Indoors on a Boston Saturday

What does one do on a rainy Saturday in Boston? TELL ME!

As some of you may know, I was attempting to host an Easter on the Esplanade day on Saturday. The weather gods have issued warnings against such a gathering, but a few things have forced a slight obligation upon me to do something special on Saturday. 1) D-to-the-OR, aka Doreeeeeeen(!!!) is going to be in town this weekend. We need to remind her that Boston >> San Antonio. I don’t think this will be hard, but the weather challenge is annoying. 2) My kickass step-sis expressed an interest in coming and bringing her sweet Tufts friends. I don’t want to let them down. Here’s the B-Google Challenge: $30 to the BEST idea for an activity day for Saturday, April 11th, 2009 in the Boston area. (Note, this does mean suggestions such as the Harbor Islands Ferry, which does not open until mid-May, will not be considered, nor will pool-hopping in Vegas, as it does not meet the “Boston area” specification.) If your idea is used, you’ll win the Challenge. If none of the ideas posted are used, but you have the best idea of those posted, you will win the Challenge. If you do not have ideas, I would still love to get feedback on other people’s ideas so I get a feel for what the general populous would like to do. Particularly insightful feedback may earn a margarita. If you were invited to Easter on the Esplanade, note that I have not yet sent an e-mail informing cancellation of this event. An e-mail will be sent after an alternative activity is selected. If you were not invited (it was a fairly small list of invitees–mostly people I thought would want to go), you are now. Entries must be submitted by noon on Friday, April 10th, 2009, to be considered for this contest. The following specifications will determine the best activity, in order of highest importance to least importance:

1) Doreen has to love it. Doreen likes being active and a little rambunctious, so the BPL is out. She also likes things a lot of people can do and not be bored doing. The MFA is also out.

2) Ideally, my step-sis and let’s say 3+ of her friends should be able to come. They are under 21 and are on Frosh budgets. Also, they are newer to the area than most of us, so they’re counting on us to amuse them. The aquarium is out.

3) Budget: My Tufts amigos aren’t the only ones on a budget. It’s a bad economy, and anyway the cheapest things in life are usually the best. Lunch at Top of the Hub is therefore out. 😉 Think $15-per-person budget after transportation.

4) Weather: We’re not doing the Esplanade, just like we wouldn’t go to a beach on a windy, rainy, cold day. That doesn’t mean we can’t do ANYTHING outside, but an outdoor plan may not draw many people and may not be much fun. If your idea is outdoors, suggest suitable attire.

5) The-More-The-Merrier: Something T or Commuter Rail accessible is ideal, however, I have a car and am willing to rent Zipcars for a total of up to $40 (roughly 2 cars for 2 hours or 1 car for 4 hours). I’ll definitely be providing transportation to Dor, my step-sis, and her friends. Activities that leave transportation up to everyone else will still be considered.

Final words: Have fun with this, be creative, and don’t be offended if your idea doesn’t win. I’m partly posting this because I’ve spent a decent chunk of time on the cause today and was thinking there should be an article on Google worth reading about indoor activities in Boston. I’ll also be posting some of the things I found that won’t be used for whatever reason, but that I thought would be a lot of fun later this summer. Happy hunting!

(This Challenge has been created for my friends. Like all B-Google Challenges, rewards are payable exclusively to people I know personally. However, other entries will be gratefully accepted by the general populous.)