spring break – COM Ambassador Blog

Malaika: Made in Massachusetts- 5 Film & Television Inspired Adventures to Experience While Living in Boston

Storytelling. It’s our brand, our livelihoods, and the basis of our education. Beyond the mediums of print, television, film, etc., the best stories transcend words on a page or images on a screen. They engulf our thoughts, and pull at our heart strings.

Massachusetts, and more specifically Boston, is the location of thousands of movie and television scenes. It is home to centuries of history, love, triumph, and wisdom; a true calling ground for narratives of every design. So while you’re living here in Boston, why not sightsee the inspiration behind some of film and television’s most iconic scenes?

Here are my 5 recommendations to experience Hollywood magic in the City of Champions:

Boston Public Garden Bench – “Good Will Hunting”

Who doesn’t love a classic Boston movie? The Good Will Hunting bench at the Boston Public Garden was home to Matt Damon and Robin Williams’ famous conversation scene (pictured above) in the 1997 Oscar-winning film.

Visit on a sunny day, sit on the bench, and watch the swans float by as you ponder life. “Your move, Chief.”

2. Bull and Finch Pub “Cheers”

The Bull and Finch Pub, an iconic Boston landmark, was the inspiration behind NBC’s Cheers (1982-1993). Located directly across from the Boston Public Garden on Beacon Street, the bar’s exterior was used in the television series’ exterior shots. Fans may also visit an exact replica of the set, as well as the Cheers gift shop at Faneuil Hall.

Stop by and snap a picture of the place where “everyone knows your name” (and check out their Norm Burger Challenge).

4. The Castle “Ghostbusters (2016)”

The castle from the opening scene of Ghostbusters (2016) may seem a little familiar to you… in fact it should, because it was filmed at Boston University’s very own Dahod Family Alumni Center, aka “the Castle.”

On your way to class, stop by to tour the newly renovated space, and later, for dinner, go to Kaze Shabu Shabu, a restaurant in Chinatown, to see the inspiration behind the Ghostbusters’ headquarters.

5. 4 Ocean Avenue, Salem, MA – “Hocus Pocus

Since it’s the month of October, take a day trip to Salem and visit this quaint beachfront home, Max and Dani’s house, in the Halloween classic, “Hocus Pocus”.

Happy Exploring,
CA Malaika

Will: The Long Road Home

In high school it always seemed like if you made it to Spring Break you were practically done with school. You left pale as a ghost, came back nice and crispy, and then just sailed through the last couple weeks of school.

In college, you’re still pale, you still get tan, but you don’t coast through til the end of the year. See Spring Break falls right in the middle of the semester more or less. And there’s a long 7 week stretch full of midterms and projects waiting for your return.

That being said, Spring Break in college tends to be a bit more entertaining than in high school. And getting away for spring break after spending a whole year in Boston... well, there’s nothing much better than that. Whether you’re going home, to Cancun, or sticking around New England, Spring Break always proves to be a very therapeutic escape.

Being in college also provides you with Spring Break options, something I didn’t really experience in high school. For instance, my comedy group, Liquid Fun, went on a tour around New England performing at different schools in the area. We trekked from Boston to Vermont, to Montreal, and to NYC. Surprisingly we didn’t get much of a tan.

Many other students also engage in something called Alternative Spring Break. ASB is organized through the Community Service Center and is extremely popular, often filling up within minutes of opening its registration. These trips are volunteer based and go anywhere from Virgina to Montana. It’s a great way to make a new group of lifelong friends and do something worthwhile with your break.

Or, you know, you could go to PCB. Whichever path you choose, you’re gonna have a good time. Guaranteed.

Kerri: Spring Break Travel Playlist

Spring break is only a few days away and for some of us that means long hours on a train, bus, or plane. I will be heading back home to New Jersey, which entails a six-hour bus ride. I am not a great traveler. I can’t read, do work, or even cross word puzzles without feeling sick. Therefore, I have limited choices for keeping myself busy for the six hours on a bus. I can’t think of many people who enjoy these long hours of traveling, but if I have my favorite playlist to listen to it helps make the traveling bearable. Listening to music does not require any work, except listening… perfect! One of my favorite playlists for traveling is my “Travel Tunes” playlist (how cliché, right?). This playlist includes some of my favorite songs and ranges from old school artists (Led Zeppelin) to fresh new faces (Disclosure). I hope you find these tracks helpful for getting through long hours of traveling this spring break!

Enjoy!

