Itβs Tuesday, Boston.
π Heads up: Pizza slice tickets to the Boston Pizza Festival in June are officially on sale! The event is technically free, but if you want to try any pizza (you will), youβll need a slice ticket. Do it now to skip the lines!
π Whatβs on tap today:
RIP Rick Hoyt
A traffic chill pill
Itβs shark szn
Up first...
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Itβs SPF oβclock

Illustration: Katie Cole
πͺ Sunβs out, guns out. With SPF, of course. Itβs National Safe Sun Week, so with Memorial Day this weekend and the UV index creeping into the high zone, we spoke with Dr. Shadi Kourosh, a dermatologist at Mass. General, to debunk the myths holding you up from adding sunscreen to your skincare routine.
βοΈ You canβt burn in the shade or when itβs cloudy. βYeah, thatβs not true,β Dr. Kourosh said emphatically. The UV Index can be just as high on a cloudy day versus a sunny day. And even if youβre shaded, the sun can reflect off bodies of water and snow. βWhile sun exposure is less intense [in the shade], itβs really all around us,β she said.
π But I donβt burn, I tan! βThereβs no such thing as a healthy tan. Thatβs an oxymoron,β Dr. Kourosh said. Damaged DNA is what turns on our bodyβs process of tanning, so βif you have a tan, your DNA has already been damaged.β And the tan itself only offers you an SPF of about eight.
π§πΏThose with darker skin donβt need to wear sunscreen. To which Dr. Kourosh will remind you that Bob Marley died from melanoma at 36 years old. βPeople of all skin types can get skin cancer,β she said. Sun damage is sun damage whether itβs a stinging burn or a deep tan.
π€· It doesnβt matter what kind of sunscreen you use. Dr. Kourosh agrees that while something is always better than nothing, the key is broad protection. And youβre going to find that in mineral-based sunscreens, which protect against UV light, visible light, heat damage, and pollutants. She recommends an SPF 50 sunscreen with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients. Just make sure to reapply every few hours.
π Iβve had some bad burns as a kid. Iβm a lost cause! So why keep piling on the damage? βWe are looking at a generation that is predicted to live longer than any previous generation,β Dr. Kourosh said. βThey really need to think about caring for their skin as a marathon.β And part of that marathon includes a yearly dermatologist check up (in addition to sunscreen).
π Want to read more? Hereβs how to spot the early signs of skin cancer.
QUICK POLL!
βοΈ How old were you when you started wearing sunscreen regularly?
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
π Boston Marathon icon Rick Hoyt has died. The 61-year-old known for being pushed in his wheelchair by his father, Dick Hoyt, along the 26.2-mile course passed on Monday due to respiratory system complications. The father-son duo was a quintessential part of the race, competing in 32 Boston Marathons between 1980 and 2014. They eventually went on to create the Team Hoyt foundation to help young people with disabilities. Rick, who was quadriplegic and had cerebral palsy, will forever be remembered as an inspirational Boston Marathon hero. His father passed away a little over two years ago at age 80.
π The city has prescribed Boston traffic a chill pill. Mayor Wu just announced a new βSafety Surgeβ initiative that will bring βtraffic calmingβ infrastructure to every neighborhood. This includes things like speed humps (not to be confused with speed bumps), designing safer intersections, and making traffic signals more pedestrian-friendly (prepare for more βNo Turn on Redβ signs). Nearly half of the cityβs 800 miles of streets are eligible for said speed humps, so you can check if your street is one of them here.
π BUβs commencement speaker got a not-so-warm welcome from his alma mater. Translation: David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros., got booed. Writers Guild of America members and allies (and students!) drowned out BUβs announcement system with protests during the address. The union has been on strike since May 2, demanding better pay and job security from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (which Zaslav is part of). Protestors also wanted to draw attention to the fact that some media execs make tens of millions a year (Zaslav makes $200+ million).
π· The Seaportβs newest pop-up is serving up an iconic combo: Snacks and wine.The new βalileo vino e snak barβ features Sicilian boxed natural wine from Boston-based Alileo along with food from the North Endβs Sunny Girl and small-batch gelato from Nancyβs Fancy. The pop-up is nestled in The Superette courtyard and is open seven days a week now through October 15, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Note: Seating is first-come, first-served!
ONE LAST THING
Sharks of the summer

Image: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy via AP
Itβs great white shark season.
Whale watchers got to see a 12-foot-long great white shark chomping on a seal Saturday. A video posted on the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch Instagram page shows the fins of the apex predator sticking out of the ocean, and in another shot, opening its jaws at the surface of the water to snack on a piece of seal carcass.
This shark snack marks the first casual eyewitness account of shark predation this season. While some think Memorial Day to be the unofficial start of summer, another kick is the first shark sighting. So summer is HERE. Bust out the bathing suits (but be careful hitting the water).
βοΈ Thanks for reading! And donβt forget your sunscreen.
πΆ The results are in! 26% of Swifites from yesterdayβs poll said that β1989β is their favorite era. And those 26% would be correct.
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].