Boston Proper Weeknight Ice Cream

posted June 28, 2018 4:26 AM | |

Thu July 19 at 6:30 PM, JP Licks

1106 Boylston St, Boston, MA, USA (Map & Directions)

I think someone around here organized an ice cream crawl a year or two ago, that could be a fun thing to do again.

There's a new place in Harvard (Amorino's) which I would gracefully volunteer to thoroughly evaluate ahead of time for the greater good of the group.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:28 AM on June 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

I am on vacation now through July 4, so while I can’t do this weekend due to out of town guests, I am totally free for weekday ice cream Mon-Wed next week. I’m also pretty available most weekends in July.

I have been to the new gelato place in Harvard square and it is good. They also have macaroons, which you can get ON YOUR GELATO. Just sayin...
posted by DiscourseMarker at 6:40 AM on June 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

Your willingness to sacrifice for us all is appreciated, backseatpilot!
posted by ChuraChura at 6:40 AM on June 28, 2018

I am also away until after the 4th, and then away again the last part of July. I would totally be up for ice cream though. I'm going to be home alone from the 4th through the 21st so I'm going to make an attempt to be social.

I will put in a vote for a weeknight in Boston, because I take the train in from the 'burbs so Boston is easier for me than Cambridge and it's all about me, after all. Seriously though, I will consider going anywhere for an ice cream meetup.
posted by bondcliff at 7:09 AM on June 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

There's a place I haven't tried on Mass Ave a little north of Harvard Square - Honeycomb Creamery - could be a good addition to a Cambridge ice cream crawl... happy to investigate in advance.
posted by dywypi at 8:26 AM on June 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

OK! How would people feel about TWO ice cream meetups - one Boston-side, one Cambridge-side? There's an Emacks and Bolio within walking distance of a JP Licks on Newbury and Boylston, and we could have a weekday evening ice cream gathering in Boston, and maybe a more leisurely ice cream crawl on a weekend in Cambridge?
posted by ChuraChura at 8:41 AM on June 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

Honeycomb Creamery is great. I'm into a meetup there.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:56 AM on June 28, 2018

I will go to as many of these as you care to organize!
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:11 PM on June 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Dr Bored for Science and I have been to Amorino, and they're good.

I'd love to know when Tosci's is going to reopen on Main, but their location on First St is nice (and about a five minute walk from Lechmere Station).
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 1:52 PM on June 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yes! An unbooze meetup! I'm down.

I work in Cambridge close by to the 1st Street Tosci's, and live on the North Shore, so I'm flexible.

If we meet in Boston/Cambridge, a weeknight would be best for me.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:14 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I would be so into an ice cream meetup.
posted by woodvine at 4:14 AM on June 29, 2018

👁 😱4️⃣🍦
posted by Cogito at 4:32 AM on June 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

OK! I'll make this the Weeknight Boston Proper ice cream meetup, and start a new thread for Weekend Cambridge ice cream crawling!
posted by ChuraChura at 6:34 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

y'all won't think less of me if you watch me inhale a banana split, will you?
posted by bondcliff at 6:52 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

@ChuraChura thanks for pulling this together!

I'd recommend getting together earlier in the week than later, since the area around Hynes is pretty packed in summertime and Thursday/Friday especially so. (I guess there's no way around that...)
posted by Sheydem-tants at 6:56 AM on June 29, 2018

hooray!! Back Bay (Copley/Hynes stops on the green line) offers many options- JP Licks on Boylston, Emack & Bolios on Newbury, Ben & Jerry's on Newbury, FoMu on Newbury, there are probably even more that I'm not remembering.

One nice thing about a Newbury St. option is that if people are open to picnic style seating, you can walk over from the store to the grassy area on Comm Ave just a street away for plenty of open space for a group of any size to sit/stroll together.
posted by seemoorglass at 7:12 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THIS. I've been contemplating doing a series of ice cream meetups forever and have simply not gotten off my ass to do so. Here are a limited number of thoughts:

1. There is a lot of ice cream in Camberville. I have outlined both a reasonable, greatest hits, 4-5 stop Lechmere to Porter Cambridge crawl and an unreasonable 8 mile, 9+ (Google Maps apparently only allows 9 stops in directions?) Lechmere to Sullivan-ish circle in the Cambridge thread.

2. If we're going to do a single Boston location, the orginal JP Licks on Centre Street would be my suggestion.

3. I'd also love to do some road trips, especially to the Westford Kimball's where minigolf could be played as well.

I guess I should finally get around to reading this rumoured ice cream MeTa, huh?
posted by maryr at 8:38 AM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

What about Christina's?
posted by gemutlichkeit at 8:41 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

FWIW, here is my most reasonable yet extended proposed crawl would be:
0. Meet at Lechmere
1. Tosci's in East Cambridge
2. Christina's in Inman
3. Gracie's in Union
4. Harvard Square:
  a. Lizzie's
  b. Amorino's
  c. JP Licks
5. Honeycomb Creamery, Mass Ave near Porter
6. Leave from Porter
  a. Possible extention to Davis JP Licks
posted by maryr at 8:58 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'm a bit concerned about how much ice cream you expect us to be able to eat in a single night, maryr.
posted by bondcliff at 10:31 AM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I think this all sounds awesome! My only concern is that JP Licks on Centre Street is less convenient for folks working downtown to get to on a weekday evening than one of the ice cream places around Newbury Street.
posted by ChuraChura at 10:45 AM on June 29, 2018

if i am here
i will be there
i scream
for ice cream

we all do
posted by not_on_display at 11:18 AM on June 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I'm a bit concerned about how much ice cream you expect us to be able to eat in a single night, maryr.

