Off Beat

Here’s who and what stood out in 2023, according to Boston.com readers

Several big stories and personalities managed to break through the noise this year, in Boston and beyond.

These are just a few of the standouts mentioned by Boston.com readers. File Photos

December 26, 2023

10 minutes to read

If there’s one phrase that encapsulated 2023 in these United States, it might be “too much information.” Frankly, there are a lot of things we don’t want to know.

But know them we do, thanks to a steady stream of minute-by-minute updates coming to us on an ever-increasing number of platforms. (Threads? Blue Sky? Mastodon? Frankly, we think at least some of these might be made up.) It raises the question: Is any of this deluge of content really important, and if so, what?

So to figure out which people, issues, and events managed to break through the noise in 2023, we went to our most trusted source: Boston.com readers (and a few key staffers). We asked: During the past year, what things stood out? What performers and public figures took up the most space on your radar? What trends and events do you remember as the most important?

And they didn’t disappoint. Readers responded with the topics and happenings that meant the most to them as we head into another new year. You’ll find them encapsulated below, so you’ll be able to pretend you were paying attention all along.

In Boston:

For Boston.com readers, the top choice for Boston’s center of attention this past year was a toss-up, between new MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, and the cop slide. Which says pretty much everything you need to know about 2023 in Boston.

The cop slide, of course, is the metal slide at City Hall Plaza’s new playground, on which an unfortunate Boston police officer was caught on video, sliding down in full uniform. The video of the tumbling cop went viral (of course), prompting pilgrimages to the site and eventually turning up on John Oliver (and at more than a few local Halloween parties).

It could be that the sight of a symbol of order and justice careening out of control down a slippery metal tube was just the perfect metaphor for the state of the world. Or maybe it was just hilarious. Regardless, “the cop slide could definitely be considered Boston’s person of the year,” noted Boston.com’s Heather Alterisio.

But it was getting around our fair city — and new T GM Phillip Eng’s role as the face of our crumbling transportation infrastructure — that really captured readers’ attention in 2023.

Eventually, “people will stop riding the T,” predicted reader “Exit Seven” of Norwell, echoing the apparent beliefs of many who are this close to giving up on the beleaguered system. (Presumably the woman almost hit by a falling ceiling tile in March might be among them.)

Nothing says everything’s going swimmingly like a ride on an MBTA shuttle bus. *– Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe*

Still, Eng insists things are headed in the right direction, even after he was greeted by two derailments in his first week on the job. “I think the addition of Phillip Eng to the MBTA has been a monumental positive development for the city of Boston in 2023,” argued Boston.com’s Annie Jonas. “From what I’ve seen so far, he seems dedicated to being transparent about the decades-long failures of the MBTA and neglect by former leadership … We haven’t seen that kind of transparency and commitment from MBTA leadership in … well, forever.”

Not that people are thrilled with the alternatives to the T either. Traffic congestion in general remains on Bostonians’ minds as one of the most important issues heading into 2024, with several pointing to one aspect in particular: “The disruption of our roads for bicycle lanes is a disaster in Boston and one we will remember come the elections,” said Philip W. of Boston.

Speaking of elections, some predicted big things ahead for Mayor Michelle Wu: “Mayor Wu has potential to lead the city to new heights with the right support,” said Joseph C. Although not everybody was thrilled with her leadership in 2023 — Jake from Boston insists she’s on the way out, asking, “When will she quit?” (Our guess based on personal observations: Never.)

Mayor Wu voting — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, here voted in November’s city elections, got mixed reviews for her 2023 performance from Boston.com readers. – Jonathan Wiggs /Globe Staff

Readers also lauded the departure of several local fixtures on the political scene, notably Boston city councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara, who lost their primaries after a series of tumultuous events, and U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who resigned in May following a Justice Department ethics probe. “Rachael Rollins turned out to be a crook and a liar and a disgrace to Massachusetts,” said Andrew A. from Waltham, not mincing words.

One Massachusetts political figure that people seem quite happy with, though, is state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, “for kicking ass, taking names and freaking out Beacon Hill by saying she’s going to audit them,” noted Jake from Boston. Who knew auditing could be so cool?

