Quickly Around Town
By

Doing a Dance Number to the Star Spangled Banner Could Cost You $100

The great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, everyone. I didn’t write the law, but here it is:

Section 9. Whoever plays, sings or renders the “Star Spangled Banner” in any public place, theatre, motion picture hall, restaurant or café, or at any public entertainment, other than as a whole and separate composition or number, without embellishment or addition in the way of national or other melodies, or whoever plays, sings or renders the “Star Spangled Banner”, or any part thereof, as dance music, as an exit march or as a part of a medley of any kind, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.

We probably should have had a collection at the door of the Banshee on Monday…

Sports Department, We Love Food
By

Where to Watch the World Cup in Boston: Group Stage

Ready for the World Cup, day drinking and international fever? We sure are. Soccer and pubs to watch come in all shapes and sizes, though. Since it’s hard to really bucket them completely, it’s going to depend what you’re looking for. We’ve broken it down into a group stage to make sure you’ve got what you’re looking for.

Group A: The Established Soccer Bars

1. Banshee – Your regular home for the US Men’s National Team fan base, not to mention Celtic and (ugh) Chelsea.

2. Lir – Boylston’s Irish pub also doubles as the home for Arsenal supporters.

3. Phoenix Landing – Yes, it’s in Cambridge, but the Liverpool Boston supporters will be welcoming as always.

4. The Lansdowne Pub – Likely to get a crowd, especially during home games for the Sox.

Group B: Sports Bar Style

1. Game On – Watched parts of 2006 here and the amount of TVs make it a great spot. Be warned if you are in the basement you will forget what time of day it is.

2. Greatest Bar – North End adjacent, plenty of TVs, plenty of space.

3. McGreevy’s – The back area is fantastic and likely to be a solid choice right on Boylston.

4. Clarke’s – Off a side street in Faneuil, while it doesn’t have the size of some of the other Congress St. pubs, it will likely have a good crowd.

Group C: Just Go to an Irish Pub

1. Four’s Boston – Absolutely going to be a good day drinking spot.

2. Kinsale (Beacon Hill) – Plus you can overlook the Government Center Construction.

3. Asgard (Central) – The open set-up here is great, especially if you can snag a good armchair to watch from.

4. The Burren (Davis) – One of the best spots over in Davis Square will fit the bill for your soccer watching needs, too.

Group D: I’d Like To Be Different

1. Back Bay Social Club (Back Bay) – It’s set up well and they still make one of the best Old Fashioneds in town (if you’re into that to accompany your soccer watching).

2. Five Horses (South End) – You won’t get the audio on the games, but you’ll get the best beer list in town.

3. Russell House Tavern (Harvard Square) – I’d imagine that this would be a place to get both an amazing seafood tower and a good spot for some game watching.

4. Tip Tap Room (Beacon Hill) – Strong food, not a great amount of TVs but if the windows are open, hard to beat.

There are many, many more, and it will likely evolve over the week as places announce what they are up to. Enjoy and I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN.

Sports Department, We Love Pop Culture
By

A Red Sox Twitter Punctuation Lesson: \o/ and Brock Holt

You may recall last month that Media Twitter was all up in ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ over the growing trend of non-traditional punctuation and macros to get points across in Twitter. Twitter is a weird place. It’s a magnificent place. But a weird one.

Much of this does not touch our little world – Boston is oddly insulated from Media Twitter, although that’s a post for another time. There is one curious thing coming about, though, in the midst of a mediocrity-stricken season for the Red Sox: minor leaguer Brock Holt has been too hot to send down, which is amazing for all of us who love Arrested Development, since we get to call on a cult favorite character in his honor.

Now, if you aren’t familiar with the show, then \o/ may not mean much to you. The character Steve Holt is infamous for one thing in that glorious television program, and it is as follows:

That’s of course what our little hands up emoticon figure is up to with this guy: \o/.

Combine pop culture, a quirky emoticon and a streaking underdog on an abysmal team, that’s how you get Baseball Twitter (a cousin of Media Twitter) involved in this. Any given night, you can tell that Brock Holt (“Brock Holt!”) has done well by a handful of the Sox and national baseball beat writers chiming in with nothing more than the symbol:

So, now you know. I also think I realize now why fans of bad teams create silly things like this and How Many Altuves.

More We Love Beantown Content