We have a present for you!
Plus: 🍕 Boston’s $48 pizza
Happy Friday, Boston!
🤑 Ever wonder what a $17 million apartment looks like? Well … take a peek inside this recently sold Beacon Hill brownstone and see!
🥳 HBD to B-Side Members Alex Issokson and Abby Sweeney! We wish we could give you each a $17 million brownstone … but we hope you liked the pics. <3
👀 What’s on tap today:
- Good luck, Red Liners
- The price of living in Boston
- A $48 pizza …
Up first…
CARE PACKAGE
Your spring starter pack
Illustration: Gia Orsino
We made it through yet another cold, dark winter! And for that, you deserve a little treat …
We’re back with another B-Side Care Package, a.k.a. our roundup of media, things to do, food, and everything else that we (and our pals!) have been loving lately:
🥪 Spice up your spring eats. As the weather warms, most people default to lobster rolls, ice cream, and hot dogs, but not Key Henson (a.k.a. @wannabestayathomedad). His fav bite this season is a crispy red snapper sandwich from Juicy Jay’s inside Kendall Square’s Eastern Edge Food Hall. Think: Golden crunch, perfectly flaky fish, and a cool, refreshing coleslaw tying it all together.
📺 Learn about the world through reality TV. Further proof of Emily’s take that watching reality TV is basically modern-day anthropology: TikToker @soberchampagne, who explains world events using “Vanderpump Rules.” Turns out, it’s a lot easier to understand the rise and fall of the Roman Empire in the context of Scandoval.
🦉 Go on a woodcock walk. Every year from March to May, Gia joins the many birders and non-birders who gather to watch American Woodcocks do their silly little mating dance, including right here in Boston. As someone dating a birder, she wouldn’t recommend just any bird excursion, but this one is equal parts magical and absurd. Try this Woodcock Watch at the Boston Nature Center.
👭 Dive into a platonic love story. Need a spring read? “Love by the Book” by Jessica George comes recommended by Annie Jonas of Boston.com’s book club newsletter. It follows two 30-something women finding each other as their old support systems fall apart. Jonas said it’s a funny, tender, and deeply honest read about outgrowing friendships — and choosing new ones.
📚 Speaking of books … read one outside. For Globe Living/Arts correspondent Annie Sarlin, spring = outdoor reading season. Her go-to spot: Trident Booksellers & Cafe. She’ll browse their shelves for her next read, then grab a table outside to soak up the sunshine. Bonus points if you grab coffee or a treat (especially the lemon ricotta-stuffed french toast).
🥾 Take a hike! One of Walking City Trails creator Miles Howard‘s favorite spring rituals is a trek across Middlesex Fells’ Cross Fells Trail. Though it’s a 10-minute walk from Oak Grove, the infinite trees and great lookout points feel “a world apart from Greater Boston,” he said. Plus, when you get to the other end, you can catch a bus to Medford Center and refuel with a giant torta from Tenoch.
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe
🚇 Red Liners, it’s service change szn. Remember those nightly service changes we told you about back in February? We have an update! From now through approximately April 9, Braintree branch riders will need to transfer to Alewife-Ashmont trains for service beyond JFK/UMass after 8 p.m. Then, it’ll flip, and Ashmont riders will need to transfer to Alewife-Braintree trains through around April 26. Plus, you can expect longer travel times between Ashmont/Braintree and JFK/UMass and reduced train frequency the whole time. Good luck, babe!
🍏 Boston teachers have a budget problem. The Boston Teachers Union and education advocates are fighting proposed cuts that would nix 300 to 400 jobs across city schools in the upcoming city budget. BPS officials say the cuts are necessary considering the district’s enrollment decline of about 3,000 students since the 2024-25 school year — in part thanks to President Trump’s immigration crackdown. But advocates are asking for Wu and the City Council to ward off cuts by investing an additional 1% of the city’s budget (or $48 million) in the schools.
💸 How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Boston? $139,776 a year, according to a new study by SmartAsset. Apparently, that’s how much a Bostonian needs to follow a true 50/30/20 budget — spending 50% of your income on necessities, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings. It’s also ~$42,000 more than Boston’s median household income of $97,791, and an increase of ~$6,000 over last year, putting Boston sixth on the list overall behind NYC and several cities in California. *Sobs*
🤤 Ballin’ on a budget? Head to Malden! Boston.com’s affordable eats series took the Orange Line up to Malden, rounding up the city’s best bites under $20. On the menu: $15 birria tacos at Caliente Mexican Grill, a super beef-sized roast beef sandwich for $13.50 at Fresco’s Roast Beef & Seafood, and enough dim sum to leave with plenty of leftovers at Sun Kong (prices vary). Ready to dig in? You can check out all of Malden’s cheap eats here.
THINGS TO DO
Weekend plans
🛍️ Go vintage or go home. Between Small Mart’s Davis Square night market on March 27 and Brighton Bazaar’s Spring Market on March 29, there will be plenty of vintage, vinyl, and art to shop.
🥣 Slurp soup for a good cause. On March 28, the Empty Bowls Project will serve up hot soup in stunning hand-crafted bowls, and proceeds go toward combatting hunger and homelessness. There are still a few seats left!
🖤 Show your mom it’s not just a phase. Emo Night Brooklyn is coming to Brighton Music Hall on March 28 for a night of big music, big mosh pits, and big feelings.
🍵 Join the matcha madness. On March 29, Hue Boston will be taken over by Matcha Madness: a two-story celebration of matcha and coffee with music, brunch, and lots of caffeine.
🙋♀️ Learn from some boss babes. Northeastern’s annual WISE Summit is back on March 28 with speakers, workshops, and fireside chats to help women grow a brand, company, or career.
🎥 Watch Harry meet Sally. The iconic romcom is playing for free at Lamplighter Brewing on March 29. There will be brews, popcorn, and pizza for purchase.
🚶♀️Walk with the gals. Volo and Boston Girls Who Walk are teaming up for a Women’s History Month Walk on March 29. The 2.5-mile stroll will end with complimentary apps at 261, the Envoy’s women’s sports-themed pop-up.
✏️ Doodle the day away. The Foundry’s pop-up Dar Cafe is hosting a cozy sketch and doodle meetup on March 29. Pro tip: Get the cherry blossom matcha!
ONE LAST THING
Boston’s bougiest pizza
Illustration: Gia Orsino
You’ve heard of $1 pizza. Now, allow us to introduce … $48 pizza. Meet La Zarina, the bougiest pie in Boston from the Pru’s new pizzeria, CeCarré.
If you’re thinking: What is this pizza made of? Gold? Yes it is. The pie is literally topped with edible 23-karat gold, plus caviar, mozzarella, pecorino, potatoes, gruyère, crème fraîche, and chives. At least you’ll get your money’s worth.
CeCarré’s full pies have about four large slices each, but if you’re not willing to shell out, you can also get a half La Zarina for $24, or just a slice for $12. And for those of us who prefer their pies without gold and caviar, a CeCarré Classic, with mozz, pecorino, tomato sauce, and parmigiano will run you $22.
Here’s a peek at the golden pie.
— Written by Gia Orsino
🍕Thanks for reading! Ah, the age-old question: Half a week of groceries … or one pizza made of gold?
⚾ The results are in: 52% of readers said they’d rather the Red Sox never win it all again than give up going to Fenway forever. TEA! One reader said: “Is this selfish? Oops!” Maybe a little … but we get it.
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