😍 Hot take: Boston is the city of love

💞 These Galentine’s plans were written in the stars. We have a pair of FREE tickets to this Sofar Sounds concert tonight featuring a gal pals theme and mini astrology readings. B-Side Members can email [email protected] to claim them. Not a member? Become one here and include your receipt!

🥳 And happy (early) birthday to B-Side Member Jessica Keegan! We’re a little nervous, but we have to ask: Will you be our Galentine? 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Step aside, Paris. This weekend, Boston is the city of love. Or, at the very least, it has a lot of fabulous Valentine’s events going on.

Here’s are our picks:

🍕 Give a pizza your heart. Keep your V-Day takeout on-theme with this cute heart-shaped pie from Ducali in the North End. They also have a Heated Rivalry-themed pie with Canadian bacon … if you’re into that.

👠 Grab the Samantha in your life. All weekend long, Boston Landing is hosting a “Sex and the City”-themed Galentine’s bash at Broken Records. Think: Free flowers, karaoke, brunch, permanent jewelry, and SATC screenings, obv.

🍩 Decorate a doughnut! At BlackBird’s Feb. 13 Galentine’s Day event, $65 a pop will get you a box of mini doughnuts, decorating supplies, a girl dinner of caesar salad, fries, and Diet Coke, unlimited hot cocoa, AND BlackBird swag. Now that’s a deal.

📀 Listen to *your song* on vinyl. On Feb. 13, Aeronaut will have a V-Day-themed pop-up vinyl shop in its taproom. Or, head over on Feb. 16 for a board game speed-dating sesh!

⛸️ Skate with your sweetheart. On Feb. 14, Tall Ship’s The Rink is offering two tickets for $14 with code LOVE14. Bonus points if you reserve this hot cocoa and floral arrangement bundle beforehand.

🏒 Heat up your Valentine’s night. Fruitstand is throwing a “Heated Rivalry”-themed queer bash in Harvard Square on Feb. 14, with drag, dancing, and, hopefully, “All the Things She Said” on repeat.

📚 Buy a book for your boo. Harvard Square Books is hosting its first-ever Valentine’s Day book swap on Feb. 14. Bring a partner or pal, secretly buy each other books (at 20% off!), wrap them up, and have a grand reveal!

🍓 Try fancy strawberries for FREE. Luxe strawberry company Oishii is handing out packs of their boujee berries (which retail for up to $20) plus flowers on Feb. 14 at the Greenway Ferris wheel from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

⚔️ Spend the night with a shadow daddy. Obviously, we’re talking about Trident’s romantasy trivia on Feb. 14, where you and up to five friends will answer questions about fated mates, faes, and forced proximity.

🥣  Show your community some love. The Super Bowl didn’t go our way, but we can guarantee that Haley House’s annual SOUPer Bowl on Feb. 15 will. Grab a ticket, show up, and slurp soup from top restaurants while supporting Haley House.

🍽️ 🍷 Look, we love a good introverted winter moment — but not enough to miss this. Dine Out Boston returns Feb. 22–March 7, bringing two glorious weeks of prix fixe menus from top restaurants across the city. Lunch or dinner, splurge-y or budget-friendly, you choose. Hosted by Meet Boston in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, this is Boston’s official restaurant week (and it fills up fast). Lock in your table now and thank yourself later.

🛵 Your Doordash driver might need a new ride. ‘Cause City Councilor Ed Flynn is proposing an all-out ban on delivery drivers using mopeds and e-bikes due to complaints of reckless driving. TBH, he has a point: Delivery drivers have been involved in some pretty serious crashes lately. Though the city has attempted to crack down on the issue, Flynn says residents still complain, and given the sheer number of drivers, police can’t handle it on their own. Now, his proposal will be sent to committee for review.

🚲 Bike down Comm Ave. lately? Thank these cyclists. Last week, over 20 fed up volunteers from the Boston Cyclists Union and BU Urbanism Club teamed up to clear snow off a stretch of the road’s bike lane — and send a message to the city. Per the group, parts of the lanes were completely blocked off by snow several days after the storm, and complaints to 311 and city councilors weren’t moving the needle. So, on Friday, they took matters into their own hands, harnessing their community to clear the path themselves. 

🤤 It’s a BIG week for Boston foodies. Why? Three reasons. 1. The 11,000-square foot Eastern Edge Food Hall is opening its doors in Kendall Square, offering several local concepts, from coffee to tacos to wine and beer. Here’s the lineup. 2. On Feb. 14, Boston’s latest Instagram-friendly candy shop, Pic & Mix, will be open for biz in Kenmore Square with an arsenal of trendy sweet treats. And 3. Copley Place announced high-end Italian marketplace Casa Tua Cucina and Greek restaurant Estiatorio Milos will be replacing the building’s Neiman Marcus. Bon appétit!

🚇 This weekend, the Orange Line is acting like your ex … unavailable. From Feb. 14 to 16 (that’s Monday!), the line is shutting down between Jackson Square and Forest Hills for signal upgrades. Per usual, shuttle buses will replace service, but riders can also take the commuter rail fare-free between Forest Hills and South Station. And that’s not all: Riders should brace for another nine-day OL shutdown later this month between Back Bay and Forest Hills, and a weekend shutdown on the Red Line. Now THAT is heartbreaking. 

Can a chicken shop smell … too much like chicken? Apparently, yes, according to a lawsuit between Raising Cane’s and its Back Bay landlord. Long story short, the landlord recently sent the chicken chain an eviction notice on the grounds that it … “smells like chicken fingers.” 

Apparently, the chicken-y scent has been an ongoing issue, with Cane’s claiming to have spent over $200,000 to investigate it. But it all came to a head on Jan. 5, when the shop informed its landlord it wouldn’t be yielding to the “unreasonable demands” anymore. Cue the eviction notice.

But the plot thickens: Now, Cane’s is arguing that the stench is just a means of forcing them to give up their exclusive rights to sell chicken on the property, since the landlord wants to open a Panda Express next door.

You can read about all the messiness here.

— Written by Gia Orsino

🍗 Thanks for reading! Hey, at least this time they know what the smell is.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Meet Boston, for supporting local journalism and giving us all a very good reason to leave the house.

📝 Programming note: We’ll be off on Monday for Presidents’ Day, but we’ll see you back in your inbox on Tuesday. Enjoy the long weekend!

🧊 The results are in: 58% of readers said they would NEVER walk on the Charles when it’s frozen over. But not this reader, who said: “Have you seen the MIT flag planted in the middle? I wonder who did that.” Uh … you!?!?

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