🚚😬 We like to move it move it

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🍅 The 2024 Mayor’s Garden contest winners are here. Mayor Michelle Wu has doled out awards to the best of the city’s urban gardens, from herb planters to full-on backyard gardenscapes. And just looking at these pics of the winners gives us some serious green thumb envy.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• MIT’s not-so-diversity

• BU strike update

• Bennifer break up

Up first…

THE BIG MOVE

It’s time to get moving

You’ve booked your U-Haul, secured a parking permit, and packed your things. Now all that’s left to do is … actually move in! 

We covered pre-moving logistics in the last installment of our move-in series. Next on the docket: Moving day. 

⏰ Moving day’s golden rule: Plan ahead. “The more you have a plan … the smoother that the move day is going to go,” said Stasia Steele of The Little Details. So before that day comes, make sure your ducks are in a row. That includes: 

1. Reconfirming movers or planning to arrive at the U-Haul pickup EARLY 

2. Making sure your packing is done in advance

3. Knowing how and when you’ll pick up your keys

4. Having a plan to get wifi set up ASAP 

🚧 Getting to your new spot can be half the battle. Remember, there will be a lot of people on the road at the same time, so expect general crowdedness and traffic on your drive (you can get a sense by checking out last year’s parking permit hotspots). And before you head out, make sure to check out these city-mandated parking restrictions between Aug. 25 and Sept. 2, especially if you’re heading through or to the areas around BU or Northeastern (think Allston, Fenway, Roxbury, or Mission Hill).

🚚 And please, try not to go viral … We’ll only stop harping on it when it stops happening: Stay off of Storrow Drive with your moving trucks! Or risk a Storrowing and immediately becoming a meme.

😮‍💨 Unloading boxes is a marathon, not a sprint. Niles Kuronen of Gentle Giants Moving Company's biggest tip? “Take care of yourself and practice self care” during the process. That looks like: 

1. Double checking the weather to see how hot it’ll be (after all, Sept. 1 is still summer)

2. Wearing the right clothing to account for the physical activity of moving boxes and walking up flights of stairs

3. Properly hydrating and having snacks on hand

📦 Don’t forget to pack this box: Steele recommends packing and labeling a “first night” box (or three) full of the things you’ll need in your first 24 hours, including TP, paper towels, toiletries, towels, sheets, pajamas, and even your coffee setup, to take the pressure off of your first day. After that, “bedrooms, bathrooms, and the kitchen should be the highest priority” for unloading, she said, with everything else afterward. “Just know it will all get done eventually. It doesn't all have to be perfect, and it's not going to be on day one.”

TOGETHER WITH THE DUNES ON THE WATERFRONT

Gilmore Girls vibes, but make it coastal

🍂 ☕ 🌊 Sweater weather + Maine beaches = the perfect fall getaway. Head to The Dunes on the Waterfront for a cozy escape where autumn leaves meet salty air. Whether you're sipping cider on your screened porch or indulging in local treats by the fire, September and October are — dare we say it — better in Vacationland. Book now and enjoy 30% off your fall retreat. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🎓 MIT’s class of 2028 is less diverse than usual. And a university official said we have the Supreme Court to thank. Just 16% of the school’s enrolling undergraduates identify as Black, Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander — down from 25% in recent years. Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions, said that MIT expected the drop after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions last year. And while we haven’t seen admissions data from most other major higher ed institutions yet, this is a pretty grim first word.

😬 Gov. Healey’s Steward plan just hit a roadblock. The landlord for St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton just handed the state’s $4.5 million proposal to take over by eminent domain a big, fat rejection, saying the offer seriously undervalues the property. This throws a wrench in Gov. Healey’s unconventional plan to seize control of the hospital from the shady health care company — keeping the facility open while Steward unceremoniously exits the state. It’s not clear what comes next, but this pushback may signal a major legal battle.

🪧 Remember when 3,000 BU grad students began striking in March? Well, they’re still striking for better pay and benefits with less than two weeks to go until the new school year — making this one of the longest graduate worker strikes in American history. Strikers are anxious to get back in the classroom (not to mention back on payroll). But over 30 bargaining sessions later, the union and the university are still not in alignment on a few key issues.

🕺 Boston’s nightlife scene is about to get an upgrade. ICYMI: This spring, Mayor Michelle Wu opened apps for the new Wake Up the Night grant aimed at funding non-traditional nightlife activities across the city. This week, the list of its 42 awardees dropped, and they’ll use the cash to host over 50 events through the end of the year. And we’re not talking clubs or bars. Think: An adult playground, an NA beer garden, trivia night, a pop-up opera, and way, way more (including a kung-fu film fest this weekend!). Check out all of the events here.

QUICK QUESTION

💔 What’s your reaction to the Bennifer breakup? 

GIVEAWAY

Together with the LPGA

Enter to win two complimentary tickets to the 2024 FM Championship at TPC Boston. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Aug. 23. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Click here to enter the giveaway and for full details.

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Free feminist music fest!

B-Side is a proud sponsor of We Make Noise Fest held this Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (rain date Aug. 25). Hosted at Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA, this event will highlight women and gender-expansive musicians, artists, and makers from the Greater Boston area. This event is free and open to the public. Get tickets today!

ONE LAST THING

R.I.P. Bennifer 

One of Boston’s most iconic couples is no more. Of course, we’re talking about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who filed for divorce from Affleck on Tuesday after two years of marriage. 

The pair married back in 2022, two decades after they first got together in the early 00’s. But besides being a sweet, decades-long love story, their relationship was particularly iconic for Bostonians, and acted as a consistent source of fuel for our meme economy (see: their multiple Dunkin’ campaigns). 

We’re wearing all black to Dunkin’ tomorrow in memoriam.

— Written by Gia Orsino

🍩 Thanks for reading! It only took about six months for the DunKings ad to start aging poorly. Oh, well.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, The Dunes on the Waterfront, for supporting local journalism and offering New Englanders a slice of coastal paradise. 

🍀 The results are in: The B-Siders are in near-agreement: Stay out of Boston, Bezos. 80% of readers voted that they don’t want the billionaire to buy the C’s. One reader said: “I thought I escaped this man when I left Seattle.”

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