The good news stories you missed this month
Plus: 💐 This museum is in BLOOM
It’s Monday, Boston.
🚇 The perfect Boston sweater doesn’t exi … Well, we stand corrected after this baddie broke out her *handmade* MBTA sweater on the Green Line. If the MBTA merch team is reading this: HIRE HER!
👀 What’s on tap today:
- “No Kings” crowds
- This museum is in BLOOM
- It’s housewives season!
Up first…
GOOD NEWS
Babies, basketball, and blooms
Images: The Boston Globe, Evan Agostini/Invision/AP. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
If good news were a season, it’d definitely be spring. So obviously, we’re piling on the sunny vibes.
Here are the feel-good stories you might’ve missed this month:
🏒 Women’s hockey is the hottest ticket in town. The Boston Fleet sold out all 17,800+ seats for their first game at TD Garden on April 11. It would be a record-setting crowd … if not for New York’s 18,000-person game at Madison Square Garden on April 4. The sell-out comes amid surging interest in the PWHL following the Winter Olympics, where Team USA brought home the gold led by Fleet players Megan Keller, Haley Winn, and Aerin Frankel.
👶 New moms could get some BIG help. Namely, free home visits! Gov. Healey’s state budget proposal includes a plan that would send nurses to the homes of every new baby in the state within eight weeks of birth à la Europe. The idea is to bring support and education to families who might not have the time or money to seek it out, including health check-ins, advice about feeding and care, and if needed, longer-term resources.
🏀 Deuce Tatum made us emo. Jayson Tatum’s 8-year-old son, Deuce, penned a sweet article in Slam magazine, describing his dad’s recovery process from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon as only an 8-year-old could. He talks about giving his dad hugs when he was sad, being secretly happy about the extra playtime, and how tough he thinks his dad is — 79 out of 100, “not as strong as, like, bodybuilders and stuff, but he is really, really, really strong.” No, YOU’RE crying.
💐 Garden therapy brings hope to hospital patients. At Emerson Hospital’s psychiatric unit, a weekly garden therapy program from the Acton Garden Club and Trader Joe’s provides a dose of brightness. For two hours, patients — most of whom suffer from debilitating mental health conditions — make bouquets from fresh flowers. The flowers bring color to a sterile environment, and give the patients a much-needed creative outlet. “It’s something to literally get out of bed for,” one said.
🤑 A bunch of Bostonians got a free night out. Country star Bailey Zimmerman surprised fans with an unannounced stop at J.J. Foley’s Cafe — and picked up the tab for the whole bar while he was at it. Apparently, Zimmerman stopped by for a Guinness following his sold-out show at TD Garden on March 5. Obviously, staff and patrons alike were thrilled. “Couldn’t have been a nicer or more down-to-earth group,” the bar said on IG.
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Andrew Burke-Stevenson for The Boston Globe
🪧 Boston really said “No Kings.” On Saturday, a whopping 180,000+ people gathered on the Common for a “No Kings” rally against President Donald Trump — just one of over 160 protests in Mass, and over 3,300 nationally. Look at these crowds! Protesters carried ~colorful~ signs and listened to speakers like Gov. Maura Healey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the Milford teen who was detained by ICE last year: “Freedom isn’t just words on paper,” he said. “It’s whether people actually feel safe enough to live their lives.”
🍏 Budget cuts are coming for Boston teachers. Remember the proposed budget cuts that would slash 300 to 400 jobs in Boston schools? Well, the Boston School Committee unanimously approved them last week. Officials say the cuts are necessary considering the district’s economic woes — a $53 million deficit and declining enrollment — but advocates called the move a “slap in the face” that would ultimately stall progress and hurt students. Now it’s up to the City Council and Mayor Wu to give the plan a final stamp of approval (or not).
💐 The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is in bloom! The museum’s annual Hanging Nasturtiums display is back, with 20-foot vines of bright orange blooms hanging from the windows in its courtyards — and per usual, they look stunning. The tradition was started over a century ago by Isabella Stewart Gardner herself, and museum staff carries it on to this day, growing the vines from seeds — a grueling nine month process — every single year. The blooms should be on display through April 14, Isabella’s b-day. Grab tickets here!
💋 This week in local openings: Crushes and coffee. Trendy wine party collective First Crush is opening its very own brick-and-mortar wine bar in the former Juliet Social Club space in Union Square. There’s no opening date just yet, but stay tuned for tons of perfectly curated parties! While you wait, Ralph’s Coffee Truck — yes, as in Ralph Lauren — is opening for the season in the Seaport on April 1. It’ll be dishing out coffee, sweets, and ice cream(!) in the Superette all summer long. Here are the deets.
THINGS TO DO
Weekday plans
✏️ Drink while you draw. Friendly reminder that Zone 3 puts on a weekly art-making sesh on Tuesdays with free pizza and drinks. This week, you’ll be designing flash tattoos!
🎨 Get crafty for spring. We’re talking about Lamplighter’s springy soap-making workshop on March 31, where you’ll make custom goat’s milk soaps with spring designs and scents.
🎤 Catch your fav podcast IRL. Pop culture pod “Chicks in the Office” is stopping in Boston on March 31 for its Best Show on Earth Tour, and tickets are still available starting at $68!
🍷 Sip on free wine. Batifol will have plenty at its ~complimentary~ wine tasting on April 1. A wine pro will walk you through each sip while you mingle with fellow wine lovers.
☕ Pour your heart out. Midnight Morning cafe is hosting a latte art throwdown on April 1. Baristas can enter for $10, and the rest of us can just show up, watch … and sip on a coffee martini flight.
🪩 Disco, always. La Fabrica Central is putting on a Harry Styles-themed dance night on April 2. They’ll be spinning his biggest hits, from One Direction to his latest album.
🤩 Enter your Bravo era. The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premieres on April 2, and you can catch the first-ever episode with fellow Bravoholics at dbar’s watch party.
🌭 Holla for a $1 weiner. On Opening Day (April 3), Pauli’s North End will offer $1 hot dogs for one hour only. Grab them between 1:10 p.m. and 2:10 p.m.
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT
🍽️ Four legendary chefs. One unforgettable night. Lydia Shire, Gordon Hamersley, Jody Adams, and Joanne Chang are collaborating on a four-course dinner at the Cyclorama for Boston Center for the Arts. The evening blends culinary excellence with live art activations. Choose the Patron Experience for the full night or the Curtain Call Reception for food stations and cocktails. Proceeds benefit BCA artists. Reserve here.
ONE LAST THING
It’s housewives season
We’re *this* close to the premiere of “Real Housewives of Rhode Island.” But for those of us who can’t wait that long (guilty) Bravo gave us a five-minute peek at episode one, where we meet two cast members.
Here’s what we learned:
“Boss babe” Alicia Carmody has an incredible Rhode Island accent, a nine-year fiancé, and a big Italian family that does not appreciate the 15-minute drive from Providence to Cranston to see her — or her long engagement.
More importantly, Rhode Island Cannabis Queen Liz McGraw has a cat she walks on a leash, and … a husband she’s related to? McGraw casually drops that bombshell by explaining how they were married for six months when “the whole ancestry DNA thing was blowing up.” She adds, “we are related somewhere down the line.” … Oh!
You can see it all for yourself here.
— Written by Gia Orsino
🤩 Thanks for reading! Needless to say, we’re absolutely seated.
🍼 The results are in: 35% of B-Siders said they’re not planning on starting a family. One reader said: “I take being a cool aunt very seriously.” It’s a hard job!
💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].
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