The future of Downtown Boston

The Future of Downtown Boston

Quincy Market in downtown Boston on a sunny day.

Plans include transforming Quincy Market into a vibrant hub. | Photo by BOStoday team

Making our way downtown, where things will soon look + feel different if everything goes according to the City of Boston’s plan to revitalize the area.

The goal: Create a thriving downtown space for everyone to connect, live, work, and play in new + exciting ways. What’s not to love about that?

Since the pandemic closures + challenges, downtown is still on the road to recovery, with the foot traffic still around half of the pre-COVID-19 counts and only ~30% of area offices are occupied.

The revitalization plan includes expanding housing options, enhancing economic opportunity for women + minority-owned businesses, and supporting connectivity and mobility downtown.

How are they going to do it?

Relaunch PLAN Downtown.
Identify alternative uses for city-owned public space, like City Hall Plaza.
Fund new events + programming and continue Together Again Boston events.
Introduce “pedestrianization” of certain streets (think: Open Newbury).
Launch a $9 million program in December to provide rent subsidies for retail businesses across the city.
Re-imagine Faneuil Hall Marketplace + Quincy Market.

Want to be part of the conversation? Plan ahead to join the PLAN: Downtown team in relaunching the Downtown planning process at the kick-off event on Wed., Nov. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Downtown Crossing. Bonus: There will be hot cider since the meeting will be outside.

Tell us: what will motivate you to spend more time downtown?

Click here to have your event featured.

Today

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Fri., Oct. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston | $56.50 - $1,554.50 | Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the C’s game.
Ween | Fri., Oct. 28 - Sat., Oct. 29 | 7 p.m. | Roadrunner, 89 Guest Street, Boston | $49.50 - $75.00 | This is the first of two nights to see the two man alternative rock band.

Saturday

Creature Feature Comedy | Sat., Oct. 29 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 338 Newbury Street, Boston | $10.00 - $15.00 | Celebrate Halloween with a good laugh thanks to Boston’s best comedians.
Hallo-Queen Brunch | Sat., Oct. 29 | 1-3 p.m. | High Street Place Food Hall, 100 High Street, Boston | $15.00 - $20.00 | Enjoy a themed brunch for bad witches only while supporting your favorite local queens.
Pumpkin Carving | Sat., Oct. 29 | 3-5 p.m. | Cannonball Cafe, 383 Dorchester Avenue, Boston | Free | Head to the South Boston cafe to paint + carve pumpkins.

Sunday

Halloween at the Speedway | Sun., Oct. 30 | 3-8 p.m. | Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Avenue | Free | Trick-or-treat, enter the costume contest + enjoy a Halloween movie beginning at 6 p.m.
Dog Costume Contest | Sun., Oct. 30 | 2:30-3 p.m. | Night Shift Brewing, 87 Santilli Highway, Everett | $10.00 - $15.00 | See if your pooch is the belle of the ball in this doggy costume contest.
Halloween Beer & Candy Pairing | Sun., Oct. 30 | 12-8 p.m. | Bone Up Brewing, 38 Norman Street, Everett | Price of purchase | Enjoy two curated beer and candy flights or snack on a candy pairing with a full pour of any draft beer.

All Weekend

Wicked Pumpkin Pop-up | Fri., Oct. 28-Sun., Oct. 30 (times vary each day) | Anheuser-Busch Brewery, 221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, NH | $15-25 | Get ready to fall hard at New England’s newest fall festival, featuring live music, entertainment (hello, acrobats), local food trucks, pumpkin decorating, face painting, photo ops + more. *

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

54º | Cloudy | 0% chance of rain

Development

A new 230-unit building has been proposed by Boylston Properties and Velney Development in Roslindale near the Forest Hills MBTA station. The plans include a six-story, 299,000-sqft building on the 2.3-acre property with a mix of studios and one, two, and three bedroom apartments. (Boston Business Journal)

Transit

The MBTA released an update on the Bus Network Redesign Project including a regional map displaying the proposed redesigned bus network, an interactive map, and a table of changes by route number. There will be a public meeting on Wed., Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.

Edu

Harvard University has launched a new innovation lab focusing on therapeutics. The 10,000-sqft Blavatnik Life Lab + co-working space is located in the Longwood Medical Area. The facility can host up to 12 groups and will open with five startups in the first cohort.

Open

TheBOS, a new traveling information center from the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, is now open. Stop by the the trailer outside the Boston Common Visitor Center on Tremont Street for resources like attraction tickets, brochures, and answers to visitor questions. 📍

Tech

Researchers at MIT have requested FDA approval for a new technology to track muscles and movements in people with prosthetic limbs. The new strategy uses implanted magnets, aka magnetomicrometry, to monitor how the muscles contract and lengthen during natural activity. (7 News)

Community

Amplify Latinx announced the fifth annual PowerUp Latinx Biz Summit will return in person on Thurs., Nov. 3 at the WBUR CitySpace at Boston University. The event will celebrate the growth, diversity, and contributions of the Latinx business community. Tickets are $25. 🎟️

Stat

20%. That’s the percentage of staff General Electric plans to cut from the onshore wind department. Last year, the renewable energy and power divisions accounted for ~38,000 + 32,000 employees, respectively. (Boston Business Journal)

Plan Ahead

On Thurs., Nov. 3 the Arnold Arboretum will give a virtual update on Phase 2 of the Roslindale Gateway Path project. The proposed South Street Connector is a ADA-accessible shared-use pedestrian + cycling path through the Arboretum.

Ranked

No. 1. That’s where Harvard ranked on the Best Global Universities list by US News & World Report. MIT landed the No. 2 spot on the list, which compared 2,011 schools from 95 countries. 🎓

DYK

Did you know we want to share your Black Friday deals with our BOStoday readers? Promote your business with us by submitting a deal to be included in our Fri., Nov. 25 newsletter. Pricing varies by market + must be submitted by Wed., Nov. 16.

Drink

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The Buy

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I want candy 🎵

Local sweets and Halloween treats

Storefront of L.A. Burdick chocolate shop.

Don’t forget the chocolate treats available at LA Burdick. | Photo via @thebostonlens

Have you stocked up on sweet treats to pass out, or keep for yourself, on Halloween? Satisfy your sweet tooth with these local candy favorites made in the Boston area.

🍬 Saltwater Taffy
This chewy treat features unique flavors and can be found at Phillips Chocolates in Dorchester, It’Sugar in Faneuil Hall, or Cabot’s Candy in Cambridge.

🍬 Charleston Chew
Launched in 1922, the nougat and chocolate candy has ties to the Fox Cross Company and is produced in Cambridge.

🍬 NECCO Wafers
This was the signature product of the New England Confectionery Company Factory that dates back to 1847 and today remains a New England classic.

🍬Sky Bar
Sky Bar was invented by NECCO + has four separate milk chocolate chambers, each filled with the sugary goodness of caramel, vanilla, fudge, or peanut flavor.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Jessica.

Editor’s pick: You can check this location off your bucket list. ✅

Fodor’s Travel shared the top 25 things to see in the US before you die, and Fenway Park was featured. In addition to the historic baseball park, I’ve also visited 12 other bucket list places from the list. Let me know how many of these destinations you have visited.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Prepare for takeoff with this airport guide.

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Editorial: Jessica Burton, Sara Frazier, Sarah Leonhardt, Erin McPherson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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