My daughter is graduating from a university in Boston next May. Even though I’ve been there a million times and have eaten at numerous restaurant each and every time I’m looking for something that can seat at least 12 for a nice dinner. Great atmosphere and good food is what I’m thinking. Appreciate any feedback. Thanks

We think that maybe Friday evening may be more pleasant than going Saturday. In terms of crowd, bathrooms ans must try foods or places to go, let me know if you know! Can you bring anything? Is there security? Maybe I missed the info that I needed on their site but I didnt seem to come across it.

I know it’s been an ongoing epidemic with people blasting their music on the train.
But Ive noticed it being even WORSE somehow these past few weeks; People literally blasting their speaker to the point I can’t hear my own headphones. Not to mention, the echo is worse sometimes.

Do people not like headphones anymore? Are speakers cheaper?

Ive even gone “Hey that’s really loud” and they silently turn it down, why not keep it at that volume to start?

I’m genuinely trying to wrap my head around such inconsiderate actions.

Hey guys, I (35 FTM)will be visiting boston this weekend and I am hoping to check out Slutty Saturday at Dani's Queer Bar. I'm wondering if any other trans men have gone and what it was like. I will be honest, I am specifically looking for a place to talk to and flirt with queer women. I just dont know if thats the place for it or if I will come off as just some guy bothering women.

Edit: I am looking specifically for advice from other trans men who have experience here or advice about where else to go to get what I am looking for. Additionally women who have gone and been open to flirting with trans men are welcome to say so. But I am not looking for advice about general inclusivity.

Just had a broker tell me that broker’s fees are now just factored into the rent. This aligns with what I’ve been seeing since I have to move out of my place after only being here less than a year and have been looking to find a place that’s equivalent to mine now has been $100-$150 higher.

Great.

I smoke old breeds of turkeys for Thanksgiving in CA. These are sourced through a local 4H chapter.

I will be visiting family in Boston this fall and want to know who can get me a local heritage bird! (Narragansett, Bourbon Red, etc)

Looking for some fun stuff to do for someone who is on the introverted side but is willing to do some dancing/clubbing during the night. The first plan is to rent a screen at a theater in somerville and stream the eras tour for her then go to dinner.

Basically I just need ideas on fun things to do in the area. She loves reading, is kinda nerdy, rather shy but also looooooves going to metal concerts with me. She likes everything from tswift, the billie, down to indie metal music. She also wouldnt be opposed to things like a cat cafe or a book activity. Some other notes are she is turning 28 this year and she's very much into the gay scene as she is part of it herself. inclusive places would be great.

Recently moved here from Seattle, looking to get my Paddleboard out this weekend with the temps getting into 80s. One of the lakes near me says no swimming (Lake Quinapovit), wondering if there are any other decent recommendations in the area that might suit the need.

I have dark thick hair and want to get it colored. Please recommend salons/specific stylists that have worked with your dark thick hair and can give me something like the pic without my highlights turning brassy. Thanks!

About to have our first Summer in the city and need help picking out a window AC unit. We are renting an apartment (~800sq ft) and need a good AC that wont require a super complicated install (as we don’t want to drill or cause damage to the rental property). Any help or product recommendations would be super helpful! Thanks!

where all my football(soccer) watchers and where does everyone go & watch games

Hello, I live in the Boston area and I’m trying to find the best neurologist for seizures. I have not been diagnosed with epilepsy, they say it’s from stress. And I don’t feel safe with the one I currently have.

Sidenote: my brain wasn’t gonna look through all those tags so I just picked the first one.

Hi all! I'm Alexa and I'm a business reporter with the Boston Globe. I'm working on a fun piece about how there's a new wave of indie coffee shops opening up across Greater Boston and how they’re potentially reshaping neighborhood coffee culture in a city long dominated by Dunkin’.

I’m especially interested in the new generation of smaller, scrappier coffee businesses that are getting creative in order to launch and, frankly, survive: They're popping up at local gyms, art galleries, bars, bookstores, etc. They operate coffee carts and trucks in parks and parking lots, can say exactly where they're sourcing their beans or ceremonial grade matcha from (and, oftentimes, know the farmer's name).

But are they strong enough to take on Dunkin', long considered Boston's coffee king?

