🚃 The Green Line is down for the count

It’s Monday, Boston!

🔔 Friendly reminder: The Boston Globe’s Globe Summit kicks off Tuesday for three days of fireside chats, panels, and networking opportunities with some of the region’s greatest minds and celebs. Just take a look at this lineup. Bonus: It’s free to attend. Register here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Dorchester’s new neighborhood

• Peak fall map

• MBTA superheroes

Up first …

TRANSPORTATION

The good, the bad, and the Green Line

MBTA shutdown season is in full swing (but really, when is it not?). And this month, the Green Line is taking center stage.

Here’s what to know:

🚃 Shot: The Union Square branch of the Green Line is OOO for the next 25 days. Starting today through Oct. 12, Green Line extension service between Lechmere and Union Square is suspended so repairs can be made on the Squires Bridge, which runs over the line. It’s still a mystery why the bridge repairs weren’t completed before the line opened in March 2022.

😭 Chaser: There won’t be any daily shuttle buses to make up for it. Instead, the T says riders can use the 86, 91, and CT2 buses from Union Square to get to the East Somerville Station on the Medford Branch, or hop on the 87 bus between Union Square and Lechmere.

😋 But they made one exception: The Fluff Festival. This beloved Somerville celebration all about the Mass.-made, marshmellowy goodness attracts thousands of visitors every year, so after being read the riot act by local businesses and residents, MassDOT will provide three shuttle buses between East Somerville Station and Union Square on Sept. 23 from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the festival.

Ready for another round?

🚧 Shot: Green Line trains between North Station and Gov. Center are also OOO for the next 25 days. This shutdown, which we already experienced a shorter version of this summer, is to accommodate the demolition of the Gov. Center Garage (which has been dragging on weeks longer than planned).

🥴 Chaser: There won’t be any shuttle buses, either. Gov. Center, Haymarket, and North Station are around a half mile apart, so the T is telling able-bodied riders to walk instead. The walk between Gov. Center and North Station is about 15 minutes on Google Maps, or 10 minutes if you’re from Boston.

🚇 Bonus: Orange Line trains will also bypass Haymarket for 25 days (for the same reasons above). So instead, get off at North Station or State and walk four to eight minutes to Haymarket. Remember: You can make an Orange or Green Line connection via the Winter Street Concourse, which connects Park Street and Downtown Crossing stations.

📝 Note: If any of these walks aren’t possible for you, accessibility vans will be available on demand — just ask an MBTA employee at the station.

TOGETHER WITH INDUSTRIOUS AT LEGACY PLACE

Thinking about a new WFH setup?

💡Look no further than Industrious at Legacy Place, the area’s newest (and best-in-class) coworking space. Located in Dedham, just 25 minutes outside of Boston, Industrious offers all-inclusive amenities and access to over 50 stores and restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a common space to focus, or a private office, Industrious at Legacy Place has you covered. Book a free tour today.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏗️ Dorchester is about to get ritzier. Boston’s Planning and Development Agency gave the thumbs up to a $5 billion project that’s set to transform the area around Columbia Point known as “Dorchester Bay City.” Just a short walk from the JFK/UMass T stop, the new development will have 21 buildings, tons of new green space, bike-friendly roads, and nearly 2,000 apartment units, 20% of which will be affordable. Once each building gets the final sign off, the plan is to break ground in the spring or summer. You can see what it’ll look like here.

🏠 Mass. voters don’t hate the idea of bringing back rent control. Even though rent control advocates are unsure whether it should be on the ballot, results from a recent poll show that over 60% of voters would support a ballot question allowing cities and towns to implement their version of rent control. And even when the language of the question changed, their support didn’t, which is key to a winning ballot question, according to some political strategists. But this isn’t exactly surprising: Nearly 70% of respondents said housing costs were their top issues.

💉 You’ve got the greenlight to get your fall COVID shot. Assuming you’re over six months old, the CDC is recommending everyone to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine that’s designed to protect against the latest variants of the virus this fall/winter. It’s all part of a larger shift to get a yearly COVID shot like you would a flu shot, and luckily, you can now get both at the same time. You can schedule your vaccine appointment at CVS or Walgreens for this week. Both already have doses of the new jab.

🍁 Here’s the 2023 leaf-peeping play-by-play. Every year, SmokyMountains.com releases foliage maps of the U.S. using weather and tree data, giving them a solid shot at guessing the optimal time to make all of your non-New England friends jealous on IG. With that, their 2023 map predictions just dropped, and it looks like the week of Oct. 2 and 9 is when Mass. leaf-peeping is going to be at its finest, with peak happening toward the latter. You can see the maps through Thanksgiving here.

QUICK QUESTION!

🍂 If you’re leaf-peeping around Boston, where are you going?

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🤤 Come hungry to Watertown. The Stick a Fork in it! Food Festival sold out last year, so snag your tickets for Wednesday’s event featuring food and drink from Arsenal Yards’ restaurants.

📽️ Attend Boston’s biggest cinema event. The Boston Film Festival runs Sept. 21 to 24, showcasing some of this year’s coolest and most distinguished films. Tickets and schedule are here.

🧑‍🎨 Put your artistic talents to the test. Wednesday is competition day for Bostonians of all artistic skill levels as Time Out Market hosts the Fall Tray Design Competition at 6 p.m.

🍺 Unwind with a craft brew at Boston Landing. Your senses are in for a treat at Thursday’s Makers & Brewers Market, where you can sip and eat local flavors, listen to acoustic music, and stroll around Athletes Park.

🎸 Get to know smaller artists with big talent. For a change of pace from big Boston venues, settle in at the intimate Brighton Music Hall. This week: Lauren Mayberry, Better Lovers, Overmono, Igorrr, and more.

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock four bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

ONE LAST THING

MBTA superheroes

In the wake of slow zones, shutdowns, and safety concerns, there are a few MBTA drivers saving the day. Their superpower? Making people smile.

There’s Wali Holly on the Green Line, who puts his own twist on the T’s boilerplate announcements with anime recs and gassing up Boston sports teams; Allen Freeman on the Red Line with his rapid-fire service announcements and countless ways of saying “Braintree” and “Ashmont;” and Blue Line operator Helen Antenucci, who always reminds riders to be “be kind.”

You can get a taste of what the announcements sound like here.

🥺 Thanks for reading! I was lucky enough to be on one of Freeman’s trains this February, and his announcements flung me out of my seasonal depression.

👀 The results are in: 50% of readers agree that Faneuil Hall’s name should be changed given its namesake’s connection the slave trade. One reader wrote, “Whatever it gets renamed to will definitely be easier to spell.” Preach.

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