🍎 How do you like THESE apples?

It’s Monday, Boston.

 🎶 Trying to transition your playlists with the seasons? Love yourself some local music? Good news! WBUR put together a list of 14 albums by local artists to listen to this fall. Check it out here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Boston FINALLY gets a lesbian bar

• A non-MBTA transit shutdown

• Another reason to eye-roll at New Yorkers

Up first…

TELEPHONE TAG

No bad apples here!

Nothing gives “New England fall childhood” quite like going apple picking. 

So for this month’s edition of small business telephone tag, we asked local apple orchards for their favorite apple-picking spot besides their own farm, and which apples they’d be picking.

Here’s what they said:

🍏 Honey Pot Hill Orchards picks Tougas Family Farm. Boston.com readers rated Stow’s Honey Pot Hill as their fave orchard last fall. But Honey Pot Hill’s favorite spot? Tougas Farm in Northborough. “I just really like how pretty their farm is, honest to God,” said co-owner Chelcie Martin. According to Martin, while the charm of Honey Pot Hill feels “farm-y” and rustic, Tougas’ perfectly manicured aesthetic, plus loads of activities — a grill shack, beer garden, and animals — creates a relaxing atmosphere. But that’s still no match for its apples, specifically its Honey Crisps, she said.

🌳 Tougas Family Farm picks Apex Orchards. When Andre Tougas, owner of Tougas Family Farm, is looking for another place to pick, he wants to go somewhere whose farming practices are as good as their apples. And for him, that’s Apex Orchards in Shelburne, who are “progressive farmers,” like Tougas. “They have high-density trees that make beautiful fruit, easy picking for customers,” he said, plus a “beautiful” view of the Berkshires that you can’t get anywhere else. And if you go, don’t sleep on their Crimson Crisps, which should be perfectly in season right about now.

🍎 Apex Orchards picks Cider Hill Farm. There are lots of reasons to stop at Amesbury’s Cider Hill Farm (see: fruit picking, a food truck, animals, and games), but for Courtney Basil, co-owner of Apex, the main draw at Cider Hill comes down to two things: Its “beautiful orchards,” and equally beautiful farm store, which stocks its famous cider doughnuts and hard cider, plus fresh produce and cheeses. But that shouldn’t stop you from going for the apples, which are so good that Basil refused to pick just one. “I would just pick some of all of them, to be honest,” she said.

🥧 Cider Hill Farm picks … Honey Pot Hill Orchards. Yup, Cider Hill Farm sent us right back to Honey Pot Hill. Why? “Farmers never actually leave their own farms,” according to Jennifer Durocher, general manager at Cider Hill. Which means that when Durocher gets precious time to head to another spot, it better be somewhere good. So, she only goes to Honey Pot Hill. “They're fabulous apple growers … you can really tell that they work very hard from the growing side to just grow the best apples,” she said. And the best apples of all? The “very underrated” Sansas.

QUICK QUESTION

🍏 What’s the BEST New England fall activity?

TOGETHER WITH TOAST

Ready to eat like a real local?

🍜 🌮 No tourist traps here — Toast’s guide to Greater Boston’s best eats is your ticket to the wicked good spots only true Bostonians know. Whether you just moved to the city or have been here since before the Big Dig, uncover local gems like Third Cliff Bakery in JP, Warren Tavern in Charlestown, and more. Download the Toast app today (or if you’re a restaurant owner, book a demo to mark your spot on the map).

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏳️‍🌈 Boston FINALLY has a lesbian bar. After more than two years of waiting, Dani’s Queer Bar in Back Bay officially opened its doors on Thursday, becoming the city’s first lesbian bar in decades. Not only is this good news for Boston, but it’s a tangible sign that sapphic bars are back on the upswing in the U.S., where there are currently less than 40 nationwide. The bar is open for regular nightly biz, but you should also keep an eye on its events page for upcoming cultural gatherings, drag shows, and more.

🗳️ The juiciest state primary battle is over. After a race involving a nearly too-close-to-call tally, a (false) declaration of victory, and a recount, incumbent state Rep. Marjorie Decker won the primary for her Cambridge seat against challenger Evan MacKay by a mere 41 votes. Since Decker won’t face a Republican challenger in November, this W guarantees her the seat for the seventh term. The takeaways from this tale? Incumbents aren’t as safe as we think, and your vote always counts!

