😍🔥 A Boston bombshell entered the villa

Happy Friday, Boston!

🍪🤑 We’ve released A LOT of member deals lately. See: Coffee perks from Lakon Paris Patisserie, Flour Bakery, The Half Cookie, and Day Shift; 20% off Levitate Music Festival tickets; 25% off JerkFest tickets; and NOW 15% off online orders of Culture Pop. Consider this your sign to become a member.

🥳 And a very happy (belated!) birthday to B-Sider Katherine Miner! If your big day wasn’t already sweet enough, may we suggest a Boston cookie crawl? You’re the best!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Flash flood fallout

• Is Boston getting a WNBA team?

• Sully’s seagulls strike again

Up first…

SUMMER FRIDAYS

Mahjong, matcha, and “Miss Congeniality”

Saturday? Check. Nice weather? Check(!). It’s shaping up to be a (rare) gorgeous summer weekend in Boston, and we expect you to take full advantage.

Here’s how to do it:

🍿 Catch a free outdoor flick. The city is PACKED with them this summer. This weekend’s offerings: “Moana 2” at the Hatch Shell, “Rear Window” at MIT’s Open Space or “Miss Congeniality” at the Pru.

🚶 Break up with your car for the weekend. The City of Boston’s Open Streets series kicks off July 12 on Blue Hill Ave. between Warren Street to Quincy Street, and July 13 on Newbury Street. The roads will be shut down to cars and open to music, vendors, and wholesome community vibes.

🛍️ Support Asian artists and makers. MAUM Market is bringing over 30 of them to the Seaport on July 12 to sell food, vintage clothes, ceramics, jewelry, and more! It’s free, but make sure to register here.

🀄 Try the newest hot girl hobby. Have you heard? The girls are playing Mahjong. Hop on the bandwagon at Aeronaut’s Saturday tile club on July 12. Learn how to play (with a brew in hand) and then put your new skills to the test. Grab a ticket here.

👗 Grab your fingerless gloves and dancin’ shoes. Because Allston thrift shop Raspberry Beret is teaming up with O’Brien’s Pub to throw a retro prom and night market on July 12. Nothing to wear? Your prom ticket gets you 20% off any formal fit.

🍓 Have a double dose of strawberry matcha. Huge news: Brookline Lunch is serving strawberry matcha pancakes this weekend ONLY. Even better, you can wash it down July 13 with a strawberry matcha latte (and more) from pop-up cafe Newbury Street Coffee Roasters at Merai.

😍 Watch a group of hotties try to find love. Local restaurants LOVE a Love Island watch party, especially since one of the finalists is a local(!). Wanna catch this season’s finale on July 13? Time Out’s outdoor screening with themed cocktails is our pick, but Dillon’s and Scorpion Bar also have tickets left.

👠 Channel your inner Carrie Bradshaw. A.k.a. sip wine and browse upcycled and vintage designer heels at The Attic on July 13. More of a Miranda? Peruse local artists’ wares with a cold one at Distraction and Democracy beer garden’s maker’s market the same day.

QUICK QUESTION!

🍵 Are you a matcha person? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌊 I-93 cosplayed as a swimming pool on Thursday. And it wasn’t alone. Parts of Greater Boston were under a flash flood watch as the area got absolutely hammered with rain. Boston proper avoided most of the deluge, but communities south of the city like Milton and Quincy weren’t so lucky, with some getting up to six inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Think: Flooded highways and streets, and even cancelled Red Line trains and shuttles. At least this weekend’s weather will be a welcome change of pace.

🏀 Councilor Brian Worrell wants the WNBA in Boston. Ahead of the city’s second-ever WNBA game on Tuesday, the city councilor filed a resolution calling for the league to relocate a franchise here, “particularly the Connecticut Sun,” he wrote. But don’t get too excited: Although local politicians, fans, and even players are dying for a Boston team, the odds of the Sun relocating here aren’t looking great. Meanwhile, the league has already locked down its expansion plans through 2030. But hey, we LOVE the energy.

🚲 Shutdowns got you down? Ride a bike! MBTA riders have the ultimate freebie to help tide us over though summer shutdowns: $20 of free rides on Bluebikes. Here’s the deal: You can redeem your credit in the rewards section of the BlueBikes app with code BLUECROSSMAMBTA2, and use it on both pedal and e-bikes. Credits will be around while supplies last, and must be used by the end of the year. Happy biking!

GIVEAWAY

Together with Boston magazine

Enter to win two VIP Tickets to the Best of Boston Soiree on July 16. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on July 12. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

21+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Your sign to get back out there

B-Side members get 50+ discounts and freebies at some of Boston’s trendiest spots, including $8 off tickets to Boston Single Mingle, the speed dating company seeking to connect young professionals in a fun and organic setting. Grab tickets to our upcoming collab event on Sept. 15!

ONE LAST THING

Sully’s seagulls strike again

The only thing more “summertime in Boston” than grabbing a hot dog from Sully’s … is having said hot dog violently stolen by a seagull from Sully’s. IYKYK.

A Florida tourist unfortunately learned that lesson the hard way on July 4 when she tried to take a pic of herself holding up a Sullivan’s hotdog in front of its iconic sign. Instead, she got a few absolutely priceless snaps of a giant gull swooping in and taking the dog right out of her hand. 

The good news: Per the restaurant’s seagull policy (yes, they have that), she got a new hotdog for free, and according to CBS News, was able to get the pic. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🌭 Thanks for reading! We’d say all’s well that ends well … but that seagull attack honestly looks a little traumatic.

🌊 The results are in: B-Siders are split on taking a swim in the Charles, but 55% wouldn’t take the plunge. One reader offered us some kind words: “[Looks outside at heavy rain] Good luck this weekend!” … Thanks girl!!!

🪩 🎶 Don't forget to grab your tickets to Best Day Ever, our Aug. 2 food, music, and shopping bash at Artists for Humanity!

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].