Starting on March 1, the senior editorial staff  from the Quad began contributing weekly posts outlining the activities, places and trips all Boston-area college students should have on their bucket list.  A total of 10 posts makes up what these graduating seniors believe to be the most compelling, noteworthy “must-do’s” for all underclassmen to accomplish before graduation.  Here is the list in its entirety:

Cheat Sheet:

1. Party Favors, a hidden gem 2. Splurge on a great meal 3. Explore local culture in Jamaica Plain 4. Beer me, Boston. 5. Boston’s Alternative Movie Theaters 6. The Skywalk Observatory 7. Urban Biking Adventures 8. Explore music venues for every genre 9. Getting out of Boston 10. South Boston Street Festival

Photo credits:

1. Kara Korab 2. SweetonVeg 3. Mr. Ducke 4. compujeramey 5. D’Arcy Norman 6. whisperwolf 7. joeldinda 8. bradsearles 9. Rice Bear 10. animalvegetable

All photos, except Kara Korab, courtesy Flickr/Creative Commons.

With the weeks winding down until graduation, there are many things you should do in Boston before saying goodbye to Beantown. Catch a Red Sox game at Fenway, see a midnight movie at Coolidge Corner, nosh a cannoli at Mike’s in the North End. Now, all that’s well and good, but there’s one thing you need to do in Boston before you graduate: drink. Yes, I said drink.

Boston boasts a plethora of bars, pubs and dives to choose from, but for an avid beer lover like myself, one of the coolest things about living in Boston is that you can eschew crowded bars altogether and go straight to the source: breweries. The Bay State is home to a number of craft breweries and brewpubs, from the Harpoon Brewery to Cambridge Brewing Co., so put down that lukewarm Natty Ice and take advantage of all the brewed goodness Boston has to offer.

My personal favorite is the Sam Adams Brewery. Grab the Orange Line to the Stony Brook T-stop in Jamaica Plain and spend an afternoon with a free tour of the brewery. You read that right—free, a college kid’s favorite word. The brewery does suggest a voluntary $2 donation, which is given to local charities and will make you a beer-filled Good Samaritan. Win-win.

The tour, led by one of the brewery’s entertaining employees, takes you through the complex process of making a simple pint of beer. You get to taste the different types of grains and hops that give Sam Adams its distinct flavor, see some of the action in the malting and brewing machines, and learn strange beer jargon like “wort,” “trub,” and “mouthfeel.” The tour is informative and interesting for beer connoisseurs, but what you really want to know is if you get some free brew, and the answer’s a big malty yes.

After the guided tour, you’re led into the brewery’s tasting room to sample some of the finished products. You get three samples, about half a pint each, usually of their signature Boston Lager, a seasonal selection, and the Boston Brick Red, a special brew that’s only available on draft in Boston. The freebies keep coming, as you’re quickly informed that you get to keep your engraved Sam Adams’ commemorative tasting glass, which would make the perfect shot glass if you had Charlie Sheen’s liver. You also get to smell (not taste, as that would probably be lethal) Utopias, Sam Adams’ 25% alcohol experimental beer, which holds the Guinness World Record for strongest beer in the world. Cool beans, er, hops.

Post-tasting, you can venture over to the Boston Beer Museum and learn more about brewing history, or you can continue your day of drinking at the nearby Doyle’s Café, a flagship bar owned by Sam Adams’ makers, the Boston Beer Co. The brewery runs a free shuttle to Doyle’s, where you can enjoy some of the newest, freshest Sam Adams brews in town. Free drinks, free glasses, and a free ride to the bar? Yeah, you definitely can’t go wrong with an afternoon spent at the Sam Adams Brewery.

The Sam Adams Brewery is located at 30 Germania St. in Jamaica Plain. For more information, check out http://www.samueladams.com/.

Images courtesy JanetandPhil, Eric P and Ross Housewright on Flickr / Creative Commons.

While I love romping around Allston or Coolidge Corner as much as the next BU student, after the third night weekend in a row spent on Harvard Ave., I get a creeping feeling that I’ve seen it all before. And that’s when I head over to Jamaica Plain. Perhaps better known for attractions like the Samuel Adams Brewery and Forest Hills Cemetery, I love JP for its local-centric, DIY culture packed with kitschy shops, organic lunch and dinner spots and gorgeous green spaces. The 4.4 square mile neighborhood, sandwiched by Brookline, Roxbury and Dorchester, has one of the most distinctive feels of Boston’s many neighborhoods. Where else could you find a fair trade and organic deli and feed store? Or a tapas bar, record and book store all under one roof? Just JP.

