🤕🏂 City Hall is crashing out ...

💋 Are you in a sticky situationship? Feeling a Hinge hangover? To celebrate the season of love, Globe “Love Letters” columnist Meredith Goldstein is answering YOUR burning relationship questions in next week’s newsletter! Just fill out this form!

🥳 And HBD to B-Side Members Jordyn Starkovich and Larisa! The only thing we love more than love? Celebrating your special days.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Will you be(side) our Valentine? The only catch: We won’t spend a dime on your gift … because of all the great freebies happening in February (hehe).

Here’s what’s going on:

⛸️ Consider this your sign to actually take your lunch break. ‘Cause you can ice skate fo’ FREE on the Frog Pond on Feb. 5 and 12 (yes, that includes rentals!). This Skating at Lunch special gets you on the rink from 12-2 p.m. both days. You can also hit the rink for free on Feb. 15 for their Skating With Friends event. Prefer a more *unique* ice experience? Try IceFlow, a free, all-levels ice skating yoga class on Feb. 8. 

🌟 Bonus skate: Canal District Kendall is also running a free community skate at their rink on Feb. 14 (with pizza and hot cocoa to boot!). 

🧊 Turn winter into a work of art. You know Revere Beach for its sand-sculpting festival, but did you know it also has an ice sculpture competition? Catch world-class artists chip away at their icy works of art on Feb. 7, then warm up inside their winter market.

👀 Speaking of frozen sculptures … You can watch live snow-sculpting sessions over at Faneuil Hall every weekend through February (or at least as long as the snow sticks around). This first sculpture is obviously our fave …

🥘 Chow down on free chili. Harvard Square’s best restaurants will go toe-to-toe in a chili cookoff on Feb. 7, and we get to taste the results! Your job: Show up, fill up on chili, and vote for your fav to win the coveted chili pot.

🌹 Make a bouquet while sipping rosé. Rosé samples? A gorgeous bouquet-making bar? For FREE? Yes, yes, and yes! You can get it all at Kendall Center’s annual Roses and Rosé event Feb. 11. Reserve a spot here and make sure to arrive early — it’s first-come, first-served!

👠 Watch local fashionistas strut their stuff. The Liberty Hotel hosts free fashion shows every single Thursday featuring up-and-coming local designers, but the Valentine’s Day show on Feb. 12 is going to be extra special. Expect sensual fits and party vibes.

🎨 Spend President’s Day at the ICA. Your favorite contemporary art museum is offering free admission on Feb. 16. Quick note: Free tickets are required for entry and are available on Feb 15 at 10 a.m. 

🏂 Shred the gnar at City Hall Plaza. It’s basically turning into a terrain park for Red Bull Heavy Metal on Feb. 21. Imagine: Some of the world’s gutsiest snowboarders doing wild stunts on iconic city locations. But fair warning: The wipeouts might have you feeling secondhand pain …

💬 P.S. We’re also looking to chat with folks who use groups like “Are We Dating The Same Guy?” or Tea. If that’s you, shoot Gia an email at [email protected]. 

🥶 Boston is in for its coldest weekend yet. No joke: Forecasts show temps dipping to as low as (brace yourself!) -20 with wind chill, and topping out at 17 degrees. That’s about 20 degrees below normal for this time of year, and could even set new daily records. Per usual, the weakening polar vortex is the culprit, which allows Arctic air to drop to New England, and apparently, it’s not done yet — there’s potential for another big cold spell later this month. Suddenly, Tuesday’s 35 degrees isn’t looking so bad …

🚉 Winter: 1. South Station’s fare gates: 0. Commuters who passed through the station on Monday saw the new gates deactivated and covered in tarps and shrink wrap just weeks after they debuted. Why? Keolis, the commuter rail’s operator, blames the recent winter storm, though exactly how the storm = a fare gate shutdown is unclear. As for when they’ll be back online, it’s still TBD, but in the meantime, passengers don’t seem too upset about the loss — the gates haven’t exactly received rave reviews. 

💸 Massholes are raking in the cash. The American Community Survey dropped some juicy data about median household incomes from 2020 to 2024, and spoiler: Mass. is doing pretty well. Statewide, households raked in nearly $132,000 on average, second only to Washington, D.C. That said, there are still major disparities between the highest-earning areas (see: over $250,000 in Hopkinton) and the lowest (see: Holyoke’s $64,000). As for Boston, we land right in the middle at $116,400. Dive into all the data here.

🏈 This is your sign to plan a Super Bowl party. ‘Cause we have the menu covered. BostonChefs put together a super helpful roundup of all the best spots offering game day eats, sorted by neighborhood, with prices included. Our picks: FiDO Pizza’s Super Bowl package of pizza and wings claims to feed 10 people for just $10 a pop; and Mimi’s Chūka Diner is offering a certifiable feast of Chinese comfort food that’ll only run you slightly more. Just make sure to order ASAP! Here’s the full list.

Below are some of the hottest local things to do. This month, B-Side members can save more than $150 across our events, in addition to over 60 other awesome perks.

❄️ Win a Sam Adams Brewery Igloo Giveaway | Feb. 4 | Start a free trial here to enter the members-only igloo giveaway provided by Sam Adams Brewery. Includes an igloo reservation for you and five friends, a pitcher of beer, and an order of loaded nachos piled high with all the fixings! 

🍝 Area Four Pizza February Deal | All month | Area Four Kendall Square | $30 member, $50 regular | Get a salad, your choice of pepperoni pizza or vodka pasta, and any cocktail for just $30 (regularly $50). Flash your B-Side Member pass to redeem. 

🫁 Source Method Breathwork | Feb. 8, 16, 23 & Mar. 4 | Somerville, Cambridge | $15 member, $27 regular | Reset your nervous system with music-driven breathwork. Source Method combines a three-part technique with playlists designed to help you feel. B-Side Members save $12 on four upcoming classes. Snag your spot here.

✨ Boston Winter Wellness Experience | Feb. 14 | 9:45 a.m. check-in | Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport | $25 member, $30 regular | Round 4 of this sold-out wellness morning features a 50-minute sculpt class by The Move, followed by the Seaav Wellness Lounge with cozy sips, self-care pop-ups, mini glow facials, and more. Bring your mat and water bottle. 

☕ B-Side x Silver Dove Afternoon Tea | SOLD OUT | Silver Dove Tea | Members only $40 | Proper tea service for $20 less. Members get nine food items plus a pot of tea for $40, including tax and service (regularly $60.60) at Silver Dove.

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

The real star of the Patriots’ season: Mack Hollins’ TikTok account. The wide receiver’s absolutely wild social media presence has come to our attention, and we refuse to keep it to ourselves.

For an NFL star, his videos are shockingly down-to-earth. He shares life hacks (like how to properly fold jeans). He talks through the pros and cons of eco-friendly kitchen tools (like paper towels versus reusable napkins). But our favorites have to be his 5Ws series.

Imagine: An NFL player wearing a full suit, standing in front of a green screen, and seriously answering philosophical questions ranging from “why do cats purr” to “why do fingers wrinkle when they get wet.” Also, he’s usually barefoot. 

Check out his profile here. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏈 Thanks for reading! We’ve GOTTA get this guy on Beyond Bakemas. 

🍛 The results are in: 30% of B-Siders want us to try Brighton’s Aatma for next month’s B-Side Certified, and your wish is our command. One reader said: “All of them please???????” Girl, we wish.

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