General Growth Properties, which operates Faneuil Hall Marketplace and owns the Natick Mall Collection, filed for bankruptcy today.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace up for sale.

Well, technically, the lease on the city-owned marketplace is up for sale, as current operator General Growth shrinks.

When giant toilets attack.

Alicia goes down to the Quincy Market Starbucks with a gift card, buys one of its new fruity Vivanno drinks, reports:

... The smoothie had a unique taste to it; it definitely didn't taste like oranges, mangoes and/or bananas, but it was sweet and I became slightly nostalgic drinking it. About halfway through the drink, I realized what it tasted exactly like: amoxicillin! Amoxicillin is the pink bubblegum flavored medicine I used to take for ear infections, and it was delicious (for a medicine.) I'm not sure if drinking Vivannos will cure a bacterial infection, but they sure taste like they will.

Tom Menino has a new mission: Turn Faneuil Hall into the Natick Mall. The Globe reports that an angry Menino, way up there near the top of Mt. Crumpit, could no longer take the noise, noise, noise, noise and ordered Boston Police to bust up those dangerous street performers - and balloon artists - in front of Faneuil Hall:

The officers shooed away clowns and caricature artists. They ordered music and dance acts to contain their performances to a single, small patch of brick - measuring 15 feet by 15 feet - near a stand of trees. And they erected steel crowd-control barricades in a wide swath around three sides of Faneuil Hall, to make sure the performers didn't sneak back.

But did they confiscate their tartinkas and who-hubas?

Why, Tommy, why?

Flann takes a photo on the Orange Line of the Quincy Market Ben Franklin, you know, the one who gets crabby if you try to take his picture without paying him. No word if he started yelling at her or didn't mind because he was off the clock.

Boston Guerrilla Queer Bar will "take over" a Faneuil Hall bar this Friday. No, of course, they don't announce which one beforehand (you need to sign up for the mailing list to get some e-mail the morning of the event):

The idea is to turn an unsuspecting straight bar into a gay bar for one night. Call it guerrilla bar fare.

Didn't realize it was that cold yesterday:

Dare I suggest it was better in New York?

Margaret and Rich take the kids to the Quincy Market tree lighting tonight, which featured Tom Menino, Wally and Santa Claus:

... And they threw the switch and the whole square lit up and they blew millions of white, swirling pieces of rectangular paper over the crowd. The effect was reminiscent of standing in a snow squall but it was quite pretty. ...