Let me start this review by saying I am NOT from New England and only recently moved to MA. This is…read morean entirely new game that nobody outside of this area has even heard of let alone played. I was invited by some friends as a sub for league night not knowing what I was getting into. I was so nervous that I wouldn't get the hang of it, and I really didn't do great, but for my first time I broke 54 twice hahaha. The ladies I played with had an absolute blast and were encouraging which helped. I tried to emulate some of the clearly skilled players but it's a challenge to get used to those little balls! I'm used to playing "big ball" as everyone kept calling it. Anyhow, the game is candlepin. For those who don't know - they are basically straight sticks that are laid out in the same pattern as big ball bowling. You use a ball the size of a bocce ball (larger than a softball) that is pretty light with no holes. You get 3 chances to clear all 10 pins. There is some sort of skill involved that I couldn't quite comprehend. I saw everything from releasing the ball low to the ground right at the entrance of the lane, to people releasing in the air halfway down all having similar success. I witnessed curvature of throws and straight down the line all having success. I'm guessing it's more of a luck thing than a skill thing given I learned nobody at that alley in however many years of history has broken 250 score. I showed up hungry in the hope there was a cafe, but there was no food and I'm unclear on the drinks situation. People had them but I didn't see how they were acquired. Note to self - eat before you go or bring snacks! The gentlemen behind the counter were a HOOT! I rented shoes and they gave me the rundown of not only my team but how the game works. They were ribbing people over the mic which was so fun. This place has been around for a long time and the regulars are embedded into the history. The parking situation is pretty great. There is a lot adjacent to the building with lots of space, and an overflow lot across the street. All in all this is a great alley with character and I'm super excited to go back and practice.

Feels like stepping into a Time Machine. Cash only. Honestly, candle pin is so much more fun than…read morewhat I always thought was normal bowling that I'm not sure I can go back

Earlier in May, we had a casino night event for our company. The Total Entertainment team was…read morefantastic. Their setup team is incredibly experienced and helpful, not only did the do the heavy lifting, but they took a look around and helped me decide which tables to go where for the best bang! For my party, I ordered 20 tables/dealers, décor, lighting and a DJ. Every person was fantastic. The dealers seemed to be having as much fun as we were and were happy to teach us how to play at each table. I could not recommend this team any more highly. From the events team to the office team, all flexible and knowledgeable and fantastic.

We were having 25 people for Thanksgiving and had a big empty room that needed tables and chairs…read more These guys were great. They delivered on time the day before, set everything up , no fuss no muss. Pickup was exactly the same. Quick and easy. Highly recommend them.

DO NOT ORDER OR BOOK WITH MELISSA!! She was completely unprofessional. My sister in law ordered…read morecenterpieces for my nieces 2nd birthday. During the process this Melissa suggested my sister in law change what she wanted for the center pieces to something simpler, when what was chosen was something that Melissa was advertising she could do. My sister in law paid extra for the centerpieces to be delivered by a specific date. When trying set up delivery Melissa was very evasive, wouldn't not respond in a timely manner if at all, and had an excuse for why she could not deliver them. She would not answer phone calls and several times forwarded the phone calls when we tried to figure out delivery. Delivery was supposed to take place on a Saturday then she gave an excuse for why she couldn't and it became that the delivery would take place Sunday. Sunday came and no surprised she had an excuse for why she couldn't deliver the center pieces on Sunday and it became she would do it Monday. When discussing a time for Monday she attempted to suggest Tuesday for delivery until my sister in law became firm on wanting the centerpieces on Monday which was two days after the original date of delivery which was paid extra for. Melissa showed up to do the delivery after 7pm and claimed there was confusion on the delivery date rather than taking accountability for not having the center pieces done on time. Once my sister in law received the centerpieces they were given in poor conditions. NOTHING like what she advertised. Centerpieces done in difference materials for example some of the characters on the centerpieces were laminated, paper, and on styrofoam, making all the centerpieces look different rather than one order. The characters were claimed to have been cut out with a "machine" but looked as though a toddler had been given scissors to cut them. The boxes at the base of the center pieces were not all the same. There was styrofoam sticking out of the boxes. In the box in which she delivered said centerpieces she left "extra" materials so that we could "fix what we wanted." When everything was discussed including the fact that extra money was paid for the pieces to be delivered by a specific date she refused to refund anything. This was overall a very poor experience and very unprofessional. I would not recommend her to anyone.

