Chances are, if you've lived in Boston, you're familiar with Allston. You may have spent time there as a student, or you've had friends who settled there with their family, or maybe you lived there while kicking off your career as a young professional.
Earlier this month at Open Doors: Allston, presented by BNY Mellon, we at HubWeek offered a peek at another side of this dynamic and buzzing neighborhood. We took to Western Avenue at the start of November for an event filled with fitness, music, networking, and much more to tell this vibrant community's story.
Take a look back or discover what you missed with our recap below.
Train Adventurously
The evening kicked off at Brooklyn Boulders’ new training concept, BKBX, a fitness studio that blends outdoor adventure with scientifically-backed and monitored programming. Attendees were invited to participate in a HubWeek-only recovery session in the specialty recovery studio featuring technology from cryotherapy to an infrared sauna, compression sleeves, and more. BKBX's Director of Sports Science, Dr. Paul Juris, Ed.D., also introduced the company's proprietary Adventure Quotient algorithm and shared the inside scoop on what makes these gadgets work.
Missed out, but interested in giving BKBX a try? Your first class is on the house — schedule it here.
Grab a Drink, a Bite, or Your Next Connection
True to our traditional Open Doors format, we reserved time for networking between Allston residents, professionals, and visitors at Zone 3, a Harvard-sparked initiative with flexible space for hosting rotating programs and events. Some Cuban-inspired flavor was brought to the session by Casa Caña, which uses traditional ingredients and all kinds of textures, colors, and flavors to create a cuisine unique to South and Central America and the Caribbean.
Change Makers: Live
If you're a frequent reader of our Change Maker interview series on Boston.com, you already know that we aim to showcase some of the most innovative minds in art, science, and technology making an impact in Boston and around the world. For the first time ever, our very own Kait Levesque conducted a few Change Maker interviews in front of a live audience of Open Doors attendees at Zone 3.
We were fortunate enough to be able to speak with BKBX's co-founder and president Lance Pinn, who shared his journey from Babson College grad to adventure entrepreneur. We also spoke with Jessica Robertson, co-founder of Allston's bicycle collective, CommonWheels, about how she's helping empower Allston residents and neighbors to be more self-reliant, healthy, and connected to their community. Stay tuned to Boston.com for these interviews to be published in the coming months.
The Music of Strangers Screening
Zone 3 also played host to a rare film screening for Open Doors attendees of the Grammy-nominated documentary, The Music of Strangers, following members of the Silkroad Ensemble on their journeys across the world to discover the ways art can preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.
The film blends performance footage, personal interviews, and archival film while focusing on the moving stories of a core group of ensemble members: Kinan Azmeh (Syria), Kayhan Kalhor (Iran), Yo-Yo Ma (France/United States), Wu Man (China), and Cristina Pato (Spain). The result? A testament to passion, talent, and sacrifice, and a reminder of the ties that bind across cultures and geographies.
The Intersection of Music, Medicine, and Innovation
The evening wrapped up with a flourish at Harvard Business School's Klarman Hall with the Longwood Symphony, a nationally recognized orchestra comprised of primarily healthcare professionals from hospitals and universities in Boston. The concert, conducted by Ronald Feldman, was followed up by a panel on the intersection of music, medicine, and innovation with some of the orchestra's musical-medical stars. Amitabh Chandra of HBS moderated the discussion with Lisa Wong, MD (violin), Leonard Zon, MD (trumpet), Psyche Loui, PhD (violin), and Thomas Sheldon, MD (oboe and English horn).
Open Doors: Allston concluded our Open Doors series for 2019, but we'll be back in 2020 with more stories to tell of the incredible work being done in and shared with the greater Boston community. Until then, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and subscribe to our weekly email newsletter to keep up with all the latest happenings.
