🍁❌ Don’t fall for this fall tourist trap

It’s Monday, Boston.

🍁 It’s also officially fall, y’all! Which means it’s time to double check that your fall in New England starter pack is ready to go (minus the Sunday scowl this year, ofc). 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Love that … cyanobacteria water

• USPS is giving snail mail

• Rhapsody in Wu

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

Realistic Girl Autumn > Christian Girl Autumn

Let’s face it: It’s not easy to have a “classic New England fall” as a young Bostonian. You can’t leaf peep the Kancamagus Highway without a car, apple picking costs an arm and a leg, and who actually wants to deal with those Salem crowds?

Introducing: Our “Realistic Girl Autumn” checklist of accessible, cheaper, and under-the-radar fall activities around Boston.

Here’s what’s worth a swap:

🍂 Instead of driving the Kancamagus to leaf peep … Globe lead meteorologist Ken Mahan recommends his go-to spot: The Arnold Arboretum. It’s MBTA-accessible, the foliage is stunning, and if you want to keep the party going, it’s just a short walk from another one of his fave spots, the Allandale Woods. Mahan said there’s “plenty of tree diversity” in both, meaning you’ll get to take in the full spectrum of fall colors, from bright yellows and reds to deep purples. Plus, the terrain makes for as easy or woodsy of a walk as you’d like.

👻 Instead of braving the Salem crowds for Halloween vibes … try out Wicked Haunt Fest, Boston’s first-ever large-scale Halloween festival. It kicks off in Charlestown’s Hood Park on Sept. 29 and runs through Nov. 3. If you want to be spooked, head to one of its several, very intricate haunted attractions. If not, the Oktoberfest-style beer garden, seasonal food, walk up bars, and shopping vendors will keep you busy. The best part? You don’t have to pay $5,000 a night to stay in someone’s apartment.

🍩 Instead of getting cider doughnuts at a quaint orchard … Alex Schwartz, creator of the New England Cider Donut Map, said to head to Red Apple Farm’s stall in the Boston Public Market. Getting fresh cider doughnuts — arguably, the only ones worth having — in Boston is a tall order. But lucky for us, not only does Red Apple Farm churn out hot, fresh, mini cider doughnuts pretty much non-stop in the fall, but they’re 100% Schwartz-approved: “They have doughnut-making down to a science,” Schwartz said.

🎡 Instead of begging your friend for a ride to The Big E … Beg them for a ride to the Topsfield Fair! OK, you might need a car for this one … and truly, nothing is quite like The Big E. But if you’re looking to scratch a similar itch without a two-hour car ride  (Topsfield is about 45 minutes away), it can certainly do it. Boston.com readers noted that “Topsfield is more friendly, more manageable, but still with a great variety of rides, agricultural exhibits, food, etc.”

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤮 The Charles is staying true to its “dirty water” brand this week. Hide yo’ kids and hide yo’ pets, because the Mass. Department of Public Health issued a public health advisory for the Charles River from the Charles River Dam to the Longfellow Bridge due to a major bloom of harmful cyanobacteria. The area is now temporarily closed to water activities. This pea soup-looking bacteria can release toxins which can be fatal to pets and kids when exposed, so keep both out of the river and follow these steps if they come in contact with it. 

📬 Boston’s USPS service is giving snail mail a whole new meaning. As in, several Boston residents claim they’re either getting their mail super late or not getting it at all. So a handful of City Councilors filed an emergency hearing order last week to investigate what’s really going on. This slow service is more than just generally annoying as some residents are missing important communications, financial docs, or medications. And with the November election just around the corner, there’s extra worry about mail-in ballots being delivered on time. 

🔥 The ballot question battles are just heating up. Right about now is when you should be getting a bright red booklet in the mail outlining all five state ballot questions. Curious where public opinion stands? A recent UNH poll found that likely voters are largely supportive of Questions 1, 3, 4, and 5, while many are split on Question 2, which would eliminate MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. But in a twist, a local James Beard-nominated chef just came out against Question 5, which would increase wages for tipped workers. 

😭 Our journey to 4:30 p.m. sunsets starts now. Well, it technically started June 20, but the cries of “it’s so dark out” are going to sound a little louder these days, as the length of daylight drops by 1 hour and 22 minutes in New England over the course of September (roughly 20 minutes per week). And with daylight hours slipping away, daytime temps will also start their seasonal descent — high temps this week will be just below normal this week in the upper 60s and low 70s.

QUICK QUESTION

🗳️ Which ballot question do you feel most strongly about?

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🎤 Hear from Boston breakthroughs. The Boston Globe’s annual Globe Summit kicks off Wednesday where you can listen in on convos with the area’s biggest movers and shakers. Shameless plug: B-Side’s own Emily Schario is hosting a talk about food and social media! 

💋 See if you passed sex-ed. There won’t be a test, but there will be sex trivia hosted by Mer-Made for Pleasure and Pleasure Pie at Long Live Roxbury on Tuesday night. Fun team names are strongly encouraged.

🧶 Gossip with your craft gals. The Boston Figurative Art Center is hosting a stitch and b*tch event Wednesday where sewing, crocheting, and knitting nerds can bring their latest crafts to commiserate over. Snacks will be provided!

🍦 Scream for $1 ice cream. Run, don’t walk, to Van Leeuwen’s shop in the Seaport, because it’s giving out $1 scoops between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday to celebrate opening day.

🤑 Get free admission to the MFA. Thursday is Latinx Heritage Night at the MFA, which means you can enjoy a $5 minimum pay-what-you-wish general admission, along with live music, activities, and more.

🎮 Game on with the ultimate gamers. The MIT Museum is hosting a jam-packed night of games and play on Thursday with some interesting twists. See: A robot that can beat you at Connect 4 and an oscilloscope hacked to play Guitar Hero.

🎶 Listen to local Tiny Desk Concerts faves. Axel & Lolo, a Boston-based band and WBUR’s Mass. favorite of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest, will be performing live at WBUR’s CitySpace on Friday. 

ONE LAST THING

Rhapsody in Wu

Mayor Wu? More like Mayor Mozart. 

In what might be her coolest party trick yet, Mayor Michelle Wu performed as a guest piano soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for its free community concert this weekend. And no, she didn’t just play the “Heart and Soul” chords.

She actually played “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, an 18-minute piece where the piano is interwoven with the orchestra. The last time she performed it was with her high school symphony, so she got a quick refresher course with the staff at Berklee College of Music before hitting the stage. 

And after watching her perform, you can tell she clearly picked it right back up.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🎹 Thanks for reading! Does Berklee provide quick refresher courses on “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?” Asking for a friend …

🤔 The results are in: Nearly 60% of B-Siders agree that folks working city jobs should ideally live in Boston, but that requirement isn’t practical given the cost of living. One reader said, “Everyone from MA claims they're from Boston anyway!”

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