🌊😬 C’mon in, the water’s (probably) fine

It’s Monday, Boston.

🚲 Red Liners, we know it’s rough out there. So if you’d rather avoid the shuttle bus scene, you can get five free BlueBike unlocks with code MBTAREDJULY in the app. Keep on keeping on.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Is happy hour … coming back?!

• The rats are going to hate this

• A Boston-based Bachelorette

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

The best way to cool off

Mother Nature has been taking no prisoners with the heat this summer. And unless you’ve got a car, parking money, and/or a friend with a beach sticker, a beach day may not always be in the cards.

So we scoped out four MBTA-accessible swimming spots around Boston and rated them on accessibility, cost, and vibes (they matter!). 

Here’s what we thought:

🏊 Reilly Memorial Pool, Brighton. City-run swimming pools tend to have odd hours and often require pre-registration, but that’s not the case with the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation pools. A four-minute walk from the Cleveland Circle T stop gets you to the Reilly Memorial Pool in Brighton, which is free to enter and open daily through August 18. It’s as no-frills as it gets (think: a towel on concrete), but the pool was clean, well-run, and despite being crowded when we visited, there was enough space to camp out and crack open a book. Plus, proximity to Cleveland Circle = plenty of post-pool food and drink options.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

💦 The Colonnade’s Rooftop Pool, Back Bay. If $55 for a day pass to a hotel rooftop pool feels like a lot, consider those feelings validated. That’s how much it costs to get into one of Boston’s only publicly accessible rooftop pools at The Colonnade Hotel. It’s just a one-minute walk from the E Line’s Prudential stop, and the steep price includes access to the pristine (albeit, small) pool, killer city views, free towels and loungers, and the option to pay for poolside drinks and food. You’re basically paying for a lounge chair and semi-private atmosphere, which, while undeniably nice, is just not worth the cash. 

Rating: ⭐⭐

🌊 City Point Beach, South Boston. Boston’s beaches may not hold a candle to the Cape’s, but City Point beach in Southie — one of the two cleanest beaches in the city — will certainly do the job. A quick walk from the 9 Bus gets you plenty of sandy space and perfectly swimmable water. Our only real qualm was the vibe, which was giving slightly more “industrial wasteland” than “beach getaway.” However, for a free beach day that doesn't require a car, or beach sticker, we’ll take it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

🚰 Crystal Lake, Newton. Spoiler: This is THE ONE. $15 (or $8 for Newton residents) and a 10-minute walk from the Newton Highlands T stop gets you access to this freshwater lake (with a dock!), plus plenty of grassy and sandy space to lay around. The water was lovely, the vibes were giving summer camp, and — our favorite part — all of the green space makes it feel far away from the city. Doesn’t this just scream “The Parent Trap?” Overall, minus a few points for the entry fee, this is a big W.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

B-SIDE FOODIE’S CHOICE AWARDS SPONSORED BY TOAST

✈️ 👋 We all love to hate them, but some tourist traps are actually worth the hype. Which one’s your guilty pleasure?

Poll nominees have been selected by Toast and B-Side’s branded content team

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💬 Local officials respond to the Trump assassination attempt. We normally don’t dip into national politics, but it was hard to look away from the news over the weekend following an apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Although there’s no direct threat to Mass., State Police are increasing their presence in high traffic areas across the Commonwealth in light of the incident. Across the aisle, the responses from New England politicians, including Gov. Maura Healey, have been nearly unanimous: There’s no place for political violence in America, and they’re thankful for the former President’s safety.

🍸 Happy hour in Mass. is back on the table … for now. Good news: A new amendment recently added to the state Senate’s economic development bill would nix the 40-year-old buzzkill ban on drink specials and let cities and towns allow their bars to offer discounted alcoholic bevs before 10 p.m. Bad(ish) news: The Senate tried this trick last year only to be met with little interest from the House. The amendment will have to survive negotiations between the House and Senate and a Healey green light before it’d become law, so stay tuned.