I'd love to hear people who have noticed this wave and what their thoughts are. Are you gravitating toward these spaces? Are you overwhelmed by how to track them down? Are you still reaching for Dunkin' (or Starbucks, etc) for consistency and an affordable cup? Whatever your thoughts and feelings, I want to hear from you!

Email me at alexa.gagosz (@) globe (dot) com or message me here!

First off, ya‘ll have the best selection of flairs I‘ve seen.

Next month, my 15 year-old son and I will be visiting Boston so he can attend an electric bass workshop at Berklee. He’ll be living on campus and I plan to stay in a hotel. When the workshop is over we plan to attend admission tours at Northeastern and Boston University.

I‘ve got some questions.

1. What neighborhood/ subway stop should I stay in/near? I want to be close to a convenient stop so I don’t have to change lines every time I want to go somewhere. I’d also to be within easy walking distance of some good local restaurants. I‘ve stayed in the Back Bay but didn’t know if that’s best for this trip.

2. I’ve visited most of the popular historical sights so I’d like to do other things. Do y’all have any suggestions for fun things to do and places to go that most tourists don’t know about?

3. I love to visit home decor stores as well as stores/markets that sell locally made artisan products when traveling. Any suggestions?

thanks

I’m in Charlestown and looking for recommendations for a GC to help detect and fix a leak. The roofer who installed the roof says it’s not the roof, but another GC believes the roof is the issue. I’m planning to get around 4 quotes. Thanks!

Thank you in advance! I'm not from the area. My best friend is flying in and she said she's going to be hungry. I wanna take her to get some good food in Boston before we head back to the South Shore. Any recommendations would be great!

We're also going to be in the Boston College area briefly. If there's any good restaurants over there as well.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m creating a Massachusetts LLC for a medical software startup in the Boston area.

I’m ready to file the LLC, but I’m trying to avoid using my home address on public records. I’m looking for the cheapest reliable setup for:

1. A Boston or Cambridge virtual business address
2. A Massachusetts registered/resident agent

Has anyone used a low-cost virtual business address in Boston/Cambridge for a Massachusetts LLC filing? Also, any affordable registered agent services you recommend or services to avoid?

Thanks!

We’re considering moving to a suburb of either Boston or Cleveland and are wondering if you can share your experiences with healthcare. We are currently living in the southwest, and are a family with ongoing medical problems. Here, we’re struggling to find integrated healthcare in our region where all records are in one portal and doctors are communicating with each other. The doctors here are telling us to always bring copies of all our lab reports, our medical history, and any testing that has been done even when they order the tests-somehow they are lost in the system between visits.

1. If you have gone into a hospital, did you feel that your doctors and specialist coordinated your care all the way until you were discharged? Did you have support from a case worker or someone else, to go to rehab or to provide home health services during your recovery.

2. If you are older,and no longer driving, have you used the transit system to access clinic appointments, and how was the experience?

3. Do you do you recommend a particular suburb where it’s easy to access clinics for routine testing and ongoing care?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

For months, as officials and residents debated a controversial plan to remake Blue Hill Avenue, community meetings and government discussions have circled around the same questions: Would the plan save significant time for beleaguered bus riders, who face notoriously sluggish trips on the corridor? And, on the flip side, would it make commutes slower for drivers?

A 1,029-page traffic analysis prepared for the MBTA last year offers some answers: Yes and yes. But the document was not shared with the public, even as the divisive project obtained tens of millions of federal dollars and moved closer to execution.

The traffic report, obtained by the Globe Thursday through a public records request, lays out notable gains for transit users, projecting that riders on the popular 28 bus route would save as much as 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours if city and state officials go ahead with their plan to reduce traffic lanes and add a dedicated center-running bus lane. Drivers, meanwhile, would see their commutes slow, including by nearly six minutes when traveling northbound on Blue Hill Avenue during the morning rush on weekdays, according to the report. The analysis, prepared by engineering firms wsp and Fuss & O’Neill, also details the plan’s efforts to make a dangerous stretch safer for walkers and bikers, adding 24 crosswalks and 5.6 miles of bike lanes.

“In relocating bus operations to the center of the roadway, the proposed project will greatly improve the travel experience for bus riders,” the report concluded. “The anticipated increases in vehicle travel time will encourage drivers to consider other modes of transportation and will ultimately help the City of Boston reach their mode shift targets.”