Two other issues rose to the top in terms of what Boston specifically and Massachusetts in general must be prepared to face heading into the new year: the housing and migrant crises. “Boston is now starting to understand the immigrant problem that’s been foisted on the people on the southern border,” said Mike from Seacoast, N.H., adding about the city’s housing shortage, “If Boston continues to make it more difficult to get into, people just won’t bother because it’s not worth it.”

Related: Concerns about “the people ‘living’ at the area known as Mass. and Cass,” as Bill from Boston puts it, tying that problem to “the morally bankrupt behavior of the elected officials.” In their defense, moral bankruptcy does not seem to be limited to elected officials — plenty of appointees seem to be struggling in that department as well.

Sports woes — such as “Bill Belichick and the hapless Patriots,” to quote Peter S. of Sudbury — are also very much on the radar. “Patriots are a disaster; yes, I know we’ve been spoiled, but this is ridiculous,” wrote Mike from New Hampshire. Mark from Fall River, meanwhile, accused both the Pats and the Red Sox of “smelling bad,” and it’s hard to argue. Most agree, though, that at least we can take solace in the Celtics. (For now.) And the Bruins, for people who think about hockey.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics, along with fellow TD Garden residents the Boston Bruins, are the local sports bright spots of 2023. – Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP

Other local trends and topics on readers’ minds as we wind down 2023:

Murder cases, notably those of Brian Walshe, Lindsay Clancy, and Karen Read: “God bless Turtleboy,” wrote Jimmy of Southie about the controversial blogger behind the “Free Karen Read” movement.
Gov. Maura Healey settling in
The pre-Thanksgiving Kowloon brawl
Reaction to the Israel-Hamas war on local college campuses
How they love Market Basket
The death of downtown: “Downtown Boston [is out] as a vibrant area,” wrote Dawn of Malden. “That has moved to the Seaport.”
The ongoing struggle with racism: “Racism continues to be a blight on Boston; face the facts,” wrote Joseph C.

In national news:

In the “How can we miss him if he won’t go away?” department, Boston.com readers seem generally incredulous at “the fact that Trump is still a thing,” to quote Brian from Stoughton.

The former president’s indictments — there were many — were on top of the list of national stories on people’s minds heading into 2024, along with his ongoing attempt to return to power. Though it’s actually a prospect that some welcome: “He will make the biggest comeback in history,” predicted “Exit Seven” of Norwell. (The 2004 Red Sox may disagree.)

Joe Biden is also on people’s minds, and not everyone is thrilled with the president’s performance. “Joe gave [Ukraine] a blank check and all our money and left us poor,” wrote Bobby L. of Needham, in a fiscal analysis that might raise eyebrows over at the Congressional Budget Office. Others blamed Biden for inflation, Israel’s bombing of Gaza, and the general struggling of American families, not necessarily in that order.

Mark of Fall River called out “our government’s continued obtuse cluelessness,” meanwhile, and Andrew A. of Watertown summed up the apparently impending rematch between Biden and Trump thusly: “God help us!” Preach.

Not all is doom and gloom for the Democratic party, though: Readers pointed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and even Vice President Kamala Harris as potential bright spots for the Dems. And on the Republican side, Joseph J. declared the GOP out “as a national party” — it will be relegated to “C- and D-” level counties in the future, he writes — with the election of Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House also raising red flags: “He is another major piece of the long-term conservative plan to ultimately transform the United States into the Christian version of Saudi Arabia,” said Bryan J. of Lexington.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — Absolutely nothing fishy about this guy, nope. *– AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File*

Bryan J. isn’t exactly what you’d call an optimist, though — asked what’s “out” heading into the new year, he responded, “Hope. The United States is done, climate change is out of control. The world is devolving into a series of regional wars. The future is bleak.” “Green Bean” said basically the same thing using different words: “It’s a freakin’ country goat jamberoo around here!”

The rise of artificial intelligence was also on people’s minds, along with divisions over the Israel-Gaza war, the proliferation of guns and mass shootings, and the threats to abortion care. “The loss of Roe v. Wade is a blow and insult to every woman in America,” wrote Philip W. of Boston.