🥵 If you think Boston’s hot now … just you wait. New research shows that by later this century, temperatures in Boston are poised to look similar to those of Baltimore, or even Memphis, depending on how drastic our climate action is. Translation: June average temperatures would jump from our current 70.9 degrees to near 77.6, while winters would warm about five degrees. And in other news that feels a little too on the nose, yet another heat emergency has been declared in Boston through July 17.

🐀 The rats are going to hate this City Council measure. Boston City Councilors are considering curbing the city’s rat problem in an all-new way: Rat birth control. Yes, it’s a thing, and apparently it’s proven to be pretty darn effective (rats can have over 100 babies a year, people!). Not to mention it’s safer than using poison, which can harm other animals that come into contact with the rats. How does it work? Medicine can be put into sweetened water or pellets that would safely sterilize the rats without harming them or any other animals.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🌹 Watch your favorite local Bachelorette find love. Did you know this season’s lead on “The Bachelorette” used to be a waitress at Capo (more on that below)? Well, her old stomping grounds are cheering her on every Monday this season with a watch party. 

💅 Take your “Ken-ergy” to sea. The Seaport Summer Cruise Series is back in full swing and wants YOU to wear your best Barbie-inspired outfits to its “Barbie & Ken Dream Boat” sail on Saturday.

💞 Spice up your summer with a single mingle. The new Lola Dating app is hosting the first of three “Single in the City” summer events on Tuesday at Cisco Brewers Seaport where you can meet other locals on the prowl. 

🪕 Win tickets to see the “Stick Season” star. Noah Kahan’s two-night stint at Fenway this week is undoubtedly the hottest ticket in town. But luckily the Fenway Community Center is giving away a pair of tickets at its listening party on Tuesday.

🎭 Prepare for three weeks of winter. And by winter we mean the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s free performances of “The Winter’s Tale,” which kick off Tuesday night on the Common. Reminder: Bring a blanket or chair! 

🤠 Get ready for a Landsdowne throwdown. It’s country week on Lansdowne Street where there will be tunes, mechanical bulls, and DJs at all the popular Fenway bars. So skip the annoying covers and grab this ticket to get you into every venue. 

💀 Laugh your way straight to hell. WYRD Comedy Group’s “New Faces in Hell” show on Friday features local comedians playing characters who’ve died and are now being judged and sentenced at the gates of hell.

🧜🏾‍♀️ Enjoy dinner and a movie and a skyline view. “The Little Mermaid” (the Halle Bailey version) will be playing on an epic 40-foot outdoor movie screen at the Boston Harbor Shipyard in Eastie on Wednesday. Bring your own chairs!

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

An Evening on the Esplanade! 

B-Side is a proud sponsor of the Esplanade Association’s Annual Summer Dock Party held on Thursday, July 18th from 6:30pm-10pm. Hosted on Community Boating, Inc.’s docks, this event will raise funds to support the Esplanade Association’s mission of enhancing and maintaining the beautiful Charles River Esplanade. Enjoy an evening filled with food, drinks, dancing, sunset views, door prizes, and so much more! Buy your tickets today.

ONE LAST THING

A Boston-based Bachelorette

This season of “The Bachelorette” hits a little closer to home than usual. Jenn Tran is our newest Bachelorette, the franchise’s first-ever Asian American lead, and she has major Boston connections. So needless to say: We’re seated.

Tran might not be from Boston originally (shout-out New Jersey!), but between working at Tufts Medical and at this classic South Boston spot, stirring up some drama with her Boston influencer ex, and filming her “get to know me” promo on the Common(!) … we’re claiming her as a Masshole! 

Now, we just have to cross our fingers that we get some Boston hometowns.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🌹 Thanks for reading! Seriously, if you haven’t caught up on the tea with her and Matt Rossi, it’s worth digging into.

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