Words of wisdom from ELC students

This year marks 113^th anniversary of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in Boston, MA! Not sure how to celebrate? Follow this guide and you’ll be sure to eat, drink and be merry! Don’t forget to try the green beer!!

1. Wear Green!  Seriously. This is not a joke! On SPD, this is the only acceptable color for clothing is some shade of green.  This tradition pays homage to the Irish flag, which is green, white, and orange. If you wear another color on March 17, you can expect to be pinched by your fellow partiers!
2. Go to ANY Irish Pub in Boston:  Boston has the best and most numerous Irish pubs in the USA! The best neighborhoods to find a busy Irish pub are in downtown Boston & Back Bay. St. Pat’s Day is one of biggest events in Boston so you’ll be sure to find Irish music (sometimes live!), dancing, green beer (don’t worry—its just food coloring!), and delicious Irish food!
3. The Boston Saint Patrick’s Day Parade:  The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is Boston’s biggest parade of the year.  Thousands march as up to a million spectators line the streets in South Boston to enjoy the Irish Festivities.  This year, the event takes place right on Saint Patrick’s Day!  For the best viewing spots, take the T to Broadway around 1:00PM.  The parade will last about three hours!
4. Irish Step Dancers at Faneuil Hall Marketplace: Faneuil Hall Marketplace is home to some of the best street performers on the East Coast. On St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll find talented Irish step dancers performing to traditional Irish tunes.  There will also be plenty of other special treats like yummy Irish food at Cheers.
5. St. Patrick’s Day Road Race: Each year on St. Patrick’s Day, the South Boston Boys & Girls Club sponsors a 5K run to benefit needy children in the Boston area.  The race starts and ends at the Boys & Girls Club at 230 West 6^th Street in South Boston. 
6. Dropkick Murphys Concert at the House of Blues: The Dropkick Murphy’s are Boston’s most famous Celtic punk-rock band that was formed right here in Quincy, MA.  Although they spend most of the year touring the United States, they find their way home each St. Patrick’s Day for a special concert for their fans in Boston.  Tickets can be found at stubhub.com!
7. Boston Irish Film Festival: This four-day festival takes place at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA & the Somerville Theater in Somerville, MA.  The festival will showcase 30 of the best contemporary Irish films, shorts and documentaries. Visit www.irishfilmfestival.com for more information!

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The Patriots may not be in the final game this year, but that doesn’t mean Boston won’t be celebrating! For the ultimate American Football experience, peruse this list of places to go, food to eat, and beer to drink so you don’t miss out on this time-honored American tradition!

What to eat:
Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States (second only to Thanksgiving Day, of course). Traditionally, there is no meal on Super Bowl Sunday – we snack all day on finger-foods, appetizers, chips, dips, and beer. Prepare yourself for a day of delicious, fried food!

• “Sliders” – Mini hamburgers, turkey burgers or veggie burgers.
• Wings – Deep fried chicken wings, best when dipped in blue cheese or ranch dressing
• Dips & Salsa – You will find a vast selection of sauces, dips and salsa to slather over all of the delicious finger food!
• Chili – Chili is a thick, chunky meat stew that is often spicy. Be sure to ask how spicy it is and don’t forget to add cheese!! (*Remember – chili can often have pork in it! Check with your server if you do not eat pork!)
• Tacos/Taquitos/Nachos/Quesadillas – TexMex food is extremely popular on game day! These foods often consist of four tortilla, covered in or filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese and guacamole!
• Beer – Boston is America’s beer city! Drink up and enjoy!

Where to watch the game:
Boston is home to some of the oldest & best sports bars in the United States! Pick any one of these well known pubs, grab a bar stool and enjoy the game!

