🤩🍝 Holla for this $10 pasta class!!!

⛴️ PSA: We have tix left to our B-Side Night on Spectacle Island tomorrow! And we’re opening it up to everyone! Your $25 ticket covers a ferry ride to Spectacle, beach s'mores, gorg sunset skyline views, and more. Use code BHNXBSIDESSN here to sign up! 

💕 Also … lock in, B-Side boys!!! We’ve still got spots for guys for our matchmaking night at WBUR’s CitySpace on July 30! Grab a ticket here, fill out our personality questionnaire, and meet someone we picked out just for you. <3

🥳 And a big Member HBD to Ariana Twomey and early b-day to Bianca L.! As a gift, we’d love to set up your single guy friends. ;) 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

The Scots? Gone. Tall ships? See ya! World Cup? One foot out the door. It's not goodbye; it's see you later *cries*. Boston’s been having a generational run this summer, so consider this your sick weekend lineup to keep the good vibes going.

Here’s what’s going down:

🏖️ Crown the king of the castle. Watch sculptors build the most elaborate sand castles and statues at the annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival from July 17-19. No but really, how did they make this?? Plus, there’ll be live music, food, rides, even fireworks!

🍦 Double-fist some ice cream sammies. Honeycomb Creamery is celebrating National Ice Cream Day with TWO delectable creations we’re dying to try this weekend: churrowiches AND macaron ice cream sandwiches. Yes, please!

🏃 Choose your sweat sesh. You’ve got two July 18 options: 1. FREE yoga class at the Grove at Lawn on D. Or 2. Ritual’s wellness social — with a choice of run club, bootcamp, or pilates — which also has an afterparty, ft. a complimentary drink, a cold plunge zone, and more.

🏓 Volley for serve and … your number? Mingle and play with single Boston hotties at Pickleball Social Club on July 18. You’ll rotate partners and play short rounds to see who’s got game. No paddle? No problem! They’ve got you covered.

🇻🇳 Transport yourself to Little Saigon. Get a taste of allllll of your fave Vietnamese street food (think: chicken wings, meat skewers, crawfish) at this annual night market in Dorchester on July 18. There will be art, games, and photo opps, too!

🎉 Party with your DOT neighbors. Free food? Check. Music? Check. Lawn games and raffles? Check, check. Yup, this is Dorchester Bay's annual community block party on July 18, bringing everyone together for local food faves (like Fresh Food Generation), art, activities, and good vibes.

🎨 Get revved up for ArtBeat. Enjoy ~100 craft and food vendors, street artists, a dance showcase, two stages of live music, and a parade at this *massive* all-day festival in Davis Square on July 18. Pro tip: Bring your own water bottle! (There’s a refill station for ya.)

🛍️ Splurge on a summer spree. Snag some rare finds at a community thrift market in Southie on July 18 (it’s where Emily scored a brand new cashmere jacket for $50!). Copley Square is also going hard for the secondhand baddies with its huge vintage festival on July 19, ft. Y2K fashion, temp tats, tooth gems, and more.

🍝 Make your nonna proud. Join Long Live Beerworks in Roxbury on July 19 for a guided pasta-making class for ONLY $10. Oh, and did we mention it comes with craft beer and an exclusive tasting? Alexa, play “Che Le Luna.”

😭 Watch Messi’s last World Cup game. THIS is a match for the big screen: Argentina takes on Spain in the World Cup Final on July 19. Catch it at City Hall Plaza, the Anchor, Time Out, and more venues across the city.

😋🍽️ Answer: it’s already handled. Dine Out Boston removes the hardest part of going out to eat (the decision-making) with prix fixe menus across the city Aug. 1-15. From Asian fusion to Caribbean to Middle Eastern spots you’ve been meaning to try, it’s all on the table. Just choose a place, make a reservation, and show up ready to eat.

🥬 POV: You order wine instead of a salad to avoid the poop parasite. ICYMI: There’s currently an outbreak of the cyclospora parasite known to cause *explosive* diarrhea. But luckily, Mass. has only seen a handful of cases this summer. While its source is still unclear, it’s been previously linked to contaminated food, particularly fresh produce, and water. For now, experts say to wash veggies and fruits very thoroughly (or cook them when possible), and avoid items like prewashed, bagged lettuce altogether.

🚲 Bike safety advocates are flaming City Hall. After Louisa Gag, a city transportation planner, died from a bike accident last week, thousands signed a letter demanding action to make our roads safer for cyclists. TBH, advocates were already *livid* before this as the city drags its feet on several transportation safety projects and backpedals initiatives, like removing some bike lane barriers last year. Mayor Michelle Wu said they’re still investigating the details of Gag’s death to see “what needs to be done to make sure this never happens again.”

🍨 Say hello to mo’ ice cream and mo’ pizza! Popular West-coast chain Salt & Straw is opening its first Mass. location in Seaport on July 24, with fun local flavors like Boston Cream Pie and pistachio ricotta cannoli (their blackberry birthday cake is GAS). PLUS, Scrappie’s (a.k.a. the viral pizza pop-up) will supposedly open a brick-and-mortar in Beacon Hill, selling their famous ‘za from bread scraps sourced from local restaurants. OK, now the bad news: Our fave Mediterranean spot Chickadee closes July 18. Order one last plate of chickpea fries for us!

Do you want the ~house boat tour~? Imagine: A remodeled tiny home, a small fireplace, gorg wood paneling, plus every amenity you need … except it’s all on the water. 

Two years ago, North Shore besties Jake Doggett and James Little bought an old 24-foot pontoon boat (which sunk in a river, btw) for $4,000, and turned it into a 100-square-foot houseboat. The kicker: They knew literally nothing about houseboats … 

The whole shabang took 14 months from start to finish for a grand total of $40K (!). And like any pair of can-do 20-somethings, they created videos of the whole flipping process and went VIRAL.

Unfortunately, James took a job in Florida, so now they have it up for sale on Facebook Marketplace for a cool $140K (lowkey not bad for Mass.?). In the meantime, Jake and his girlfriend are enjoying the houseboat together in Essex Bay while they still can. <3

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🥴 Thanks for reading! We’re sold … as long as it comes with a lifetime supply of dramamine.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Meet Boston, for supporting local journalism and helping keep Bostonians connected and well-fed. 

💸 The results are in: 51% of B-Siders pay between $1,000 and $2,000 for rent, and many of you definitely have roommates. One reader said, “Having a S.O. is the best rent hack.” Try your luck at our matchmaking night!

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