And “Just Normal” of Westwood had this on her radar heading into 2024: “The utter lack of maturity and responsibility of adults in this country.” Well, nyah-nyah, not our fault.

In entertainment:

In a development that will surprise exactly no one, a single luminous creature rose above all others when it came to Boston.com readers’ thoughts on the world of entertainment: Ms. Taylor Swift. “It’s her world, we’re all just living in it!” declared Boston.com’s Annie.

But some see Taylor’s ascendance as a mixed blessing: It’s “positive in that I think she has contributed a lot to feminism and it’s awesome to see a woman in her position, negative in the way that I think her income is beyond unethical, and her contributions to larger issues of financial inequity and the climate crisis are problematic,” wrote Heather from Somerville, who has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about this.

One thing people would rather see less of, however, is breathless reports about the status of Swift and her beau, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — we’re happy for them, but they’re just a little too rich, famous, and attractive for normal people to want to see every day, thank you very much. (Also facing oversaturation: Travis Kelce’s television commercials. And up here we don’t even have to see the ones for Hy-Vee supermarkets!)

Taylor Swift signs at Chiefs game — People love Taylor Swift and they love Travis Kelce. They’re kind of sick of them together, though. – Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Taylor wasn’t alone at the top: As kmac from Canton noted, “one-woman shows” — also including the likes of Beyonce and P!nk — dominated the concert scene this year and show no sign of letting up. (P!nk has already announced her return to New England next year.) And in the up-and-coming category, boygenius has injected some super-charged woman-power into the rock scene.

Also mentioned as a fave was New England’s own Noah Kahan, who in 2023 taught the world to sing, or at least what “stick season” is. (He’ll be at Fenway next summer; the explosion of musical entertainment at the fabled ballpark was another highlight mentioned by local music fans. Let’s face it, once Def Leppard is on a bill pretty much anybody can get in.)

Beyonce, boygenius, and Noah Kahan all made their musical mark in 2023. – AP Photo/Chris Pizzello; Hilary Swift/The New York TimesJosh Reynolds for The Boston Globe;

On screen, readers jumped on the “Barbenheimer” bandwagon, crediting the duo with basically saving moviegoing. “I wonder if other film companies will follow in the steps of Barbenheimer and attempt to promote two movies together, rather than pit them against each other,” suggested Boston.com’s Heather. Might we recommend for 2024, “Dune pool”? “Kung Fu-riosa Panda”? “Civil War field”? The possibilities are endless.

Also, if you thought the days of not understanding people’s “Hunger Games” references were over, you are wrong: The prequel to the 2012-2015 film series and its stars, Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, figured high in readers’ cinematic estimations. May the odds be ever in their favor.

At home, “the fact that streaming platforms are becoming absolutely essential [is] ridiculous,” noted Heather from Somerville, one of many who seem to have realized that streaming has become cable, just with 10 different bills. As for shows, consensus was elusive, but people are fond of the new “Frasier,” enjoyed tracking “The Bear” (and its Boston-born star Ayo Edebiri), and got caught up in “The Last of Us” (even if the geography was specious).

Meanwhile, Joseph C. raises the concern that the “dumbing down of U.S. entertainment continues at an alarming rate.” What can we say? The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

A bulleted list of things readers say will (or should) be ‘out’ in 2024:

Bank accounts
Being rude
Bill Belichick (“For being a fraud. It was always Tom.”)
Diet culture (“especially wedge salads”)
Discrimination (“ethnic or religious”)
Dysfunctional Congress
Electric cars
Good grooming
Littering
MAGA
Rage (“People just need to let it go and chill out”)
Relying on the government
Retail stores
Skinny jeans
Ticketmaster
Twitter (“Elon Musk has made sure of that”)
“Logic, reason, common sense, dignity, unity, charity, mental health”

Featured photo credits:

Barbie: Warner Bros.; Phillip Eng: Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff; “The Bear”: Chuck Hodes/FX; Donald Trump: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File; Taylor Swift: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File; Bill Belichick: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images; P!nk: Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Cop slide: courtesy photo; Joe Biden: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images.