🏈 Clear eyes, full hearts, we ... might lose

Happy Friday, Boston!

🍂 The leaves won't be changing in Boston for a while … but there are plenty of spots in New England where mid-to-late September is the perfect time to leaf-peep. And the Globe rounded 12 of them up here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The free community college downside

• A deal for the theater kids

• Connecticut carnage 

Up first…

SPORTS

Consider our Sundays booked

Sit down, grab a beer, and cancel your Sunday plans. Church is back in session. The Patriots’ first regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals is Sunday. And even though The Pats’ season outlook is, in a word, dim, we’re seated.

So whether you’re diehard fan or just trying to get through a “did you see the game?” convo, here’s what to know:

🙋🏾‍♂️ A LOT has changed since last year. The team’s leadership has basically been gutted and replaced. Head coach and former Pats linebacker Jerod Mayo is the new Bill Belichick, marking the team’s first coaching switch in literal decades. And while Mayo has all the makings of a top-tier coach, for now, his inexperience may prove to be a hurdle.

🏈 And that goes for our QBs, too. After some truly difficult-to-watch games, last season’s quarterback Mac Jones is O-U-T, along with his understudy Bailey Zappe. But we have some solid replacements. After the Pats used their No. 1 draft pick to nab rookie QB Drake Maye, after pre-season, Mayo decided to play it safe and start veteran QB Jacoby Brissett instead, giving Maye more time to cook. 

✋ The biggest sticky spot? Our offensive line. While our defense is looking solid, our offensive linemen (a.k.a. the guys meant to protect our darling QB) aren’t looking too hot heading into week one, especially after a slew of injuries left some key players in questionable shape.

🏆 Long story short, don’t be expecting a Lombardi. In fact, ESPN says the odds of a Pats Super Bowl showing are approximately 250-1, lol. The AFC East is shaping up to be one of the league’s most competitive divisions, and even if it weren’t, the combination of coaching and player changes, an in-flux QB situation, and a weak offense puts the Pats in the running for … another basement finish. But hey! Never say never.

💸 The bad news: This doesn’t mean tickets will be cheaper. In fact, maybe the opposite. The typical Pats resale ticket is actually going for an above-NFL average of $358.

🚂  The good news: At least getting to games will be cheap. Riders can take a round-trip special “events train” from South Station to Gillette for just $10. But if you prefer a good old tailgate, you can check out the rules here. 

😅 Don’t care about the X’s and O’s? Hit up a watch party instead! Check out this one at Castle Island Brewing, or this one at The Anchor where you can split your focus however you like between the brews, your pals, and the games.

TOGETHER WITH THE MGH FUND

Your generosity = a healthier Boston

🌍 ✨ Looking to do some good? Donate to the MGH Fund today and help fuel cutting-edge research, enhance patient care, and support vital community health programs at Massachusetts General Hospital. For the entire month of September, every dollar you give is triple-matched by a generous anonymous donor — turning $50 into $150 of life-saving potential. Choose the amount you want to contribute and see your kindness go three times as far.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🪧 Emerson College is cracking down on student protests. The college just released new restrictions around student protests after its pro-Palestinian encampment in Boylston Place Alley this past spring made national headlines and ended in over 100 arrests. Now, students are required to pre-register their demonstrations in one of the college’s selected indoor spaces — like the gym, auditorium, or some building lobbies — or face interim suspension. You can peruse the policy here.

🎃 Getting in on the trick-or-treat action ain’t just for kids this year. The City of Boston announced that apps are open for the Spooky Streets Grant Program, where residents and community groups can get a $250 mini-grant to buy things like candy, pumpkins, decor, and face paint to host a Halloween block party. It’s essentially the same idea as the city’s normal Block Party Grant Program, just add costumes. If this sounds up your alley, you can apply for the block party street permit here, then apply for the spooky grant. 

🎓 Mass.’ community college boom is a bust for some professors. Good news: Local community colleges are expecting enrollment jumps as high as 30% this semester now that tuition and fees are covered for students. Bad news: None of the money funding this program is going toward hiring more staff or professors. Institutions are struggling to keep up with this influx, including staffing up classrooms. And since community college professors don’t make much to begin with, schools might find themselves riding the recruitment struggle bus.

🎭 Theater kids are going to LOVE this deal. This just in from the Huntington Theatre: Students with a valid ID can purchase full or partial season passes to the theater’s ’24 to ’25 season at a price of just $10 per show. To take advantage of the deal, you’ll have to choose at least three of the season’s seven shows to bundle in your pass, but if you’re a true theater buff, you can get all seven. Check out the upcoming shows here.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🚶 Stroll down Newbury for the last time. Without cars, anyway. This Sunday is the final Open Newbury Street of the year. Bonus: Lyrik Back Bay, the new soaring shopping mall over the Mass. Pike, is hosting a free “party in the plaza” at the same time.

