Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
Love is in the air — and often shared between two people at the dinner table.
While you can not go wrong with a traditional Valentine’s Day dinner for you and your sweetheart, couples looking to shake up their holiday this year may want to consider a show, wine tasting or even ice skating.
So to help lovebirds fly away from the ordinary celebration, here are 11 Valentine’s Day date ideas in the Boston area that are more than just grabbing dinner and drinks.
The Pink Rink: Skate with your sweetheart at The Rink at 401 Park in Fenway that will be lit up in soft pink hues from Friday, Feb. 9 through Wednesday, Feb. 14. Tickets are $6-12.
Valentine’s Day Soirée: Enjoy craft cocktails, sweet treats and stories of love and romance at this special GBH “Stories from the Stage” performance in Brighton from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Tickets are $120.
90′s Valentine’s Day Cabaret: Cabaret takes on a romantic and retro spin at this ‘90s-themed performance featuring pole dancing, burlesque and contortion by local artists at Sonia at the Middle East in Central Square in Cambridge. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets cost between $35-45.
The Main Stage: Valentine’s Day improv show: Make it the perfect Valentine’s Day night with the Main Stage cast at Improv Asylum in Boston. The lovey-dovey-inspired sketches and improv sketches will be inspired by audience suggestions. The show starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday and tickets are $35 per person.
Valentine’s Day Sparkling Wine and Cheese Pairing: Learn all about sparkling wine, taste varieties from different regions and toast to Valentine’s Day at this sparkling wine and cheese pairing class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Harvard Square. The class is $200 and couples and register online.
Valentine’s Day Adult Night at LEGO Discovery Center Boston: Celebrate love at the LEGO Discovery Center at Assembly Row in Somerville with a Valentine’s Day-themed building competition, quest challenge, prizes and a 4D movie in the LEGO theater. The event starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $19.99.
Cyberpunk Sweethearts Ball: Dance it out under black lights to live beats by DJ Sir Richard, try your skills at the on-site video arcade and savor themed snacks and drinks at this romance-fueled cyberpunk ball at the Crystal Ballroom in the Somerville Theater. Tickets are $20 and the dance starts at 7:30 Wednesday night.
Beer Mug Painting Night at Break Rock Brewing Company: Between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday, you and your Valentine can create a beautiful work of art that you can fill with your favorite beer. Tickets cost $25 and you can save a spot online. Space is limited.
BeauTease Burlesque’s “Some Enchanted Evening” show: Catch some of the award-winning troupes from BeauTease Burlesque at a special Valentine’s Day performance at Central Wharf Company in Boston. The show includes a prix fixe meal of your choice of appetizer, entreé and a to-go dessert bundle. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets can be bought online.
“Have a Hoot” Comedy Night at Night Shift Brewing: Share a laugh with your Valentine in Everett at Night Shift Brewing’s comedy show at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets are $20 per person.
Wolf’s Fat Ash Valentine’s Day Massacre: A Slightly Tardy Mardi Gras Ball: The Lizard Lounge in Cambridge will host a Mardi Gras/Valentine’s Day party starting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The show feature special guests of the Mardi Gras Balls and Bastille Day A-Go-Gos. Tickets are $15.
Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.
For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.
A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.
We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.

Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!
It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.
The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.
The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.
Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.
We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.
By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.
The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.
Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.
House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”
But Democrats push back on that framing.
“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”
A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”
The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.
On the Market
At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.
After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.
“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”
It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.
“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”
The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.
“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.
The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.
The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.
“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”
A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.


There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.
The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
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