🪴 Spring starts tomorrow in the Seaport

It's Wednesday, Boston.

🥳 It’s also the first day of March, the first day of Women’s History Month, and Justin Bieber’s birthday. A Hump Day triple threat.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Close call at Logan

• An American Idol to root for

• A “Massachusett” typo

Up first…

THINGS TO DO

Early spring in the Seaport

The Flynn Cruiseport Terminal will be transformed into a haven for plant lovers and foodies tomorrow, otherwise known as Utopia: New England’s Horticulture & Epicurean Festival. Here’s what you need to know:

🪴 The backstory. Utopia essentially fills the void of the iconic Boston Flower Show. But unlike the Boston Flower Show, which typically attracted an older, home-owning crowd, Utopia co-owner Jan Goodman said the event offers “something for every generation” by showcasing more house plants, food and beverage tastings, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and local artisans. “It’s indulging in the pleasures and delicacies of life that make us feel connected to nature,” Goodman said.

🪴 The event. All three floors of the terminal have been transformed into a green oasis, with each floor offering a different vibe. The first floor is the pièce de résistance with immersive garden displays, food and drink tastings, and workshops. The second has a “gardeners tool bench” where visitors can learn how to best tend to their plants, plus bouquet- and terrarium-making workshops. And the third is where you’ll find the bulk of local vendors selling food, drink, and art. The space smells and feels like spring.

🪴 For the plant parents. In addition to the hands-on workshops, you’ll also be able to welcome more children to the family, as TransPLANTed, a plant truck, will be selling house plants and donating their proceeds to local charities.

🪴 For those with a black thumb. 90+ Cellars will be there with their wine truck along with Boston Harbor Distillery, Creme de Liqueur, Dumpling Daughter, Johnny Pomodoro, Mother Juice, and more. Jan’s daughter, Sam, has been telling her friends that it’s a fun place to pre-game as “it’s a little different than going to a bar or restaurant. It’s an experience.”

🪴 The details. The event runs March 2 to 5, and admission is $35 for adults for a day pass. You can purchase tickets and learn more about the event here. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

✈️ A close call at Logan. The FAA is currently investigating what could have been a potential collision between a Learjet and a JetBlue flight Monday at Logan. Essentially, the JetBlue plane was about to land when an unidentified Learjet took off without clearance. Air traffic control told the Learjet pilot to wait, and while the Learjet pilot read back the instructions to ATC, it still took off. The JetBlue pilot had to initiate “a climb-out” maneuver to avoid collision. 

🚃 Why did the T stop yesterday? According to the MBTA, a failed transformer generated a power surge that caused signal issues on all lines (plus some power outages in stations), leaving passengers stranded during the morning commute. Most trains were moving again 30 minutes later, but some spots on the Green and Orange lines saw residual delays for most of the morning. And the jury is still out on why exactly the transformer failed in the first place. Sigh.

😋 Donating leftovers for good. Boston could be the first municipality to institute a food recovery program, requiring local stores, restaurants, and hotels to donate leftovers to local nonprofits. The proposal also establishes the city’s first-ever Office of Food Justice, which would help to facilitate conversations between food waste generators and nonprofits. A hearing on the ordinance will take place today if you want to listen in.

🎤 Berklee music student scores American Idol golden ticket. Singer-songwriter Alessandra Aguirre, 21, kept her Zoom audition for American Idol on the DL, but after making it to the in-person round in Vegas, she finally spilled the beans to her family. She performed Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” and an original song for judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan on Sunday night’s episode, which landed her the coveted golden ticket to Hollywood. You can check out her EP here.

ONE LAST THING

A “Massachusett” typo

A mishap led to ‘Massachusetts’ being misspelled on some banners in Washington D.C.

The final ‘s’ was dropped off our commonwealth’s name on banners that hung on Massachusetts Ave. in D.C. The signs read ‘Massachusett’ instead, and while that is the name of the Indigenous tribe whose name was used for the Massachusetts colony, it’s not really what the company who made the signs was going for. 

The company, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District, said that the error probably happened after an original design of the sign (pictured above) with the correct spelling was already approved. They’re also looking to replace the signs ASAP. 

😬 Thanks for reading! As someone whose last name has been misspelled their entire life, I felt this.

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