🎵😎 Gov. Healey’s top song of 2025

💸 When it comes to spending money, are you still a cash girlie? Do you feel like you budget better when you use Washingtons, Lincolns, and Jacksons? We want to hear from you. Fill out this survey or email [email protected] directly with your thoughts. 

🛍️ Heads up: This Friday, Dec. 12, Time Out Market is offering B-Side Members $10 off your $30 purchase. Just flash your pass. Become a member here to claim the deal!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

📚🥐 On the second day of B-Side, the newsletter gave to me … 20 Lovestruck Books gift cards AND 10 Boston Public Market gift cards! Lovestruck Books brings the cozy vibes with a curated selection of romance books, making it easy to fall into your next great read. Boston Public Market celebrates the city’s beloved makers, bakers, and small-batch artisans — from pastries and produce to handmade goods.

👀 Want in? Be one of the first 10 members to fill out the form in your email TODAY between 4–5 p.m. Start a 30-day free membership trial to play!

Now, onto our regularly scheduled programming …

We know YOUR top artist of 2025 was Taylor Swift … but what about Gov. Healey’s? Last year, in honor of Spotify Wrapped season, we asked several local officials and politicians to share their top songs of the year — whether they have Spotify or not.

And the results were so iconic, we HAD to run it back:

💚 Gov. Maura Healey has the “Wicked” soundtrack on repeat. “For Good” was her second favorite song of the year, behind Taylor Swift’s “Opalite.” Also in her top five? Olivia Dean’s “Nice to Each Other,” Chris Stapleton’s “Weight of Your World,” and “You’re Gonna Go Far” by Noah Kahan and Brandi Carlile. She’s just like us fr. 

💅 Councilor Sharon Durkan loves some Addison Rae. “Headphones On” cracked her top five, along with “Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae, “Current Affairs” by Lorde, and “Delicate” by Taylor Swift, her top artist of the year. Unsurprisingly, this mix landed her with a “listening age” of 25. Relatable!

🎵 Rep. Ayanna Pressley is bumping Coldplay. Specifically, “A Sky Full of Stars,” which her teen daughter loves. But when she’s on the aux, “Home” by Whitney Houston, “I Want You Around” by Snoh Aalegra, or any of New Edition’s greatest hits were in the rotation.

🤠 MBTA GM Phillip Eng likes the oldies. This year, Train Daddy Eng turned down the “Game of Thrones” theme song, and turned UP Hank Williams, The Allman Brothers Band, and Van Morrison. Specifically, “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Ramblin’ Man,” and “Moondance.” But his No. 1 fave? “Amie” by Pure Prairie League. 

🎤 State Sen. Lydia Edwards is a top 5% Kendrick Lamar fan. When she’s not trying the Nicki Minaj challenge, Sen. Edwards has the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Cardi B, and (of course) Kendrick, on repeat. Her top three songs: “Sticky,” “Outside,” and “tv off.”

😎 Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll still listens to Pitbull. Like last year, “Fireball” was one of her faves, along with Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Salt-N-Pepa’s “None of Your Business,” and, in the top spot … Role Model’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” Do we think she knows the tea?

🙋🏽‍♀️ Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata’s listening age is 47. Despite her trendy top songs, including “OK” by Joey Valence & Brae, “NISSAN ALTIMA” by Doechii, and “Snooze” by SZA, Coletta Zapata also loves an early 90s banger thanks to her “way cooler” older sister.

🫰 Councilor Enrique Pepén loves “Golden” by KPop Demon Hunters. Though admittedly, that’s mostly thanks to his daughter. His fave song of the year was Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which he likes to blast in the car.

 🎶 Obviously, we made a playlist. You can listen to all of these officials’ fav songs in one place here! 

🎶✨ Being under 35 in Boston means two things: you love a night out, but your bank account doesn’t. That’s where ArtsCard Boston comes in. Created by Celebrity Series and GrubStreet, this new app makes going to concerts, shows, and exhibitions easier (and more affordable) with age-verified discounts, curated event picks, and effortless ticketing — all in one place. Download the app today and support local creatives without blowing your budget. 

🚃 It’s shutdown time, Green Liners. And we don’t have much word count, so listen up! From now through Dec. 22, the line will shut down between North Station and Babcock Street (on the B branch), Kenmore (C and D branches), and Heath Street (E branch). On the B, C, and D branches, shuttles will replace service from Babcock/Kenmore to Copley. After that, hop on the Orange Line at Back Bay. On the E branch, there will be no shuttles, so use the fare-free 39 bus between Heath Street and Back Bay. Here are the deets. Good luck!