From the owner: It's not a party unless it's a party with us! Let us design…read moreyou an experience to last a lifetime! We work with all budgets! Offering Balloon Garlands, and Event Design. Full and Partial Event Planning and Design. Save with our to-go party packages delivered right to your door. Personalized Decorations, Goodie Bags, Favors, Birthday Outfits and Tees, Centerpieces and much more.

When it came time to plan my graduation party I wanted fresh ideas. This meant there was only one…read moreplace to go: Saphier Events. This brand new, Boston-based event planning company is run by Jennifer Saphier, who is experienced, dynamic, oh-so-cool and open to just about any suggestion you can throw at her. A pirate party? Sure. Charity 5K event? Can do. Traditional wedding with a fairy-tale atmosphere? Absolutely. Her imaginative streak is a mile wide and her accommodating attitude is just what I was looking for. Jen's attention to fine details and brilliant ideas were to die for - I highly recommend using Jen for any party, wedding, or general fiesta that might be coming up.

All I can say is that I wish I had hired Saphier Events much earlier on in my wedding planning…read moreprocess because life would have been much less stressful. I took on all of the planning for my July 2009 nuptials with the exception of the decor at my reception venue. My fiance and I knew what we wanted to do with the space (i.e., hang a chandelier over the dance floor and swag fabric from the chandelier to the corners of the room), but the venue could not do it for us; they recommended that we bring someone in to coordinate the decor. After meeting with one event planner who tried to completely hijack and change our vision while overcharging us at the same time, we were concerned that we were not going to be able to have the decor we wanted. Enter Jennifer Saphier. I hired her only about a month before the wedding, yet she jumped into action like she had been a part of the process all along. She completely understood and executed our vision. She was extremely flexible and attentive to detail and VERY reasonably priced. She repeatedly reminded me to let her do the worrying about the decor, and I was grateful to have this important aspect of the wedding planning in very capable hands. If you are looking for an honest and knowledgeable event planner to create an event that truly reflects your style and taste, I would recommend Saphier Events without hesitation.

I had never been here before but took my son with two friends for an informal birthday celebration…read more All three kids are neurodivergent. First, I want to say make a reservation for one of their interactive game room on their site before your visit. I made a reservation for a 60 and a 30 minute game for a total of a 90 minute experience. My son chose Party Box and The Floor is Lava. When you arrive, the person checks you in and you wear a head piece and move your entire body to solve physical challenges and puzzles. All three walls are interactive. Because the instructions go rather fast, I stayed in the room and helped the kids with instructions. Party box was like 10 different games and puzzles that were appropriately challenging for the 12 year olds in the room. They had to be aware of their bodies in relation to their character on the screen. The Floor is Lava is like the television show but more achievable. Bottom line: This is a really fun place and the games are physical virtual reality experiences that I would prefer over sitting at home with video games. Families can have a really great time and this would be a great place for a date! The young lady who was working that day was running the place single-handedly. There was a fire drill while we were there and we had to exit and wait for the mall to let us back in. I think her name was Chanel, and she was a picture of calm. When she let us back in, all the servers had to be restarted and this delayed us about 45 minutes. Despite everyone being in this woman's space and asking questions, she stayed pleasant and poised. She deserves some recognition for that. It was a lot to manage so I stayed out of her hair. But other people were not as gracious and this was totally out of her control. When a game is over, the room records a fun TikTok style video for your party. I would come back often. The cost for 90 minutes was about $50 a person but that is comparable to other gamebox places and I like the physical aspects of the space. My neurodivergent children enjoyed the experience immensely, even with the Fire Drill.

My two boys just celebrated their birthday party here, and couldn't have asked for a better venue…read more Some of our guests arrived earlier than the start time of our party and the staff didn't miss a beat bringing us to the event space to entertain our guests. The back party space was decorated beautifully with a fun Happy Birthday theme. They were very "hands off" and aside from getting the Squid Games started in 2 of the boxes, they simply left us alone until we asked for more plates for the cake. Fun entertainment for both young and old. Prior to their party, we came here on a separate visit to do a FREE demo of Squid Game, which allows you to try out a game for approximately 15 minutes. We ended up having so much fun that we committed to the full hour of gameplay. We can't wait to come back and try out some of their other games like Psychedelic Mansion, The Floor is Lava, Angry Birds, and their latest edition, BATMAN!

