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The World Premier Band performed on the final night of the “Summer in the City” series at the Boston Harbor Hotel. (Colette Greenstein)

Summer concert series at the Boston Harbor Hotel

It was  the final night of the “Summer in the City” series at the Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf and it was hot outside, one of those sweltering summer nights when even being outside is not enough to cool off. But at the same time you know nights like these weren’t going to happen too much longer.

Though I would have preferred being in an air-conditioned room, I still met up with friend Mimi Hughes at Rowes Wharf and just enjoyed the night. I was literally trying to keep cool and wondering where the breeze was off of the harbor? (It came, but much to my chagrin a couple of hours later, after I must have looked like a hot mess because of the humidity.) But it was still a fabulous night! Hotel guests, tourists and Bostonians alike were spread throughout Rowes Wharf, mingling and chatting, and swaying to the sounds of Motown by The World Premier Band.

Towne Stove and Spirits and the Blue Wave Bar

I wasn’t sure what to do Labor Day Weekend, so when in doubt, I always head out on the town with friends. That’s exactly what I did. On the agenda was the new restaurant Towne Stove and Spirits over at the Hynes Convention Center on Boylston Street. Towne is the latest venture in the Patrick Lyons empire. Towne’s menu is a collaboration between Boston uber-chefs, Jasper White (the seafood guru behind the Summer Shack chain) and Lydia Shire (the culinary queen of Locke-Ober in Downtown Crossing and Scampo at the Liberty Hotel).

The restaurant’s two floors include three bar areas and three dining rooms along with outdoor seating on the Prudential Center plaza. It was pretty packed when I met up with my latest ‘partner-in-crime’ Jill Oliver but as luck would have it, we were able to grab a couple of seats at the bar pretty quickly.

Of course, the fun thing about going out to new places is trying the food, so, my choice on this night was the handmade chorizo with salsa and crispy yucca chips. It definitely whets my appetite for more but you know a girl has to watch her figure, so, I didn’t over indulge. But I must tell you that Towne is already on my schedule to return later this month with a group of friends and I’ll definitely make sure to work out harder in advance in order to take advantage of the menu.

From there, it was time for a little hip hop and that meant a trip to the Blue Wave on Congress Street. It didn’t disappoint because the joint was jumping and the music was hot! Shout-outs to Mike and Eddie for a great night!

Kings Bowl of Dedham at Legacy Place

The holiday weekend continued with a night of bowling at Kings at Legacy Place in Dedham. If you haven’t been there, I definitely recommend going.  There’s so much to do from bowling to billiards to dining and cocktails or simply hanging at the bar watching your favorite sporting events on the flat screen TVs. I’m not a bowler by any means, (I don’t think my bowling score even hit 75) but that’s not the point. My friends and I had a great time! There was good conversation, some wings and lots of laughter. What more can a girl ask for?

Because I’m in the mindset of summer winding down, I begin to think about some of my favorite summer memories and one of my favorite summer memories is of a few friends and me renting a home on the Vineyard during 4th of July week, several years ago. There were six of us and we rented an Explorer and loaded it with food and beverages. We had water fights in the mornings, went to the beach during the day, grilled at night and just met up with other friends who were also vacationing on the island. Those two summers back in 1996 and 1997 were phenomenal and one that I will always cherish.

Coming up:

The Beantown Jazz Festival kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Sept. 25 in the South End.

Neo-Soul artist Bilal performs at Scullers Jazz Club on Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Saturday, Sept. 18, Discover Roxbury presents Highland Park Harvest Walk from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Boston Fashion Week 2010 begins Friday, Sept. 24 and runs thru Friday, Oct. 1.

If you would like me to cover or write about your event, e-mail me at inthemixwithcolette@gmail.com.