🚣 This place about to ROW

Happy Friday, Boston!

🎃 Boston’s official pumpkin is here! And she’s … a little lumpy. We stopped by the Boston Public Market earlier this week to watch this year’s giant pumpkin get forklifted in, and let’s just say the internet went wild at the sight of her. But to us, she’s perfect.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• It’s time to vote (early)!

• Another round of shutdowns

• Looking for a man in … Boston

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

Row, row, row your boat

Prep school baddies, washed up college rowers, and unisuit enthusiasts, rise up! It’s Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) weekend, a.k.a. the world’s largest three-day rowing event, a.k.a. Rowing Christmas. 

The events kick off this morning and continue through Sunday. Here’s what to know:

🚣 The regatta is one of Boston’s fave traditions. Aside from being a total who’s who in the rowing world, it’s also one of the community’s biggest and most highly anticipated events. The rowing action will be going down between BU’s DeWolfe Boathouse and Herter Park on the Charles, but dry-land festivities — including shopping, eats, and tons of spectating — will be plentiful. 

🏅 From kids to seniors, and newbies to Olympians, there’s a race for that. The weekend’s big-ticket events are the “champion” races, featuring elite boat clubs, the best collegiate teams, and national boats (including some 2024 Olympians!). They’ll mostly be on Sunday afternoon. But according to Amanda Cox, a HOCR vet and the event’s spokesperson, the “master” and “grand-master” events on Friday morning and the youth events on Sunday morning are true sleeper hits. Here’s the full schedule.

🚗 Say it with us: Do. Not. Drive! OK, if you must, reserve a spot with SpotHero, or get there EARLY to nab a $30 spot at Harvard Stadium. But there will be road closures, traffic will be packed, and parking fills up quickly. So the pros, the race, and the city all recommend you hop on the Red Line to Central or Harvard Square, the Green Line to BU Central, or the many, many bus routes that serve the area. 

👀 As for watching, pick a bridge, any bridge. Cox’s recs for viewing are the often quieter spaces between the Anderson and Elliot bridges along JFK Street, or atop the BU Bridge for a great view of the starting line. But if you want a little commotion, the Weeks Footbridge is the spot to go for the potential crashes and big crowds, thanks to the challenging 90-degree-turn nearby. If all else fails, any of the eight bridges along the course are a safe bet. Here’s the regatta’s (great) official guide to spectating.

🛍️ And if you’re just there for the vibes … There are plenty of those to go around. For drinks and views, the FALS Bar is the place to be, and for shopping and eating, head to the Weld Exhibition or (if you’re willing to drop $17) Reunion Village. And unless you’re a rowing buff, skip Attager Row for shopping. You can also grab a bite along the route at one of these recommended spots.

🤔 Any more questions? Check out the official event site here.

TOGETHER WITH MBTA COMMUTER RAIL

POV: You’re living your best fall life

🍂 🍁 Stunning foliage, cuddly animals, and no traffic in sight — now that’s a New England autumn escape done right. Join us on our latest adventure aboard the Commuter Rail as we explore Lincoln’s hidden gems: Codman Farms and Drumlin Wildlife Sanctuary. We have to admit, cars are pretty overrated when you’ve got access to scenic places like these with just a $10 weekend rail pass (or free for kids 11 and under). Watch the full video here to get inspired and plan your next fall trip today.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🗳️ Early voting season is almost here. If you’re a hottie — we mean — registered voter in the city of Boston (if not, there’s still time!), you can cast your ballot for the November election in-person starting tomorrow, Oct. 19, through Nov. 1. During that time, you don’t have to go to your designated polling location; you can vote anywhere on this list, from City Hall to the MFA (yup) during their open hours. Or you can return your mail-in ballot at a designated drop box. Any other Q’s? Find the A’s here.

🪧 Another local strike is in the books. On Wednesday, seven months after the BU grad workers strike started, the union voted to ratify its first contract with the school. If that seems long … it is. In fact, it’s the longest strike of its kind in U.S. history. As for the agreement, it boosts stipends and hourly wages (up to 60%, for some PhD students), plus expands health care, child care, parental leave, and commuter benefits. A union spokesperson called the changes “a significant improvement,” but added that “the fight is not over.” 