I am not.
posted by cocoagirl at 3:18 PM on June 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

There's a 20-30 minute walk in between most of the places in the reasonable route which seems like plenty of time to digest a small ice cream.
posted by maryr at 10:49 PM on June 29, 2018

I love you Mary but that much ice cream + that much walking + the current heat wave = 🤢
posted by DiscourseMarker at 3:46 PM on June 30, 2018

How do folks feel about Tuesday, July 17, with a starting point at the JP Licks on Boylston and Mass Ave, moving up Newbury as the opportunity presents itself?
posted by ChuraChura at 10:30 AM on July 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

OK! There's been no argument, so I'll go ahead and call this one for the 17th at JP Licks in Fenway!
posted by ChuraChura at 5:47 AM on July 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Cool, thanks for setting it up!

I will have some time to kill after work so if anyone wants to get a light dinner around Back Bay beforehand, let me know. There's both a ramen place and a dumpling place on Mass Ave., among other things.
posted by bondcliff at 6:17 AM on July 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

The ramen place on Mass Ave is fine; the dumplings are pretty great! There is better ramen in a smaller place off of Newbury and I would be very happy to eat at any of them!
posted by ChuraChura at 6:56 AM on July 5, 2018

Oh yay that’s an off-week for trivia! I’d possibly be down for dinner before.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:37 PM on July 5, 2018

Anyone else keeping an eye on the weather for tomorrow? Would it make sense to postpone until Wednesday, or does this place have a lot of indoor seating?
posted by bondcliff at 7:08 AM on July 16, 2018

Hmm, it does look a little dicey - I am downgrading myself to a maybe, since my travel plans will change if there are bad thunderstorms during commuting hours. Fingers crossed for a positive weather update soon!
posted by seemoorglass at 11:38 AM on July 16, 2018

Happy to reschedule for later this week. Thursday?
posted by ChuraChura at 3:26 PM on July 16, 2018

oh bummer. I can't make Thursday. stupid weather.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 7:25 AM on July 17, 2018

Thursday works for me.
posted by maryr at 8:22 AM on July 17, 2018

For the very ambitious, Thursday is also the Ben & Jerry's Carnival in the Seaport from 11am to 9pm.
posted by dywypi at 8:29 AM on July 17, 2018

Argh, sorry, DiscourseMarker! I live right around the corner so if you want to get ice cream tonight, let me know!!! :-D
posted by ChuraChura at 8:32 AM on July 17, 2018

I'll be a maybe-but-probably for Thursday.
posted by bondcliff at 8:40 AM on July 17, 2018

Looking forward to seeing folks tonight for a thunderstorm-free evening!
posted by ChuraChura at 7:51 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

I still have to grab some dinner beforehand, though I suppose I could just eat ice cream for dinner. Maybe I'll just go to Tasty Burger at Back Bay around 5:30 if anyone wants to join me.
posted by bondcliff at 8:19 AM on July 19, 2018

I'll need dinner, I can meet you over there. The one on Dartmouth Street?
posted by backseatpilot at 12:41 PM on July 19, 2018

Yeah, I should be there around 5:30. I forgot it's a stop beyond Mass Ave but it's a nice day for a walk.
posted by bondcliff at 1:04 PM on July 19, 2018

I'll try to meet you two too.
posted by maryr at 1:27 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'll join you guys!
posted by ChuraChura at 1:31 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Actually, I will not join you guys. I'm going to get to the ice cream place early to look menacingly at anyone else who tries to sit in the outside seats. Have fun!
posted by ChuraChura at 1:32 PM on July 19, 2018

c'man, join us. maryr will rough up anyone sitting in our outdoor seats.
posted by bondcliff at 1:50 PM on July 19, 2018

I'm very threatening.
posted by maryr at 1:53 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

I am standing outside Back Bay on the Dartmouth side. By the Dunkn Donuts. Not the North Dunkin Donuts, the One 50 feet to the south, near Tasty Burger.
posted by bondcliff at 2:32 PM on July 19, 2018

I've gotten sucked into one more work thing, so just have some extra tasty burgers for me!
posted by ChuraChura at 2:37 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

And now maryr and I are inside.
posted by bondcliff at 2:42 PM on July 19, 2018

Four of us are now outside JP Licks looking awkward because that's how we do.

We are all wearing glasses if that helps.
posted by maryr at 3:34 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Hi folks, I have to be elsewhere at 7:30 and the T fates aren't aligning. I hope to catch up with you next time.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 3:35 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]