Ok so the family was going to Salem for the weekend and we didn't have anything to do so I saw this…read moreonline so I decided to try it. A couple things: -There are rare dates where the Good Witch would actually be in the store, so we didn't get to see her in person. -The staff are really nice, and they keep magic going. -Things in the shop are kind expensive, but you probably get to take home something anyways with the appointment. -The store is unbelievably pink, and we loved it that way! -Tip: Try the stuff a stuffed animal sort of class, you'll never forget it! -This store is for all ages! No one will judge you if they see you in there. This store is glamourous and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. I know I listed a couple flaws, but overall, it was a super fun experience!

Such a sweet shop with so many cute items for lovely little witches :) The staff were super…read morefriendly and helpful!

Without a Hitch made our wedding day such a beautiful success! Our wedding planning was plagued…read morewith constantly changing COVID regulations and I was full of anxiety about how our big day would go. Allison and Sarah could not have been more comforting and proactive. Over email, phone, and video call, they put my mind at ease and I felt so prepared the day of my wedding, no matter what restrictions were in place. Allison could not have done a better job the day of. She built a great rapport with my family, bridal party, and the venue's event manager to ensure the day ran smoothly. She knew the schedule and set up like the back of her hand. When the timing of certain day-of activities changed last minute, she made sure to let me know of the changes and the night went on without issue. If it were not for COVID and my anxieties around how it would affect our wedding I likely would not have looked for an outside coordinator- our venue did provide one that began to work closely with us (and Allison) in the month or so before the wedding and I truly believe she would have done a comparable job in the day-of execution. But it's the long term commitment to the planning process that makes Without a Hitch special. And while our venue did not host many weddings during COVID, Without a Hitch planned so many, and had the experience and suggestions that made the wedding feel as normal as it possibly could. For any of my friends planning weddings at a less conventional venue or just want more support, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Without a Hitch, and more specifically Allison!

Think you don't need a coordinator? Think again. As an event planner bride myself, I knew I had…read moremost of the planning covered but needed support leading up to and on the big day. Sarah and her team are there every step of the way, providing advice, guidance, support, and everything you could possibly need. We are so grateful we could rely on Amy to support our special day. It would not have gone nearly as smoothly without her professionalism, organization, and precision. I would turn to Without a Hitch for any major event and know I can trust them to care about the details as much as I do.

Being a mother of 3 and working a full time job is pretty much has me busy 24 hours a day. Every…read moreyear I really try to make my children's birthday parties special, but it's so hard to find the time to really make that happen. We've done the whole "Chuck-E-Cheese, Bonkers, Co-Co Keys thing" before, but it always ends up being way too stressful and expensive. I've tried having parties at home, but it takes too much time and energy to plan. I end up spending a fortune on decorations because I'm really not every creative when it comes to decorating. Party Flavors was EXACTLY what I wish I had found years ago. I wanted to throw a Hannah Montana themed birthday party for my daughter's 6th birthday. I decided to have it at the house to save costs, but I was afraid I wouldn't have time to really make it as special as I wanted to make it for her. Party Flavors made it so easy and basically took care of everything for me. I paid a really low amount compared to what I've paid in the past for my kids' birthdays, and I got decorations, goodie bags for all the kids (with their names on them!). They got there a few hours before the party and put up all the decorations for me. They stayed through the party and had games/activities for the kids - AND they stayed and cleaned up everything. The kids had so much fun and the decorations were so cool! I ended up making food for the party, but I know they have different catering options too. I would definitely recommend Party Flavors to any busy moms out there!!

Let's just say I have an antique desktop computer that was kept in good order by Elaine the…read moreComputor Tutor and it's defying all odds by being the fastest computer I own. Though some may be newer, and one is a MacBook, nothing beats my antique Dell desktop for overall reliablity and speed. I owe it all to Elaine, who has worked magic on this machine for years. I have also dropped off laptop computers to Elaine's Little Shop of Awesome and she has given them a first rate tune up at a very good, fair price. She makes housecalls and office calls too. Teachers and school administrators please note that Elaine's computer workshops will earn your staff professional development points (PDP's) in Mass. Got a slow computer? Don't trash it before you let Elaine rescue it. I can't say enough about Computor Tutor!

From the owner: Teaching people to use technology, since 1986. Purchase,…read moreinstall, train, troubleshoot myriad electronics (Computers, phones, wireless networks, software, printers, tablets, etc).