Alexa: All About Boston Restaurants

Alexa ImageHey everyone! Boston is such a great place for so many things! We have awesome sports teams, great sightseeing places and incredible food! The dining halls here are great, especially at West campus where I eat frequently, however it’s always nice to go out to eat once in a while.

Roast Beast is located at 1080 Commonwealth Avenue and it’s delicious.  No seriously. This place specializes in both roast beef and turkey sandwiches.  It’s a charming little hole in the wall with a really friendly staff. They can make your order any way you can imagine. I personally order a regular roast beef on onion bread with house barbecue on the side and a bottled cream soda to take it down.  For anyone who is up to a challenge Roast Beast offers the “Thermonuclear Challenge” The task is eating a sandwich with a fiery sauce that has hot peppers in just five minutes. While this may seem like no big deal, I have witnessed this challenge and it is crazy. People cry. However if you win, you’re meal is free and you get a free t-shirt! This place is definitely a must try and if you say Alexa sent you, they’ll… ok they won’t do anything special except for probably comment on how frequent of a visitor I am. But seriously go!

Another great place is called Bottega Florentina. This is an Italian eatery that specializes in many Italian cuisines, especially pasta. There are two locations, one on Newbury Street and the one I usually visit at Coolidge Corner in Brookline. On Tuesdays you can get any type of pasta with any type of sauce imaginable for only five dollars! I usually stick to the classic spaghetti with meat sauce but they have so many delicious options. Like Roast Beast, this place isn’t huge so service is very quick and pleasant and with every order you get fresh, homemade bread. Trust me this place will redefine all your expectations of pasta.

I promise the rest of my blogs will be more about my activities ie. (BUTV, COMlife, Intermural Basketball…) but for now I think it’s worthwhile to know some of the great food establishments that surround BU! Until next time…

Tom: First Summer in Boston

Tom Schrank
Tom Schrank

Hey all! Hopefully your summers are turning out for the best and you are getting excited for your first semester at Boston University in the fall. I remember last summer I was both excited and a little bit scared for my first college semester. But now, looking back, I can’t understand why I was ever nervous as my first year exceeded all of my expectations.

Now for the summer after my first year of college, I made the decision to spend most of it in the city of Boston, working in the COM Student Services office. I went back to Long Island for a month and a half to meet up with my friends from back home, but after that time I was ready to come back to Boston. However, summer on Long Island turned out to be better than I expected. I made an eight day trip with my three best friends to the sunny state of Florida and got to relive my childhood in Disney World. In addition to that, I spent much of my time (maybe a little too much of my time) on the Long Island beaches. Now after a month and a half, I’ve been told I look like Snooki’s cousin. Not sure if I should take that as an insult, but hey, at least my tan is natural… and thankfully not orange.

Now that I’m back in Boston, I’m excited to try out some of Boston’s summer events that you can’t normally experience during the fall and spring semester here. I spend a lot of my time taking walks exploring Boston, although sometimes the heat makes this a little overbearing. Students also have FitRec access during the summer, so I’ve been going to the gym throughout the summer as well. Boston is also in the vicinity of Revere Beach, so I can even get my beachtime while here in Boston. Most of the time, I’ve spent checking out some of Boston’s restaurants, especially in Coolidge Corner, which is right near my apartment. Some of my personal favorites are U-Grill (located right on campus), Angora Café (great frozen yogurt and wraps), Zaftigs (for the best omelets), and Fugakyu (for some authentic Japanese cuisine).

Summer in Boston is definitely new for me, but I would definitely recommend trying it out over the next few years you’ll be spending in Boston. Take some classes, get an internship or a job, or just come by the city for a weekend if you can’t manage to stay. Boston is a great city and most students miss out on the opportunities located outside the classroom.

Kate: Boston Summer Bucket List

Kate Scott
Kate Scott

It’s summertime, and while most of my friends from BU and high school have returned home, I am still in Boston enjoying this amazing city in warm weather (when you actually want to get out and see it)! I am still working at COM (stop in and say hello when you get here for orientation!) and am also a New Media intern for TalentCulture, a company that focuses on the world of work through blogging and social media.  It has been a fantastic experience so far and I am learning a ton! But I live by the motto “Work hard, play hard” so I made myself a Bucket List of Boston activities to do this summer! Here we go:

1.     Go to the beach. If you’re from a landlocked state, you will understand how excited I was to finally live closer than 10 hours from the ocean.  Castle Island, the Harbor Islands, and the North Shore have all been recommended to me and I am determined to hit the beach as many times as possible this summer.

2.     Buy fresh fruit and vegetables from a Farmer’s Market. There are a TON of markets all around Boston with fresh fruit, veggies, fish, cheese, bread, and all the noms you could want.  There is a HUGE one down near the North End that I could shop at all day and the SoWa market in the South End every Sunday. Yumm….

3.     Watch a free show in the Common. Free Movie Fridays and Shakespeare in the Park are all highlights of summer.  I’ll see you all at Toy Story 3 at the end of July! J

4.     Pet sharks at the New England Aquarium. Boston has a fantastic aquarium, home to penguins, sting rays, seals, and thousands of fish.  It’s a little expensive but this is a must-see for me this summer.

5.     See the Chihuly Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. In case you didn’t know, we go to the best school in Boston- BU pays for its students to go to the MFA for free (that’s a $22 savings)!  Chihuly glass is gorgeous so it should be a fabulous exhibit in addition to all the other awesome art in the MFA.

6.     Hang out on the Greenway. Boston is definitely a busy and crowded city, but there is a great green space downtown called the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  It’s a mile long set of parks with fountains, a carousel, and tons of events every weekend to enjoy! Oh and did I mention free Wi-Fi?  At some point, I will be grabbing a big blanket and heading down there to enjoy the gorgeous weather!

7.     Attend a festival. Boston is home to tons of different ethnic festivals and parades.  While St. Patrick’s Day may have fallen during spring break keeping me from experiencing the Irish heritage, I refuse to miss the Italian celebration in the North End on August 6.  Your fellow COM Ambassador Tom Schrank will be joining me for this one!

8.     See a movie at the Coolidge Corner movie theater. Open since 1933, the Coolidge Corner Theater is a Boston landmark that shows everything from great old black and whites to intriguing indies, even that newly released romantic comedy you’re embarrassed to admit looks good.  Coolidge Corner is only a 15 minute walk from campus so this may be happening more than once this summer.

9.     Walk the Esplanade. The Esplanade is a great area along the Charles River.  It goes right by campus and into downtown.  There are boat houses, river landings to hang out on, and the Hatch Shell where they put on summer concerts.  It should be much nicer now that it is not negative ten degrees outside.

10.  Enjoy a Fenway Frank at a Red Sox game. A Boston classic, I couldn’t go the summer without entering Red Sox nation at least once.  I’ll be decked in my Cardinals gear but hey, at least the colors are the same.

Let me know if there is anything I left off this list, I am looking for tons of fun things to do this summer!  Can’t wait to see you guys this fall- BU is a blast!!