🥪🤤 PSA: This viral sandwich is FREE

⛷️ The slopes are calling already. And Snowbound Expo is the PERFECT kickoff to ski season, especially if you’re in need of new gear (which will be up to 70% off). Tickets are $16 or $32 for all three days, Nov. 14 to 16, but B-Side Members get in for $5 or $10. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

The leaves may be falling, but Boston’s foodie scene STAYS on top. And per usual, Boston magazine and Boston.com have the roadmaps to this month’s best restaurant openings.

Here’s what’s worth a bite:

🥪 All’Antico Vinaio, Back Bay. After months of anticipation, this viral Florence-based sandwich shop will officially open for biz today at noon on Boylston Street. On the menu: Giant sandwiches on Tuscan-style flatbread, loaded with fancy Italian meats that seem to please the TikTok baddies and actual food critics alike. Bonus: Per Boston magazine, to celebrate the grand opening, today’s first 500 sammies are FREE! (We recommend the La Favolosa.)

Items to try:

🍕 Sally’s Apizza, Dorchester. It finally happened! The beloved New Haven-based pizza chain has officially touched down in Boston proper after opening its first Mass. location in Woburn back in 2023. There’s a lot on the menu, but the star of the show is, of course, the apizza (pronounced ah-BEETZ). Think: Classic, New Haven-style pies with super thin, heavily charred crusts, tangy tomato sauce, and just a whisper of cheese.

Items to try:

🍸 89 Charles, Beacon Hill. This cozy speakeasy has opened just in time for Beacon Hill’s most stunning season. You can expect a menu of top-shelf cocktails that riff on the classics (like an espresso martini with coconut cream or a cosmo with lemon and banana), plus a small selection of bites to complement the sips, from crudo to warm cookies. And the cherry on top? This gorgeous, moody lounge space.

Items to try:

🥯 Park Bagelry, Lower Allston. Boston’s bagel scene just got a(nother) upgrade with this newly-opened bagel and coffee shop from the team behind Somerville classics like Forge Baking Co., Diesel, and Bloc. The house-made bagels are the main draw (though the aesthetic cafe space is close behind), which you can enjoy plain or in sandwich form alongside a full menu of coffee and espresso drinks. 

Items to try:

😋 Hungry for more? Check out Boston magazine’s full roundup here, and Boston.com’s here.

✙ 💸 Think a doctor’s visit always = $$$? With Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, preventive care like annual exams, vaccines, and screenings are often fully covered. That means better odds of catching problems early while they’re still easy (and cheaper) to treat. Go ahead and book that physical or cross that flu shot off your list. With many plans, staying on top of your health doesn’t have to cost a thing — but it can save you plenty.

⚾ Check in on your local Red Sox fan today. On Thursday night, their season ended in the worst fashion possible: A gnarly 4-0 loss to the New York Yankees. After an easy W in Game 1 and a razor-thin loss in Game 2, the Sox took a beating in a winner-take-all Game 3, which brought their first postseason run since 2021 to a heartbreaking end. After a scoreless start, the Yankees got four runs in the fourth inning and basically never looked back. But mark our words: Next year, we’ll be back!

💸 It’s time for a heating bill price check: It’s not easy to predict heating bills, but this Globe writer took a stab at it. Compared to last year’s mind boggling prices, National Grid customers can expect their bills to dip a measly 1%. But they still have it better than Eversource customers, who will see a price hike of 13 to 17%, barring intervention by the DPU. That said, ultimately, factors like the weather, your home’s insulation, and the cost of gas will make all the difference. Long story short: Break out those layers.

🚃 It’ll be a rough weekend to ride the GLX. ‘Cause from 8 p.m. tonight through Oct. 5, Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Union Square as well as Medford/Tufts. Shuttles will replace service between North Station and Medford/Tufts and make all the usual stops. But if you want to get to Union Square, the MBTA recommends you take the 109 bus between it and East Somerville, though the 91 and 87 buses also work. Good luck out there!

🎓 The best college in Mass. … isn’t Harvard? And it’s not MIT, either! According to the Wall Street Journal’s newest list of the best colleges in America, Babson beat them BOTH out, ranking No. 1 in Mass. and No. 2 in the whole country, behind only Stanford. Surprised? Well, considering the Journal’s rankings are based on alumni’s salaries and the school’s “financial success preparation,” it makes sense that Babson, which is known for its business and entrepreneurship focus, came out on top. Here’s the full list.

✨ Usher in Taylor Swift’s Showgirl era. From trivia to listening parties to themed drink menus to the official release party movie, there are too many Taylor Swift events to count this weekend. Here’s the best roundup we could find.

🍾 Snag a free ticket to Boston’s best fall party. Boston Public Market’s annual Harvest Party (with tons of foodie freebies) is right around the corner. All B-Side members get $10 off tickets, or, you can enter to win a FREE pair in tomorrow’s newsletter! 

🍂 Drink in the fall vibes … literally. Beer gardens, food trucks, mini golf, crafts, music, vendors, it’ll ALL be at the Greenway’s fall fest tonight. And don’t miss a free screening of “The Addams Family” at 6:30 p.m.

📚 Tour Boston by library. The BPL and Heartbreak Hill Running Company are teaming up for Book It Around Boston, a choose-your-own-adventure walk/run Oct. 4 that hits as many BPL branches as possible. After you’re done, head to the Central branch for a massive book sale. 

🎭 Attend an eclectic hybrid performance. It’s a music festival! It’s a performing arts show! It’s … The Urge 2 Merge, a free show from the Boston Public Art Triennial on Oct. 4 exploring the story of Plymouth Colony’s “most scandalous settler.”

🎃 Hit this Halloween vintage market. Need a new oversized sweater? Want a jump start on Halloween costumes? Select Markets’ spooky vintage markets Oct. 4 and 5 have you covered.

🎪 Grab all the freebies you can hold. And there will be a LOT of them at College Fest Boston on Oct. 5 from brands like Dunkin’, Monster Energy, Uber Eats, and … us ;). If you’re a student, admission is free!

🦸 Cosplay as … whoever you want! On Oct. 5, Wicked Comic Con is coming to the Westin Seaport for a FREE day celebrating comic books, creators, and independent artists.

Most people agree that Tom Brady is the best QB of all time. @Drakemayelover is not most people. 

This fan account for the Pats’ sophomore QB has racked up almost 100k followers on Instagram for showcasing its unconditional — sometimes, unconventional — love for Drake Maye. 

Every game day, they post the same picture of Maye with the same caption “Drake Maye plays football today.” But sprinkled in between? Fan edits, absurd memes (“You get $500 million, but you can’t wear a Drake Maye Jersey for three days. Would you do it?”), and absolutely ice cold takes comparing Maye to the likes of star QBs Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. They even sell I <3 Drake Maye T-shirts.

But no matter how wild the posts get, people absolutely eat it up. And if you’re wondering if Maye has seen it? Yes, he has.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Claire Nicholas

🏈 Thanks for reading! We’ll just leave this here.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, for supporting local journalism and helping patients access the right care at the right cost. 

🎓 The results are in: 49% of B-Siders went to college in Massachusetts. But the results might be tainted considering we (ironically) included a second “Northeast” option instead of a “South” option. Whoops! One reader said: “i simply would not thrive in the south.”

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