🔮 Local 2023 predictions

It's Tuesday, Boston.

🥳 Happy New Year! And a happy belated birthday to Iraklis Kitas, Boston’s first baby of 2023. Clocking in at 9 pounds and 10 ounces, Kitas was born at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at 12:07 a.m. on New Year’s Day. And to no one’s surprise, he's adorable.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• New year, new MBTA service changes

• Minimum wage = $15

• A year in photos

Up first…

ASK THE EXPERTS

Boston’s 2023 predictions

While we can’t predict the future, these local experts are the closest thing we have to a crystal ball. So grab your 2023 Boston-area bingo cards, because here’s what they think we’ll see in the new year:

🚇 More T shutdowns. “If you look at the data of where the slow zones are, for sure the Red line is going to have some sort of shutdown,” said Stacy Thompson, the executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance. “Do I think it’s going to be a whole line for 30 days? No. Do I think the public should be prepared for extended shutdowns that will impact their ability to get around? Yes.”

🏢 Apartment hunting will be slim pickings. The availability and vacancy rates for Boston-area apartments are at all-time lows, according to BostonPads CEO Demetrios Salpoglou, and that’s likely not going to change anytime soon. So if you’re looking to rent this year, act quickly, otherwise “you’re going to get stuck with your second pick,” Salpoglou said.

⚡ Mass. buildings will get a green upgrade. With housing and climate as top priorities for the Healey administration, Logan Malik, interim executive director of the Mass. Climate Action Network, thinks we’ll be seeing more investment in decarbonizing, weatherizing, and electrifying existing buildings.

✊ More college students will unionize. “Students are very in tune with unionization … and very appreciative of a fair wage and fair representation,” said Dr. Laura De Veau, a local higher education administration professor and consultant. As students around the country continue to unionize on-campus jobs and teach others how to do it, she thinks it’s hard to imagine that momentum slowing.

🍽️ More friction between restaurants and guests about pricing. “A case of romaine used to be $32, it’s now like $110,” according to restaurateur Tiffani Faison. That’s just a taste of how inflation has rocked the restaurant world. And diners are paying for it. “We’re getting a lot of ‘things are expensive’ right now … and there’s literally nothing we can do about it.”

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🚃 New year, new MBTA service changes. Here’s what to expect this weekend: Orange and Green trains will bypass Haymarket station Jan. 7 and 8 (so you’ll have to get off the station prior and walk), shuttle buses will replace Red Line service between Broadway and Ashmont and Broadway and North Quincy Jan. 7 and 8, and shuttles buses will replace the Green Line Medford Branch between Medford/Tufts and East Somerville all day Jan. 8. There will be more changes later this month, too, which you can find here.

💸 The minimum wage in Mass. is officially $15 — one of the highest in the nation. But is it enough? Probably not. Today’s $15 gets you only as far as $12.70 did in June 2018 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The incremental increase was signed into law five years ago, when no one could have predicted that inflation would outpace many pay raises. Advocates are now deciding how to address the issue in the next legislative session. And Governor-elect Maura Healey seems open to adjusting the minimum wage to keep up with the cost of living.

🏒 The Bruins won the Winter Classic 2-1, and they also scored a 10/10 on fashion. It’s tradition for teams participating in the NHL Winter Classic to make a fashion statement upon arrival, and the Bruins did not disappoint. The team rolled up to Fenway Park wearing old school Red Sox uniforms and spent part of the pregame playing catch. And don’t forget about their 2021 Winter Classic appearance where they wore retro skiing clothing, or in 2019 where they showed up in their “Peaky Blinders” best.

THINGS TO DO

Get out of the house

💐 New year, new hobby. Take a flower arrangement class in the barrel room at Bully Boy Distillers. Tickets include two floral drinks, snacks, fresh stems, and a vase to take home. Tickets are $28. | Thursday, Jan. 5, 2 to 5 p.m.

🧠 Put your brains to the test at a trivia pub crawl, where you’ll use your smarts at four different pubs. Tickets are $15. | Thursday, Jan. 5, 7 to 10 p.m.

☕️ Take a midday coffee break with a coffee tasting from Counter Culture Coffee. FREE | Friday, Jan. 6, 10 a.m.

🎶 Play musical bingo in the taproom at the Sam Adams Boston Brewery. FREE | Tuesday, Jan 3, 6 to 8 p.m.

🍝 Feast completely gluten free at Capo in Southie, where you can get their whole menu without the allergens. | Starting every Tuesday on Jan. 3.

ONE LAST THING

The Globe’s year in photos

2022 has come and gone, but its pictures will last forever.

Every year, Boston Globe photographers look back at some of the most unforgettable shots they took, capturing hopes, triumphs and hardships of Bostonians and beyond.

Some of our favorites are the cheer of Jayson Tatum scoring a buzzer beater to lead the Celtics to a victory in the playoffs and the unofficial Harvard turkey mascots meeting a real Harvard Yard turkey. You can find all 23 of the best photos here.

🍹 Thanks for reading! If you’re doing Dry January, STOP READING. If you’re not, the Globe just released their list of Boston’s best speakeasies, so get out your bucket list.

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