📲✌️ Out: CharlieCards. In: Credit cards.

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

😍 Looking for love? Or, let’s face it … do you just want to become an influencer? Great news: “Love Is Blind” is casting a batch of contestants right here in New England, and all you have to do to throw your hat in the ring is fill out this application. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• An iconic music venue returns

• Upcoming MBTA service changes

• Team USA’s new star

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

 The MBTA’s tap-to-pay era

Thursday marks the beginning of a new era for the MBTA. On Aug. 1, the agency’s new tap-to-pay system officially goes live, meaning the days of empty CharlieCard panic will be a thing of the past as the MBTA finally enters the 21st century.

Here’s what to know:

📲 You won’t need a CharlieCard to ride the T anymore. The update will allow riders to pay their MBTA fare with a tappable debit or credit card, or by using Apple, Samsung, or Google Pay on your phone or smartwatch. The system will be available across the T — that goes for all underground stations, plus the Green Line, Mattapan trolleys, and all buses. Sorry, commuter rail and ferry riders — you’ll have to wait until spring 2026.

🎫 That said, you can still use one. CharlieCards and cash will still be accepted as payment per usual. So if you’re on a weekly or monthly plan, get a pass from school or work, or just enjoy the CharlieCard lifestyle, you do you! If you’re on reduced fare plans (like senior, youth, or TAP), you can go either way. 

😎 Setup should be a breeze. If you’re already using tap-to-pay on your devices or card, all you have to do is tap away at the new readers in stations or on the bus or trolley. If not, here are tutorials on how to set up on Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay. For those on reduced fare plans, you can link those accounts to the tap-to-pay system using the “Charlie Digital Assistant” here. 

🙋 But if you want to go the extra set-up mile … You can also make a new “Charlie account” here and link your cards and devices to it (not required though!). The perks? Riders with registered accounts will be able to see more detailed information about their trips, and set their own language and accessibility preferences systemwide. 

⚠️ Just a quick note if you plan to tap-to-pay with your phone: There’s an option in your phone’s contactless payment settings called “express transit” on iPhones, and “verification required” on Androids and Samsung, which can enable you to pay your fare without unlocking your phone. But be warned: If you have that setting enabled, your phone can accidentally pay for trips just by being near the reader (Emily’s card kept popping up when it was near the card reader on the bus). So if that makes you nervous, maybe keep it disabled.

QUICK QUESTION

📲 CharlieCards, or tap to pay?

TOGETHER WITH THE CONNECTICUT SUN

The WNBA is heating up Boston

🌞🏀 Move over JB, JT, and Big Al, it's the ladies' turn to shine. The Connecticut Sun take on the Los Angeles Sparks at TD Garden on Aug. 20. And this game is extra special – it’s the first time in league history that the WNBA will play at TD Garden! Before you watch the hoops, enjoy live music, food trucks, and activities at the pregame block party on Canal Street or head to the Youth Sports Festival on Aug. 17 for a day packed with fun for the whole family. Grab your tickets today!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🎶 Great news for Great Scott fans: After shutting its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic (and infamously becoming a Taco Bell), beloved Allston music hall Great Scott is officially reopening. The opening date is still TBD, but we do know the new 300-person venue will be just down the road at 1 Harvard Avenue, combining with next-door neighbor O’Brien’s pub. And while there will be some back-of-house upgrades in the new space, it’ll be sure to retain the “charming, dive-bar vibes” that we know and love.

🚇 August MBTA service changes, incoming! Buckle up Green, Orange, Red, and Mattapan Trolley riders, this one’s going to be a doozy. Here we go: Green liners have a 10-day shutdown on the B branch, Red liners have a seven-day shutdown on the trunk (which is really just an amuse bouche), and Orange Line and Mattapan Trolley riders can expect a weekend shutdown or two. But before you lose all faith, we should also remind you that these shutdowns are working, see: the recent removal of nine speed restrictions on the Red Line, including the behemoth between Harvard and Central.

🏥 Yet another Steward disappointment. ICYMI: Steward Health Care has been in some hot financial water lately, to put it lightly — declaring bankruptcy in May and planning to sell eight in-state hospitals. But after an unsuccessful hunt for buyers, the group has announced plans to close Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer “on or around” Aug. 31. If that impacts you: The state launched an interactive feature that allows you to see all of the hospitals near you, and what services they provide.

🥉 Another Olympic W for New Englanders. Everyone’s fave TikTok icon slash rugby star Ilona Maher and Franklin native Kristi Kirshe helped lead Team USA to its first-ever medal in rugby on Tuesday, upsetting the Australian team in the sevens bronze medal match after a truly iconic run. Beyond the medal, Maher, a Vermont native, is also responsible for bringing the team newfound attention on social media, going completely viral this week alone for her stiff-arm moves. And while there aren’t any Mass. connections on the women’s gymnastics team, we still gotta shout them out for their team all-around gold.

ONE LAST THING

Team USA’s new star

A nerdy kid from Worcester who can ride a pommel horse like a cowboy becoming America’s sweetheart was not on our 2024 bingo card. And then, Worcester gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik happened.

ICYMI: Team USA took home a bronze medal in the men’s all-around on Monday, largely thanks to Nedoroscik’s clutch performance. 

Unlike his teammates, Nedoroscik is a specialist, meaning he only trains and competes in one area, the pommel horse, versus the total six. So as the closer in this year’s team finals, he had one job and one job only: To pommel that horse. 

And pommel he did. Not only was his performance stellar, clinching the team’s medal, but it caused him to go viral, sprouting endless memes about his Clark Kent looks, his pre-game drill, and overall adorably nerdy vibe.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🥉Thanks for reading! Needless to say, we’re obsessed. 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Connecticut Sun, for supporting local journalism and giving basketball fans in Boston a team to cheer for over the summer. 

📦 The results are in: 52% of B-Siders say that movers are the move for a Sept. 1 move-in. One reader, who is ostensibly not hiring movers, said: “Nope, a 12 pack of Miller & my boys. You know the drill.” 

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].