Holiday traffic + major storm = 😬

It's Wednesday, Boston.

🌅 Happy Winter Solstice! Today is the shortest day of the year. It can only get lighter from here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Local doctor arrested for Jan. 6

• Symphony Station gets a face lift

• Christmas tree fit for college kids

Up first…

TRAVEL

Holiday traffic doesn’t look pretty

What happens when you mix a potential bomb cyclone and over 100 million Americans traveling for the holidays? Nothing good, I suspect.

So if you’re one of the estimated 2.25 million people in Massachusetts braving the weather and hitting the road this week, AAA spokesman Mark Schieldrop has some advice:

🚘 Avoid I-90, I-95, and I-93 on Friday afternoon/evening like the plague. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a slow-moving concoction of commuting, holiday, and bad weather traffic. But if Friday is your only option, just manage your ETA expectations.

“If your destination is three or four hours away, in your head, tell yourself it's five to seven hours away … It’s when folks set a goal in mind and then they start running late; that’s when the stress begins to build up,” Schieldrop said.

Reminder: Fill up your tank before Friday and make sure your tires and windshield wipers are in good shape for bad driving conditions.

✈️ If you’re flying out Friday, consider rebooking now. Massport is expecting disruptions on Thursday and Friday and many airlines are already waiving change fees. But if you’re optimistic your flight won’t be impacted by the storm, get to the airport three to four hours before your departure since it’s going to be the busiest travel day on the departure side. 

Reminder: If your flight gets canceled due to weather, you’re legally entitled to a refund or a rescheduled flight.

🚆 Expect a full train this holiday season. Holiday train ridership will be nearing pre-pandemic levels, so don’t plan on having a car to yourself. And if you’re leaving on Friday, consider taking public transit to the station to avoid getting caught in bad weather/holiday traffic on the way.

Reminder: Amtrak recommends arriving at the station 45 to 60 minutes before your departure, especially if you don’t have an assigned seat.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🩺 A local doctor is facing felony charges in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Dr. Jacquelyn Starer, of Ashland, has been charged with assaulting a police officer, among other things, during last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. Police body camera footage allegedly shows her punching an officer in the head. She’s the 19th person in the area to be arrested and charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attack.

🚃 The Green Line’s Symphony Station is getting a $66 million upgrade. Federal funding for the MBTA will be used to make the 80-year-old E Branch station more accessible to passengers. Some of the upgrades include raised platforms for easier boarding, four new elevators, accessible bathrooms, and improved lighting and wayfinding signage. The project’s design is 100% complete, so the MBTA plans to solicit bids for the station work in the fall of 2023, with work slated to begin in 2024.

🏈 The Patriots’ playoff chances have plummeted. According to Five Thirty Eight’s NFL prediction model, the Pats’ chances of making the playoffs are a measly 19%, a 27-point drop from last week. And those chances go down to 8% if they lose to the Bengals this Saturday. However, if they win the next two, the now 7-7 team will see their playoff chances jump to 60%; if they win the next three, they’re in. But after that embarrassing, last-minute loss on Sunday, it’s hard to imagine this season has a happy ending.

THINGS TO DO

Give back this season

🧥 Keep your community warm by donating a winter jacket to Coats for Kids and Families. Their coat drive is running through Jan. 8. You can find a location to drop off your new and used coats here.

🪥 Help students pre-K through grade 12 by donating clothing and toiletries to Catie’s Closet, an organization that gives students a place to get daily necessities for free. Bring donations to their Boston Distribution Center or shop their Amazon wishlist.

📦 Give your time to HELP by AMG, a nonprofit that helps at-risk and homeless youth by providing them with essential everyday items in care packages. Volunteer to sort through donations and help organize their community closet on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Sign up here.

🛒 Donate to Daily Table, a non-profit grocery chain that sells nutritious groceries to communities in need at low costs, and every single food in their stores is SNAP eligible.

🐾 Support furry friends and their families by donating to the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Along with adoption and rescue services, ARL provides low-cost pet care out of their Wellness Waggin’.

ONE LAST THING

An Xmas tree fit for a college kid

One local’s lopsided evergreen has become a beer-themed Christmas tree for Tufts undergrads.

Somervillian Josh Rosenstock had a pesky tree (or maybe shrub?) in his backyard. He offered the tree up for free on a Facebook page, writing: “You have to cut it down. But I will provide the saw.”

A few Tufts undergrads took him up on the offer.

In decorations appropriate for college students, they hung beer cans on the scraggly branches. It’s truly a Charlie Brown Christmas tree miracle.

📺 Thanks for reading! You can spot me on NBC’s Hub Today around 11:50 a.m. doing a year in review of Boston news through the lens of The B-Side.

💃 Keep up with other B-Side tomfoolery on IG, TikTok, and Twitter @BostonBSide. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].