Alexa: Spring is Here!

Alexa ImageI had hoped to spend my Spring Break in a warm, sunny California.  However, the weather wasn’t exactly what I had expected. It rained 3 out of the 5 days but I kept thinking to myself, “the weather is better than Boston, the weather is better than Boston.” Well, according to weather.com it wasn’t. In fact, as soon as I left, Boston shot up to 70 degrees. I thought I had lost my chance. One of the few sunny days I was guaranteed in Boston I spent on a plane ride back to California. My spirit was shot but not destroyed. Then, the unthinkable happened. The weather stayed the same. In fact, it was better. From the Sunday I returned all the way to Friday, Boston weather acted like summer. From 7 AM in the morning to late at night, the temperature stayed at 70 degree and even rose. I was confused as to what to do with myself since no one prepared me for sunshine in March. Luckily, I’ve learned and I am here to tell you all exactly where to go and what to do!

The COM lawn: I know everyone says they hang out on the COM lawn on a sunny day, but really, this is one of the top places to go. You can sit next to the fountain and catch up on your COM reading or you can throw the football around to pass the time. The COM lawn is really convenient since it is an easy place to hang out in between COM classes. My teammates and I were preparing for a softball game and decided to play catch on one side of the lawn to warm up. (Fun fact: We won our first game!)

The BU Beach: The Beach is a lot like the COM lawn only it’s much bigger. From the beach you can see the Charles River and hang out with your friends in between classes. I saw a lot of kids taking naps and tanning and just enjoying the sunshine. It’s a really relaxing place to gather yourself before your next class.

The Boston Common: The great thing about BU is that you are immersed in the city so you don’t just have to stay on campus to find entertaining things to do! Boston Common is a happening place when the weather gets warm and there are benches and a lot of grassy areas to just relax, or my personal favorite, people watch.

Another useful tip I learned about the warm Boston weather is that it’s important to stay hydrated! Of course Starbucks have wonderful iced drinks but another great place is Angora Café. Angora is right near the intersection of Babcock Street and Commonwealth Avenue and is delicious. You can try of their amazing fruit smoothies but what they are most popular for is their unique frozen yogurt. My personal favorite is the raspberry yogurt, but trust me once you see all the flavors you won’t know what to choose.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t stick and I am forced to once again pull out my winter jacket. However, the good news is that since I finally got a taste of springtime in Boston I am completely ready for it again! Next time the temperature reaches above 70 degrees, you’ll find me at the BU beach with a raspberry frozen yogurt in my hand.

Until next time!

Richie: A Picnic in Boston

Richie Duque
Richie Duque

Hey guys!

Everyone on campus has been super excited since Spring finally decided to come to Boston. I walk around campus and see people playing frisbee, tossing a football around, or just laying out on the grass trying to catch a tan (yes there are some areas with grass on the BU Campus). Well, since my girlfriend was visiting for the week I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and plan a little picnic in the Boston Common.

We went to a Whole Foods Market and bought some “picnic” food on Saturday. I’m not to sure of the usual “picnic” food, but we did get cheese and crackers, some all-natural sodas, sandwich materials, vegetables for salad, and some raspberry licorice for dessert. Then on Sunday we prepared everything, put it in a backpack, grabbed a blanket from my dorm, and were off. I have to admit the floor was a little wet from some rain earlier in the morning, but the day was beautiful. The sun was out and we had an awesome meal. I even brought my laptop and put a chill Spring-time playlist on my iTunes to accompany the beautiful day.

The Swan Boats were open in the Boston Commons and my girlfriend and I went on a ride around the little lake. Afterwards, we packed everything back up again and walked down Newbury Street. A lot of the shops had prices that scared my wallet away, but my girlfriend managed to find a bunch of awesome sales at the new Forever 21 store.

It was also the day before the Boston Marathon so we got to walk on Boylston Street and see where the finish line would be. People from all over the world were walking around. We were in a sea of different languages.

The day was basically awesome. It took a while for Winter to end but Spring time in Boston is great. I definitely recommend the picnic idea to anyone who hasn’t tried it yet. The only thing I regret was we were missing the big red and white checkered blanket!