😛🌯 We found a Boston lunch UNDER $5

🚨 PSA: We only have FOUR tickets left to our next supper club at Mimi’s Chūka Diner on Nov. 12. This four-course menu is gonna be a BANGER: curried edamame, mabo dofu, AND butter mochi? We’re there. Become a member to buy a ticket!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

B-SIDE GUIDE

Boston is pricey, your social calendar’s empty, and the vibes are running on Dunkin’. Let’s fix all three. Here are the best bites, bargains, and buys we found this week:

☀️ Attention early bird members reading this: Join Friends of the Fells at 10 a.m. TODAY for a group hike around the southeastern part of the Fells, and let nature heal your weekday stresses. The Great Malden Outdoors hosts tons of free events like this, so stay tuned for more!

🎃 Make some gourd girlfriends … and regular girlfriends, too at our Pumpkin + Petals Paint Night at Faneuil Hall on Oct. 26. You’ll get to decorate four mini pumpkins with paint and flower petals (seriously, look how cute these are) while making besties with the gals from Girlfriends Boston over light bites and drinks. Become a member of the group yourself with the new 10% and 12% off discounts for B-Side members!

🧘 Skip those pricey [solidcore] classes … And come to our FREE pilates class at Big Night Live on Oct. 28 instead! After the class, stick around for complimentary VIVA seltzers, snacks, and fun giveaways.

The rest of this newsletter, including a $350 round-trip flight to Europe and eight exclusive things-to-do recs, is for our premium members who contribute to our journalism.

If you start a 14-day trial below, you’ll be able to continue reading today’s issue at bside.beehiiv.com!

WHAT’S COOKING THIS WEEK?

This recipe for Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken, with over 1,500 reviews and four stars, is the perfect fall comfort meal. It’s just one of thousands of standout recipes waiting inside the vast library of NYT Cooking, which you’ll unlock for a full year if you become an annual member below.

🇺🇲 Well, this is a … development. Interest in Charlie Kirk’s conservative youth movement has surged after his death. But will the spike last?

🍖 Is this the best BBQ in Massachusetts? According to the Globe’s food critic, it’s pretty darn good (I mean, this spread looks insane). 

🤔 What would you do in this situation? Girl moves to Boston for college. Girl cheats on boyfriend. Boyfriend finds out. Girl now sad and wants to be better for him. Our take: DUMP!

👻 You already know Salem. But these off-the-beaten-path New England spots offer equally spooky, scary, and weird vibes. See: Brains in a basement.

👎 Bad news: Obesity remains high in the US. Good news: But more states are showing progress, a new report finds.

🚶 Weird life hack: Walking is good for you. Walking backward can add to the benefits.

⏰ PSA: Daylight saving time ends soon. Here’s when we ‘fall back.’

💉 Trump’s attack on gender-affirming care is working. Fenway Health said it would scale back its services for patients under 19 following a change to federal funding requirements.

🤑 Have membership questions? Reach out to [email protected] with questions.

💭 Have specific feedback you’d like to share? Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG and TikTok.