re the first to admit when we’re slow on the upswing, we’re also allowed to brag when we come in way ahead of the curve, right?

Right.

Our latest visionary moment involves…water.

Because Bostonista HQ houses a fervent environmentalist, a couple of germaphobes, someone raised by a cancer survivor, and a devoted reader of the most insane health column ever, we were all over the bisphenol/toxic plastic/Nalgene problem well before BPA-free water bottles started popping up at Target.

(more…)

Hey, you, in the pilly sweater: Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn’t mean you have to dress like you’ve just crawled out of one.

All this talk of recession, and sad-sack dressing to match, is just so damn depressing. Caring about—and even, gasp, spending money on—things that make you happy doesn’t make you insensitive, shallow, or even irresponsible. It might just lift your spirits. Just know your limits. (And if you’re one of those overspending, credit card maxing types who helped get us into this mess in the first place, you can stop reading now.)

Your first assignment: A jewelry event at Barneys New York. (more…)

Bostonista loves being driven around in pretty much anything. Except, that is, stuffy, malodorous hotel courtesy vans (we swear they must be universally manned by Fung Wah grads). Is it too much to ask to get carted to and fro in something a little cooler—not to mention greener—than those air polluting gas guzzlers?

Apparently, it isn’t. This month, one of Boston’s favorite warm-weather hotspots (you know, the one with the rooftop pool we’ve been raving about all summer) is starting a transportation revolution.

(more…)

I’ve lately been in the downsizing mood. Changing apartments this spring satisfied my need to purge. A family yard sale soon after cleared out the rest of the old junk, including golf shoes (a nice thought); piles of costume jewelry, beanie babies, and cat toys; and the impulse-bought super deluxe grind ‘n’ brew coffee pot used once (a bitch to clean). I consign all clothes I haven’t worn in more than a year and recently downloaded all my CDs onto a hard drive and sold them off. I’m making an effort to keep the hoarding tendencies at bay.

But I haven’t quite been able to quit books. For one, it feels wrong. Two, I like having them around. I’ll buy a book I’m interested in as soon as I hear about it so that I don’t forget, which is why I’ve got piles and piles of high-quality unread books in my bedroom, office, and otherwise scattered throughout the house, and I still have imminent plans to purchase the tell-all by Madonna’s brother.

Enter the Kindle. (more…)

Seth Riney is a systems engineer, and he looks like a systems engineer, in that he’s a little thicker around the middle than some guys in their mid 30’s, but still has boyish good looks. So, it was surprising to find out that this cutting-edge car service owner actually bikes from Cambridge to Everett everyday. In other words, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk. Well, bikes the walk, anyway.

Riney is the president and founder of Cambridge-based Planet Tran—a hybrid-only car service (read: Priuses) that’s taking over the corporate ride scene, one contract at a time.

Four years ago, Riney decided to take advantage of his technology background to set up a cutting edge dispatching system that uses the Internet, Nextel text paging, and GPS to help arrange pick-ups. Although Planet Tran is young, this former software consultant’s business has grown 50 percent in the past year. By way of comparison, other local car services saw an average annual decline of 40 percent. (more…)