The day itself

There have been some questions raised about Inside vs. Outside, dress code, etc. Here are the details:

Weather permitting, the ceremony will be outside, down the hill from the museum. Drinks, food, and dancing to follow inside the museum proper. Weather not permitting, all will be inside.

There is no dress code, but given that the ceremony is outdoors, and in a public park, please do use your judgment.

The museum is filled with a gleaming American car installation at present, and the Anderson family's historic car collection is downstairs. The museum, while very proud of the collection, encourages curious visitors not to touch or lick the cars.

And definitely wander around the giant grounds, but please wander without your drink in order to keep us and the museum out of trouble. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Where to stay, revisited

Make your reservations soon, as the places we're holding blocks of rooms would like to let them go a month beforehand... which is today!

See the "where to stay" entry below. The Taylor House has 2 rooms and a suite left.

Email me at Lsiegel1@gmail.com if you're stuck, and we'll get back in touch with one of the hotels.

What To Do in Boston

The Boston Tourist Bureau recently put the finishing touches on its latest film about Boston; a perfect guide to all your non-wedding activities:

Copley Square 118th Anniversary Hotel Deal

Copley Square hotel, fresh off a major renovation and right smack in the middle of town near (wait for it) Copley Square, is offering $18 rooms...you'll have to work at it a bit, but July 14th, for 118 minutes starting at 1:18 PM ET you can book rooms for several weeks, including the weekend of the wedding. Check it out!

Editors' Note: Deal is gone, sadly. They went with a quickness.

About the Larz Anderson Auto Museum

The Larz Anderson Auto Museum, above, hosts an amazing collection of old cars. Weather permitting, there will be an outdoor ceremony, followed by an indoor reception.

Where to stay, updated, and please act soon!

All of these places are close to the wedding venue:

The Taylor House in Jamaica Plain is probably the closest, with rooms and suites. Close to the pond and arboretum. FOUR ROOMS LEFT AS OF 7/27/09. Call and mention the wedding by name! Otherwise they will look fully booked.

In Brookline, two sister B & Bs, the Bertram Inn and the Sewall Inn, have 15 rooms between them available for the weekend of August 29th, 4 at the Bertram Inn, and 11 at the Sewall Inn. The rates in August are between $149 and $209 per night plus tax. They don't have a group rate, but please do mention the Siegel-Wooten wedding for a courtesy discount of -$10/night on your reservation.

The Courtyard Marriott, just a few blocks from these at 40 Webster Street, is offering a group rate of $149/night. They will hold these rooms until July 29, 2009. Their information is below: Courtyard by Marriott, Brookline40 Webster Street, Brookline, MA 02446.

** If they are out of rooms, let us know, and we can ask them to open up more!

(617) 734-1393 www.brooklinecourtyard.com

Finally, the Holiday Inn Brookline at 1200 Beacon Street is also offering a group rate on a block of rooms, at $169/night, and a discounted parking fee of $8/night. Call and mention the wedding, 617-277-1200. This is also close to the others, just across Beacon Street.1200 Beacon Street Brookline, MA 02446.

** Same thing here, too. We can ask them to hold more rooms at this rate if they are filling up.

Gifts and such...

... these are not needed. We would like you to be there, or at least think of us fondly, in late August. That's the important thing. If you have the unbearable urge, you may definitely give a donation to the charitable organization of your choosing and think of us fondly as you do it. 

There were certain individuals whom nothing could dissuade, and for those people, we did register at Williams-Sonoma, Bloomingdales, and Amazon. Those people know who they are. 

About the park

Larz Anderson Park

Category: Historic Parks Size: 61.13 acres Protection: Article 97, NR, SR Location: Newton Street

Overview:
Larz Anderson Park, the largest park in Brookline, was formerly the Larz Anderson estate. It is composed of large expanses of lawn at the top of the hill, playing fields, and sweeping slopes. At the highest point (where the main house stood), there are exceptional views of Boston. The hill provides opportunities for active and passive recreation that are not available elsewhere in Town. The grassy slopes provide a premier spot for sledding, watching sunsets, observing stars, kite flying and simply running on the slopes.

The architecturally significant Carriage House remains and houses the Museum of Transportation. Contemporary uses include a hilltop outdoor skating rink in the former Italian Garden and picnic areas with grills, located close to the newly restored pond, athletic fields and a playground.The park houses several Town offices including the Division of Parks maintenance yard. The community garden has 72 plots.

Park History:
The land was the property of the Goddard family during the Revolutionary War. William Fletcher Weld purchased it between 1841 and 1881 to create "Windy Top," his country estate. William Fletcher Weld II inherited the property and built a polo ground where the athletic fields are now located.

Isabel Weld Anderson and Larz Anderson acquired the property and transformed it into one of the showcases of New England. Mrs. Anderson bequeathed the main portion of the estate to the Town. The town report of that year states that the plants in the greenhouses were set in the Town's parks, squares and around public buildings. The Town tore the vacant house down in 1955 and removed the Italian garden to make space for the skating rink. With funds provided by a Massachusetts Self-help grant, the Town is preserving and stabilizing the landscape and the gazebo as well as renovating the playground.

Deed/Title History:
Isabel Anderson donated the land to the Town "for purposes of public recreation, or for charitable purposes, or for purposes of public education" in 1951. The property is individually listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. There is also a 1998 Massachusetts Historic Commission Preservation Restriction for the top of the hill.

©2006 Town of Brookline Massachusetts Parks and Open Space Division