😳 The fastest way to Logan might surprise you

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

🧘 Massholes know how to chill out. A recent study found that Mass. is the ninth “most relaxed” state in the U.S. (South Dakota was No. 1). Which conveniently was conducted before the Sumner Tunnel shutdown.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Love that dirty water

• Boston’s new voting map

• A wild canary chase

Up first...

TRANSPORTATION

Getting to Logan, four ways

What’s it really like getting to and from Logan during the Sumner Tunnel closure? Four Boston Globe reporters tested four different modes of transit, getting to the airport during rush hour then turning around and getting back to the office. And the fastest option might surprise you.

⛴️ The ferry was the slowest, but most scenic, option. Spencer Buell caught the Hingham-Hull ferry from Long Wharf and enjoyed the 13-minute ride to the 10-minute airport shuttle, which took him to baggage claim. But then he waited around 30 minutes for the 66 shuttle back to the dock, then spent 25 minutes on said shuttle, and another eight on the boat. The total, round trip travel time from the Globe’s office to Terminal A was a lengthy two hours and 36 minutes and cost $24.75. But, he spent both legs of the boat ride with the wind in his hair.

🚎 The Silver Line was promising … until it wasn’t. Alex Koller had a speedy, albeit crowded, 15-minute trek on the Silver Line 1 bus from South Station to Terminal A. But his return was quite the opposite. The bus was met with a sea of traffic during its return on I-90 heading into the Ted Williams tunnel (which had just been closed earlier that morning). Koller spent around 45 minutes in traffic listening to cars honking, with the total, round trip travel time clocking in at one hour and 21 minutes for only $2.40.

🚇 The Blue Line almost took home the gold. Shannon Larson had a breezy, nine-minute ride from State Street to the Airport station before hopping on the shuttle to Terminal A. The shuttle ride took around 29 minutes, and in retrospect, it may have been faster heading back from Terminal A on foot. She got back to the office in 53 minutes total, just behind the first place finisher. But given she spent nothing on this trip since the Blue Line is free during the Sumner Tunnel closure, Larson feels like the ultimate winner here.

🚗 Taking an Uber was the speed winner of the day. Dana Gerber braced for a rush-hour hellscape on her Logan journey given that officials have recommended those driving in to budget a few extra hours of travel time. But instead, she sailed to Terminal A in less than 20 minutes. The ride back was a little more congested, as her driver predicted, but once they got into the tunnel’s left lane, traffic eased up. The total travel time was just under 51 minutes and cost $43.78. So it looks like you can get to Logan in a relaxed manner. But it’ll cost you.

👀 You can read more about their airport journeys here.

QUICK QUESTION!

✈️ How would you prefer to get to Logan?

TOGETHER WITH GUYS BOSTON

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤢 This weekend’s rain left the harbor a fun surprise: A sewage discharge! Long story short, when we get a ton of rain, it can mix with wastewater and find its way into nearby bodies of water. And Upper Inner Harbor near the North Washington Street Bridge was the unlucky recipient. Boston Health Officials issued a public health warning on Monday, asking residents to avoid all contact with the Inner Boston Harbor since bacteria and other pollutants can cause illness. You can see exactly where to avoid here. The warning should lift tonight.

🗳️ It looks like Boston’s new voting map is here to stay. A bright spot in what has otherwise been a never-ending episode of The Real City Councilors of Boston. The folks who sued the city last year for using race as a predominant factor in the new voting map agreed “not to challenge” the most recent map that passed in May, saying the city had “fully complied with” a court order to redraw it. So be sure to vote in the City Council prelims on Sept. 12. You can see if your district changed here.

🥵 We’re trading in cats and dogs rain for fish bowl humidity and smoke. While the record-breaking deluge has passed, the sticky, icky humidity is here to stay today (with a possible thunderstorm this afternoon), but should hopefully let up a little later in the week. The smoky skies you saw yesterday could linger today, too, so keep an eye on your phone for air quality alerts. Plus, you may want to emotionally prepare for this weekend’s forecast: There’s a 50/50 shot it’ll either be beautiful, or rainy and humid (again).

🎶 Boston’s new mixtape just dropped. No, but really. Mayor Wu and the city’s tourism office just released “Dear Summer Vol. 1”, the city’s first ever mixtape with 68 tracks from artists and DJs around Greater Boston representing styles and genres that have impacted the city’s cultural legacy. Building awareness of local talent and connecting residents through music is at the heart of this new annual collab. You can stream it on the city’s website, or listen on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Mixcloud platforms.

ONE LAST THING

A wild canary chase

A South End couple thought they’d lost their pet canaries forever, until their neighborhood stepped in.

Back in 2021, Noorullah Maqsoodi surprised his fiance at the time, Sana Batool, with a pair of yellow canaries, named Chu Chu and Chirp, a symbol of good in the couple’s Islamic heritage. But after a long day of work this May, Maqsoodi, forgot to bring their cage inside, and was distraught to find it empty and toppled over the next morning.

While the couple had to leave Boston for their wedding weekend, the neighborhood went full pet patrol looking for the birds. And surprisingly, they found them both.

One had been taken to a rescue facility while the other was spotted on the street being fed a granola bar by a woman (amazing).

Chu Chu and Chirp are now safe and sound at home, but this time, their cage sits right under one of the fliers that helped reunite them with Batool and Maqsoodi.

🐦 Thanks for reading! After reading this story, there may still be hope for Buddy.

💅 The results are in: More than 50% of respondents are most excited to see the Barbie movie this summer, with one reader asking “how is this even a question?” Fair point.

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