👫❤️ Need a date? Phone a friend!

🍟 Need a reason to leave the house after work? Every day from 5 to 9 p.m., Tall Order will give you free fries with any martini ordered at the bar (yes, that includes espresso). 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Everything is better with friends … and that includes dating. We’re serious! From the apps to IRL events, dating with a wingman is back in style, and Boston isn’t immune.

Here’s what to know:

👭 Boston’s dating scene is full of plus-one events. See: Plus-One Parties (where singles are required to bring a friend along) or Pitch-A-Friend nights (where attendees literally pitch their pal to the audience). And it’s not just IRL: From Boston’s own PlotTwist to Tinder’s Double Date feature, apps are experimenting with the format, too. “I know I’ve noticed a trend in it,” said LunchDates matchmaker Jill Vandor. 

😅 Why? Dating solo can be nerve-wracking. Especially post-pandemic. We already know that dating apps can be rough, but as more and more Gen Zers try to find love offline, they’re learning that dating IRL is also hard. “Going to a dating event is vulnerable,” said Met Through Friends founder Elle Wilson. “Are you walking in there alone? Are you gonna get rejected? … There's so much swirling around in there that can be very intimidating.” 

🤝 Having a pal around can take the pressure off. Whereas solo dating events can feel isolating and high stakes, going out with a friend is more casual, said Emily Smith, who runs Boston’s Pitch-a-Friend chapter. Not to mention “you just kind of feel braver” with someone there to hype you up, which = a much higher chance you’ll actually approach someone.

😎 Plus, it provides a built-in vibe check. In a dating scene full of online interactions, you’d be surprised how far a simple verification can go, said Vandor. “It's nice to know that, at the very least somebody is saying, ‘OK, this person's worthy of your time,’” she said. “Some of my favorite success stories from people were ones who said, ‘my friends got a gut check on this person I was interested in, and they liked them, so that made me more confident about it,’” Wilson said.

👐 Which allows your bestie to spread their wings. Dating is inherently vulnerable, which means it goes a lot better when you feel safe and comfortable — and knowing that everyone in the room already has someone there who loves them can help. “It's actually, like, really wholesome and wonderful and kind of restores your faith in humanity,” Smith said.

🇺🇸🦅 You could spend the day off rotting in bed. Or you could spend it actually celebrating the holiday. On Feb. 16, the JFK Presidential Library is throwing a festival that turns Presidents’ Day into a full-on, all-ages moment — with presidential storytelling, make-and-take crafts, live music, and special activities tied to America250 and Presidential Pets (yes, presidents had pets, and yes, it’s adorable). Youth 17 and under get in free, the first 350 kids get a keepsake, and adults can get a discount by keeping an eye out for the special buzzword on @jfklibraryfdn. 

🏘️ Mayor Wu is a YES on rent control. If the controversial measure actually makes it to the ballot, Wu will give it a thumbs up, she said in a radio appearance earlier this week. Though Wu admitted the measure is “not perfect” (the proposed 5% cap would be the strictest in the country), she said she’s “not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” That said, she’s still holding out hope for the secret third option of a legislative compromise, which could sidestep the Q altogether. 

⚽ Wanna watch the World Cup without spending a dime? Head to City Hall Plaza! Officials just announced it’ll be the location of Boston’s 16-day-long FanFest in June and July. The details are still TBD, but we can expect food trucks, entertainment, and of course, massive screens for watching the matches. As for the price, paid entry isn’t out of the question, but officials are apparently “determined” to make it free. Other watch parties across the city are expected to drop at a later date.

🎓 Three-year undergrad could be coming to Mass. The state’s board of higher education will now allow colleges and universities to propose bachelor’s programs requiring less than the normal 120 credits, opening the door for three-year bachelor’s programs. Advocates say they’d get students in the job market faster, and with less debt, at a time when tuition prices are soaring (see: over $100,000 a year). Some worry whether the change will “undercut” the traditional college experience. All that said, the programs would still be subject to approval.

🏒 Another Beanpot season has come and gone. And the winners are … Boston College and Harvard! The two schools won it all in the 2026 men’s and women’s tourneys, respectively. BC took down BU 6-2 for its first Beanpot win since 2016, the icing on the cake of the program’s recent success. Meanwhile, the women’s game was a bit more exciting, with Harvard edging out BU 2-1 in an OT penalty shot, marking the school’s first Beanpot win since 2022. Check out the winning shot!

For as long as the Charles has frozen over, people have tried to walk on the ice. But the folks in charge of the river really, really wish they wouldn’t.

According to the Globe, Bostonians have been giving into their intrusive thoughts for decades. In the early 1900s, the river had skating parties. In the 80s, an MIT student famously moved his dorm furniture onto it. And in 2021, a YouTuber fell through the ice on his bicycle. All the while, officials have begged them to stop.

But, like clockwork, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen people walking, ice fishing, and even e-biking on the frozen water anyway. *Sigh*

— Written by Gia Orsino

🧊 Thanks for reading! It’s all fun and games until you’re taking an unplanned ice plunge.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the JFK Library Foundation, for supporting local journalism and giving us an excuse to leave the house on Presidents’ Day. 

🤖 The results are in: B-Siders are OUT on AI. 86% of you said it should be banned altogether in political ads. One reader said: “Stop trying to make AI happen.”

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