🤯 Holy cannoli!

Happy Friday, Boston.

🙌 What a weekend we have in store: The sun sets at 7:01 p.m. tonight, Saloniki Greek is offering $5 Greek doughnuts on Saturday, and the final season of Succession kicks off Sunday. What a time to be alive.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• More Red Line shutdowns 

• Restaurant openings to watch

• TikToker apartment tours

Up first...

FOOD & DRINK

All things Bova’s 

ICYMI: Bova’s Bakery has been making headlines. The 24/7 North End staple closed its doors this week so Matt Damon and Casey Affleck could use the location in a scene for their upcoming film, “The Instigators.”

So what’s it like to run this iconic spot? We asked Lauren Bova-Cole, one of the many family members who keep Bova’s going around the clock.

👪 Who runs Bova’s? The bakery is run by three cousins who each take turns operating the shop for six months at a time (Lauren’s father is one of the owners). When one cousin is done with their stretch, they can take a whole year off. Each cousin brings in their own family members to work, but some staff members, like Lauren, stay for all three rotations.

🥱 What does it take to keep the bakery open 24/7? A lot. Bova-Cole said working with her family is fun, but keeping the bakery open all the time takes hard work. “I'll tell you, you're on your feet. You never sit, you never take breaks,” Bova-Cole said. “We're busy, busy, busy.” And she should know — she’s been working at the family business since she was a teen. 

🎥 How’d they prep for the movie? Bova-Cole told us they had to bake a double batch of their usual inventory because the sweet treats were used for the movie. Plus, they had to move their bakery showcases out of the store to make way for prop showcases with glass that could be smashed by the actors. 

🤌 As for their famous cannoli, Bova-Cole estimates that they sell thousands of them each week. Bova’s makes 12 variations of the pastry, from classic to crème brûlée. At night, a dedicated cannoli-filler — yes, that is a gig! — keeps up with demand. 

🤔 What should you order? If you’re not in the mood for a cannoli, click the link below to find other mouth-watering treats to try.

— Reporting and writing by Katie Cole

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🐌 MBTA launches new slow zone dashboard. Wish you could check why the T is so slow? Now you can! The MBTA just launched an online Speed Restriction Dashboard, which provides riders with helpful info on slow zones across the system (the dashboard is updated each morning). On the day of launch, 27% of all subway tracks were under some kind of speed restriction, up from 7.5% at the end of last month. Ouch.

🚇 Brace for more mini MBTA shutdowns. In other T news, the agency announced a laundry list of weekend and weekday shutdowns in April on the Red, Blue, Orange, and Green lines, the Fairmount and Franklin/Foxboro Commuter Rail Lines, and the Haverhill Commuter Rail Line. So make sure to add these upcoming service changes to your calendar. And just a reminder: Shuttle buses will replace Red Line service between Harvard and JFK/UMass this weekend, so plan accordingly. 

🎸 A helluva summer concert line up at Gillette. While Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have been eating up most of the concert conversation, they’re not the only big names gracing Gillette with their presence this summer. Ed Sheeren, Luke Combs, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Stevie Nicks will also perform at the Pats’ home, so make sure to check their performance dates. And if you want to skip traffic, don’t forget that the T will offer special commuter rail trains for Gillette concerts.

👀 Restaurant openings to watch. Borrachito Taqueria and Spirits is set to open April 17 in the Seaport. This spot blends traditional Mexican cooking techniques with experimental ingredients, featuring menu items like bone marrow and short rib oxtail tacos and birria burritos. Row 34, known for their raw bar and beer list, will open a fourth location in Kendall Square soon. And ICYMI, Bar Vlaha, a new Brookline spot showcasing food from central and northern Greece, also opened this week.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend checklist 

🌊 Get washed away in the legacy of Hokusai’s iconic ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ with a new exhibit from the MFA including works (one made with LEGO) inspired by the famous woodblock print.

🍽️ Grab meal deals before they’re gone in the last weekend of Dine Out Boston. 

🎮 Play at PAX East, one of the nation’s biggest video game conventions, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

ONE LAST THING

TikToker apartment tour

I’ll say it: Zillow has nothing on local TikTokers’ apartment tours.

Boston-based creator Blake Swanson posted a video of her gorgeous $3,400 one-bed apartment that was built in the 1860s. And this unit is dripping with charm, featuring beautiful built-ins, a fireplace, massive mirrors, and lofty ceilings. But the pièce de résistance is really the massive bedroom closet, which garnered over 2 million views during Swanson’s closet organization video.

😫 Thanks for reading! I would kill for those high ceilings. The closet, too. 

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