Boston couldn’t let Newbury Street hog all the fun. | Photo by Neslihan Sahinkaya
This summer, the City of Boston is expanding the popular “Open Newbury Street” concept to two additional Boston neighborhoods.
East Boston and Allston-Brighton will join the pedestrian party, along with last year’s additions of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester.
What’s the Open Streets schedule?
Mark your calendars for some car-free fun:
Sunday, June 25: Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
Saturday, July 15: Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury
Saturday, Aug. 19: Harvard Avenue + Brighton Avenue, Allston-Brighton
Sunday, Sept. 17: Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester
Sunday, Oct. 15: Meridian Street + Bennington Street, East Boston
What can I expect at the events?
Each of the above streets will be closed to vehicles from 9 a.m. to ~3:30 p.m., with festivities starting at 10 a.m. Stop by for performances, food trucks, and shopping while you stroll down one to two miles of road without having to look both ways.
The programming will differ slightly from neighborhood to neighborhood, but Bostonians can expect activities like photo installations, pedicab rides, and exclusive performances. Keep an eye on the Open Streets webpage for more event information as it’s released.
Pro tip: Feel free to bring your bicycle, scooter, or rollerskates along — these Open Streets weren’t made only for walking.
What about Newbury Street?
Don’t worry, the original Open Street is returning for 16 Sundays — that’s 10 more car-free weekends than last year.
The Back Bay shopping street will be closed to vehicles every Sunday between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. from July 2 through Oct. 15. Expect the same route as previous years, with Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue closed to cars.
Events
Wednesday, May 3
Celtics vs. 76ers | Wednesday, May 3 | 8 p.m. | TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston | Prices vary | Catch the C’s at Game Two in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Tomorrow’s Designers, Designing Today | Wednesday, May 3 | 3-4:45 p.m. | MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Cambridge | Free | The MIT Boston Design Week event will present innovative areas of design action.
Queer Hang: Knitting Circle | Wednesday, May 3 | 6-8 p.m. | Wild Child, 1 Bow Market Way, Somerville | $15 | BYO knitting supplies and enjoy a complimentary wine or non-alcoholic beverage at the community knitting event.
Blaze-o-Rama: A Writing Party | Wednesday, May 3 | 6-9 p.m. | Trinktisch, 87 Leonard St., Belmont | $25 | The in-person gathering of the literary social media startup A Mighty Blaze promises to be “the most productive three hours you’ve ever spent at a bar.”
Thursday, May 4
Sofar Sounds Concert | Thursday, May 4 | 7:30-10 p.m. | Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., Cambridge | $26 | Grab tickets to catch this mystery concert in Cambridge Crossing.
Friday, May 5
SoWa First Friday | Friday, May 5 | 5-9 p.m. | SoWa Art + Design District, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston | Free | This First Friday, head to SoWa to browse the open galleries + meet local artists.
Jack’s Abby 2023 Maifest | Friday, May 5-Sunday, May 7 | Times vary | Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, 100 Clinton St., Framingham | Free to attend | The brewery festival will welcome warmer weather with traditional music, dancing + German beer.
Is it the “Year 3000" already? The Jonas Brothers are bringing their “Five Albums. One Night.” tour to TD Garden on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Fans can register through Ticketmaster until Saturday, May 6 for the chance to snag tickets.
Coming Soon
The Nantucket-based eatery Stubbys will open its Boston location on Thursday, May 18. The family-owned restaurant’s Seaport location will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks daily.
Traffic
Boston’s Public Works Department will reconstruct multiple Jamaica Plain streets this year to expand the neighborhood’s bike routes. Residents can attend tonight’s open house at the Margarita Muniz Academy from 6 to 8 p.m. to share feedback on the plans. (Jamaica Plain News)
Environment
That “Dirty Water” could be a new energy source for Boston. Vicinity Energy, the owner of Boston’s and Cambridge’s steam system, plans to build a heat pump system powered by water from the Charles River. The company is retrofitting its Kendall Square plant with a boiler that runs off the electric grid. (Boston Globe)
Community
Thanks to Brighton resident Eli Silvert, Bostonians can now utilize a free texting service that alerts drivers when their car is parked illegally in the Boston area. Sign up here for Tow Zone Alerts to eliminate some of that local parking stress. (Boston Globe)
Watch
The Boston-based Paisani food truck is competing in the latest season of “The Great Food Truck Race.” Tune in to the Food Network series premiere on Sunday, June 18 at 8 p.m. to cheer on the local eatery.
National Beverage Day is this Saturday, May 6. In celebration, we’re featuring some of our Six & Main beverage brands across our markets including Blanchard’s Coffee, a|dash, Sarilla, Matcha Nude, and more. Start sipping now.
Kids
The perfect family-friendly activity does exist, and you can even do it all spring and summer long, rain or shine. We’re talking about Kids Bowl Free — a national program that connects you with local bowling alleys where kids can receive two free games of bowling each day. Learn more + sign up.
Read
Honor AAPI Heritage Month at the library
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with the Boston Public Library
Find the AAPI booklist online or at your neighborhood’s library branch. | Photo by @ma_nushi
May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the Boston Public Library is helping our community celebrate with a new reading list.
The list is curated by library staff, with 75 titles that explore the experiences of AAPI communities nationwide. There’s a story for every reader, from children’s books to memoirs and literary fiction.
Here are just a few recommendations to check out:
“Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng | The Cambridge-based author tells the fictional story of 12-year-old Bird setting out to find his mother, a Chinese American poet who left when he was nine years old.
“All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir | This young adult novel follows the friendship of two working-class Pakistani American teens growing up in California.
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