🚘 Summer traffic starts now

🗳️ Reminder: Today is the state’s special primary election to fill the empty seats in Suffolk County’s 9th and 10th districts. You can double check which district you live in and find out where to vote here. It’s always a good day to exercise your civic duty.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first...

The summer staples of construction, MBTA shutdowns, and road closures came early this year. And all at once. But this week’s weeknight Blue Line shutdowns and closures on the Tobin Bridge and Storrow Drive are merely an appetizer for the impending travel frenzy coming down the pike (we’re looking at you, Sumner Tunnel). And it’s going to be busy at Logan, too: Some airlines have reported record-breaking advance summer bookings.

So whether you’re traversing via land or air, AAA spokesman Mark Schieldrop has some advice for navigating this summer travel season. Here’s what to know:

📱If you’re driving, Waze and Google Maps aren’t your best friends. While they’re doing their best, they don’t always keep up. Our GPS systems “may not actually have that road closure information in there, so it may put you right into the worst possible scenario before it's too late,” Schieldrop said. He suggests keeping it old school and bookmarking the MassDOT website on your phone (you can also follow the agency on Twitter) for the latest info on closures and detours.

✈️ If you’re flying, you should have booked your vacation yesterday. International travel bookings are up 300% year over year, according to Schieldrop, as Americans are itching for a hot Italian summer sans COVID. Domestic travel bookings are also strong. Schieldrop suspects we’ll see fewer flash deals and sales given a mixture of high demand and airlines running fewer flights to avoid a repeat of last year’s cancellation spree. So if you haven’t made those reservations yet, now’s the time.

🛂 The same goes for renewing your passport. “The passport backlog is a big problem,” Schieldrop said, thanks to people putting off renewing theirs during COVID. And when you combine a surge in demand for international travel with a backlog of folks who need a new passport, Schieldrop said you could be looking at a four-month wait time.

🚇 Lean on the T when you can. Given the Sumner Tunnel will be closed for virtually all of July and August, Massport is highly encouraging those flying out of Logan to take the T, water ferries, or the Logan Express to reduce the amount of cars on the road, according to spokeswoman Samantha Decker. Fingers crossed these Blue Line weeknight shutdowns will help the T to be at full capacity during the closure as promised.

🧘 Schieldrop’s ultimate sage advice for traveling this summer is this: “Pack your patience as well as your luggage.” When traveling for leisure, he always devotes one full day for traveling that doesn’t include any activities or reservations. “As long as we end up there by the end of the day, it was a success,” he said. But if he’s traveling for business, he always gives himself way more time than he needs. “Assume you're gonna be stuck in traffic, and it's gonna be horrendous. And that way you’re just mentally prepared for it.”

⛺ The City of Boston did a tent sweep at Mass. and Cass. Unhoused people living in the area had to pack their belongings on Monday as the Wu admin enforced a tent sweep. The city handed out fliers last week telling those living in makeshift shelters by Mass. and Cass. that tents needed to be taken down on May 1. The fliers recommended that people move to shelters or drug treatment facilities, but some who took down their tents were unsure where they’d go or said they’d come back to the area. The Wu admin did a similar sweep in January 2022, but opted to let tents stay up through the winter.

💑 Gen Z is keeping the lovers to roommates pipeline alive. Since the COVID pandemic began, Boston’s Gen Z couples have been moving in together earlier than they had planned. The trend isn’t unique to Boston. According to census data, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who lived with an unmarried partner hit an all-time high last year. And while it isn’t working out for everyone, some couples said it allowed their relationship to grow stronger faster while saving on high rent, energy, and grocery bills.

🚗 Tired of getting towed? A new texting service can fix that. After getting sick of watching his neighbor’s (and his own) car get towed, Brighton resident Eli Silvert launched “Tow Zone Alerts,” a free, text-based service that lets users alert their neighbors if their car is parked illegally. If you see a vehicle in a precarious position, you just send its license plate number to a text line, and if the car’s owner is also signed up for the service, they’ll receive a text. Then, they can move their car before a tow truck gets it first. You can sign up for alerts here.

💉 It’s the end of a COVID era. The Boston Public Health Commission announced they’re scaling back on their standing vaccination and testing sites, citing a decline in use. Starting May 13, BCYF Hyde Park, the Josephine Fiorentino Community Center, and Lena Park Community Development Corporation will close up shop. The Bruce C. Bolling Building in Roxbury and Boston City Hall will stay open and provide vaccines, boosters, and at-home COVID tests. These sites played a massive role in helping the commission distribute over 6,000 vaccine doses in 2022.

A Boston food truck is competing on the “The Great Food Truck Race”

Paisani food truck announced on Instagram that they competed in the new season of the Food Network series. The Italian-American truck is run by two college buddies who started cooking together at UMass Lowell. “Rest assured, we brought the Boston energy to the West Coast,” Paisani wrote in their post.Paisani is the third team from Mass. to compete in The Great Food Truck Race over its 16-season history. They join the ranks of Boston’s Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, which competed in season two and Falmouth’s Wicked Good Food Truck from season eight. If you’re looking to catch these guys in action, the first episode of season 16 will premiere on Food Network at 8 p.m. June 18.

We tried their food last month and can confirm it’s win-worthy. Take a peek at our video below. But be warned: You may get hungry while watching.

🤤 Thanks for reading! Their drunken parm sub sent me into another dimension.

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