Islands- The xx
Retrograde- James Blake
So This Is Goodbye (Pink Ganter Remix)- William Fitzsimmons
Jump Into The Fog- The Wombats
That’s The Way- Led Zeppelin
The Girl- City and Colour
Help Me Lose My Mind (feat. London Grammar)- Disclosure
Climbing Walls- Strange Talk
Waiting Game- Banks
You’re The Good Things- Modest Mouse
Silhouette (feat. Ellie Goulding)- Active Child
Your Hand In Mine- Explosions In The Sky
Tessellate- alt-J
Going to California- Led Zeppelin
Hanging On- Active Child

Jon: SXSW Interactive – Celebrating the Future of Advertising and Technology

Hello again! BU got back from break on Monday, and everyone will be catching up on their adventures over the past week. While many students departed for popular collegiate destinations such as Cancun, Miami, and California, a group of digital media students and professionals gathered in Austin, Texas for the South-by-Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival. When it first began, SXSW Interactive was relatively unknown, and was easily dwarfed by its big brother SXSW Music and Film festivals. However, Interactive’s popularity has risen in recent years as digital media continues to dominate everyday life, and now the festival sees a massive turnout every year. Part conference, part trade show, and part spring break party, topics stretch the limits of the (broad) realm of digital media. I was lucky enough to attend this year with two other BU students, and while I could spend this whole post talking about the full size model of NASA’s new Hubble replacement, the James Webb telescope that was on display there (it is SO COOL), I’m going to share the top three predictions for the future of marketing that I took away from SXSW Interactive.

1) Ad agencies and tech companies are going to become closer partners than ever before – Google’s ArtCopyCode initiative that they were promoting made this more than clear. On display were a pair of talking shoes that gave the wearer feedback on their actions, a road trip app developed in partnership with Volkswagen, and an effort Google is making to help filmmakers re-imagine their work for new web canvases. Each project was interesting, but the bigger message was clear: digital technology is here to stay, and marketers better start thinking about how they can create compelling interactive experiences.

2) Physical products and experience are the new digital – Records, CDs, personal letters – these Mesozoic objects could make a comeback as a response to the increasingly digital world. Flourishing record sales could be written off as a trendy cultural phenomenon, but many see this as a symptom of a deeper human demand for physical experiences. Watch for brands looking to create new physical materials and events over the next few years, as consumers begin to taper their computer usage.

3) Be diverse – If SXSW drove one point home for me, it was this one. From the attendees, who quite literally came from all over the world, to the range of topics (I attended a talk on voice acting for video games and Al Gore’s keynote on the future in the same weekend), SXSW Interactive is an incredibly diverse event. Even though SXSW is just a microcosm of humanity, it reflects and shapes the larger world. Borders, both digital and physical, are crumbling. At the end of the day, those who embrace and celebrate diversity are the ones who will flourish.

And now you have my two cents on SXSW! Thanks for reading, and good luck with the last push before Summer!

Until Next Time,

Jon

Jon: Surviving Midterms

Midterms. That dreaded word that causes students everywhere to quake upon hearing it. What’s scarier than the thought of the first big cumulative exam of the semester? The tell-all test when you reveal if you’ve been actively learning all semester or if you’ve been sliding down into your lecture hall seat and grabbing an hour or two of beauty rest every day. Get ready, cause it’s show time.

As spring break begins next week, professors tend to be loading on projects and exams left and right, in an attempt to get that one last evaluation in before students flee to sunshine and warm beaches. However, if you can keep your head among all this craziness, it’s more than possible to manage your time and successfully conquer your midterms. Here’s a handy list of tips to how you can survive “hell week”.

1) SLEEP - This comes first on the list because it is by far the most important preparatory tool and is also the easiest to sacrifice when things get crazy. Make sure first and foremost that you get your 9 ½ hours every night, because once you start to slip on that, you’ll fall into a vicious cycle of working inefficiently and therefore sacrificing more sleep as tasks take longer to complete. Also, research shows you will be happier, healthier, and better academically if your brain has the rest it needs.

2) Drink lots of water – It’s easy to fall prey to the tantalizing lures of coffee and energy drinks, which promise to give you those extra hours of focus you need. However, if you’re not getting enough water in your day, these diuretics will make you jittery and irritable. Hydration is key to staying healthy, so try to limit your consumption of caffeinated beverages.

3) Start studying early – What seems to be common sense to any impartial bystander is often ignored by frantic college students. The more of a head start you get on your studying, the more prepared you will be. I try to plan at least a week’s worth of course review, so that if gaping holes in my knowledge appear I have time to do something about them.

4) On a similar note, DON’T study the night before an exam – This old adage that they told you in SAT prep classes applies to your college tests as well. Chances are you aren’t going to be retaining anything you’re trying to learn or review at this point. Watch a movie, play a video game, go to the gym, or just hang out with your friends. De-stressing and getting enough rest is the best preparation you can get the night before a test. I can’t emphasize this point enough – don’t fall prey to the “last-minute-all-nighter-double-header” study sessions your friends or floor mates might be engaging in, it’s not worth it.

These four tips may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how easy it is to forget about them or rationalize not doing them. Stand by this list, and make sure you’re taking care of your physical and mental health, and you’ll be well on your way to midterm success.
Stay frosty,

Jon