Celebrating the Holidays in the City
Whatever your reason (thesis writing, anthropology research, price of plane ticket, and/or the impending nor’easter) for staying in the city this holiday week, there’s no reason to miss out on the celebrations. From fine dining to festive shows, living in this bustling city has its perks and the holiday season is no exception. So skip that microwave dinner (do gastronomes even dare purchase such things?) and enjoy these seven tips for surviving, and enjoying, the holidays in the city.
1. Start the holiday off by going to the giant Menorah lighting in the Boston Commons.
2. Take a walk in the relatively tourist-free Boston Commons and then go for a skate on the now frozen Frog Pond! Bring your own skates and admission only costs $5 or you can rent a pair for an additional $9.
3. Wake up early on Thanksgiving morning and tune into the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. No TV necessary, you can watch it online!
4. Scrambling for dinner plans? Plenty of restaurants are open for the holiday and a few, like the Beehive and Legal Sea Foods, are serving up traditional Thanksgiving Dinners with all the fixings for relatively student-friendly prices. Find more traditional turkey dinners here.
5. Go visit the pilgrims at Plimoth Plantation and get a second helping of traditional and possibly puritanical New England Thanksgiving fare (the menu includes things like ciderkin, a pottage of cabbage, native corn pudding, and stewed Pompion. Yum!).
6. Get your holiday light show and cute zoo animal fix in one! Starting Thursday, November 28th, New England Stone Zoo’s opens its doors for its annual ZooLights event complete with festive holiday decor, reindeer, and arctic foxes!
7. No matter what you celebrate, end the weekend with a full stomach by attending the “Everybody Loves Latkes Party!” Head on over to Brattle Plaza in Harvard Square, Sunday, December 1st from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM to sample a diverse array of traditional and Thanksgiving-themed potato pancakes. Apple sauce and sour cream provided.
Have a safe and happy holiday and be sure to share your delicious celebrations on the BU Gastronomy Twitter and Instagram accounts using the hashtag #bugastronomy!