Are you a wannabe Flapper? On Friday and Saturday nights, the Bristol Lounge at Boston’s Four Seasons Hotel features a free jazz trio!
Wouldn’t it be nice if the drinks were 1920s prices? (Psst … kids menus are CLUTCH.)
Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston Street, 8 pm – 12 am Fridays & Saturdays
I was in New York City with my guitar a couple weekends ago (via the Fung Wah bus) and someone stopped me and asked, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” And I was like, “practice, my friend, practice!”
Rumors have been floating around that Our House in Allston will be closing later this summer. Based on lukewarm Yelp reviews and my own personal one-time sausage-fest watching experience there, I’m not too surprised. However, they’re hosting a free event this Thursday that may be worth going to!
The Our House Artshare! From 6-9 pm, there will be body painting and street art and performances outside on the patio. From 9 pm – 2 am, there will be music, live painting, printmaking and art of all sorts! You are encouraged to bring your own to share. (E-mail bostonshick at yahoo dot com to get involved.)
Listen, I don’t love the place, but free body painting? Count me in. Our House West, 1277 Commonwealth Avenue (Thursday starting at 6 pm)
A little dude hanging out in Arnold Arboretum. Don't forget sunscreen on the superhot days, blockhead.
To cut to the chase, there’s nothing that makes more sense in the summer — for your soul AND for your wallet — than hanging out in a green, sunny park. I love parks because they welcome people from nearly every faction: kids, seniors, families, artists, athletes, stoners, and canines, united by nature. Check out the following, some of which may be obvious:
Amory Park (45 Amory Street, Brookline): hosts a contained, barkchipped (but beautiful) path through the small nature reserve.
Arnold Arboretum (125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain): beautiful, spacious, and covered in diverse greenery.
Boston Commons/the Public Gardens (between Beacon & Boylston): I still haven’t really figured out what makes them separate parks, but I just try to remember that the Commons has the frog pond and the Public Gardens has the “Make Way for Ducklings” statues. (Let me know if you have another way of differentiating!)
The bad news is, museums are usually not. The good news is, it’s not too hard to get in for free (or near-free) if you poke around a bit! I’m not the hugest fan of museums — I have a short attention span and little to no knowledge of what makes art worthwhile — but I do like the way some things look, and for that reason, these museums serve their purpose.
Typically, The Museum of Fine Artsis $18 with a student ID. Luckily, it’s free for full-time students of participating universities! (The list of said universities is extensive.) Furthermore, the museum is free for EVERYONE on Wednesdays from 4 – 10 pm. The current featured exhibit is “The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC.”
The Institute of Contemporary Art is usually a bit cheaper than the MFA ($10 for students), but you may as well go for free: Thursdays from 5-9 pm. The current exhibit features Dr. Lakra, a provocative tattoo artist.
To view some awesome, free art with no stipulations involved, head over to Essex Street in Chinatown, where visionary graffiti artist Banksy recently tagged. To read about Banksy’s boston trip, visit Chris Devers’ Flickr.
"Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it." - Banksy. He is truly the shit.
“They’re not tricks, they’re illusions!” Sorry Gob. Cambridge’s Mystery Lounge has been putting on live magic cabaret shows every Tuesday for 13 years now, and most shows are $10 (not too bad, but still a little high for a lot of us thrifters). But lo and behold, there is a trick to getting free magic — Abracadabra! Show up at 7 pm, an hour before the show, and head to the second-floor lounge for a close-up sneak preview of the magic. Just don’t ask them to reveal their secrets or the Alliance will have their heads!
If the movie sucks, you might get lucky and be able to watch a gorgeous sunset. If the sunset is boring, too, you better hope for some interesting people!
My short attention span isn’t the only thing that prevents me from almost ever seeing movies — everyone knows ticket prices are up to about $10! I mean, I know I’m not that old, but I remember when they were six or seven dollars … sigh…
Thankfully, there are thrifty options for people who like moving pictures (or are just looking for a nice place to sit in the dark with air conditioning — although a lot of these screenings are outdoors). Some upcoming free movies that I personally find promising:
Fri, June 18th, sunset, Charles River Hatch Shell: Grease (the singalong edition!) Fri&Sat June 26th-27th, 8pm, MIT: The Sandlot (“You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”) Fri, July 23, sunset, Charles River Hatch Shell: Where the Wild Things Are (Max is played by an Oregonian – represent!) Thurs, August 19th, dusk, Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville: Up! (It’s cute. But totally stomachable.)
