😏🌭 Now THIS is a sausage party

🎶 Not us pretending this is Avril Lavigne on the Red Line … Wait, is the Quincy Adams T station lowkey a vibe … ?

💕 Gents, it’s time to find love! We’ve still got some spots left for boys for our July 30 matchmaking event with WBUR and Love Letters (sorry, we ran out of girl tickets!). Fill out a personality questionnaire, and we’ll match you with a date. Grab your ticket here, and use the code BSIDE5 for $5 off!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Ready for your feast szn food coma?? Don’t worry, we’ve got some other events for your weekend lineup that’ll give you time to ~digest~. 

Here’s what’s going down:

🎉 Sip a bevvy with skyline views. Free food? Check. A custom patch bar? Check. 1987 giveaways and an embroidery station? Check, check. Party after work at Truly rooftop’s summer kickoff party in Fenway on July 24 for snacks, merch, games, and live tunes.

🏖️ Watch the pros sprint on sand. Yup, the Head of the Charles is bringing back Boston Beach Sprints to Carson Beach from July 24-26. Oh, did we mention this race combines both beach running AND coastal rowing?? 

🎸 Cross the river for local tunes.* Catch the best New England bands at NICE, a fest on July 24-26 (think: Somos, Fai Laci, Bay Faction, Sophie’s Body, Muzzle, Twen). And B-Side Members get $10 off tickets. Book here!

👐 Warm up your jazz hands. ‘Cause you’ll be groovin’ alllllll weekend long at the annual Cambridge Jazz Festival at Danehy Park from July 25-26. Bonus: It’s free!

🎨 Immerse yourself in art. Check out FIGMENT’s *free* interactive arts festival at Assembly Row on July 25 to see BIG collaborative pieces, live performances, and more.

🛍️ Give your closet a ~summer refresh~. Stop by Boomerangs and More Than Words for their *killer* fill-a-bag sale on July 25. The rule is simple: Stuff all the clothes you can into one $30 bag. Pro tip: Get there early!

🌭 Join the sausage party. No, really. Try the tastiest weenies from the city’s top local restaurants at Best of the Wurst on July 25. Think: Little Sage’s chicken and rabe sausage, Geppetto’s porchetta-style brat, and Merai’s krapaw hot dog. 

🍦 Cycle for some scoops. Join Boston Cafe Bikers for an afternoon ice cream crawl on July 25, starting at the OG JP Licks. Next stops: Gracie’s, Honeycomb, and the Speedway for a maple creemee. 

🇵🇷 Alexa, play “Voy a llevarte pa' PR” by Bad Bunny. Bring that energy to Franklin Park for the annual Puerto Rican Festival on July 25-26. Enjoy all your fave authentic dishes, carnival rides, and even a parade!

🧶 Practice your slip stitch. Learn to crochet this adorbs fried egg from start to finish at Tiny Chaos Studios’ workshop on July 26 (there’s even a mini skillet!). Plus, your ticket comes with your own take-home kit with a hook, needle, stitch marker, and extra yarn.

*This listing was presented in partnership with NICE, a Fest.

This season at Fenway Park, there’s a new reason to skip the beer line. The Angry Orchard Terrace, the open-air deck behind the bleachers, is your new gameday hangout spot. The Terrace, of course, has more than enough ice-cold Angry Orchard cider on draft and in cans. But the big news for you? Their new flavor, Watermelon Slice, is available as a SLUSHIE — yes, a watermelon hard cider slushie. It has an authentic watermelon flavor, that signature Angry Orchard crispness, and an icy format that will keep you cool even in a heat wave. Go for the game, stay for a watermelon slushie!

🏃 PSA: The Boston Marathon just introduced “random selection.” Starting with next year’s race, ~1,000 runners who met the qualifying time for their age group but didn’t make the cutoff will be randomly accepted into the race. In case you’re new here: There have been more qualifiers than available spots, which is why the B.A.A. uses a cutoff. Last year’s cutoff was ~4.5 minutes faster than the qualifying time. This is the B.A.A.’s way of giving hope to more runners, since the Boston Marathon is *notorious* for its tough standards …

💸 “Make it rain!!!” — probably Mass. to its highest earners. The state generated $3.38 billion (!) from the “millionaire’s tax" — 13% more than last year. The 4% surtax, for household incomes above $1.1 million, is meant to support education and transportation efforts, like free school meals. Despite opponents thinking that this would push out the rich, this is actually the third year in a row that it’s added more than $2.4 billion in revenue. Soooo … supporters of the tax say it’s a sign that wealthy peeps are sticking around Mass. 

🤮 No more frappes with a side of rodent … The South Station Starbucks just passed inspections and reopened on Thursday, after its license was suspended last week for multiple food safety violations, including fruit flies and mouse droppings (ewww!). ICYMI, there was a viral video of mice running across the counter and feeding on biscotti in the display case, prompting the initial inspection. Since then, that Starbucks was required to deep clean everything and hire a much-needed pest control company. But TBH that turnaround feels a bit quick …

🏋️☕ Add our next Summer Wellness Series meetup to your cal. We’re collabing with Fit Scene Boston on Aug. 8 for a classic mat pilates sesh at the STUNNING Studio78 on Old Colony Ave. Plus, your ticket comes with complimentary cold brew from Boston Brew! Sign up here with code BSIDE50 for 50% off the drop-in rate!

The perfect bike ride doesn’t exi— Enter: The Market Basket World Tour. 

Dominic Galiano and Paolo De Guzman, two Somerville besties, went on a 100-mile journey last month, biking to *every* Market Basket on the North Shore, plus a few near the New Hampshire border. 

But that’s just a taste of the tour — their goal is to bike to all 90 stores in New England.

Why Market Basket? They felt it’d be a fun way to explore local towns and cities because the chain is such a quintessential part of New England culture. Plus, they were inspired by that one Cambridge guy who planned to bike to every single Dunkin’ in Boston last year.

Not to mention, Market Basket is affordable (they buy an item and snap a receipt at every one as proof). 

And no, they’re not training for races or breaking records, just riding on $1 sour gummy worms and ~vibes~.

— Written by Kelly Chan

🪱 Thanks for reading! At least it’s not the fiber-maxxed Trader Joe’s gummy worms …

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Angry Orchard, for supporting local journalism and blessing our summer Sox games with the coolest adult bev ever. 

🚇 The results are in: 46% of B-Siders on the Red Line are suffering in a one-to-two-hour commute with the T shutdown … One reader said, “Literally moved apartments so I could walk to work and avoid shutdowns after the 2024 closures.” REAL. 

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