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Plus: 🐶 Tom Brady cloned his dog? It’s Thursday, Boston. 🎊🥂Wanna party with us? It’s Boston.com’s 30th birthday this year, and there are only a few more B-Side Member spots to our invite-only celebration TONIGHT. Come to PLAY Boston on Causeway Street for an open bar, free food, and arcade games. Start a free trial here, then RSVP via the link on your perks sheet. 🎂 And happy birthday to B-Sider Clarissa Young! Boston.com throwing a birthday party … on your birthday? Talk about synergy. Have an amazing day! 👀What’s on tap today: Camberville election results More SNAP whiplash A GOAT’s best friend Up first … NOVEMBER FREEBIES Freebies to be thankful for Images: Courtesy. Illustration: Gia Orsino. It’s the season of giving … so we’re *giving* you freebies. Duh! Here are the best things to do this month without spending a dime: 💐 See the Pru in BLOOM. Fleurs de Villes, an iconic, immersive floral show, is BACK at the Pru now through Nov. 9 with a Downton Abbey twist. Imagine: Mannequins dressed as your fav characters from the period drama … but their outfits are made entirely out of flowers (and by local florists!). Bonus: Vote for your fav design for a chance to win a free staycation and restaurant gift card. ❄️ ‘Tis the season in the Snowport. Yes, we can’t believe it’s Snowport season either. Our rec to squeeze out the most freebies: Head to the holiday market for window shopping and foodie samples (here are our faves), then book a free iceless curling sesh. 🫘 Drink that FREE espresso (martini). Time Out is back with another free cocktail competition Nov. 16, and this time, espresso martinis are on the menu. Boston’s best bartenders will make the drinks. You just show up, sip, and vote for your fave. 🏃♀️ Run for free L.L.Bean swag. Enter: Strava’s L.L.Bean Charles River Challenge. Now through Nov. 16, anyone who logs a run from the BU Bridge to the River Street Bridge on Strava can claim a free L.L.Bean patch and keychain from the Seaport location. Note: If you ran the Cambridge Half and used Strava, you’re golden! 🤑 Tell Black Friday to kick rocks. The Bean & Barter Market is back with an anti-Black Friday event on Nov. 30. Instead of shopping, attendees can barter or trade with 10-15 local art vendors. Bring donations! 🎄 Watch Boston get LIT! November = the start of *holiday lights szn*. And fun fact: Most ceremonies come with a little something sweet (read: cocoa). Faneuil Hall’s 50-footer will be aglow Nov. 22 with a side of entertainment and festive treats. Then, the Christopher Columbus Park Trellis will join the pack on Nov. 24 with 50,000 blue lights. Bonus: They’ll have eggnog, cocoa, AND clam chowder. 🦃 Celebrate Friendsgiving … with strangers. At least, for now! Boston Figure Art Center is hosting its neighborhood Friendsgiving dinner on Nov. 22. The rules? Step 1: Let them know what you’re bringing (yourself is enough <3). Step 2: Chow down with new pals and cheers to your community. 🎨 Get crafty on the cheap. The craft and chat series at BU’s Howard Thurman Center is a DIY-gal’s dream. Think: Mason jar-decorating, friendship bracelet-making, and next month, paper snowflakes — all fo’ free! CITY Quick & dirty headlines Image: Kristopher Radder/Associated Press 🗳️ Camberville’s *unofficial* election results are IN. It was a busy night in Somerville as voters elected Jake Wilson as mayor after incumbent Katjana Ballantyne was booted in the primary. Voters also passed several buzzy ballot Q’s, including extending the mayor’s term and a nonbinding Q for the city to divest from companies that support Israel’s actions in Palestine. Next door, two new faces were elected to Cambridge’s city council — recent Harvard grad Ayah Al-Zubi and lawyer Timothy Flaherty — alongside seven incumbents. Dive into Cambridge’s results here and Somerville’s here. 🍎 Another day, another case of SNAP whiplash. Despite threats to withhold SNAP payments earlier this week, it appears that Trump and the White House are still planning to follow court orders and dole out partial benefits during the government shutdown … though when is still unclear. In the meantime, TONS of local businesses are stepping up to help out the 140,000+ affected Bostonians: Paisani is giving free sammies to SNAP cardholders, and Groovy Thrifty is giving 20% off their purchase to anyone who donates to its food drive. 👮 Boston cops are taking steps toward transparency. Step one: nametags. As part of a new contract extension between the city and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, all BPD patrol officers will be required to wear nametags on the job. It might seem like a small change, but Mayor Wu says the move will go a long way toward humanizing officers and allowing them to build trust with the public (in a time when that’s often lacking). The ultimate goal? To bolster public safety. 😢 Pour one out for these local businesses. Something must be in the water this week, ‘cause not one, not two, but three businesses announced closures. Brighton cocktail bar Birds of Paradise closed its doors at its Speedway for good on Oct. 31; and Caribbean restaurant ZaZ closed its City Hall and Seaport ZaZiBar outposts (though thankfully, its OG Hyde Park spot will remain). And on Nov. 24, Cambridge sex shop Hubba Hubba will follow (but until then, you can get 10% off!). R.I.P. The slopes are calling already! ⛷️Get discounted gear for the snowy season with a FREE TICKET to Snowbound Ski Expo on Nov. 14-16. Expect a lively weekend of inspirational speakers, the latest gear and apparel up to 70% off, and even a trampoline show, all under one roof. Snowbound Ski Expo is the PERFECT winter kickoff, whether you’re browsing for gifts and accessories or if, like us, you’re still using your high school gear and need a quick refresh. Tickets are FREE until 4 p.m., so click here to get one before they’re gone. ONE LAST THING A GOAT’s best friend Image: Stickman/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images. Illustration: Gia Orsino. On this episode of “Rich people”: Tom Brady’s dog is a clone. We found out on Tuesday, when biotech company Colossal Biosciences — which Brady is invested in — announced it had acquired animal cloning company Viagen (which you may recognize as the ones attempting to bring animals back from extinction). But what really got the media buzzing? Brady used the announcement as a platform to share that his current dog, Junie, is, in fact, a clone of his old dog Lua, who passed away in 2023. How do you clone a dog, you may ask? Brady said he “leveraged their non-invasive cloning technology through a simple blood draw … before she passed.” Then, “in a few short months, Colossal gave my family a second chance with a clone of our beloved dog,” he said. Well, OK then! — Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario and Claire Nicholas