🚗 BREAKING: Boston traffic (still) sucks. In fact, the average Boston driver spends *drumroll* … 83 hours in traffic a year, according to a new report! That’s almost three-and-a-half days. That delightful stat, which is up four hours from last year, is the fifth-worst in the country, behind Chicago, New York, Philly, and LA, and 12th worst in the WORLD. Even more grim: Besides time, those 83 wasted hours represent an estimated $1,529 in fuel and productivity … not to mention the cost of your sanity. Dive into the full report here.

⚽ We’re one step closer to the World Cup kick-off. Over the weekend, FIFA dropped the venue assignments and game times of the tournament’s group stage, which means we now know which countries will be facing off in Boston Foxborough. TL;DR: No. 3 France v. Norway on June 26, featuring two of the best players in the world, will be a must-watch, but No 4. England v. Ghana on June 23 should be fun, too. Here’s the full list of local games, and here’s how to enter the next ticket lottery.

🍔 Logan just got a hamburger vending machine. Also, a cheesecake vending machine, and … a pizza vending machine, courtesy of White Castle, the Cheesecake Factory, and California Pizza Kitchen. All three chains recently opened 24-hour “kiosks” in Logan’s Terminal A (which marks White Castle’s first New England location, BTW). While it’s unclear exactly how the kiosks work, the White Castle version looks pretty similar to a vending machine, with a totally automated payment, ordering, and food-receiving system. Here’s a peek!

With B-Side’s new small business holiday shop, you can shop for our favorite products like the Eureka Puzzles Boston Starry Night puzzle, which Van Gogh-ifies Boston in the best way. 

💆 Nab a MAJOR massage deal. MassageLuXe (formerly Squeeze) is offering BOGO massages and facials AND $39 massages at its Somerville and Watertown locations. We repeat: BOGO massages and facials! Book one here.

🛍️ Stroll through the streets. The South End, JP, AND Charlestown are all having holiday strolls this week, where folks can shop their hood’s local businesses, enjoy holly jolly specials, and mingle with neighbors! 

🍩 Give Dunkin’ a run for its money. Loretta’s Last Call is hosting a holiday doughnut decorating class on Dec. 9. Tickets include entry, all doughnuts and decorating materials, and a drink! SOLD.

💡 See the Fenway get LIT. Dec. 10 marks the Fenway’s tree lighting AND annual luminary walk, where you’ll see all the hood’s best lights. It all kicks off at the Kelleher Rose Garden at 6 p.m. 

✂️ Eat good, and get crafty. On Dec. 10 at Remnant Brewing, $30 will get you an order of lumpias, a bev, AND a DIY holiday craft. Then just eat, sip, and craft your little heart out!

🎨 Spend a night with your neighbors. Or, at least, fellow museum enthusiasts, at the ICA’s neighborhood night on Dec. 11. There will be free admission, art-making, limited-edition gifts for purchase, and more!

🏃 Run, but make it festive. The 1.5 Star Run Club’s third annual Christmas Tree Run is on Dec. 11. You’ll start at Lululemon Seaport, tick off four easy miles to Castle Island, and end with pizza and brews! 

🪄 Have a magical night. Literally. If stand-up comedy and magic had a baby, it would be The Magic Lab on Dec. 11. It’s Boston’s only magic open mic, where local magicians test out their new material.

Ever wonder how streets get their names? In the case of Maranville Street, all it took was one teen, and a well-timed Google Maps edit. 

During COVID lockdowns, then 14-year-old high schooler Brendan Libby was fooling around on Google Maps and noticed a small, unnamed street near where he lived. Since Google Maps allows suggested edits, he jokingly suggested “Maranville Street” after his fav old-timey baseball player. To his surprise, the edit was accepted.

But the real shock didn’t come until later, when the automated voice on the 51 bus started using it too. The former “720 Independence Drive” stop became “Independence Drive @ Maranville Street.”

Long story short, apparently, the MBTA sometimes uses Google Maps to update bus stop names, which is how it sourced the made-up name. And to this day, if you ride that bus, you can get off at Maranville Street.

You can read the whole wild story here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Claire Nicholas

🚌 Thanks for reading! Petition to get an official street sign? 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Celebrity Series and GrubStreet, for supporting local journalism and keeping Boston’s creative scene thriving (and affordable).

☕ The results are in: A whopping 61% of B-Siders agree that L.A. Burdick has the best hot cocoa in Boston. Stay tuned for our full guide! One reader said: “UNDISPUTABLY.” UNDERSTOOD.

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