🎨 Dewey Square is debuting its new look. The latest giant mural to grace the Greenway in Dewey Square — titled "your spirit whispering in my ear," by artist Jeffrey Gibson — is complete and ready to view. The colorful piece has many elements that combine to make a powerful statement about social justice moments, Gibson’s ancestry, and a whole lot more. If you want to check it out, the Greenway is hosting an opening bash for the mural on Thursday, with performance, art, and music. 

🚧 The MBTA ain’t the only local transit agency with shutdowns. Traffic announcement! The next phase of MassDOT’s $230 million project to replace eight bridges at the Newton/Weston I-90/I-95 interchange is here, and with it, a new diversion that’ll be around for the next four years. As of Sunday night, on-ramps to I-90 eastbound and westbound from I-95 northbound (Exit 39B), and the I-90 off-ramp to I-95 northbound (Exit 123A) will be reduced to one lane in each direction … and there’s really no good way to avoid it. So expect delays — and get used to them.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🎥 Catch a flick at the Boston Film Festival. Sure, it’s not Cannes, but there are tons of features, documentaries, and short films to see right in your backyard (way cooler than watching Bella Hadid walk the red carpet imo). Check out the whole film fest schedule here.

🪄 Visit Hogwarts IRL. We’re talking about Harry Potter: The Exhibition, an immersive experience for HP nerds, where you’ll find authentic movie props, costumes worn by the actors, and recreations of iconic scenes and settings.

🎲 Keep it simple with a chill game night. That’s what’s on deck at the Piano Craft Gallery on Wednesday. Board, card, video, and trivia games are on the agenda (even wine pong!). Bonus: There will be drinks and snacks!

❤️ Make Boston better for young people. The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Fierce Urgency of Now Festival is back Tuesday with a full slate of activities, including professional headshots, networking, and a backyard bash.

🌝 Stretch out under the harvest moon. ICYMI: There’s gonna be a super harvest moon Tuesday night, and there’s going to be a full moon yoga class to watch it in real time at the Museum of Modern Renaissance on Tuesday. 

🧀 Oktoberfest, but make it classy. If double fisting pint glasses ain’t your thing, Craft Beer Concierge is hosting a lager and cheese pairing class on Wednesday at Castle Island Brewing where you’ll find lots of cheese, snacks, and a flight. 

🤝 Dust off your LinkedIn profile. There’s a young professionals social mixer on tap Thursday, where event organizers will match you with people you have things in common with to help you build new connections.

🤣 Take your pick of comedy shows. There’s a lineup of hilarious LGBTQIA+ comedians at Club Cafe on Thursday, and a “Laughing Through The Pain” show at Porter Square Books on Friday where comedians share their embarrassing stories. 

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

B-Side Presents College Fest 2024

B-Side is a proud sponsor of Citizen's College Fest being held this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hosted at House of Blues Boston, this event will offer college students a chance to interact with top brands, receive free swag, and enter to win exciting prizes. Entry is free with a valid college ID. Don’t miss out—get more details here!

ONE LAST THING

You win this one, New York

In case you needed another reason to scoff about New York today, we’ve got you covered. 

Recently, New Yorker Jose Carrasco came up to Mass. to visit a friend. During the visit, he decided to grab a scratch-off ticket at Mattapan’s American Food Markets. And as luck would have it, he hit the jackpot, winning a whopping $1 million prize ($650,000 after taxes, if you’re keeping score).

As of now, Carrasco told the lotto that he has no plans for his winnings, but we can pretty much guarantee that no matter what they are, Massholes probably aren’t gonna like them. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💰 Thanks for reading! Our two cents: As much as we’d like to be angry about a New York W, you can’t really be mad at this smile. 

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Toast, for supporting local journalism and making dining (or taking out) in Boston easy. 

🤸 The results are in: Unsurprisingly, 44% of polled B-Siders say that Stephen Nedoroscik is not their Roman empire, and that our B-Side brains are probably just rotted from Masshole TikTok. But huge shoutout to the 24% of you who get it. One reader said: “I buried the TikTok app in my phone for this exact reason.”

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