😎❄️ BREAKING: We fixed winter in Boston

🚲 PSA: FREE SPIN CLASSES. Our pals at Rev’d Copley are hosting a special open house this weekend where every (yes, EVERY) indoor cycling session is F-R-E-E. Spots are filling fast, so grab your bike here! 

🥳 And a VERY happy birthday to B-Side member Katrina. Nothing says HBD like tapping back to an EDM remix of “Thunderstruck.” Especially when it’s free. <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Ring ring! It’s time for another round of B-Side Hotline, our new series where we tap experts, readers, and ourselves to help you — our wonderfully picky readers — find the best recs around Boston.

This month’s guide: Things to do when it’s *cold*. Which you’ll definitely need this weekend …

🌴 Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence, R.I. Who knew a $10 commuter rail weekend pass could take you to the tropics? (Kinda.) This indoor beauty is home to New England’s largest glasshouse display garden, featuring towering palm trees, a koi pond, carnivorous plants, and more. Bonus: It’s just $5 admission.

🎿 Weston Ski Track, Weston. As one B-Sider put it: “The whole purpose of winter is to be outside playing in the SNOW!” Louder! And while they didn’t drop a specific rec, we think they’d co-sign our pick of the Weston Ski Track. It’s near(ish) the Green Line, offers miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails, and a package of rentals, day passes, AND lessons is less $$$ than many weekend lift tickets.

🎨 The Clayroom, Brookline. This paint-your-own pottery studio in Washington Square costs just $10 a person — or $5 on Mondays — plus the price of whatever you paint, from mugs to plates to vases. It’s basically a third space, but you can create something legitimately adorable! Also: It’s BYOB, and there’s free pizza on Tuesdays.

🔥 Matria’s s’mores by the fire special, Waterfront. A private fire pit + a box of bougie s’mores fixings + waterfront views at a five-star hotel somehow = just $10/person. This $40 box serves up to four and is loaded with gourmet chocolates, marshmallows, graham crackers, even luxe metal roasting skewers. Emily went the other week and gave it a big, fat B-Side Certified.

This month’s expert is Matt Juul, the Globe’s Living/Arts assistant digital editor, who helped put together its epic Winter Arts Guide.

⛷️ The Alpine House at Publico, South Boston. Publico is no stranger to après-ski fun, with the party returning this winter in the form of its Alpine House pop-up. Stay warm and cozy indoors while enjoying specialty cocktails (or shotskis for the more ~ambitious~ friend group), complete with lodge decor and snackable bites.

😂 Marcello Hernández at the Wilbur, Theater District. Boston has a lot of great comedy venues bringing the laughs year-round, but the hottest ticket this winter has to be SNL star Marcello Hernández (a.k.a. Domingo) stopping at the Wilbur for four straight nights Feb.13-16. Fair warning: It ain’t cheap.

🗳️ Gov. Maura Healey is ready to run it back. While she *technically* announced she’d run for re-election last year, Healey officially dropped her campaign video ahead of her third State of the Commonwealth address this week. Her platform? TL;DR: Standing up to President Trump and … affordability. Shocking! Like any good politician, she rattled off her first term Ws, like nixing broker fees, making community college free, and turning around the T. But our stubborn cost of living will likely make a great punching bag for GOP opponents.

🥶 “Oh, we are SO back.” — probably January. If you thought we were past the coldest days of winter … HA! The polar jet stream has become a little ~wavy~, meaning we’re in for a blast of Arctic air over the next two weeks. Bonus: This blast just so happens to coincide with some of the historically coldest weeks of the year, which means some parts of the Northeast could see record lows. And don’t be fooled by Thursday’s 40-degree forecast: Both weekend days will struggle to make the mid-teens. Fun!

🇺🇸 The BPL is putting Boston’s *Revolution vibes* on full display. Enter: Revolutionary Ideas: Boston250, a year-long celebration of the art, activism, and energy that’s made Boston that girl since 1776. This final installment of their Road to Revolution series includes everything from cool workshops to themed booklists to a never-before-exhibited display of six original copies of the Declaration of Independence(!). The full list of programs will be updated throughout the year here. And as always: They’re all free. <3

😎 Spring break came early this year. JetBlue’s cure for your winter blues? This SWEET sale with one-way flights as low as $59 (they def saw our cry for help). The deets: The sale is live through Jan. 24; it’s good for travel from Feb. 7 through March 18; and is available for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays (just double check these blackout dates). Our picks include: these $69 flights to Florida, this $99 deal to the Bahamas, or this $114 trip to St. Maarten (Emily’s fave).

This month, B-Side Members can save more than $150 across our events, in addition to over 60 other awesome perks. 

🛍️ Select Winter Thrift Market | Jan. 24-25 | The Cyclorama | Free entry 12-5 p.m.; $10 member early bird, $15 regular early bird | Shop 60+ vintage, Y2K, and streetwear vendors at this two-day winter thrift market. Enjoy free drinks, temp tats, live DJs, tooth gems, and more. Early bird tickets get you in at 11 a.m. Grab an early bird ticket here and take $5 off as a member!

✨ Boston Winter Wellness Experience | Jan. 25 | 9:45 a.m. check-in | Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport | $25 member, $30 regular | Round three of this sold-out event features a btone FITNESS class, crystal bowl meditation, and the Seaav Wellness Lounge with mini facials, coffee tastings, and pop-ups. Bring your mat and water bottle. 

🧶 B-Side Beginner Beanie Class | Jan. 28 | Boston Figure Art Center | $15 regular, $10 member | Join Citizen Crochet for a beginner-friendly crochet-your-own beanie class. Bring a sweet treat for the potluck (store-bought totally works). Grab a ticket here!

🍷 Galentine's Day Wine Tasting | Feb. 5 | 6:30 p.m. | M Fine Arts Galerie | $25 members only | Learn how to taste wine with Hannah from Pana Tastings while celebrating Galentine's Day with a new crew. You'll taste four wines and get a new wine glass out of it (plus some brag-worthy tasting skills).

🔑 P.S. After you sign up to become a member, we’ll email you promo codes for these events. 

👀 Want to feature your upcoming event above? Click here.

Nothing says “winter in Boston” like a hot guy competition in 30-degree weather. Translation: There was a “Heated Rivalry” look-a-like contest in the Public Garden this weekend and hundreds showed up to watch.

In case you’re living under a rock: “Heated Rivalry” is a Canadian romance (read: smutty) TV show about two rival hockey players — Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — whose rink rage for each other melts off in their spicy secret romance. This mom’s reaction to a fan edit tells you EVERYTHING you need to know.

Part of the series takes place in Boston(!), which sparked co-host Daniva Freeman’s quest to find the real-life Ilya and Shane. Of the eight official entries, Brown student Noah Hallward-Rough took home the top spot for his resemblance to Rozanov. Side bar: He’s never seen the show; he just walked by and got roped in!

And the prizes were equally on-brand: Free ice skating tickets for No. 1, and cans of Coke and ginger ale for No. 2. IYKYK.

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

⛸️ Thanks for reading! The second-place winner said it best: “Anyone can do smut, but not anyone can do smut that can make it to the Golden Globes, Milan Fashion Week, and the Boston Public Garden.” I know that’s right!

🚘 The results are in: Beep beep! Nearly 50% of B-Siders said they have a car and couldn’t live without it. From one former Allston resident: “i still have nightmares about the tow trucks that were constantly patrolling our street.” *shudders*

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