🙋‍♀️ Who runs the city? Women.

🏆 "Oppenheimer” may have won the Oscar for best picture last night, but John Cena’s nearly nude presentation of the award for best costume design certainly stole the show (fun fact: he’s from West Newbury!). You can see the full list of Oscar winners here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Ever wonder where small business owners like to shop local?

In honor of Women’s History Month, for this edition of small business telephone tag, we asked five local women-owned businesses to share their favorite women-owned shops and organizations around town. 

Here’s what they said:

🚺 Boston Women’s Market loves GirlFriends Boston. BWM co-founder Cara Loffredo admits it wasn’t easy picking just one business to shout-out. But she landed on GirlFriends Boston, a community-building network for women looking to make friends in the area, founded by Ana Baptista. Girlfriends both hosts formal events and empowers their community to gather and network amongst themselves. “We have a lot in common, caring about our community and caring about each other,” said Loffredo.

👭 GirlFriends Boston loves Movement with Jill. Baptista looked within her own community of GirlFriends to highlight Jill Rothenberg, the founder of Movement with Jill, an in-person and virtual pilates business. “She’s our go-to pilates instructor,” said Baptista, because unlike other fitness classes, “she emphasizes wellness and listening to your body,” rather than focusing on looks. “Her classes are always so transformative.”

🏃‍♀️ Movement with Jill loves Uvida Shop. As for Rothenberg, she chose a place that’s personally helped her out in more ways than one. Maria Vasco, the owner of Uvida Shop, Boston’s first zero-waste store and plant shop, has not only personally helped Rothenberg keep her plants alive (something she “really really struggles” with), but also is always paying it forward to other women. “She’s been so helpful in supporting other women-owned businesses,” said Rothenberg.

🙋‍♀️ Uvida Shop loves Juicy Greens. When Vasco was just starting out, her mentor recommended she attend a ribbon cutting at Juicy Greens’ first location, a wellness café and juice bar, now with several locations around Boston. There, she met founder and CEO Ammy Lowney. “I got to see her in action, and I think she’s so inspiring,” said Vasco. “I love that she makes herself and her business accessible,” to consumers and other small businesses alike, said Vasco.

🧑‍🍳 Juicy Greens loves Doña Habana. Lowney, founder and CEO of Juicy Greens, has a lot in common with Nivia Pina, co-owner of several restaurants in Boston: Along with being restaurateurs, they both also work in the Boston Public Schools. But Lowney loves Pina’s work for more than just the “incredible” Cuban food and drink at Doña Habana. She also admires “her experience in the industry and her willingness to uplift other women in business,” Lowney said. “She’s constantly opening the way for other people.” 

☘️🌈💰 Don’t go chasing rainbows to find out. Simply search your name with the Massachusetts State Treasury and see if you're in the lucky 10% of state residents with unclaimed property. Your pot of gold could be filled with uncashed checks, misplaced stocks, or forgotten savings accounts. Don’t let leprechauns have all the fun this St. Paddy’s Day — take 30 seconds to search your name online and file a claim.

🏈 Mac Jones’ Patriots era is officially over. In a move that even the blind could see coming, the Pats are finalizing a trade that’ll send QB Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars (another fun fact: his hometown!). Jones’ career with the Pats started with promise, then quickly followed a downward trend, with the most recent season full-on crashing and burning (getting benched, 4-13 record, etc.). Now, all eyes are on the upcoming NFL draft and free agents to see who might fill his cleats. 

🚌 There might be a silver lining to the Silver Line. Yes, even after this weekend’s deluge of bad MBTA news. The MBTA and MassDOT officially recommended a six-mile extension of Silver Line 3 bus service, including the addition of bus-only lanes, from its terminus in Chelsea, through Everett, to Sullivan Square. The MBTA estimates this extension would increase SL3’s daily ridership by more than 15,000 riders (it currently sits around 8,000). Next steps: The T says it’s “exploring funding opportunities” to get the design and engineering plans rolling. 

🍽️ The North End outdoor dining drama continues. The latest? In the wake of the City of Boston not allowing the neighborhood to participate in outdoor dining (again), North End restaurateurs have amended a 2023 federal lawsuit to include 100 additional pages of grievances about “retaliatory” measures they say City Hall launched against them, doubling down on claims of discrimination and lack of transparency. The lawsuit also alleges the North End Dining Task Force, the city’s attempt to find an alfresco solution, was “a dog and pony show.”

🚭 “Born in the 21st century? No tobacco for you.” — probably Brookline. On Friday, Mass.’ Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of a Brookline bylaw banning anyone born in the 2000s from buying tobacco products in town (including cigarettes, vapes, etc.). A national leader in the crackdown on tobacco products, Brookline voted on the bylaw back in 2020, which went into effect in 2021. But the ban was quickly challenged in a lawsuit from local store owners who argued it was unconstitutional.

✍️ Show your left brain a little love. Artisan’s Asylum’s weekly figure drawing sessions with a live nude model could be the perfect moment for you. 

👑 Watch RuPaul the way RuPaul intended. Time Out Market Boston is holding a free viewing party for RuPaul’s Drag Race on Friday, with performances by some of Boston’s favorite drag queens.

🎸 Rest your scream-singing voice. Dropkick Murphys are shipping up to Boston this week for their iconic weekend of St. Paddy's Day concerts — just be prepared to debut your hoarse voice at work.

🧍 Be (any) Mike for the night. No, seriously. Night Shift Brewing is hosting a “Mike Madness” party on Friday where folks dress up as their favorite Mike (think: celebs, characters, or if your name is Mike, come as yourself).

🎬 Experience a meta movie night. Did you know some scenes from “The Holdovers” were shot at the MFA? They’re commemorating the film’s success with a special on-site screening Friday.

— Written by Claire Nicholas

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock two bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

Do you bear a passing resemblance to the undead? Are you a tall, thin, capable athlete with a weathered face and a flexible schedule? If you answered yes to any of those questions, we have an opportunity for you. 

“The Walking Dead: Dead City,” a spinoff of the hit TV show “The Walking Dead” is filming its second season in Boston, and they’re looking for extras to play “walkers, soldiers, post apocalyptic survivors, and various other extra roles.” 

While pretty much anyone is encouraged to apply, the application says they’re “specifically seeking athletes and people with military or law enforcement experience to play soldiers,” as well as “capable people with weathered faces to play survivors in the apocalypse,” and “people who are very thin, tall and have flexible/available schedules to play walkers.”

Unfortunately, pretty much all of that rules us out, but if that’s you … why not try your luck? 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🧟Thanks for reading! Athletic? Does the Globe softball team count? Military experience? Nope. Tall? No. Weathered face? I don’t … think so? 

💜 Special Shoutout to today's sponsor, the Massachusetts State Treasury, for helping residents reclaim what’s rightfully theirs.

😋 The results are in: Most B-Siders (43%) are willing to shell out around $50/person for a solid three course meal, with only 6% willing to pay over $100. One reader that chose $100 explained: “But we're talking SUPER solid. As in, I'll remember this meal forever.”

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