🐶 Give your pup a day out. Park-9 is throwing a massive puppy party at its Fenway pop-up on Saturday. Think: a (dog-safe) foam party, free pup caricatures, and dog-themed giveaways and goodies.

🧘 Breathe deep in a brewery. Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. in the Fenway is hosting a bi-weekly all-levels yoga class this fall, including this Sunday. The taproom cafe will be open after for post-class treats.

🪴 Decorate your new digs. Calling all Sept. 1 movers! The Brighton Bazaar’s latest event this Sunday is all about decorating your home, with tons of local vendors selling unique home goods. 

🕺 Trade in your local bar for the Charles. Yes, the Charles River. There’s an outdoor dance party on the Charles this Saturday night, with five up-and-coming DJs and a cash bar.

🗑️ Turn some trash into treasure. Northeastern’s Trash2Treasure club is hosting not one, but two events this weekend where they’ll be reselling discarded clothes, appliances, and other items from last year’s move-out. 

🎉 Get your Carnival on in Cambridge. On Sunday, the city is putting on its 30th annual Carnival festival and parade. Expect food, music, and festivities that celebrate the African and Caribbean diasporas.

🍺 Celebrate back-to-school season the Boston way. By drinking your way across Fenway! This Saturday, $10 will get you cover-free access to all of the neighborhood’s biggest college bars.

🏮 Head down to Chinatown. Specifically for the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, which is happening on Saturday. Expect traditional lion dances, food, and street vendors.

🏳️‍🌈 Put a new spin on the “hot girl walk.” Queer Babes Who Walk Boston is putting on a free Jamaica Plain walk this Sunday. Get some fresh air, move your body, and meet other queer and non-binary folks while you’re at it!

GIVEAWAY

For a limited time - win a $500 New England Inn and Resorts gift card

Enter for a chance to win a $500 New England Inn and Resorts gift card, redeemable at over 300 Inns, Hotels, Resorts all over New England. Plus, you’ll get access to Starting Point, our new newsletter from the Boston Globe that provides readers with an informed synopsis of the latest news affecting the Greater Boston and New England region. Globe journalists Jazmin Aguilera and Diamond Naga Siu will guide readers through the most important stories of the morning, how they impact readers, and why it matters.

NEIRA Gift cards are redeemable for lodging at over 300 Inns & Resorts all over New England. Gift cards are redeemable at any property listed on NewEnglandInnsandResorts.com

 18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Join the Boston Globe Media Partners and New England Inn and Resorts mailing lists by providing your valid email address via gleam, 9/3/24 at 12:01am EST and 9/8/2024 at 11:59pm EST. Open to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia. See Official Rules at here for additional information. Limit one entry per person.

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Your dream vintage thrift market? It’s popping up in Roxbury.

B-Side is a proud sponsor of Select Markets, the local vintage clothing pop-up team who’s bringing us their biggest event yet, MASSive Thrift Market, on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 1350 Tremont Street in Roxbury Crossing with @thrift2death. Expect a MASSive amount of fun: $10 piles, food trucks, temporary tattoos, tooth gems, free drinks, and live DJs. Grab your tickets fast! 

QUICK QUESTION

🗺️ Wait! Before you read on … What’s the worst state in New England?

ONE LAST THING

Connecticut carnage 

If there’s one thing most New Englanders can agree on, it’s that Connecticut is the worst. Mass. may have its faults: Housing prices, at times a laughable public transit system, and lawmakers that move at a glacial pace. But hey, it’s still better than living in Connecticut. 

So when Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont took to X to show off the state’s new “welcome” signs, which include phrases like: “home of the basketball capital of the world,” “home of the pizza capital of the United States,” and, perhaps most egregiously, the “foodie capital of New England,” some people took the opportunity to share their … contradictory thoughts. 

Namely, Lt. Gov Kim Driscoll and Gov. Maura Healey, who had some big thoughts about the basketball claims.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

😭 Thanks for reading! To be clear, as someone who has lived in Connecticut (I know!), I don’t fully agree. But as a Mass. resident, it’s now my duty to join in the jabs. 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, The MGH Fund, for supporting local journalism and keeping our city healthy. 

🔍 The results are in: 31% of polled B-Siders say that while they’re kind of keeping tabs on the Karen Read trial, they aren’t as invested as some people are. One reader said: “I've learned about some of it through non-consensual osmosis from my wife talking about it.”

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