🎃 Spooky season freebies

Happy Friday, Boston!

🍩 It’s time to start planning your Halloween costume. And lucky for you, Dunkin’ brought back its DunKing tracksuits just in time. Or, if you want a slightly less basic look, you could always just wear this handmade version … 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The GLX is (literally) back on track

• MBTA Communi-TEA Act 

• Jaylen Brown’s HOTTEST interview

Up first…

OCTOBER FREEBIES

Eat, drink, and free merry

Not to be dramatic but … we would die for October. There’s crispness in the air, we can wear a sweater without sweating through it by 11 a.m., and we can eat pumpkin-flavored everything in peace. 

But this particular October is even better because it’s loaded with free things to do.

Here’s what’s worth adding to your social calendar: 

🍎 Sip on hard cider at Time Out Market. The market’s annual Ciderfest celly is back on Oct. 19, where several New England cideries will be slinging free samples (obviously, only if you’re 21+). Samples aside, just think of Ciderfest as a big fall party, with a live DJ, cider-inspired food specials, and more. 

🖼️ Skip the admission fees at your favorite museums. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Oct. 14, and some of Boston’s biggest museums are honoring the day with free admission. That said, the rules for getting in are a little different: 

• MFA: Tickets are available to Mass. residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

• ICA: Free admission is available to everyone, but you have to grab a ticket in advance online on Oct. 13. 

• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: You can grab tickets in advance online (and def do because the box office told us they will sell out). 

👀 Speaking of free admission … Opening Our Doors Day in the Fenway is also happening Oct. 14, where tons of cultural institutions will, quite literally, open their doors to the public. You can check off spaces like the MassArt Art Museum, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the iconic Mapparium off your Boston bucket list. Check out the full list of what’ll be open here.

🚣 Pretend you know the rules of rowing. Translation: Watch the Head of the Charles Regatta on the weekend of Oct. 18. Tens of thousands of spectators will descend on the Charles to watch the best of the best in rowing that weekend. But if you’re just there for the vibes (us), be sure to check out the brand activations for some freebies. 

🎂 Have your (free!) cake and eat it, too. Calling all Stephanies! Stephanie’s on Newbury is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, and guests named Stephanie can get a free piece of chocolate birthday cake with a scoop of ice cream. The rules: You have to show your ID and technically buy an entree. But still … free dessert! 

🎃 Celebrate spooky season like it’s your job. There’s a Halloween-related event virtually every day this month, but some of the stand-out freebies are:

• This “Shrek”-themed party at Night Shift Brewing on Oct. 19

• Boston’s largest urban pumpkin patch at Nightmare in the Navy Yard on Oct. 25

• Downtown Crossing’s iconic dog Halloween costume parade on Oct. 26

QUICK QUESTION

🚇 Who would win in a fight?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚃 The GLX is (literally) back on track. After a seriously rough few days for Green Line Extension riders (see: the derailment Tuesday evening that sent seven passengers to the hospital and shut down the line for over a day), the line phased out shuttle buses and resumed regular service on Thursday morning. The MBTA maintains that the problem isn’t with the track, and federal investigators are focusing on looking into the train’s operator. We might not get the results of the investigation right away, but until then, just know we’ll be waiting for the tea.

🏘️ Remember the MBTA Communities Act drama? Long story short, the state is requiring communities served by the MBTA to zone for more multifamily housing. But not all communities are on board. So as we’re barreling toward the deadline to officially comply, Gov. Maura Healey is giving towns a little treat for following the rules: the MBTA Communities Catalyst fund. The $15 million in grants will support new housing and infrastructure projects — if, and only if, they comply with the new law.

🌳 Some bus stops just got a new ‘do. On Thursday, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the installation of 30 green roofs on top of MBTA bus shelters. Besides being very chic, the new roofs will provide shade, improve air quality, increase stormwater retention, and support pollinators along a corridor where folks are disproportionately affected by extreme heat. The roofs are along the MBTA’s 28 route, which runs between Mattapan and Roxbury. Assuming they work as planned, we might eventually see them in more places.

⛴️ Get ready to shell out for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard ferries. The Steamship Authority is considering its largest rate hike ever on ferry trips to the two islands. The potential hikes range from just a buck for one-way individual tickets to Martha’s Vineyard to a $30 increase on one-way vehicle tickets on a Nantucket ferry. And it’s not just boats: On the Vineyard, those hikes would also bump daily parking costs up by $7. We’ll know if the hikes are approved next month.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🥳 Celebrate Trident’s 40th b-day! Newbury Street’s beloved bookstore is turning the big 4-0 and is celebrating this Saturday with a night of free books, tastings, giveaways, and fortunes.

🍁 Make new friends with a side of foliage. A wild pack of 20- and 30-year olds from the Make Friends After College Facebook group will be taking a leaf-peeping walk around the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday.

🎺 Hear a sea of horns. HONK! Fest is back this weekend in Somerville where brass brands from around the country will fill the streets with tubas, trumpets, and more. Think: A giant music and dance party in Davis Square. 

🐶 Prost with your pup. Oktoberfest celebrations are winding down, so end the season with a bang at Harpoon’s Oktoberfest parties on Friday and Saturday, and Dogtoberfest on Sunday.

🎡 Get your fair fix. Miss The Big E? Head up to the Topsfield Fair for opening weekend to get a dose of fried fair food, barnyard animals, and giant pumpkins.

📖 Just say “no” to Barnes & Noble prices. And say “hell ya” to the Boston Public Library’s book sale at the Central Branch in Copley on Saturday. 

🏃 Enjoy a Saturday run around DOT. The B.A.A.’s Neighborhood Fitness Series is hitting up Dorchester on Saturday with a free 2k to 4k run/walk. 

ONE LAST THING

JB is heating up

It’s not often we get a longform Jaylen Brown interview. So when we heard he was the latest guest on “Hot Ones,”, we sprinted to our computers.

Over the course of 10 wings, JB talked about everything from the C’s “killer whale” style offensive strategy, to AI, to his favorite philosopher. More importantly, he handled the spicy wings like a pro … mostly. 

But the best part of the interview had to be at the end. When asked to finish the sentence “the Celtics will become back-to-back NBA champs if …” without missing a beat, he said “we stay healthy.” Now that’s what we like to hear! 

Watch the full video here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍗 Thanks for reading! Launching a nonprofit, winning NBA Finals MVP, interviews, magazine shoots … does this man ever sleep?

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