🏀🥴 The madness starts TODAY

🌹 “The Bachelor” is coming to Southie … kinda. The Playwright Bar is hosting a “Bachelor”-style night of speed dating, where, just like the show, you have to apply to attend. Think you have what it takes to be Boston’s next Bachelor(ette)? Fill out this questionnaire. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

March Madness, a.k.a., when everyone suddenly becomes a college basketball fan, kicks off today. So whether you’re a bball buff or a bandwagon baddie (like us), here’s everything you need to know to tune in, get started on your bracket, or at least, be mildly aware of what’s going on.

🏀 Per usual, UConn is THE local team to watch. It’s the only true contender from New England in both the men’s and women’s tourneys, coming in as the No. 8 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. The women’s team will be particularly fun to watch, led by star Paige Bueckers (the likely No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft), who’s chasing her final shot to take home the trophy.

🐶 We also have some local underdogs! 13th-seeded Yale will be making an appearance on the men’s side, and the 10th-seeded Harvard women are the only Mass.-repping team in both tourneys. Don’t count on either to win it all, but that won’t stop us from cheering hard!

😭 Here’s a depressing fun fact: For the sixth straight year, no Mass. team has made it into the NCAA Men’s Tournament (Northeastern reached the field of 68 in 2019). And no team has won a game since Harvard beat Cincinnati in 2014. Go … Celtics?

🏆 As for overall championship contenders: On the women’s side, South Carolina, UCLA, USC, and Texas are the No. 1 seeds. On the men’s side, it’s Auburn, Duke (led by Maine hometown hero and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg), Florida, and Houston. Take a look at the men’s and women’s schedules to see when they play. BTW: A few men’s games will be played IRL in Providence!

📺 Just in it for the vibes? Here’s a classic list of classic sports bars around Boston to check out. And for somewhere you know is going to play the women’s games, try Drawdown Brewing or Parlor Sports.

🍔 And don’t forget about this deal: From March 21 to 23, Scores is giving out FREE smashburgers to the first 100 customers through the door for March Madness … no strings attached!

💜 Wanna join in on the bracket fun? We made a B-Side bracket for both the men’s and women’s tourneys and want YOU to join! Both tournament bracket winners will receive a free B-Side membership for a year and a $100 restaurant gift card. Picks need to be made by March 20. You can sign up for the men’s bracket challenge here and the women’s bracket challenge here. The password is: BostonBSide. 

May the odds be ever in your favor!

🦞🌲🌊 One pic of Cadillac Mountain simply isn’t enough. Wake up to coastal sunrises, stroll through scenic gardens during golden hour, and enjoy cozy fireside cocktails at the newly reimagined Asticou Hotel in Northeast Harbor. With locally inspired dining (yes that includes lobster rolls) and easy access to Acadia’s best trails, it’s the perfect blend of classic Maine charm and modern comfort. Book your stay now to save 25% (only available for a limited time) and soft launch the perfect New England getaway.

🎓 Harvard just got waaay cheaper for some students. This just in: If your family makes $200,000 or less, you can attend Harvard tuition-free starting this fall (assuming you get in). Even better: Students from families that make under $100K will pay for practically nothing, including room and board. But why now? The university’s money moves come as elite institutions look to bolster diversity in a post-affirmative action world. But they could also improve Harvard’s image, as higher ed is under assault by the Trump admin and growing unpopular with Americans. 

🤫 The State House has some secrets they’d like to keep. Despite lawmakers claiming they’re creating a new era of transparency on Beacon Hill (think: more public votes, explaining bills better), only 12% said they should be subject to Mass.’ public records law, according to a Globe survey. But only a handful actually responded. For context: Mass. is one of just nine states where the state legislative body is exempt in some form from state public records laws, even though it’s a pretty standard practice. Here’s the real tea: See how your state lawmaker voted (or didn’t) here.

😳 Want this Boston apartment? You’ll have to get past this 22-year-old. And pay him thousands. There’s been some serious momentum on Beacon Hill to get rid of Boston's infamous tenant-paid broker fees. So the Globe spent a day following Thomas Macdonald, a 20-something Boston broker who’s trying to earn his keep. Brokers like Macdonald say their job is to find renters a good deal. But renters — who are expected to pay brokers thousands for helping them find an apartment — aren’t so sure. 

✈️ You don’t need luck to get cheap flight deals. You just need this sweet St. Paddy’s Day sale from PLAY Airlines and no checked luggage (that’s extra). Now through Sunday, you can snag 30% off flights from Boston to Iceland, Dublin, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen, London, and Amsterdam on PLAY. Bonus: You can enjoy stopovers in Iceland for up to 10 days at no additional cost. We literally found roundtrip flights to Iceland for ~$250. But as always, make sure to read the fine print.

B-Side is a proud media sponsor of Select Markets, the local vintage clothing pop-up team who’s kicking off the sunny season in Boston with Spring Thrift Festival on March 23 at 1350 Tremont Street. Expect $10 piles, food trucks, temporary tattoos, tooth gems, free drinks, and more. Grab your tickets fast — if you’re a member, enter the Select Markets code on your perks chart!

Tired: A retirement home. Wired: A retirement home for penguins. Well, that’s exactly what the New England Aquarium created. And no, it’s not a bit.

More than half of the aquarium’s penguin colony has met or surpassed their life expectancies in the wild, so creating an oasis for its geriatric birds was an obvious decision. And its benefits low key rival a human assisted-living center. 

The private island features flat areas with mats and sloping ramps for easy access; the birds are fed a special diet of hydrated fish to promote kidney health; and medical treatments like daily eye drops, foot treatments, acupuncture (really), and physical therapy are included. And it’s all covered by Medicaid (kidding). 

Six of its geriatric birds are settling into the new retirement retreat, including 34-year-old Boulders, who has arthritis, and 29-year-old Isis, who’s struggled socially in her old age *cries*. 

Thankfully, you can see the penguin retirement island in all its glory at your next aquarium visit.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🐧 Thanks for reading! But let’s be real: If this retirement facility were for humans, it would cost $10K a month MINIMUM.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, The Asticou Hotel in Northeast Harbor, for supporting local journalism and offering New Englanders a slice of coastal Maine paradise. 

🍀 The results are in: B-Side readers weren’t exactly feeling the green, with 47% of respondents saying they didn’t celebrate St. Paddy’s Day this weekend. But one reader who did celebrate said her and her “bff made baby guinesses and watched derry girls. 10/10 would recommend.” Sooo … can we join next year?