• The Greatest Bar: (262 Friend Street) This bar celebrates the greatest aspects of Boston’s rich history in sports, politics, entertainment, and architecture. If you’re looking to watch the big game, you’re sure to get a great view with this bar’s 14-foot flat screen TV – the largest in Boston!
• GameOn!: (82 Landsdowne Street) GameOn! is the mother of all sports bars. This place is home to over 90 HD TV’s and a sound system that could blow out the windows. At this bar, you can find any game playing at any time; but on February 3, prepare yourself for Super Bowl Madness!
• McGreevy’s: (911 Boylston Street) McGreevy’s Irish Pub & Sports Bar is known as America’s first sports bar! Since opening in 1894, McGreevy’s has been Boston’s go-to bar for big sporting events!
• Cask’n Flagon: (62 Brookline Avenue) This world-famous bar is located directly across from Fenway Park – the epicenter for Boston sports fans.
• Jerry Remy’s: (1265 Boylston Street) Whether you’re searching for the perfect place to catch a game or a late night hot-spot, Remy’s is the place for you. With two 6.5 X 11 foot HD televisions and thirty 60-inch TVs, you wont miss a moment of Sunday’s big game!
• Brighton Beer Garden: (386 Market Street) The Garden is one of Boston’s best and oldest bars. They also have an excellent and extensive domestic and imported beer selection!
• The Four’s: (166 Canal Street) A Boston tradition since 1976! This bar was voted #1 sports bar in America by Sports Illustrated magazine!

When fresh snow covers the city, Boston turns into a charming, winter wonderland. Boston celebrates the winter through activities inspired by the snow. Below are some of our some of our favorite things to do. These activities should not be missed, especially if you are from a warm weather climate! You should experience everything winter has to offer. Come play in the snow with us!

Ice Skating at the Frog Pond: This activity is one of Boston’s oldest and most fun traditions! Each winter, the Frog Pond attracts thousands of visitors looking to have fun, get moving and take in some breathtaking, romantic views of the city. The rink is open Sunday - Thursday from 10AM – 9PM and stays open until 10PM on Fridays & Saturdays! Admission is only $5.00 and you can rent skates for just $9.00.

Sledding at Jamaica Pond: A bit off the beaten path, this pond is a local landmark and offers some of the best hills in the city for sledding. Pick up a cheap sled at Yumont Hardware on Center Street in Jamaica Plain (known as JP by the locals…) and walk down Burroughs Street to get to the pond. Be sure to take part in the “Sugar Bowl Challenge” – slide down this inverted hill and see if you can build enough momentum to make it up and over the bowl on the other side!

Go Skiing: This year, the Wachusett Mountain has teamed up with Boston’s MBTA to create a round trip “ski train” that leaves North Station at 8:35AM on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. A free shuttle bus will take skiers directly to the mountain and back at the end of the day to catch the 5:35 train back to Boston. This special train schedule will run from December 10 – March 31. Ski Train (commuter rail) fares as low as $7.75 one way! Visit www.wachusett.com for more information, prices and schedules.

Play in the Snow: Step One: Bundle up! Step Two: Gather friends and head to any of Boston’s beautiful snow-filled parks. Step Three: Pick up a handful of snow and throw it at your friends!

Climb the Bunker Hill Monument: At the top of this 221-foot granite monument you will see some of the best views that Boston has to offer! The monument is open to the public from 9AM – 5PM every day with the last climb at 4:30PM. You’ll certainly break a sweat climbing the monument’s 294 steps!

Join a Gym: Many Boston gyms offer pools, rock climbing and best of all: saunas! For indoor rock climbing, visit Rock Spot Climbing! They offer Student Nights on Friday & Sunday with discounted rate! The Boston Rock Gym offers indoor and outdoor climbing. For $58.00 you get a two-week course that includes three hours of lessons and climbing, equipment rental, a day pass and a two week gym membership! For more info on this awesome deal, visit bostonrockgym.com/indoor.htm!

Every Monday at orientation, students are always shocked at the legal drinking age in the USA.  Not only do our laws restrict access to beer, wine or other cocktails, but also many dance clubs and music venues hold exclusively 21+ events.

Never fear, students! Underage doesn’t have to mean underwhelming! Despite the city’s strict ID laws, there’s still plenty of fun nightlife for those less than 21 years old. Be sure to check out the websites below for the 18+ schedules and show times!

Music Venues

1. The Middle East: This award-winning venue has three stages, with different bands every night. The club, as its name suggests, also serves first-rate Middle Eastern cuisine. (472-480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; mideastclub.com)
2. Great Scott: Great Scott is 18+ weeknights, 21+ weekends and often features indie & rock artists. Offers some free shows, but most are about $7. (1222 Commonwealth Ave., Boston; greatscottboston.com)
3. Brighton Music Hall: Formerly known as Harper’s Ferry, this venue has music for every taste – reggae, rap, rock, electric and more. (158 Brighton Ave., Boston; brightonmusichall.com)
4. Paradise Rock Club: This venue hosts a wide variety of artists and all shows are 18+. (967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston; thedise.com)
5. Ryles Jazz Club: Ryles has live jazz and salsa.  Try the Latin Caribbean Night on Thursdays – entrance for $7 ($13 with classes) you get a salsa and bachata/kizomba lesson and can then enjoy dancing until 1am. (212 Hampshire St., Cambridge; rylesjazz.com)
6. P.A.’s Lounge: This Somerville spot offers indie, pop or rock music, depending on the night, as well as open mic nights. (345 Somerville Ave., Somerville; paslounge.com)

