Happy Saturday, B-Siders!
🌮 B-Side Supper Club is heading to Bow Market! Next stop: Taquismo on May 26 at 6:30 p.m. The menu includes house-made guacamole with morita salsa, tostada de ceviche, chicken in achiote adobo, and flan. Tickets start at $25 for B-Side Members. Unlock this deal below!
👀 What’s on tap today:
The best spa deal in town
Be nice to your barista
IG v. Reality: Sweet treat edition
First up …
B-SIDE GUIDE
Baking, bocce, and Binge Thinking
Illustration: Emily Schario
Never have we ever had nothing to say when someone asks “what’s the plan?” Don’t you DARE put a finger down just yet, Members …
These are the best bites, buys, and bargains worth adding to the group chat this month:
📖 Grab early bird tix to the lecture series that always sells out. Binge Thinking hosts expert talks in places like your fave bars, and tickets disappear in minutes. Every. Single. Time. Good news: B-Side Members get $12 off tickets and first-chance access before the public. The next drop is May 13.
👜 Shop ‘till you drop in a seaside town. Dirty Water Media is hosting Summer Strolls in Newburyport, Mass. and Newport, R.I. Grab your small biz passport and beach tote (both included with your ticket), then explore local boutiques, restaurants, and wellness spots with exclusive VIP experiences. Members get tickets for $5 (usually $28.50).
💘 Delete Hinge FOR GOOD. Boston Single Mingle is hosting speed dating on May 14 at City Tap and May 18 at Castle Island Brewing. Expect 15 five-minute dates, matches delivered within 24 hours, and zero catfishing. B-Side Members get $8 off both events. Find them here!
🏈 Try Aussie Rules footy (no experience required). The Boston Demons are hosting beginner-friendly, non-contact sessions at Magazine Beach in Cambridge on May 9 and 16 at 9 a.m. Think soccer meets basketball meets rugby — fast-paced, easy to learn, and an even easier way to meet people. B-Side Members get a free tee shirt! Sign up here.
🏓 Make Friday plans that get you out and active. Club Volo's Dink 'n' Drinks is back at Assembly Row on May 16 with open-play pickleball, a live DJ, drinks, and a laundry list of lawn games. It's a social sports event that doesn't take itself too seriously. Members get in for $4. Grab your ticket here!
🎁 Also … want to gift a B-Side Membership? We have a feature for that now! Simply head to our upgrade page here and at the top of the page toggle to “GIFT.”
The rest of this newsletter — including Emily in Boston, the below exclusive things to do listings, and all of the above deals — is for our premium members who contribute to our journalism.
🧖 Sauna. Plunge. Repeat.
🎂 Bake Club tickets drop
If you start a membership for $3 below, you’ll be able to continue reading today’s issue at bside.beehiiv.com!
Fun fact: If you’re a B-Side member, all the Globe links in Saturday membership sends will be paywall FREE!
☕ Be nice to your barista. Starbucks baristas are forced to write cheery messages to connect with customers. Instead, they read like a cry for help.
🤯 This story is actually wild. As a Cambridge teen, she was a rising star in Mass. politics. Now she chants ‘Death to America’ in Tehran.
🤖 No more teachers: Meet the AI school pitched for Boston.
😋 It’s all about the small details. These are 10 things restaurants do right to make dining out the most memorable.
🤔 They said they’re too busy to date … But is that true? They seem interested until I ask for a number …
🦠 Could the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak keep spreading? Here’s what disease experts are saying.
🤌 Seafood stew. Pork rolls. Chocolate cake. Somerville’s new mom-and-pop restaurant serves homespun Italian with a few surprises.
🌳 I was ready to hate the new Copley Square Park. Then I visited it.
— Written by Emily Schario and Claire Nicholas. Edited by Camille Dodero.
💭 Have specific feedback you’d like to share? Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].