SXSW is the most wonderful time of the year—that is, if you’re lucky enough to be going. For the rest of us, it’s just a bummer. We’ll probably spend the week sitting alone at home, reading press for all the shows we’re missing as our friends and favorite local bands head down South for the “time of their lives”. Are you stuck in your apartment with nothing to do over spring break? Are you desperately looking for good shows, only to realize every band is out of town? You’re not alone. The sad folk of Allston Pudding have compiled a list of things to do while you’re not at SXSW, to keep you occupied until your friends and favorite bands are back in town.
- Go see a movie
The Brattle and Coolidge Corner Theater have tons of stuff happening this month— from showings of independent horror, to current indie films and cult classics like “Brain Damage”, “Blade Runner” and “The Town That Dreaded Sundown.” You can even go see Saturday morning cartoons! The advantage here is that it’s dark in movie theaters, so no one can see you crying.
- Run for Public Office
You’ve seen half a season of House of Cards, you got this.
- Start a band with other bored people
With nothing else going on in town, music fans will have no choice but to come to your gigs. You could even make it Boston themed so that you’re in instant hit. Maybe call yourselves “The Blanchards”, or “ 30 Seconds to the Footbridge,” or “The JP White Tees.”. Oh my god, I’m so lonely.
- Beg for forgiveness
We don’t know what you did last summer, but you do. Now you have the free time to make things right.
5. Stop talking about going to museums and actually go to a museum
Turns out there’s cool things to do in Boston other than standing knee deep in beer cans in a stranger’s basement, nodding your head as if you can actually make out the lyrics blasting over a crappy PA.
There’s a ton of amazing museums in the city, and they’re probably in walking distance of your apartment. Spend a day at the MFA, ICA, or the recently re-opened Harvard Fogg Museum. There’s also the Science Museum and the Harvard Museum of Natural History (free for Boston residents on Sunday mornings!). You could acrually learn something with all this free time, instead of watching Friends on Netflix. You don’t even really like Friends that much.
- Take photobooth pictures of yourself with superimposed rock stars to make your friends at SXSW jealous
What’s that? You’re seeing Alex G tonight? Cool, yeah I’m having fun in back home in Boston, too, thanks for asking. Check this sweet pic of me and Stephen Malkmus playing online scrabble without you, I’m not lonely at all.