Dance Clubs

1. Rise: Rise claims to be Boston’s only after-hours nightclub. The club offers patrons a place to literally dance the night away. Some events don’t end until 6am! Admission to most events is between $15 and $25. (306 Stuart St., Boston; riseclub.us)
2. Rumor: This club offers 19+ events, depending on who’s performing. Admission to most events is between $15 and $25. (100 Warrenton St., Boston; rumorboston.com)
3. Phoenix Landing: The Landing is an Irish bar that opens its nightclub to the 18+ crowd every Sunday from 10pm to 1am.  The music usually consists of dubstep, techno, and house music, provided by some of the best local DJs! (512 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; pheonixlandingbar.com)
4. The Middle East: It’s on our list twice for a reason.  Each Thursday, the club hosts Throwed, an 18+ indie electric dance party that draws between 200 and 500 college students from all over Boston. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission runs between $15 and $20.

Karaoke

1. Limelight Stage and Studios: ELC’s go-to Karaoke spot. Admission is $10. (204 Tremont St., Boston; limelightboston.com)
2. Doremi Karaoke: Doremi has 13 language options and private karaoke suites! (442 Cambridge St., Boston; doremikaraoke.com)

Bowling

1. Lucky Strikes at Jillian’s Boston: Jillian’s Boston is a massive, three-floor operation that is home to a club, billiards, bowling, and ping-pong. (45 Ipswich St., Boston; jilliansboston.com)
2. Sacco’s Bowl Haven: This small bowling alley offers 10 candlepin bowling lanes as well as flatbread pizza, salads and more. (45 Day St., Somerville; flatbreadcompany.com/flatbreadsacco2010.html)

This past Monday I accompanied students to a new spot that we found down the street, The Red Hat Pub.  It’s a place that has become quite popular with ELC over the past couple of months due to their ten-cent wing deals on Mondays and Tuesdays and I went to uphold my title as the 19 wings in 10 minutes silver medal winner. While there I did more than just eat 12-15 wings in one sitting, however.  We had a student present who is just finishing his five-month stay here in Boston as well as two students who had just started that very day.

Over the course of our gluttonous feast, our veteran student, Jose, started to explain to the rookies a couple of things that will make your time at ELC enjoyable. He mentioned that it’s definitely important to take advantage of each day here in Boston and to keep yourself occupied so as to make the most of your experience. His advice made me wonder just what it is that other students think is the key to being happy while studying English here. So I reached out to a handful of students who have been here a while and asked them what advice they would give to students who are just embarking on their ELC journey.

One of the most important things that students stressed is that you should try to immerse yourself as much as possible and avoid speaking your native language. Naif from Saudi Arabia has been here for a year and said that new students should “just speak English” and Angel from Venezuela has spent 7 months here so far and he says that it is important to be with people whose first language is not the same as yours. Gabriela, also from Venezuela, has been here for 9 months now and added that time here at ELC is great to spend with different people from different countries.

Many students mentioned participating in ELC activities and also getting out and about here in Boston.  Ran from China has been here for 6 months and recommends visiting Boston Common as well as universities here in Boston with friends and definitely going to Newbury Street and Quincy Market. Gyeongjin, a Korean student who has also been here for 6 months, mentioned that in order to adjust you should definitely get involved with activities because they are a lot of fun and its easy to make friends that way.

A few students had some unique things to say about what makes ELC fun. Ahmad has been here for over a year and says that he has had an unforgettable experience here and that every one is friendly and welcoming and therefore you should try to enjoy every second that you spend here. Even more intriguing, Kibum says that it is crucial to “believe your teachers” and also to “love Laura and Melissa,” a piece of advice that I would also strongly impress upon any students new to ELC!

All in all, I was very impressed by our long-term students and the tips they had for newbies here at ELC. They had some great advice to offer them and I hope that it makes for some happy students in the future!

-Written by Laura A.