⛽ Good news on gas prices

It’s Wednesday, Boston.

🍕 THere’s noWHerE to eat AFTer MIDniGHt in BosTON, RIGht? Wrong! Our late-night dining options may be few, but they are mighty. So next time, skip the 1 a.m. googling and check out this Globe roundup of options.

🤑 Also … We want to talk to you for an upcoming story! Do you work in a local fast-casual or cafe-style food service? Think: coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream shops, etc. If so, we want to hear your thoughts about tipping. If you’re interested, respond to this email or email [email protected]. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Downtown biz is looking up

• 2025 Boston Marathon qualifiers

• An IRL treasure hunt

Up first…

GOOD NEWS

Good news for no reason at all

We can think of tons of reasons why a dose of good news is a good idea. But at the end of the day, we don’t really need a reason to give you one.

So consider this roundup of feel-good stories from September a random act of kindness. You're welcome.

🏅 Local athletes showed UP at the Paralympics. And by showed up, we mean Mass. athletes won nine medals! Some standout performances include Salem native Leanne Smith, who won three medals, one of which was a Paralympic record setting gold in the 100 meter freestyle S3; and a very casual THREE gold medals in equestrian events for Bostonian and Northeastern grad Fiona Howard at her first Paralympics ever. 

👶  Cambridge made Pre-K free for all. Well, all 4-year-olds. Starting this year, Cambridge is guaranteeing every 4-year-old in the city a free seat in Pre-K after nearly 20 years of talks. The initiative includes public and private, specialized schools, with options for Montessori, bilingual, and even arts and music-oriented teaching styles. The hope is that kids won’t need to have a wealthy background to receive a high-end education experience. 

🏈  A bar full of Pats fans had the last laugh. Heading into the Pats’ first game of the season against the Bengals, not many folks thought the Pats would come out with a W. Especially The Dirty Water, a sports bar for Boston fans in Washington D.C., which went so far as to promise patrons they’d foot the bar tab if the Pats won. Long story short, after a surprising performance from the Pats, the bar is out about $6,000 in drinks, and up a ton of very happy Pats fans.

⛽  The days of gas station sticker shock are O-V-E-R (for now). There were times when we thought gas prices may never go back down (see: the $5.05 per gallon average in 2022). But in Mass. it’s finally happening. As of Tuesday, the state average price of gas was $3.13 per gallon, 64 cents lower than it was a year ago, and 24 cents lower than just a month ago. And in even better news: We can expect the downward trend to continue.

🤩 Big-time celebs spread big-time joy to Bostonians. “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds stopped by MGH this month to pay a visit to 8-year-old Nash, who is undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer. Nash caught Reynolds’ attention when he decorated his radiation mask to look like Deadpool. Warning: This video of the meeting might make you ugly cry. And speaking of happy tears, you also have to see this video of a 105-year-old Bruins fan who got an (adorable) surprise FaceTime from Bobby Orr on her birthday.

QUICK QUESTION

🤑  Do you think we should be tipping at fast-casual or cafe-style restaurants? (Think: coffee shops, ice cream shops, Sweetgreen, etc.)

TOGETHER WITH THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER

Are you Team Blue or Team Red? 

💙❤️ And no, we’re not talking about the election — we’re talking about Team Montague or Capulet! Catch Rudy Pankow (yep, JJ from “Outer Banks”) and Emilia Suárez (from “Up Here”) bringing the ultimate family feud to life in “Romeo and Juliet" at the A.R.T., now through Oct. 6. Whether you’re here for romance, drama, or action, this is your last chance to see it all live at the Loeb Drama Center. Bonus: Tickets are only $30 for students and anyone under 25.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💸 Who said downtown businesses are going down? In 2023, a lot of people, actually. But it turns out those rumors aren’t quite shaking out. According to downtown bars and eateries, initial worries that the exodus of in-person office workers would put them out of business seem to have been overblown. While it’s true that folks aren’t staying out as late, and office workers can be scarce, the combo of clever programming and events, the neighborhood’s Business Improvement District, and support from the city has successfully brought in customers, and left many business owners optimistic about the neighborhood’s future.

📝 2024 MCAS scores aren’t looking too hot. Here’s some ballot question food for thought: This year’s MCAS scores are out, and just 42% of students met expectations statewide. ICYMI: The MCAS = Mass.’ standardized test that highschoolers are required to pass in order to graduate, and that requirement is on the ballot this November. The subpar scores reflect a multi-year post-pandemic slump, and the numbers are even more grim for students of color and those in poorer districts. See: 38% of Boston 10th graders passed their math test, compared with 17% in Springfield.

🦄  Qualifying for the Boston Marathon somehow just got harder. A record-high 36,393 people completed the superhuman task of qualifying for the 2025 Boston Marathon. But only those who ran 6 minutes and 51 seconds or faster than that qualifying standard were actually accepted into the race. That may seem harsh (and it is) but the problem of too many qualifiers has been around for a while — even leading the BAA to adjust most qualifying standards for 2026. At least the vast majority of us can sleep easy knowing we’ll never run fast enough to worry about it.

😋 This Boston restaurant was just named one of America’s best. Somaek, Boston’s new Korean restaurant from prolific local restaurateur Jamie Bissonnette, was just named one of The New York Times’ 50 favorite restaurants of 2024 (it’s also been featured in an equally prestigious B-Side Telephone Tag, BTW). Somaek was also the only Mass. spot to make the cut, and for good reason: The Times called the menu “Korean home cooking in all its magnificence and abundance.” Check out the whole list here.

GIVEAWAY

Together with [solidcore]

Enter to win 5 Free Classes to [solidcore]. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Sept. 25, 2024. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

ONE LAST THING

An IRL treasure hunt

We’ve featured our fair share of ridiculous local get-rich-quick schemes. But this one really takes the cake. It’s called “Project Skydrop.” Let us set the scene. 

A mapped circle points to the location of a solid gold statue valued at over $26,000. And if you can find it first, it’s yours.

On day one, the circle had a 500-mile radius, but every day, the map area gets smaller until, on Oct. 10, we’ll all know exactly where the trophy is. But right now, it could be in any wooded area from Worcester, to Danbury, Conn., to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 

But here’s the catch: For $20, you can get an image of the trophy emailed to you every day, that will start fully zoomed in and zoom further out day by day to reveal additional clues to its location — plus the winner will also take home half the entry fees.

Before you ask, the whole thing is legit — it’s run by an acclaimed video game designer who’s attempting to “improve the treasure hunt as a game genre.” You can check it out here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🥇 Thanks for reading! And if you’re wondering if I spent 20 minutes of my work day on GeoGuesser Reddit trying to figure out where it is … I didn’t.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the American Repertory Theater, for supporting local journalism and bringing unforgettable performances to our city. 

🩳 The results are in: 39% of B-Siders think that shorts shouldn’t be worn at the office, but aren’t going to stop anyone who wears them. One reader said: “Sometimes, I think knees are meant to be kept a secret.” 

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