Summer Fun in Boston (And Beyond!)
Michael Garshick, M'11
Summer is fast approaching, although with the recent weather outside you wouldn’t necessarily know it. However, in a few weeks when school is out and the sun is in, I know that us upcoming 2nd years--and hopefully even the 3rd and 4th years--will be looking for something to do. If you have never experienced a Boston summer before, watch out, as it can be hot and sticky, but definitely filled with some city (and beyond) fun.
The following is a list of upcoming events, things to do, and places to see and be seen. (There’s a focus on the cheap for us poor student types).
Events (Music, drama, festivals):
- Friday night salsa dancing at Club Havana in Cambridge. 12 bucks will get you burritos, two hours of dancing lessons and then salsa dancing for a few hours more.
- Earthfest 2008 (5/24) at the Hatch Shell
- Landmarks Orchestra Festival (Wednesdays in July and August) at the Hatch Shell
- Cambridge River Festival (6/14)
- Boston Harborfest (7/1 - 7/6): Fireworks, concerts and more all for the 4th of July
- Shakespeare on the (Boston) Common (7/18 - 8/3): “As You Like It”
- Beantown Jazz Festival (9/25 - 9/27)
Museums:
- The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). Just in case you didn’t read the TCI fall issue, the MFA is free with a Tufts ID, yes free, check it out.
- The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Free on Thursday evenings.
- Boston Children’s Museum. A little childish yes, but 1 dollar every Friday night.
- Franklin Park Zoo. Half off on the first Saturday of every month.
- USS Constitution. Admission is by donation, so give what you can.
Food:
- Pho Republique: Two Dollar Dim Sum Days. Early evening Monday through Thursday 2 buck happy hour appetizers.
- Jacob Wirth: First Thursday of every month beer club. Sigh up online for the beer club and every first Thursday get free appetizers, free beer and free schwag.
- Tia’s Boston. It’s on the water and has a great summer patio.
- Try people watching at Croma on Newbury Street. It’s got great and reasonably priced pizza.
- New England is known for its seafood so try these famous lobster pounds/Clam shack’s. The Clam Box in Ipswich. Woodman’s in Essex. Brown’s in Salisbury Beach.
The Sox:
Although tickets are hard to come by you can and will get them if you want. Here are some ways to go out about it:
- Go online to www.redsox.com. Yes, single seat/standing room seats are still available for summer time games. Get two random tickets for the bleacher section and move around with your buddy. Trust me, there are always empty seats at the Sox games, you just have to find them. Oh, and don’t take a date.
- Scalpers: For the best deal go early to a mid-weak, mid-summer game against a non-competitive team.
- Get to a game ridiculously early and stand in line for day-of-game tickets. There are always a few tickets withheld for the day of the game. You just have to be a dedicated Sox fan to get them.
- Stub-Hub, Ace Tickets, Craigslist. Ok, you’ll pay a nice premium but it will be for the game you want, against the team that you want, on the day that you want.
Out of Boston:
- Tanglewood: The summer home of the Pops has a whole compound full of music and fun. Just be prepared for the 2 hour drive.
- Provincetown on Cape Cod: Conservatives beware, but Provincetown has friendly people, great food, art, and shops. Plus the summer bike paths to the beach beat out every other. On the way back you’ll pass Truro Vineyards (the Cape’s only vineyard) for some wine tasting.
- Freeport, Maine: Hit up Freeport for some great buys at the outlets, see a renovated L.L. Bean, oh and stop at Stonewall Kitchen in York, ME. You can eat free samples of jams, jellies, spreads, cookies, and crackers. But be prepared, you may want to buy.
- Newburyport: It’s situated near a personal favorite beach, Plum Island; also has a charming downtown and holds many food and art festivals throughout the summer.
- Crane Beach: Richard Crane made a fortune in the plumbing business in the mid-1800s. When he died he left his castle and beach to the city of Ipswich. Crane’s Beach has pricey parking so bring a car load, however it is one of the nicest beaches in Massachusetts.
Celebrities and famous people:
We have a slew of shows coming into town this summer. They may not be cheap, but check them out!
- David Copperfield (5/8-5/11) at the Opera House
- Alicia Keys (6/11) at the TD Banknorth Garden
- Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (6/13) at the TD Banknorth Garden
- Chris Rock (6/14) at the Wang Theater
- Bruce Springsteen (8/2) at Gillette Stadium
- Jack Johnson (8/6) at the Tweeter Center
- Journey (8/19) at the Tweeter Center