🤑🦪 Shuck around and find out

⛴️ Tired: Flying on Dunkin’. Wired: SAILING on Dunkin’. Who’s ready to ride one of these bad boys for your next commute??

🤑 BEST DAY SALE EVER! Haven’t grabbed your Best Day Ever tickets yet? Now’s the time — tickets are $10 off through tomorrow. Enjoy free bites from local restaurants, live performances from Sneaky Miles, Malik Elihaj, Chance Emerson, and more! Get tickets here to join us Aug. 1 at PKL Boston.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

“The freebies are coming, the freebies are coming!” — probably Paul Revere in 2026. OK, he might not ride across the city to shout all the free things to do this month … but we will. 

Let’s ride:

🎥 Trade your couch for the stars. There are tons of free outdoor flicks across the city allllll summer long. Start with these two faves: “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” on July 13 at Time Out Market and “Bend It Like Beckham” on July 18 at the Pru to keep the World Cup vibes going. 

🎶 Run it back with another Porchfest. This time, with TWO days of live tunes. Find local bands in Cambridgeport, Port, and Riverside on July 11. Then check out performers around Central and Harvard on July 12.

🎉 Go on a Blue Line block party bender. Yup, we’re talkin’ about Eastie Week from July 12-29, loaded with every summery outing under the sun. Think: Free kayaking on Constitution Beach, Zumba, outdoor movie nights, a B/Spoke fitness takeover, even a sunset dinner cruise!

🦪 Shuck around and find out. A free oyster shucking class + an oyster knife + wine tasting = our *dream* summer night. Lucky for you, you can make this dream your *reality* on July 16 at Suffolk Downs.

🚶‍♀️ Spend your hot girl summer on a hot girl walk. Like, the *official* hot girl walk. Gather your best gal pals (or meet new ones!) on July 18 for this three-mile hot girl walk organized by the gal who coined the phrase. Oh, and did we mention there are giveaways?

🎭 Learn that “the course of true love never did run smooth." Translation: Watch “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for this year’s Shakespeare on the Common series, from July 22 through Aug. 9. (Here are the show’s SparkNotes if you’re a bit rusty.) 

🎨 Craft the perfect night out (literally). You can party with the MassArt Art Museum on July 23 at Art on the Plaza, featuring art-making, music, mocktails, and treats. It’s free, but just make sure to register in advance!

🇵🇷 Indulge in mofongo and bomba. There’s no better place to do it than the annual Puerto Rican Festival in Franklin Park from July 25-26. Enjoy live performances, traditional food, arts and crafts, plus a parade with dance troupes and floats! 

💃 Cha cha real smooth. Practice your salsa dancing every Monday night at The Anchor in Charlestown, or join in this beginner-friendly class at MIT Open Space on July 23. No experience (or partner) needed!

⚽ Local businesses want to keep the World Cup hype going. The Scots may have left, but Boston restaurants and bars have been getting Marathon Monday-level business for days on end. Think: FOUR times the number of kegs at Dillon’s and FOUR times the Banshee’s typical monthly sales. And now they’re thinking of ways they can keep up the high foot traffic post-tourney, like showing more soccer matches on their TVs, maintaining patio spaces, or hosting more community events. And we’re sooooo here for it.

🌭 Boston has a case of hot dog fever. Let’s face it, a glizzy on a hot summer day just hits — and demand is currently UP. So much so that local restaurants want in on the craze and are introducing glammed up Fenway Franks with extra fun toppings this summer. Like this corn dog at Kong Dog with Hot Cheetos, spicy mayo, and crunchy ramen beef, or Island Creek’s caviar-loaded weenie. But frankly (pun intended), we’ll take hot dog anything.

🍩 Dunkin’s patriotic merch was NOT it … Usually we’re running for every Dunkin’-clad goodie, from the iced coffee Red Sox hat to the Cape Cod-themed tumblers. But its latest limited-edition rollout for July 4, the Eagle Cup (yes it’s shaped like an eagle), didn't really make a splash in Boston. One local location had only sold 15 over the weekend. This dip in interest might suggest that Dunkin’ needs to slow its roll with the merch drops, ‘cause this one probably got overshadowed by the others (which frankly, were cuter) …

🙌 FINALLY. A place to eat (and pee) on the Esplanade. A $24 million pavilion is set to open near the Museum of Science this fall, featuring a cafe slinging breakfast, smoothies, and *affordable* coffees, bathrooms, and more public amenities. The goal? Make the waterfront a ~year-round~ destination for locals and tourists. Fun fact: The area used to hold a pool but it closed in the ‘90s. And ideas to revive it or create an all-season hub like this have lacked funding … until now.

🎵 Tickets are almost gone … Berklee's Homecoming Block Party, the homecoming for some of the music school’s most well-known alums, is happening Sept. 19. And there will be plenty of star power to go around. Watch Susan Tedeschi, Tiwa Savage, Fabiola Méndez, Dogs in a Pile, and Dreion perform in the same place for a historic music moment the city will be buzzing about. Get your tickets here!

Still looking for a friend with a boat?? Maybe you should book this houseboat in Charlestown. At least, Globe travel writer Chris Muther thinks so. 

Pros: Unbeatable waterfront views, access to the ~marina life~, all the amenities you need, surprisingly reasonable pricing at ~$250 a night, and access to a pool + communal BBQ.

Cons: Small (like don’t-go-if-you’re-taller-than-6’2” small), bare bones, and a constant gentle rocking that is NOT for the motion sickness girlies.

This might be the perf summer staycation spot, but only if you have good weather AND enjoy being rocked to sleep by the water. 

Chris’ rating: ⚓⚓⚓⚓ (four anchors out of five) 

But his hubby was not so convinced … Our fave line was when he told Chris, “I’m going to call you in the morning to make sure you haven’t floated out to sea.”

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🤢 Thanks for reading! Our suitcases would only be full of Dramamine and ginger candies.

😭 The results are in: 61% of you are grieving the Celtics’ loss of JB (same). One B-Sider wrote, “They definitely snuck this in during the World Cup while we're distracted.” SMH, Celtics, for ruining the good vibes!

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