😋🍴 Babe, wake up, it’s patio season

☕ PSA: Free coffee! The KiOSK in Harvard Square has free Peet’s Coffee from 9 to 11 a.m., plus Cambridge merch and a raffle for Cambridge Taste tickets in honor of National Tourist Appreciation Day (yes, locals are welcome!).

🥳 Happy birthday to B-Side Member Marjorie Galas! Consider the free coffee your b-day gift from us. <3 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

That’s that me al fresco … or however it goes. Translation: Boston’s outdoor dining season is BACK.

Here’s everything you need to know:

🍴 ~Official~ outdoor dining season runs from May 1 to Oct. 31. Over 160 restaurants(!) have applied for outdoor dining permits from the city so far this year, which allow them to use sidewalks and other public spaces for seating.

😬 One place you won’t find patios this season: The North End. ICYMI: Most restaurants in the hood are infamously banned from participating due to a spicy feud between residents, restaurateurs, and City Hall over whether sidewalk seating helps or hurts the neighborhood. 

And with that, here are a few patios we’re pumped about …

🕊️ Dovetail, Charlestown. This, fairy lights, an Aperol spritz, and the chicken Caesar wrap of our dreams? Count us IN.

🍷 haley.henry, Downtown Crossing. From now on, we’ll be taking our wiener Wednesday hot dogs and wine outside, thank you very much.

🇮🇹 Tony & Elaine's, North End. If you do want to eat outdoors in the North End, Tony & Elaine’s tucked-away patio with checkered tablecloths is one of your best bets.

🐱 Tres Gatos, Jamaica Plain. This cozy, tree-covered patio in JP feels like you’re having dinner in your bestie’s backyard. Don’t forget to pop into its book and record shop after!

🌮 Taco Azul, Beacon Hill. For frozen margs under the stars, this is your spot. Bonus: They’re always slinging deals, so follow their IG for freebies (see: BOGO bowls, $1 tacos)!

🪩 Desnuda, South End. This B-Side Certified restaurant’s outdoor dining space may not be big, but it has big energy. Go for delish cocktails among the South End bustle.

🍳 Cafe Sauvage, Back Bay. Two words: Outdoor brunch! OK, one more word: Mimosas! Cafe Sauvage has both, and impeccable European sidewalk dining vibes to boot.

🦞 Saltie Girl, Back Bay. If you’re feeling splurge-y, there’s no better patio than Saltie Girl’s on Newbury Street with A+ seafood and people watching (see: this award-winning lobster roll). 

🍝 Via Cannuccia, Dorchester. This New York Times-approved hidden gem boasts some of the best city’s best Italian eats. We bet they taste even better outside.

📍 Wanna peruse the full list? The city made an interactive map of this year’s spots.

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🚴 Mass. is cracking down on e-bikes. Gov. Maura Healey just filed the Ride Safe Act, a “first-in-the-nation” slate of regulations on e-bikes and mopeds meant to address rising safety concerns. The deets: Motorized bikes would be classified into tiers based on their speed. Think: “Tier 0” bikes (up to 20 mph) would be allowed in shared bike lanes, while “Tier 2” bikes (30 to 40 mph) wouldn’t. There’d also be different rules covering helmets and age restrictions on who can ride what. That said, it’ll still need an OK from the State House.

🤤 We have your spring dining bucket list. Globe food critic Devra First just dropped her picks for places to eat this spring. On the list: Foxglove Terrace, Allston’s newest rooftop cocktail bar with globally-inspired bites and sips; La Tavernetta, Eastie’s new Italian coastal summer spot with killer waterfront views; Willie’s, Jamie Bissonnette’s Beacon Hill pizza joint with quirky pies; and Maple & Ash, the Seaport’s new shmancy steakhouse out of Chicago. Here’s the full lineup.

🎵 Get ready to fight for your life in the Ticketmaster queue. ‘Cause Pop queen Olivia Rodrigo is coming to TD Garden. Rodrigo is hitting Boston on her Unraveled Tour in support of her third album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” (which drops June 12, BTW). The shows are scheduled for October 15, 17, and 18 with indie-pop darling Wolf Alice as the opener. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, May 7, at 12 p.m. You can grab them here.

🦆 Out: Duck boats. In: Duck-pedal boats. The comment section on this video of bird-shaped pedal boats in Boston Harbor was rightfully confused. So we called up Charles River Boat Company and learned these babies will be ready for a spin on May 22. While technically a partnership with the Children’s Museum, anyone can use them. They’ll be first-come, first-served, and $25 for 30 minutes or $35 for 45 minutes. Apparently, they hold up to five peeps, but four adults is probably the max. *adds to summer bucket list*

This month, B-Side Members can save more than $150 across our events plus monthly freebies like free coffee at Flour Bakery.

🌷 May 8: Mother's Day Pop-Up with a Purpose. Colby Davis is hosting an in-store meet and greet with Girls Inc from 4 to 7 p.m. with snacks, sips, and a Friday vibe. 10% give-back supports Girls Inc. Invest in the next generation!

🌶 May 9: Boston Hot Sauce Festival, $12. The Boston Hot Sauce Festival is returning to The Cambridge Foundry on Saturday, with global sauces from small businesses, the League of Fire chili-eating challenge, chef demos, and more. Two sessions: 12-4 p.m. and 4:30-8:30 p.m. B-Side Members get $5 off. Book here.

🏓 May 16: Dink 'n' Drinks at Club Volo, $11. Pickleball open play meets party vibes at Club Volo in Assembly Row. Expect rotating partners, a live DJ, flowing drinks, and games like giant Jenga and cornhole off the court. Come solo or bring friends. B-Side Members pay $4 with VOLO Pass pricing. Book here.

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⚾ Boston's Bleacher Bar — the legendary sports bar tucked beneath Fenway Park’s centerfield bleachers — is nominated for USA TODAY's Best Local Sports Bar in America. They're the only New England contender in a field of 20 bars across the country, so we need to show up with the votes. Cast your vote here and come back every 24 through May 11 to vote again!

MISSING: “Swirly.” A two-foot plastic ice cream cone. Last seen in a dorm room window. 

Swirly was the unofficial mascot of Flour Bakery’s Boston Common outpost for months, enticing people to try their soft serve. But last October, he disappeared without a trace. As time went on, Flour owner Joanne Chang was convinced she’d never see him again … until last week. 

While walking home, a Flour employee spotted an ice cream cone perched in an Emerson dorm window that looked suspiciously like Swirly. So, Chang took to social media to revive the search.

“To anyone who is temporarily sheltering him: Thank you for protecting him this winter, please return him safely, no questions asked, in exchange for baked goods and our eternal gratitude!” she wrote. 

As for her message to Swirly? “We miss you,” she told the Globe. “It’s not the same without you.”

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍦 Thanks for reading! Now THAT’S a cold case.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Babson College, for supporting local journalism and helping you turn career “what ifs” into actual plans.

🚇 The results are in: It was tight, but 54% of readers say they’d rather take shuttle buses (that are always on time) forever than add 15 minutes to their daily T commute. One B-Sider said, “If the MBTA can get anything always on time, I’m in.” Fair enough.

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