😛🔥 This is where the hot boys are

💅 Here’s an excuse to get a little treat: Dunkin’ is giving away FREE “hot girl” cups with every protein refresher purchase after 10 a.m. while supplies last. Thanks, Megan Thee Stallion!

🥳 And happy early b-day to B-Side Member Eva Mazura! It’s like Dunkin’ knew or something. Have a great day!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

You made it through the first two weeks of 2026. Your reward: A long weekend, baby! 

Here’s how to spend it:

🥟 Dive into the dumpling deal of the YEAR. Now through the end of February, Chinatown’s Dumpling Cafe is offering a giant BOGO deal on tons menu items for all takeout orders (including Doordash, Uber Eats, and GrubHub). Think: Dumplings, soups, fried rice, and way more. 

🏒 Get heated on the dance floor. Club Cafe is giving the people what they want with this “Heated Rivalry”-themed dance party tonight. On the playlist: Hot boy anthems only. 

🥌 Cosplay as a Winter Olympian. Reminder: You can still hit up the Seaport’s iceless curling lanes with up to seven friends for free every day through Feb. 28. Make a res here!

⛸️ Skate into a soft launch. The grand opening for Tall Ship’s new ice skating rink isn’t until Feb. 11, but its soft opening starts today. Book your skating (or ice bumper car!) slot here.

✂️ Throw some junk in your journal. ScrapSocial is hosting a junk journaling sesh on Jan. 17. It’s BYOJ (bring your own journal) but all other supplies will be provided if you need it.

🛍️ Bring home a bag of vintage clothes. Allston thrift shop Raspberry Beret is putting on a fill-a-bag sale on Jan. 17. Here’s how it works: Pay $10 or $20 for a bag. Fill it to the brim with gorg vintage pieces. Take them home. Voila!

🍿 Nibble on some free snacks. Curio Spice Co. will have a free spiced popcorn and cozy beverage pop-up in their shop on Jan. 17 from 12 to 4 p.m. No tickets required.

🕯️ Say hiya to hygge. Prep for cozy season at the Brighton Bazaar’s Snug Life Market Jan. 17 and 18. Over 50 small businesses will be selling their warmest, snuggliest, most comfortable wares. 

🤤 See how many tapas you can eat. ‘Cause at Cafe Saint Germain, $42/person will get you all-you-can-eat small plates from 4 to 10 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Think: Truffle fries, beef sliders, poutine, cheese plates, and MORE.

⛳ Putt to your heart’s content. Puttshack just dropped a new deal: For $25, you can play unlimited rounds of mini golf on their nine-hole course from Sunday to Friday. We repeat: UNLIMITED mini golf six days of the week!

🖼️ Spend your Monday at the museum. In honor of MLK Day on Jan. 19, the MFA and ICA are offering free admission and special programming. Note: MFA tickets will be first-come, first-served. You can reserve your ICA tickets here when they drop Jan. 18 at 10 a.m.

❄️ We’re playing snow roulette this weekend. Translation: Meteorologists are keeping an eye on a Sunday storm that has the potential to dump some snow on Greater Boston. Currently, it’s too soon to tell how far offshore the storm will end up, which means the snow forecast is very much TBD. On Thursday, the Globe called it a 50/50 shot of light snow here in Boston, with better odds on the Cape, but most meteorologists still seem a little skeptical. You can keep up with the latest here.

🎱 Your 2026 foodie predictions are IN. The Globe asked a bunch of industry pros for their foodie forecast in the new year. Their thoughts: Expect to see more caviar bumps, fiber, steakhouses, and craft beer, and less novelty dishes (think: matcha, Dubai chocolate), over-the-top cocktail presentation, and “Instagrammable spaces.” More broadly, diners will be looking for value-driven eats — they’re willing to shell out for a high-end experience, but it’s gotta be worth the cash. Here’s the full list.

🏈 Drake Maye is on track to be better than Tom Brady. Not a hot take — that’s just the data! By the numbers, Maye averaged 42 more yards per game, six more touchdowns, and six fewer interceptions than Brady in their respective second years, according to a Globe analysis. However, a better year two doesn’t necessarily = a future GOAT. While Maye is definitely ahead of the QB curve, only time will tell whether he’ll continue to raise the bar. But, in the meantime … MVP! MVP!

🚆 We see a trip to Maine in your future. Probably because Amtrak is offering $26 round-trip and $13 one-way fares on its Downeaster train, which runs between Brunswick, Maine, and North Station with stops in Portland, Freeport, Saco, and more. All you have to do is book the trip at least three days in advance, and use code V530 at checkout. It'll work through Jan. 28 for trips through Jan. 31. Need some inspo? Here’s a cutie Portland weekend itinerary!

Apparently, reading Massachusetts town names out loud counts as comedy these days. At least, according to “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

During Tuesday night’s show, Fallon subjected the entire country to five minutes (yes, five full minutes) of himself, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck simply reading the full list of Massachusetts cities and towns out loud in Boston accents. That’s it! That’s the bit. 

FWIW, they did a pretty solid job, minus a few slip-ups (see: Jimmy Fallon trying to say “Winchendon”). But Affleck and Damon sailed through names like Mattapoisett, Leicester, and Haverhill. That said, five full minutes was a little much — even for us.

You can watch the full, 5-minute version here. Or save some brain cells with this sped up three-minute cut. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍻 Thanks for reading! This feels like it would be a great drinking game. 

⚾ The results are in: 71% of B-Siders say they’d rather get free tickets to Opening Day than to the BTS concerts at Gillette. Color us SHOCKED. One reader said: “The traffic out of Gillette after the concert is enough to deter me from a BTS ticket.” Real.

📝 Speaking of, quick correction from yesterday’s newsletter: August’s BTS shows will be the first headlining K-pop concerts in Foxborough, not the Boston area. Thank you to the BTS ARMY for keeping us honest! 

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