💁🏻‍♀️✨ Mayor Wu has BIG plans for 2025

It’s Thursday, Boston.

😭 Sorry to make you cry this early, BUT … a photographer spontaneously captured this viral proposal pic of this Boston couple, putting every forced candid you’ve ever taken to shame.

🥳 Also … a big HBD to Emily’s Dad, whose iPhone background is still this pic from Emily’s own surprise engagement shoot. Love ya, Dad!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Drone deliveries on deck?

• Fenway Frank competition

• Bostonians 🤝 Reality TV

Up first …

THE STATE OF THE CITY

Mayor Wu’s 2025 game plan

Mayor Michelle Wu gave her third State of the City address last night, a.k.a. the mayor’s annual speech laying out their vision for the city (and an opportunity to give herself a fat pat on the back).

‼️ This speech presents a MAJOR moment for Wu:

1. It’s her first BIG opportunity to outline her vision in an election year, giving us a taste of what her re-election campaign could focus on.

2. She’s riding a wave of support from her congressional testimony earlier this month. 

3. She’s managing a handful of political challenges, like the White Stadium court drama, her backpedaling on bike lanes, and Josh Kraft entering the mayor’s race.

🏆 As expected, she recapped her 2024 W’s. To name a few:

• Boston’s crime rate hit record lows.

• Hundreds of new liquor licenses were approved.

• The White Stadium reno (which depending who you ask, isn’t a win).

• Working with developers to convert unused office spaces into housing.

• Expanding affordable housing stock.

• Classic infrastructure upgrades: filling potholes, planting trees, etc.

👀 And Wu didn’t mince words about President Trump. She consistently struck a defiant tone as the Trump admin continues to threaten to withhold funding from the city’s most important industries. “No one tells Boston how to take care of our own,” she said. “Not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings.” 

🏡 Housing took center stage. Which isn’t surprising given it’s a top concern for residents and Josh Kraft has hit her hard on the issue. Her plans include: 

• Launching a co-purchasing pilot program to help folks combine purchasing power to buy multi-family homes with 0% interest deferred loans from the city.

• Expanding the office-to-residential conversion program to universities and employers looking to reactivate office buildings as dorms or workforce housing.

🔌 Energy also got some air time. Wu touted a new initiative called Boston Energy Saver, a program meant to help residents and small businesses adopt heat pumps and energy efficiency measures, allowing the city to slash climate-warming emissions and save residents money. 

🤔 Notably not mentioned: Transportation issues, a big shift for someone who made making streets safer, investing in public transit, and giving street space back to pedestrians and cyclists a big part of her OG campaign. But given her political opponent and the bike lane backlash, it makes sense. 

😮‍💨 So much to say, so little word count! Want more? A group of Globe reporters offered their live commentary and context on Wu’s speech. You can also watch the full State of the City address here.

QUICK QUESTION!

🗳️ If Boston’s mayoral election were today, who would you vote for?

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

A vintage market to make this your most stylish summer yet

B-Side is a proud media sponsor of Select Markets, the local vintage clothing pop-up team who’s kicking off the sunny season in Boston with Spring Thrift Festival on March 23 at 1350 Tremont Street. Expect $10 piles, food trucks, temporary tattoos, tooth gems, free drinks, and more. Grab your tickets fast — if you’re a member, enter the Select Markets code on your perks chart!

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤧 ‘Tis the season for some sneezin’. Don’t act like we didn’t warn you: This week, the Boston area is experiencing medium to slightly higher levels of pollen than usual (v on brand for the first day of spring imo). So yes, your itchy eyes and scratchy throat might actually just be allergies. Thanks to a stretch of warmer temps, our beloved tree pollen — the first pollen to make a comeback in the U.S. — is already being released into the air. Red maple birch and willow are likely the main culprits, with ash, elm, oak, and pine entering the chat soon.

💊 Your CVS prescriptions could catch some serious air. And by “air,” we mean, drones (don’t worry, not these drones). MassDOT just announced a series of successful drone test flights carrying up to 10 pounds over a mile. But … why? 1. They can fly over Boston traffic, potentially making it a faster, cheaper option versus ground deliveries; and 2. They could be used for home-based healthcare and responding to emergencies. That said, any Mass. deliveries will need to jump through some regulatory hoops before actually taking flight. 

🌭 Fenway Franks might have some competition this season. The ballpark just shared some new menu additions, including this wildly indulgent-looking “Cowboy Up!” burger, topped with bacon, brisket, and onion rings; this spread of street tacos; and a gourmet Cabot grilled cheese. And don’t worry about freezing your fingers off during a rainy April night game: There will be a Soup Shack dishing out clam chowder, broccoli cheddar soup, and lobster bisque (bougie!) in nothing other than bread bowls. <3

✍️ Poets that know it, listen up! The Mass. Cultural Council just opened apps for the state’s first-ever Poet Laureate. This person will basically be the state’s biggest poetry stan, encouraging the appreciation of creative expression, participating in public readings, writing poetry for ceremonial occasions, and more. Interested in applying? You must be 18 years or older, a full-time Mass. resident, and consider yourself a literary artist who composes any flavor of poetry. The app deadline is April 10. You can apply here!

ONE LAST THING

Bostonians 🤝 reality TV

The reality TV gods have finally answered our shallow prayers: Boston is having its moment in the reality TV sun. 

We’ve been blessed with a deluge of rumors and headlines this year. See: “Love Is Blind” possibly filming in Boston, season 3 of “Love on the Spectrum” featuring three Bostonians, a Revere pizzeria manager getting voted off the island on “Survivor,” and “Boston Rob” Mariano making quite the run on “The Traitors.” 

But arguably the most important reality TV news out of Mass.: A Newton woman is just ONE episode away from winning this season of “The Bachelor.” 

28-year-old Juliana Pasquarosa made it through the steamy Fantasy Suites episode, joining 31-year-old Litia Garr in the final two. The season finale is slated for Monday, March 24. And while it looks like Grant (the bachelor) is leaning toward Litia in this week’s episode, we feel obligated to root for the home team. 

Juliana or bust.

— Written by Emily Schario

🌹 Thanks for reading! Our next ask: A Boston baddie on “The Bachelorette.” We beg!

⚽ The results are in: It was a tight race, but if readers had to pick, the Boston Rebellion would be the city’s incoming NWSL team name, with 27% of the vote. But one reader had another idea: “Just give in and call one team the Massholes. Imagine the merch.” You might be onto something …

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