👵🏼😒 Gen Z is jealous of ... boomers?!

🤑 Got burning $$$ questions? Think: How can I pay for my dream vacation with credit card points? Or, what do my nights out in Boston actually cost? Boston Globe assistant business editor Andy Rosen will answer them in a four-part series next month. Drop your Qs here!

🏀 Also: B-Side Bracket update! We made a little oopsie while setting up our women’s March Madness bracket. You can join the official bracket here (and win a $100 gift card to the restaurant of your choice!).

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Is it possible for an entire generation … to be born in the wrong generation? From 90s sitcoms to digital cameras, Gen Zers are embracing the not-so-distant past to cope with how they’re feeling in the present.

Here’s what to know:

⏪ Gen Z has a knack for nostalgia. An Archbridge Institute study found that 68% of Gen Zers are nostalgic for an era before their lifetime. And it shows: Flip phones are trending, local vintage markets are selling “digi cams,” and FX’s “Love Story” has everyone dressing like it's 1995. “[Young] people are thirsty for the world … how we imagine it used to be,” said 24-year-old B-Sider Declan Dwyer, who uses digital video cameras and VHS tapes.

📲 But it’s not just about aesthetics. “They are specifically captivated by what life was like in the analog past — a gulf that is greater than the one that separates, say, Gen X-ers and their boomer parents,” social psychologist Clay Routledge wrote in the New York Times. 

😮‍💨 It’s about a return to life pre-TikTok. 60% of Gen Zers said they wish they could return to a time before everyone was plugged in. “There's not quite the hopefulness about the future in technology nowadays that there would have been … in the 2000s or 1990s,” said BC media studies professor Michael Serazio. Or, as 27-year-old B-Sider Alexandra Weliever put it: “I don't remember the last time any of my social media feeds reflected my actual friends rather than like inexperiences that were being marketed to me.”

👭 Older media shows them a different version of their 20s. Shows set in the 90s like “Friends” and, recently, “Love Story,” showcase a version of community Gen Z has never had. If not a giant, cozy friend group, it was at least a time where people could have an IRL meet-cute à la JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. “When you watch something that's older, you're just like, ‘oh my god, that's how the world's supposed to be,’” Dwyer said. 

📺 And analog devices help that time feel a little closer. While using a digital camera can’t literally take you back in time, “they remind us of how videos used to look when we were younger,” Dwyer said, offering a moment to step away from the constant scroll. And though it might seem like a simple aesthetic choice, “those [choices] are … some tiny examples of resistance,” Serazio said.

🎲🍻 Half the group wants karaoke and drinks, the other half wants a game night, and one friend just wants dumplings. At Malden Gaming District, everyone wins. Within a few walkable blocks, you’ll find escape rooms, esports, karaoke, rock climbing, Pokémon Go hotspots, and a wildly good lineup of food and bars. It’s easy on the Orange Line, easy to park, and even easier to plan a night everyone actually says yes to. Assemble your party and pick your first stop now.  

✈️ Your vacation just got a little less stressful. Logan recently announced new technology that’ll allow passengers to check TSA wait times before getting to the airport. The move is part of Logan’s push to improve its lackluster customer experience — which has also included puppies and music at baggage claim — using cameras to monitor line length. It’s especially good news in the midst of loooooong TSA lines during the partial government shutdown and weather-related delays. Wait times will be available on Logan’s website and app in mid-April, so stay tuned!

🙋‍♀️ Boston’s safety stats are looking good. A new Gensler survey found that Boston topped the list of major U.S. cities where residents said they feel safe — and has one of the smallest gender gaps! Woo! A whopping 77% of women and 80% of men said they feel safe in Boston. And if that doesn’t sound like a huge flex, compare those numbers to New York City, where just 45% of women feel safe compared to 60% of men; or Miami, where it’s 59% to 74%. Dive into the whole survey here.

🤑 Major flight deal alert! Southwest is back at it again with another spring sale, with one-way flights starting at just $59. The deal is good for continental U.S. flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between April 7 and June 10. Fares out of Logan include $59 flights to Baltimore, $109 flights to Savannah and Charleston, and $160 flights to San Diego. You can browse the deals here. Heads up: You’ll have to book your flight by March 19 at 11:59 p.m. Happy travels!

🍕 It’s time for another round of restaurant openings. On the docket: Willie’s in Beacon Hill and Southie’s Common Craft (which are both officially open!). Think of Willie’s as a neighborhood pizza joint with a global twist (see: a Korean-inspired rigatoni amatriciana and pizza with Spanish ham). Here are Boston mag’s fav dishes. As for Common Craft, it’s a new American spot from James Beard-winning chef Tony Messina, featuring a rotating menu that’ll showcase different producers or ingredients. There’s also a chic cocktail area, and rumblings about a potential hot dog cart! 

Below are some of the hottest local things to do. This month, B-Side Members can save more than $150 across our events plus monthly freebies like free coffee at Flour Bakery.

💋TODAY: Win two tickets to “Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous,” $150 value. B-Side Members can enter to win two tickets to see this bold, loud, and shamelessly fabulous performance that refuses to play it safe. Start a free trial to enter!

🚀March 20: Fetch Pitch Competition. Fetch’s Defeat the Odds Competition is your chance to turn your business idea into something major. Win up to $30,000, connect with experts, and  pitch at The Boston Globe’s Tech Innovation Summit this June. Apply here by March 20.

💼 March 28: WISE Summit, $30. WISE Summit is a women’s entrepreneurship conference featuring keynotes, workshops, and a student-founder marketplace. This year’s theme is “Good to Grow,” and all experiences and backgrounds are welcome. Book here.

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

Rhode Islander Richard McMahon found stroke recovery in an unlikely place: Dunkin’!

In October 2025, two unexpected strokes left McMahon unable to speak, and as his wife, Liz, looked for ways to make practicing feel more natural, his Dunkin’ order became a surprising benchmark.

Every day, he practiced his order: “Large iced coffee, two creams, two sugars,” sometimes hundreds of times, and Liz documented his journey on TikTok. Along the way, McMahon slowly got clearer and more confident, strangers reached out with kind words, and eventually, he was able to bring his order to an IRL Dunkin’.

“It really is a measuring stick,” Liz told Boston.com. “If you watch day one and you watch day 30, the progress is incredible.” 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍩 Thanks for reading! Not us tearing up over Dunkin’ … again!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Malden Gaming District, for supporting local journalism and keeping Boston nights out easy and affordable. 

🥗 The results are in: 55% of B-Siders said they love a good slop bowl — and for all of you hating on the name — we didn’t come up with it! One reader said: “Call me crazy, but Cava is a perfect treat.”

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