Happy First Day of Winter! It’s hard to believe it when the temperature is around 60 right now. Global Warming in action. But I know New England and it can turn snowy and wintry here at any time, so I want to be prepared. Every year I find that I dream of all the fun winter activities associated with the season and then suddenly it’s spring and I’ve done none of them. This year I’m making a bucket list to make sure I maximize winter. For anyone looking for fun things to do during the season of weather induced traffic accidents: here you go.
An Orchestral Concert
I’ve actually already checked this one off the list but I hope to go to a few more. For some reason orchestral music sounds especially magical in the winter. And there are so many great orchestras in Boston, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Handel & Haydn, the list goes on and on. For the past few years I’ve been going to a Boston Baroque chamber music concert on New Years Day because I’m 1,000 years old. And I LOVE it.
Go Sledding
Some of my best winter memories from childhood are flying down an icy, definitely dangerous hill, clinging to an inner tube for dear life. It was awesome. And for some reason, perhaps nostalgia, I’ve been itching to go again as an adult. Sledding is one of the most pure forms of play, and play is something adults don’t do enough.
Hot Chocolate at L.A. Burdick
It’s pretty well known that L.A. Burdick has some of the best hot chocolate in Boston. They also have great ambience. When I sit in there sipping a dark melted hot chocolate I feel like I could step outside and be in Paris. I like to go here in the evening when it’s less crowded with a book and spend some time really savoring the drink. If you’re not into hot chocolate try fireside cocktails, there are a few spots including Tapestry in my neighborhood, that have operating fireplaces.
Ice Skating at City Hall Plaza
Because of the public skating rink and outdoor market, this is one of the few times of the year that City Hall Plaza doesn’t look like garbage. Sorry Mr. McKinnell, turns out brutalism is ugly. Anyway the rink is beautiful and I love the idea of skating in the midst of an urban landscape rather than the natural setting of the Common frog pond. Every Wednesday Boston residents get 50% off admission with a valid ID and on Monday’s it’s buy one get one.
See a Classic Film at a Historic Theatre
Boston is lucky to have a number of historic movie theaters including the Coolidge Corner Theater, the Brattle Theater, and The Somerville Theatre. Winter is the best time to capitalize on this indoor resource. I love the idea of getting a big bag of popcorn and settling in for a formal screening of Breakfast at Tiffany’s or the like. I’m personally looking forward to Andrei Rublev, a three and a half hour saga about a fifteenth century Russian artist, at the Coolidge.
Photos by Stephanie Rita Photography.