Longtime Jamaica Plain residents and business owners have been in the know about the virtues of locally sourced food for many years now, so delectable, healthy fare is the standard at many restaurants lining Centre Street. Also a haven for artists, Jamaica Plain is home to exceptional art galleries, music venues and funky little shops filled with things you didn’t know you needed. Don’t hesitate to head over at night either – Scottish pub, The Haven, old school Doyle’s Café and the Bella Luna Milky Way Lounge are all worth the trip to JP.  Getting there is easy enough though, with a short ride on the Green line and a transfer to the Orange. Then you can get off at Stonybrook, Jackson Square, Green Street or Forest Hills and be in the center of it all.

On a recent rainy Friday afternoon, I walked down Centre Street and snapped some photos of what I found. Look through them for a peek of what Jamaica Plain has to offer and then get over there before you graduate.

The Centre Street entrance to the Arnold Arboretum

The Arnold Arboretum, founded by Harvard University, is the oldest arboretum in North America. Not just a pretty park, the arboretum is grounds for research on evolution, plant pathology and other treesearch (pun shamefully intended).  Admire beautiful views of the Boston city skyline from Peters Hill or go for a cycle along the many paths for a perfect spring afternoon.

Branch of an American Sweet Gum tree

Every one of the 14,980 individual plants in the Arnold Arboretum living collection is tagged with its species name and other information, making for an educational park experience.
125 Arborway, arboretum.harvard.edu

"Stop violence, create peace" sidewalk art in front of a Tedeschi store on Centre Street

The dove and words are the result of a 2008 Paint for Peace program started by Robert Guillemin, a.k.a. Sidewalk Sam. He wanted to paint up to 600 doves on sidewalks around Boston and enlisted youth from the Hyde Park Task Force to help paint the doves in front of bodegas and stores around Jamaica Plain.
Sidewalksam.com

The bountiful selection of hats and other suave goods at Salmagundi, hats and accessories.

With more than 6,000 caps, fedoras, beanies and more Salmagundi has a hat for everyone.
“People will come in and say ‘I’m not a hat person,’ but I think everyone is a hat person, you just haven’t found the right hat,’” says assistant manager Amanda McKeever.

Hatter Jason Wednesday Miller sews a lapel on to a hat.

The hatters at Salmagundi will custom fit a hat to your head for free and with hat prices ranging from $35-40 for a cap to $50-300 for a fedora, picking up one of these is not a mad idea.
765 Centre St., salmagundiboston.com

Diners relax at the City Feed and Supply café

Part grocery store, part café and deli, but all organic and delicious, the City Feed and Supply has been leading the way in local, organic and fair-trade food for more than 10 years.
672 Centre St., cityfeedandsupply.com

Sidewalk sign for Centre Street Café

A Centre Street institution, the brunch, lunch and dinner spot  sources all of its food from local farms. The slacker’s breakfast, served until 3 p.m., is a crowd favorite, probably due to its hefty portions soaked in real maple syrup.

A rare moment of peace in Centre Street Café, usually packed to the brim and with lines out the door for weekend brunch.

669A Centre Street, centrestcafe.com

Bright and beautiful necklaces on display at on Centre

Adorable is the word that comes to mind for the many accessories and gifts in this boutique, which opened about five years ago. You’ll be looking for any excuse to pick up one of these knick knacks, which includes jewelry, scarves, note cards and much, much more.
636 Centre St.

A cow overlooks a coffee roaster Inside JP Lick's flagship store

J.P. Licks flagship store on Centre Street is a converted Victorian fire house where they make all the ice cream for their other stores, as well as roast their own coffee. With flavors like Leprechaun Brew and Baileys Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, it’s no wonder they’ve booming with business since 1981.
659 Centre St., jplicks.com

Chef Marcos Sanchez slices cured loin at Tres Gatos

A tapas bar, book and record store, Tres Gatos celebrates the finest things in life. Since opening in early January, the restaurant/store has been packed with people eager to try out the tapas and browse the impressive record collection.

A customer picks out a book from the shop in Tres Gatos, located just behind the kitchen.

