Which Boston Harbor Island is right for you?
Plus: 🚶Open Newbury Street
Happy Friday, Boston!
🏈 The Pats’ official game schedule just dropped. But they only got one primetime slot, so we’d argue their schedule release video is better (and funnier). Even better than that is the Charger’s Sims-style release video, which poked fun at the Chiefs kicker who said a woman should be a “homemaker” during his recent commencement speech …
👀What’s on tap today:
- Open Newbury Street is BACK
- Weekend MBTA shutdowns on deck
- An online dating mishap for the books
Up first…
OUT & ABOUT
See Boston by sea
Image: Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
If you don’t know about Boston’s Harbor Islands, prepare to be enlightened: “You literally can get on a boat and, in less than an hour, be in mini-vacation vibes,” said Rebecca Smerling, Boston Harbor Now’s director of programming.
To ring in the start of the ferry’s spring season (and free ferry weekend!), here’s a rundown on which island is right for you.
☀️ If you’re an architecture or history buff, you’ll love Georges Island. The main attraction of Georges is Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort that’s free to explore, with lots of beautiful rooms for wandering. There’s also ample space for picnicking, grilling, and walking around. Smerling’s fave programming on Georges are its vintage “base ball” games (think: 1860s-style uniforms and rules). Ferries run to Georges from Long Wharf starting tomorrow.
🌊 If you’re already a Harbor Island expert, try out Thompson Island. Also known as Cathleen Stone Island, this isle is privately owned and only parts of it are open for public access. But most weekends (including this one!) visitors are allowed onto the coastal part of the island to peruse the trails, beaches, and conservation areas. Ferries run to Cathleen Stone from the Seaport starting tomorrow.
⛴️ If you’re looking for a little bit of everything, head to Spectacle Island. Spectacle is Smerling’s personal favorite island, and for good reason. There are trails for walking and light hiking, a beautiful view of the city (especially at sunset, Smerling said), a swimmable beach, and plenty of grilling and picnicking spots. For the perfect introduction, hit up one of Boston Harbor Now’s Spectacle Summer Nights, with music, food, s’mores, and a beer garden. Ferries run to Spectacle from Long Wharf starting June 20.
🌳 If you love camping, hit up Peddocks Island. Peddocks is the only Boston Harbor Island with camping grounds, so the activity “takes over” the vibe, said Smerling. There’s both tent- and yurt-style (think: glamping) camping for overnight guests, though the plots tend to sell out quick. But day-trippers can still enjoy Peddocks’ swimmable beach, salt marsh, historical buildings, and more. As for events, check out Boston Harbor Now’s kayaking collabs with REI, where you can tour the island by sea. Ferries run to Peddocks from Hingham starting June 20.
💸 Friendly reminder: Ferries to Georges and Thompson are FREE this weekend only as a part of Boston Harbor Now’s free ferry weekend.
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TOGETHER WITH IMAGINE EXHIBITIONS
Want to step inside the world of Harry Potter?
⚡🔮 You don’t need the Hogwarts Express — just hop on the T. Harry Potter: The Exhibition is coming to Cambridge this fall, with interactive displays, original props, and costumes that every witch and wizard (yes, even you Slytherins) will love. Come polish your Quidditch skills or brew a magical potion while discovering behind-the-scenes filmmaking details and more from Sept. 13 through Jan. 5, 2025. Tickets are available online now — use code BSIDEHPBOS to secure your spot.
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
🚶 Open Newbury Street is so BACK! From June 30 to Sept. 1, much of Newbury Street will once again go car-free on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. And this year, Mayor Wu also announced that the tradition will extend to two Sundays in December to encourage holiday shopping. Not making the schlep to Back Bay? You can check the dates for additional neighborhoods here.
🚇 Red and Orange line riders, it’s shutdown time. Red Liners: Service between Broadway and Braintree is going to be replaced by shuttle buses this weekend. During that time, the T will also be running express shuttle buses from Braintree to South Station (since the commuter rail will also be shut down), if you fancy. And Orange Liners: Starting tonight at 8:45 p.m. through the weekend, shuttle buses will replace service between Wellington and North Station. And … there’s more. From May 20 to 24, the same service change will continue on all trains after 8:45 p.m.
🥣 The best kind of bar just opened. A cereal bar, that is. Day and Night cereal bar officially opened their newest location in Brighton’s Oak Square. But before you say anything, this ain’t the sugar-free, bran cereal your mom made you eat. Day and Night’s menu offers more of a cereal experience, if you will, including cereal milkshakes and more classic bowls with fun fixings, like fancy milk flavors, ice cream, candy, and other treats. Bonus: It’s all extremely Instagrammable (see: Day and Night’s IG page), if that’s your thing. Take a peek at the menu here.
📣 Calling all Millennial mall babies! The former CambridgeSide Mall’s food court is getting a rebrand. This fall, CanalSide Food + Drink will take over the space as part of the mall’s renovation, promising to pay homage to the food-court vibe while adding a modern twist. The venue will have 14 food and drink options, but the centerpiece will be the C-Side bar, offering drinks inspired by classic mall destinations like PacSun and Auntie Anne’s. But if the idea of a PacSun-themed cocktail doesn’t appeal to you, there will also be spots with pizza, ramen, Mexican food, and more.
THINGS TO DO
Weekend plans
Image: Lane Turner/The Boston Globe
👯 PIVOT your way through Back Bay. The Friends Experience is returning to Boston this weekend. You can explore set, prop, and costume recreations from the iconic series, bringing you one step closer to feeling part of the crew.
😋 Food crawl your way through City Hall Plaza. The Boston Night Market — one of the biggest food fests in Greater Boston — is back in action this weekend with some of Boston’s best food, vendors, artists, and performers.
🌸 Soak up all the spring vibes on the Esplanade. The Esplanade Association’s annual community day returns Sunday for a full day of music, (free) food, games, even a 5K run/walk in the morning.
😅 Watch your first date nightmare IRL. Embrace the cringe! Four Boston singles will have a blind date in front of a live audience as part of the iconic “It’s A Brunch Date” comedy dating event on Sunday.
🎶 Hear live tunes in Watertown. Porchfest season is cruising along, and its next stop is in Watertown on Saturday where you can hear dozens of local artists and performers. Pro tip: Grab a Bluebike and follow this map for a Porchfest extravaganza.
ONE LAST THING
An online dating mishap for the books
Illustration: Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
Someone sent nudes to their cousin. Maybe.
In Meredith Goldstein’s Love Letters advice column, the questions are usually about terrible breakups, long-distance relationships, and dating fatigue (a.k.a why it’s so hard to meet someone in Boston). But recently, one very unique questioninvolved two people meeting in an anonymous forum, exchanging body pics (nothing of the face), and then one person realizing – because of a specific tattoo – that they might be sexting their cousin. Whoops.
Meredith told this letter writer: Boston is small. Relatives are everywhere! Be careful and delete those photos!
What happens next? Hopefully the letter writer will send an update.
You can submit your own anonymous question to the advice column here.
— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
🫢 Thanks for reading! Well, that’s a new addition to my list of nightmares.
💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Imagine Exhibitions, for supporting local journalism and bringing the magic of the Wizarding World to Boston.
🌴 The results are in: Over half of polled B-Siders said they’d prefer a Saturday afternoon/evening rooftop pool party. So … stay tuned. And shoutout to the reader who wrote in to say that they’re not interested in a pool party, but DO share a b-day with Mark Zuckerberg.
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