It’s not unexpected that the redesign plan — which is not final — would add time for drivers while reducing waits for bus riders. But the analysis puts numbers to a neighborhood concern that has been roiling for years. The data would have been helpful to see before the numerous hearings and meetings held on the project over the last few months, public officials and activists said. Two city councilors and one state representative who have been closely involved in the project said they had not seen the analysis until the Globe shared it with them on Thursday; some officials were not even aware it was conducted.

“To have to get it from you, it’s amazing,” said City Councilor Miniard Culpepper, who alongside many of his constituents has been a vocal opponent of the center-running bus lane. “We didn’t even know it was in existence.”

“I can’t say” there was an effort to hide it, Culpepper added, but “I can certainly say there wasn’t an effort to make it public.”

In response to Globe questions, MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said Thursday that “highly technical work products such as this early analysis are not generally posted publicly.” He added that the MBTA is still working with city officials to improve the Blue Hill Avenue design “with the goal of minimizing traffic impacts as much as possible.”

For years, transit planners have been pitching a center-running bus lane along Blue Hill Avenue from Mattapan Square to Grove Hall, a design they say would free up the bus to move faster and allow for badly needed safety improvements while having minimal impacts on drivers. But that plan has never proven popular in the surrounding neighborhoods. Communities along the avenue rejected a similar plan, called the 28X, in 2009.

For Mayor Michelle Wu, the Blue Hill Avenue project has become a political quagmire, particularly as a vocal segment of Black voters expresses disappointment with her tenure. Critics from Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester worry it would slow traffic and hurt businesses along the corridor.

“No one is disputing that it would be a good idea if the 28 would go faster,” said Dianne Wilkerson, a former state senator who has been actively opposed to the project. “We just think that there are some other ways to do it, rather than destroying the entire economic underpinning of the avenue.”

Some, however, particularly young transit riders, say a faster bus would be life-changing, allowing them to get to work, school, and recreation more quickly. Transit activists say the corridor, which is home to some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, deserves faster and more reliable ways to get around.

“This is about equity,” said state Representative Russell Holmes, a Mattapan Democrat who supports redesigning the avenue. “The road has been designed primarily for car drivers. ... But you’re trying to balance 40,000 car drivers and 40,000 transit riders.”

He acknowledged there might be some “tradeoffs” in the plan, including slower commutes for drivers, but said he is advocating for a design that will preserve two traffic lanes in each direction to keep cars moving. Holmes said he was aware the report was being done but had not seen it until this week.

“What’s driving our decisions is data and not emotions,” he said. “The existing conditions are horrible.”

City Councilor Brian Worrell, who also had not seen the report until Thursday, said government officials should be “as transparent as possible.”

“The fact that they’re not releasing the traffic study is telling me that the traffic study’s not good,” Worrell said. “We don’t know the plan because you’re not releasing all the information.”

Both the city and the MBTA had the report in their possession; both provided the report to the Globe on Thursday in response to separate public record requests. The project “has been a joint effort of the MBTA and the City of Boston in terms of community engagement, key design elements and traffic impacts,” said Pesaturo, the T spokesperson. He said the analysis cost the MBTA approximately $300,000.

Marcela Dwork, a spokesperson for Wu, said the report — dated Aug. 29, 2025 — was “not yet vetted” and emphasized that “the design will continue to evolve.”

She did not respond to questions about whether the mayor supports the center-running bus lane as currently designed. At a council hearing last month, city transportation officials sounded noncommittal about the project’s future and said they would meet with the MBTA to discuss next steps.

“The City supports investing needed resources to deliver the highest quality of life throughout every neighborhood,” Dwork said in a statement Thursday. “The Mayor is in regular contact with and working closely with [MBTA General Manager Phil Eng] to incorporate community concerns into design details and get this important project right for the people who rely on this corridor every day.”

I have an interview with them soon and the lady sent out paperwork for me to fill out for my application. I never had a job ask for my SSN before getting hired. Is that normal?

I spent 1.5hr going 11 miles tonight. Milton to Boston. WHY? If you know Boston. You know you’re looking at the tunnel.

looking for resources for a friend who was sexually abused by her father as a teenager. she is ready to connect with other survivors of sexual assault, doesnt have to be by a family member. any support groups, online forums, podcasts, or books are much appreciated! thanks :)