470 Centre St., tresgatosjp.com

An admirer looks on as sales associate Stephanie Messina cuts fabric at JP Knit and Stitch

Don’t be fooled by the CVS sign still on the exterior of JP Knit and Stitch – the inside packs a colorful punch and is filled with yarn, fabric and crafty inspiration.
461 Centre St., jpknitandstitch.com

When I look back on my time at Boston University, it seems that there’s very little I did outside of school that didn’t involve spending money.  Lots of it.  See, I have two speeds when it comes to money management: complete saver or complete spender.  And, since only about 0.072% of the cash I’ve earned remains from the umpteen jobs I’ve held while a student, it’s pretty clear that I’ve pretty much been in spending mode for three and a half years.

Now, I’ve had clothes binges and a kicks-fetish phase—my toe game was sick at one point—but there’s one thing on which I’ve spent loads more than all my other foolish/silly/awesome purchases combined.  Food.  If you still have a dining plan, you probably can’t relate to this.  But, once that thing’s gone and you’re living in an apartment and being expected to buy groceries and cook all the time (I know you hear me, juniors and seniors), then going out to eat becomes pretty second nature.  No matter how much you enjoy cooking, sometimes you just need to take the easy way out.

I admit, most of the time I’m spending a few bucks here for a sandwich and a couple more there for some pad thai.  But, if there’s one thing that you should do before graduating, it’s to go out and spend a ton of money on one meal.  That’s right.  One meal.

Before you grab that benjamin that Grandma gave you for Christmas and go to Sunset and get 6 orders of nachos and a table tap, you should know there are some rules. You have to go to a place that you’ve never considered as within the realm of possibility as an undergrad, i.e., expensive and off-campus (more on this later).  You have to dress up.  And, of course, you’ve got to convince a couple of your friends that this is an investment that’s totally worth it.

That last bit may be the hard part.  But, what you have to understand is not only is there amazing food in this city, but the experience of eating somewhere totally decadent is totally surreal.  Getting gussied up, having waiters who are legitimate experts on the courses they’re offering you, and paying for it yourself—not with mommy or daddy’s card—is really something special.  It’s almost impossible to describe.

Where to go?  I’m glad you asked.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Any restaurant owned by the Aquitaine Group:  This of course includes Aquitaine, but also the Gaslight Brasserie andMetropolis Café.  All terrific restaurants, all in the South End.  Totally gorgeous and delicious.

2. KO Prime Steakhouse and Bar:  If you’re into steak, this one and the next suggestion are for you.  Located downtown, it has great T access in addition to its edgy, urban, young-professional feel.

3. Mooo…: Another great steakhouse, right next to the State House in Beacon Hill.  A little quieter and more relaxed.

4. Eastern Standard:  A little afraid to leave the BU cocoon?  Check out Eastern Standard.  Great dinner menu, insanely good dessert, and, dare I say it, some of the best mixologists and cocktails in Boston.

Of course, do some of your own research.  And, if you need a little more convincing, just remember that Restaurant Week started yesterday.

Just when I thought it was going to be springtime in Boston, Old Man Winter comes back in full-force. It’s days like these where I need to treat myself to something that satisfies my sweet tooth and puts a comforting sensation in my belly. Yes, everyone, I’m talking cupcakes. Boston is cupcake-crazy, and there’s plenty of options to choose from. But, my favorite place is a hidden gem in an unlikely location, and the subject of my Senior Bucket List:

Before you graduate from BU, you must get a cupcake from Party Favors in Brookline.  Party Favors is just on the edge of Coolidge Corner, a bustling locale with great shops and pretty good eats. However, while the bulk of Coolidge Corner vendors operate on Harvard Street, Party Favors operates on Beacon Street, towards the Summit Avenue stop on the T. Party Favors also takes a keen eye to spot, because on the surface it appears to be just a regular party decorations store. But, don’t be fooled: the store actually has two doors, so if you’re coming from the Coolidge Corner T stop, the second door is the one you want.

Once you step in, it’s like a child’s dream-land. Candies, cookies, pastries, truffles, and decorations galore are laid about in colorful groups and patterns. To the immediate left, there is a tempting case of big cakes, little cakes, cupcakes, teacakes, and decorative pieces. To the right, wrapped candies and hand-made chocolates line nearly the entire wall. But, the real treasure trove is in the case near the register, where high-quality pastries and monstrous cupcakes are on display. I can never choose just one cupcake, and at only $4.25 a pop, you definitely get the bang for your buck.

Got a craving for something sweet? Want to go off the beaten path? Find Party Favors, grab a cupcake, and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

(Photos by Kara Korab)