To stay posted on free movie screenings, heck out @BostonFreeFilms on Twitter, and The Boston Screening Community on Livejournal. You don’t need to have a Twitter/LJ account to access these resources, and they are both thorough and frequently updated.
"Chaotic Peace," by Darryl Kravitz. This is how people coming out of yoga/a massage/meditation might feel once they step onto Mass Ave and almost get hit by a car.
First time Yoga-goers (Yoga-ers?) get a week of free, unlimited classes at Baptiste Yoga in Cambridge. I called to see how many classes you had to purchase to qualify for that, but the girl on the phone laughed and said none – there’s no catch. I guess yoga really does chill people out! If you decide to stick with it, though, classes are $12 with a student ID ($14 for non-students). 2000 Mass. Ave.
Abby Coakley is a masseuse (also in Cambridge) who offers free 30-minute massages for new customers on Wednesdays! Because she believes that body care should be accessible to everybody, she offers her services on a sliding scale (based on how much the individual can afford). Mmmm, THAT’s the spot!2624 Mass. Ave, suite 420.
Every Tuesday at 6 pm, the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center hosts group sessions for beginners. The class teaches Vipassanā – “the quality of awareness that sees without judgement.” There’s a “suggested donation” of $5… and a penalty of dirty looks if you don’t pay.331 Broadway.
Annnnd if you get out of meditation and need some comforting, physically unhealthy stimulation, one of the only two Taco Bells in the Boston area is right around the corner!
Thanks to readers Nina and Elizabeth for the tips – please follow their lead and let me know what’s good!
For every drop you spill, you lose about 12 cents worth of inebriation.
Wanna party on Friday night while everyone else is out of town or buried under fallen trees after the serious rainstorms? A “cocktail den” called Splash Ultra Lounge is hosting a free party with nibs included — think steak tips, sliders, wings, and crab meat lollipops (?!). Drinks are pricey, no doubt, but get your pre-game AND your fanciest threads on (there IS a dress code)…
There’s ALSO a rooftop deck and pool… if you wanna make a REAL splash.
Send an e-mail to mitchmitchell24@hotmail.com by midnight to get on the guest list!
Friday, June 9, 7 pm – 2 am Splash Ultra Lounge, 150 Kneeland St
If this event doesn’t crack your nuts, stay home and kickoff the beginning of Boston Beer Week ALL BY YOURSELF (Not really).
Depending on your driver, Chinatown buses will deliver you to NYC anywhere from three to 10 hours!
Bond. VAGA bond.
Uhh…
If you’re bitter that living in Boston has made you broke, why don’t you take a Fung Wah bus to New York City to give you some perspective on what broke really feels like? It’s $15 each way and buses run almost every hour! (Fun fact: “Fung Wah” means “magnificent wind” in Cantonese… hilariously ironic for anyone who has ridden the Chinatown buses.)
I’ve also mentioned Zipcar as an alternative form of transportation…
OR…
Check out Craigslist Rideshare. Digital hitchhiking is similar to old-school hitchhiking in some ways — there is always the possibility that you’ll get into a car with a soon-to-be infamous serial killer — but at least with this option you might get the chance to check out their Facebook pictures, first!
If you need a place to stay, check out the Couchsurfing project! It’s a database of registered users from a ton of cities, both closeby and international, who are either vagabonding themselves or opening up their couch to travelers! It’s a little bit of a more reliable option than Craigslist, because regular users usually have a number of recommendations from people who have stayed on their couch before. But you gotta use your e-smarts, obvs.
Hump Day is extra special this week, because it’s time to make plans to celebrate Boston’s Gay Pride week! You don’t have to be a homo to enjoy drinking, dancing, and scantily-clad babes of all (and sometimes no) genders.
THURSGAY. Rally to commemorate 40 years of LGBT Rights Movement @ 6pm, Boston Commons.
FRIGAY. Boston Dyke March @ 6pm, starting at the Boston Commons. After-party at The Greatest Bar.
SATURGAY. Pride Parade @ 12pm. Notable appearances include Ted Kennedy Jr. and David Arquette’s trans-sister, Alexis Arquette, who you may remember from “The Wedding Singer.” (Psst… bostonpride.org recommends Charles St, Berkeley St, and Beacon St as the best spots for spectators).
Peace and equality are some more solid reasons to support Boston Pride week (Photo from Pride 2009).
According to the Kinsey Scale, we’re mostly all a little gay . (Likewise, as Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo laments in “Pink Triangle,” “if everyone’s a little queer, why can’t she be a little straight?”).
It’s not my job to push the gay agenda, but if you got anything from this post, don’t forget to have a colorful time this week at Boston Pride!
