Finding Fun
A Guide to Livin’ It Up in Boston
Most of us are now definable by our Facebook profiles. We’ve named our hometowns, our majors, and our favorite music in neat lists. The moment our tastes change, we rush to update our profiles, lest someone mistakenly believe we still like The Get Up Kids, even though we’ve now declared allegiance to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Since this guide attempts to point you toward fun spots around Boston, you can just refer to the “Interests” category of your profile to find suitable activities. You “twirl the days away”? There’s a salsa club out there for you. You like “curling up with a good book”? You’re covered. “Chatting up pretty women”? Creep. Find your own fun.
“Reading everything”
If all you need is a good book, go get happy at the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston St., Boston). But what if you can’t find what you’re looking for there or at the MIT Libraries? Make use of the Boston Library Consortium (http://www.blc.org) and get access to books from 19 libraries in the New England area.
You like to keep your reading material, you say? Go to Rodney’s Bookstore (698 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge), my personal favorite, to find classics and titles you’ve never heard of at great prices.
“Tearing up the dance floor”
Make your way to the clubs along Lansdowne St. in Boston if you’re itching to dance on a Saturday night. You can find house music, Top 40, techno, whatever you want in this city.
If you’re eager to learn a new skill or to perfect your technique, try salsa lessons at Havana Club (288 Green St., Cambridge), where members of the MIT Casino Rueda Group will teach you the steps and make you look and feel good doing it.
“Artifact freak”
Those with a love of art and history should soak up Boston’s museum scene. Though there are several in which to spend hours, absolutes include the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., Boston); the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (280 The Fenway, Boston), known for its garden; and the Fogg Museum (32 Quincy St., Cambridge) at Harvard.
“Laughing”
Funny things happen everyday, but if you want to ensure you’ve got reason to laugh, visit Boston’s Theater District to see the Blue Man Group (Charles Playhouse; 74 Warrenton St., Boston) or Shear Madness (also Charles Playhouse), where you can help determine the show’s ending. There are several comedy clubs around the city as well.
“Avid sports fan”
You’ve come to the right town (unless you’re a Yankees fan, of course), because you can stay entertained all year round by watching the Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins play. If college sports is more your thing, college teams (including MIT!) abound. Wear out your shoes along the Charles River, where you can pick from several running trails of varying lengths.