Sign up for some open air and exercise on the Boston campus — without the frigid temperatures.
During the winter months, Northeastern and the city of Boston are holding free, two-hour open play sessions in the massive bubble that shelters the Carter Playground athletic fields at 709 Columbus Ave. Sessions are scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon through at least March 12. During February’s public school break week, open gym will be on Thursday, Feb. 20, and Friday, Feb. 21.
All community members can sign up for a session via the registration form on the city of Boston’s website. And anything you might do on an outdoor field is fair game: a pickup soccer or touch football game, kickball or simply running a few laps on an early lunch break. Per city regulations, it has a capacity of 149 people at any given time.
The 72-foot high Tedlar bubble covers a turf, regulation-size soccer field, and there are soccer goals of various sizes that can be moved around. There’s also plenty of space around the margins for other exercises, like running or HIIT workouts. The entrance faces Columbus Avenue between the (un-bubbled) playground and football field.
It can help you get through the cold months happier — and healthier. According to the American Heart Association, working out in the winter can help boost your immunity during cold and flu season. It also means a continuation of the benefit that even a little bit of exercise offers year-round, including improved sleep and reduced anxiety. But the bubble offers the open space to run and stretch without the cold — it’s climate-controlled to 68 degrees Farenheit all winter.