🚃 Green Liners, it’s happening again. Obviously, we’re talking about T shutdowns. This weekend, D Line service will be replaced with shuttle buses between Riverside and Brookline Hills for some signal work and accessibility upgrades. Thankfully, the shuttle bus sitch is straightforward. But before you all start complaining, think of the Orange Liners, whose weeks-long shutdown nightmare will take a brief intermission starting Oct. 21 before its final act from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 between Oak Grove and Ruggles, then Oak Grove and North Station.

📺 Need something to watch this weekend? May we suggest … this new Karen Read dateline episode: “The Night of the Nor’easter”? Whether you’re a die-hard follower of the murder case gripping the region, or you’ve never heard of it before, it looks like you’ll be able to drop in and learn something new. Based on the preview, the episode will have a mix of interviews with Read herself, John O’Keefe’s family and friends, and analysis from local Mass. commentators. It drops tonight.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

💏 Find someone to bring home for the holidays. Now’s the time to lock down a cutie, so get to it at this Boston Single Mingle event on Friday at Grand Ten Distilling. 

🍻 Take on Boston’s spookiest bar crawl. Yeah, ghosts may be scary, but have you ever had a drink with hundreds of costumed 20-somethings at Fenway’s Halloween weekend bar crawl? Test it yourself on Saturday.

🍁 Bathe in the best fall foliage. And by bathe, we mean forest bathing at Mount Auburn Cemetery on Saturday. Think of it as a guided walking meditation through the trees, complete with a history lesson on the area.

😹 Tickle your funny bones. Boston comic Antonio Morales will be at Trident Booksellers on Saturday with his show “The Boston Tee Hee Party,” where he’ll do a live reading of audience members’ tarot cards (with some sass).

🌠 Take in the coolest view at Assembly Row. The Somerville shopping destination is celebrating 10 years with a 150-drone light show on Saturday. Bonus: Get there early to enjoy live music, giveaways, and special deals. 

💦 Get in a weekend sweat with a view. Head to View Boston on Saturday morning for a Sweat & Empower event featuring a women-led workout class, a women’s market, and other fun goodies and giveaways.

👟 Pour one out for Open Streets szn. Pedestrians are in for Open Streets Allston-Brighton on Sunday, where a chunk of Harvard and Brighton Avenue will be closed to car traffic. It’s the last one of the season!

🧙‍♀️ Support a witchy small business. Time Out Market is celebrating LGBTQ makers and vendors with a spooky market on Sunday, featuring Halloween-themed items, live music, and themed cocktails.

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a Halloween Weekend Giveaway! 

One lucky winner will receive two tickets to the Halloween Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel on Oct. 26, a one-night stay at the hotel, a $50 gift card to the Olde Main Street Pub, and two tickets to the Peabody Essex Museum. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Oct. 22. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

QUICK QUESTION

🏩 How are you entering this cuffing season?

ONE LAST THING

I’m looking for a man in … Boston

Cuffing season is coming at a, frankly, terrifying rate. And no one knows this more intimately than @narcolepsybetsy, a Boston content creator on IG and TikTok, who has decided to, in her words: “exploit [her] dating life for your entertainment.” 

Every week, she’s been posting a reel recapping her week of dating experiences in the city, from failed nights out to potential prospects to everything in between. So far, she’s been looking for love at a Powerpoint “pitch a friend” night, a Noah Kahan concert, and more Southie bars than we can count, with varying rates of success. 

As of week four, she hasn’t found the love of her life. Yet. But you know we’ll be watching when she does. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💌 Thanks for reading! Trying to find a man in Southie? Brave. Posting it on the internet? Braver.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, MBTA Commuter Rail, for supporting local journalism and making transportation in and around Boston more accessible. 

🗳️ The results are in: 83% of readers say that they’re leaning toward voting “yes” on ballot question 1. One reader said: “If transparency = bad, then something = wrong.”

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