🚃😫 Another Green Line headache starts now

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

🏀 ICYMI: Jaylen Brown was an absolute beast in this weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest, finishing second overall. Brown was Boston’s first rep in the contest since 2007, and made some incredible dunks (see: this wild jump over Kai Cenat.)

👀 What’s on tap today:

• See ya, slow zones

• Boston’s snow drought

• A house for … free?

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

Green Line shutdowns branch out

It’s back to the trenches for Green Line riders. Starting today through March 8, chunks of the B, C, and D branches will be OOO for track repair as part of the MBTA’s yearlong plan to rid the T of its dreaded slow zones.

Here’s what to know: 

🚂 If you take the B branch, you’ve got bus options. The obvious being the bright yellow shuttle buses that’ll replace service between Copley and Babcock Street (skipping Blandford Street). But if you’ve been burned by shuttle buses one too many times, the 57 bus will be fare free between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner. Bonus: Those heading west from Babcock Street can take advantage of free T fares, too.

🚌 If you take the C branch, prepare for a schlep. The entire branch from Copley to Cleveland Circle will be down for the count during the 18-day shutdown, meaning shuttle buses will likely be your best friend. Note: There won’t be any shuttles at Saint Mary's Street, Kent Street, or Brandon Hall, so plan accordingly. 

🤷 If you take the D branch, you’re probs taking a shuttle bus. They’ll be replacing service between Copley and Brookline Hills, and if you need it, an accessible van will be available during weekdays only (same goes for the B branch). Heading west from Brookline Hills? Your T ride will also be fare free. 

⏰ If you take the E branch, make sure to budget extra travel time. Really, that goes for all branches. The E branch will make all its normal stops from downtown to Heath Street. That said, the MBTA is advising riders to plan for longer waits between Government Center and Copley. TBH, it might be worth committing to being an Orange Line rider during the shutdown to avoid the headache. Note: No fares will be collected at Copley or Back Bay.

👍 The good news? The commuter rail will be fare free between Lansdowne, Back Bay, and South Station. Annnnd this is the last planned Green Line shutdown for a while (the next one is slated for the end of July). 

👎 The bad news? Despite the gigundo Green Line shutdowns we saw in January, travel times don’t feel that much faster. But it’s mostly due to the fact that Green Line stops are closer together, the drivers are human, and even at full speed, the Green Line is just slower than other lines. So don’t expect to whizz down Comm. Ave. after this shutdown ends.

👀 Need to visualize your commute? MBTA shutdown maps typically make us crosseyed, but this one is pretty easy to understand. 

TOGETHER WITH LEVITATE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

This summer is about to be SUBLIME

☀️🎵 Summertime, and the livin’s easy — well, at least it will be on Fourth of July weekend. The 11th annual Levitate Music and Arts Festival is making its return to Marshfield from July 5 to 7 with three days of live music, art, food trucks, cold drinks, and much more. Plan your escape on the South Shore (just 30 minutes outside of Boston) during one of the best weekends of summer. With sets from talented artists like Lake Street Dive, Mt. Joy, Dirty Heads, and a special appearance from the newly reunited Sublime (including original members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson) for all you ‘90s music lovers, this is going to be the ultimate good vibes summertime bash! Grab your three-day pass, or opt for one of the newly available single day tickets for just $129, before they’re all gone!  

POP QUIZ!

❄️ How long has it been since Boston’s seen a significant snowfall, a.k.a. more than four inches?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚇 Another round of slow zones bite the dust. After a 10-day shutdown that ended on Feb. 15, the Red Line is back, but this time without eight of its slow zones between Alewife and Harvard. Riders can expect to save the most time heading southbound, where about five minutes of slow zone time were removed, whereas northbound trains will still encounter some gnarly zones between Harvard and Park Street, where there were only nightly shutdowns. 

👮 Looks like it pays to be a Boston cop. The City of Boston’s annual employee earnings report is out, and in it, we get all the tea on Boston’s highest earners. Spoiler: Most of them are police. Out of the city’s 50 highest earners, most are involved with the Boston Police Department. Even high profile officials like Mayor Michelle Wu are way behind, with her coming in at 735th place. The only non-police names that cracked the top 10 were BPS superintendent Mary Skipper at No. 4 and BPS chief of strategy and equity Charles Grandon at No. 9.

❄️ It’s official: We’re in a snow drought. A.k.a. the longest stretch of time without “significant snowfall” (> four inches) in Boston since it was first recorded in the 1800s. It's been 723 days — just a week shy of two years. Apparently, the lack of snow is largely due to the inconsistency in our cold temps, not a lack of precipitation, which we’ve actually seen quite a bit of. And although our El Niño year plays a role, the main culprit is, of course, climate change. 

🚕 Ubering from Logan is so 2023. Thanks to ballooning surge pricing and longer wait times, some rideshare passengers are realizing that old-school taxis are often a quicker and cheaper option to get home from Logan. Taxi pickups from Logan Airport have been steadily on the rise since 2020, albeit slower than their rideshare compatriots, when they hit an all-time low pre-pandemic thanks to the rapid growth of rideshare apps. 

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

✊🏿 Take in powerful stories of Black history. Shout out to the Red Sox! This week, they’re providing free admission to the Museum of African American History.

💃 Give swing dancing a spin. Friday is your chance! Head to Q Ballroom for a beginner lesson, then rock step the night away to the music of the Dan Fox Foxtet. 

✒️ Enhance your stationery skillset. It’s calligraphy time! West Elm at Legacy Place is hosting a sip and script Wednesday evening. 

🎲 Take it back to basics with a good ol’ game night. The Fenway Community Center is setting us up with board games and treats on Wednesday (or bring any of your own faves). 

😂 Laugh your way to heaven. Friday is Divine Comedy standup night at The Charles River Speedway. P.S. Take advantage of The Speedway’s drinks and eats before the show!   

— Written by Claire Nicholas

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

ONE LAST THING

A “free” house

Home-owning hopefuls, we’ve officially found the deal of a lifetime. But there’s obviously a catch.

A New Hampshire man is selling his beautiful, historic 1820’s home for literally zero dollars. But in order to have said house, you have to move it. No, not move into it. You have to physically move the house. 

The home’s owner wants to keep the property sans house, so the condition of buying it is that you’ll also have to pick it up and relocate it (yep, that’s a real thing), which can be a major hassle, and cost anywhere from $15,000 to $200,000. 

But if you’re willing to figure it out, we’d say the house is pretty good compensation for your troubles.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🚚 Thanks for reading! TBH, if you can find a free plot of land to go with it, that’s a killer deal in this housing market.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Levitate Music Festival, for supporting local journalism and already making summer 2024 one to remember. 

💑 The results are in: 47% of B-Siders say that they’d only move in with a partner in order to save $$$ if it were really serious, but only 13% were opposed to the idea altogether. One reader said: “My partner and I UHaul'd after 8 months bc of the housing crisis, very lesbian of us!”

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