🥖🇫🇷 Just say “oui!” this weekend

Happy Friday, Boston!

📣 Red and Green Liners, listen up! We told you once, we’ll tell you twice: Parts of the Red Line and GLX are getting the shuttle bus treatment this weekend, and let’s just say the MBTA isn’t making things simple. Brush up on the best alternate routes here. Good luck!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston’s best of the best

• Beacon Hill bigwigs ball out

• Taylor Swift … in New Hampshire?

Up first…

SUMMER FRIDAYS

Bikes, blooms, and beach days

The only thing hotter than this week’s weather is Boston’s event scene. So consider this list our way of cranking up the heat.

Here’s what’s going down this weekend:

🌼 See hydrangeas in full bloom. If you haven’t heard, these flowers are having an absolutely banner season, (causing what some are calling “hydrangea hysteria.”). Want to see them yourself (looking at you, Insta baddies)? Here are some of the best places to spot them around Boston and beyond.

🌎 Take your tastebuds on a world tour. Between Boston’s 11th annual Caribbean JerkFest celebration in Allston and Dorchester’s Little Saigon night market, you’ll be able to sample some of the best food (not to mention music and entertainment) the city has to offer.

🇫🇷 Say “oui!” for the weekend. Bastille Day, a celebration of the French Revolution’s beginning, is this weekend. And you can celebrate at the MFA’s Boston French Film Fest, which runs through August 4, or at this Bastille Day celebration at Noir in Harvard Square, featuring music, bites, and a traditional “waiters’ race” on Sunday.

🍅 Get a little saucy. The Heinz “Sauce Swap” truck is coming to the Greenway as part of a pitch to launch their new funky flavored ketchups (think: pickle, chipotle, and habanero). The best part? If you bring in an old sauce bottle from your fridge, they’ll give you a bottle of said fancy ketchup in exchange.

🚲 Get to know Boston on two wheels. Femmechanics is hosting its 7th annual Babes Bike Boston “Alleycat” this Sunday, which is basically a citywide scavenger hunt on two wheels for femme, trans, non-binary, and women cyclists. Beginners (and Bluebikes!) are welcome. 

🌴 Bring your torches to Allston. Calling all “Survivor” superfans! Aeronaut Allston is hosting a “Survivor” night this Saturday. Make a team with your pals and compete for hidden idols and prizes, and mingle with Season 41 cast member Evvie.

💿 Put on your dancing shoes in the Seaport. This Friday is the first of this month’s “Vinyl Nights” at the ICA, where you can dance, chill, and sip on some coffee or wine at the museum while listening to some of the city’s best all-vinyl DJs (for free!).

🛍️ Support a small biz. The Attic in Cambridge is taking over Arrow St. on Saturday for a Vintage Block Party with tons of vendors, music, bites, and sips. And you can run it back the next day at the Sunday Bazaar in Brighton, where over 100 small local businesses will pop up.

🛼 (Block) party hard. This event in Kendall Square on Sunday isn’t a normal block party, it’s a roller skating block party. So reserve a skating slot, lace up, and get rollin’. Or, hang out and play some lawn games on your own two feet.

🏖️ Spend a day basking on the beach. Every body is a beach body, and that’s what Bigger Bodies Boston’s Fat Beach Day on Saturday in Eastie is all about. Just don’t forget to reserve your spot and bring a towel.

B-SIDE FOODIE’S CHOICE AWARDS SPONSORED BY TOAST

🍾🏆 Another year = another roundup of new restaurants to try! Which new spot has won your heart (and your taste buds)?

Poll nominees have been selected by Toast and B-Side’s branded content team

TOGETHER WITH FLEXCAR

Not today, Uber

🚘 Tired of waiting around for a $60 rideshare? Or a train that may or may not show up? Take control of your commute with Flexcar. With monthly plans that include insurance, 24/7 roadside assistance, maintenance, and more, Flexcar gives you the freedom to take the wheel — zero down payments or multi-year contracts required. Just pick a car that fits you (you can even swap it out later), get qualified, and hit the road without the hassle using code BSIDE200. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤩 These Boston spots are the best of the best. You know the feeling. Someone asks you: “What’s the best (food, coffee, club, shop) in Boston?” And you totally blank. Well, those days are over. The Boston Globe just dropped its best of the best lists for this year, with categories from pizza, to bookstores, to comedy clubs. And we have to say, definitely it’s B-Side Certified. Need a place to start? The lists for the best bookstores, nightlife, cheap eats, and games are worth a scan. Enjoy perusing!

🤑 Beacon Hill bigwigs are balling out … with campaign funds. According to The Boston Globe, many of the state’s most powerful lawmakers routinely use large chunks of their fundraised campaign money to fund their lavish lifestyles. We’re talking $34,000 for a leased Audi, a collective $16,000 on a suite at the Beanpot, or $1 in every $3 spent on dining out among the most elite ranks. How? Mass. campaign finance rules are vague, allowing lawmakers to use the cash on anything for the “enhancement of [their] political future” that’s not “primarily for personal use.” 

🗞️ Should local news get a cash boost from the public? That’s the question before the Cambridge City Council right now. It’s no secret that local news has had it rough these past few years, with about two newspapers disappearing per week on average since 2005. But a policy order before the council proposes giving some of these organizations $100,000 of taxpayer money per year to help them out. And while the funds are sorely needed, concern over the ethics of a government-funded news organization has made some officials and advocates balk. 

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Fest like a local. 

B-Side is a proud sponsor of NICE, a fest music and art festival, the four-day local talent extravaganza coming to Davis Square from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28. NICE, a fest is a prime opportunity to support local makers of music and art as you bop from stage to stage. Give the (super stacked) lineup a look, get excited, and grab your tickets fast! 

ONE LAST THING

Taylor Swift in … New Hampshire?

Can’t fly to Europe to see the Eras Tour this summer? We have great news: You can see a live Taylor concert for less than $100 at an intimate venue in New Hampshire all summer long … kind of.

We truly couldn’t believe our eyes (or ears) when we saw this TikTok of a Taylor Swift tribute concert performing numbers from the Eras Tour at New Hampshire’s Canobie Lake Theme Park. This Taylor Swift impersonator is good. Like, almost too good. 

From the dance moves, to the outfits, to the facial expressions and choreography, this performance of “Bejeweled” had us almost completely fooled. And TBH, for around $50 … you could do a lot worse.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

⭐ Thanks for reading! As one commenter said, she’s giving Ashley a run for her money.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Flexcar, for supporting local journalism and making transportation more affordable and accessible in Boston. 

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