😭🚇 Surprise! Here are two T shutdowns

🧠 Are you smarter than a “Jeopardy!” player? If you can get more than three out of these five questions about Boston landmarks correct, the answer is YES. No pressure, but we will be disappointed if you don’t clear the board.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Good news: It’s been 67 days since we’ve had a major T shutdown! Bad news: The clock resets to 0 today. 

Saturday kicks off some big service changes on the Orange and Red Lines, and let’s just say … they’re gonna be doozies. Here’s what to know:

🚇 The line will be OOO for nine days between Back Bay and Forest Hills. Free shuttles will replace service between all the regular stops from Feb. 28 to March 8. You can find the specific stop locations here.

⏰ Per usual, you’ll need to budget some extra time. You can expect a shuttle trip to Downtown Crossing from Forest Hills to tack on “at least” an extra 30 minutes(!) to your usual commute, according to the MBTA.

🚉 Life hack: The commuter rail. It’ll be fare-free between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay, and South Station on the Franklin/Foxboro, Needham, and Providence/Stoughton lines during the shutdown — not to mention way faster than a shuttle.

🤔 Any other questions? Here are the deets.

😭 Red Line riders are in for two months of evening service changes. Yup, you read that right. Starting Feb. 28, the line is in for four, two week-long disruptions while the MBTA installs an upgraded signal system.

📝 Note: All end dates are approximate, and all changes are only after 8 p.m. 

Here’s the deal:

🐢 February and March = slower trains. From Feb. 28 to March 29, the entire Red Line will see reduced train frequency, so all riders should budget 10 to 15 extra minutes of travel time. Plus: Trains will run at reduced speeds from Feb. 28 to March 14 on the Braintree branch, and from March 15 to 29 on the Ashmont branch.

🔁 March and April = transfer time. From March 29 to April 12, inbound Alewife-Braintree trains won’t run past JFK/UMass, so riders will need to transfer to an Alewife-Ashmont train for further service. Then, from April 12 to 26, it’ll flip flop, and Alewife-Ashmont riders will transfer to an Alewife-Braintree train at JFK/UMass for inbound service. Plus: All Red Line trains between Broadway and JFK/UMass will see longer travel times and reduced train frequency. Yes, it hurts our brains, too.

😅 The silver lining? There will be regular service on St. Paddy’s Parade day and Marathon Monday. 

🤔 Any other questions? Yeah, same. You can find the answers here.

📲 P.S. If you’re under 30 and want to talk about nostalgia for pre-social media times, we’d love to hear from you. Send Gia an email at [email protected]. 

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🚇 So … we have more MBTA shutdown news. We know, we know. In addition to those mind-numbing T shutdowns, commuter rail riders can expect some service changes out of North Station in March. Every weekend minus St. Paddy’s Day, you’ll see shutdowns between North Station and Porter on the Fitchburg Line; Oak Grove on the Haverhill Line; Anderson/Woburn on the Lowell Line; and Swampscott on the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The shuttle sitch changes depending on the line, so we’d poke through the deets here.

🎓 Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard ties run deeper than we thought. A new Globe analysis of the Epstein files saw Harvard mentioned 12,000+ times, including references to financial gifts, close personal relationships with professors, researchers, the school’s former president, and favors for female employees. Said former president Larry Summers literally just resigned from Harvard following these revelations. See: Summers honeymooning on Epstein's island, writing Epstein's female friend a rec on the basis that she’s “very hot,” and worse. 

❄️ March isn’t beating the “in like a lion” allegations. Meteorological spring might be on the horizon (March 1), but that doesn’t mean winter’s over. By the Globe’s estimation, things will be looking wintry in Boston until around March 20 (astronomical spring). Forecasters are already keeping their eyes on a new storm system, and that pesky polar vortex will likely keep temps frigid for the first week of March. But before you crash out: Milder temps aren’t far off, which should speed up the snow melting process. Ms. G, we tip our cap.

🌭 This week in Boston openings: Hot dogs, carnival games, and mini golf. Oh my! Sullivan’s Castle Island, a.k.a. Sully's, will officially reopen for the season Feb. 28, slinging its famous hot dogs and fries. We can think of one really good reason to go before it warms up. Meanwhile, Swingers, the buzzy new “crazy golf” venue, has opened in Back Bay, with wild mini golf courses, arcade games, bar bites, and plenty of cocktails (here’s a peek inside). Tickets start at $25 a pop.

🎥 Prep for Oscars season. The MFA’s Global Cinema Now series is ramping up this weekend, with showings of critically-acclaimed films like “Bugonia,” “Die My Love,” and “No Other Choice.” Grab tickets here.

☪️ Ring in Ramadan at City Hall Plaza. Boston’s Ramadan Night Market is back Feb. 27 and 28 with Halal food, drinks, henna, and tons of local vendors to shop. 

😂 Catch some standup at the Speedway. New England’s brightest comedians will be in Brighton on Feb. 27 for a night of laughs, bites, and brews. The theme: Love on top.

🎭 Support an indie arts collective. Idle Fest, Boston’s newest variety show, is hitting the stage for one day only Feb. 28. Expect music, plays, and more from a group of local artists. 

🦖 Celebrate Black History Month … with science! The Museum of Science is honoring BHM by offering free admission Feb. 28 AND free films in its Omni Theater on March 1. Just use code BHM26.

🛍️ Choose your own vintage adventure. You can shop FOUND’s 50-vendor vintage market at the Huntington for free on March 1, or pay $11 to do it the night before with music and adult bevs.

🧩 Pick up a new granny hobby. There are still a few seats left for the Codman Square BPL branch’s speed puzzling competition on March 2. You and three teammates will compete to finish a puzzle the fastest.

⛸️ Squeeze in your final skate. Frog Pond’s 2026 skating season is ending on March 2 at 9 p.m., which means this weekend is your chance to have your Alysa Liu moment.

For most couples, a blizzard is basically the worst thing that can happen to a wedding. But for Drew Baker and Maddie McNamara, it made the day that much better. 

The high school sweethearts were originally planning a small ceremony at the BPL, but as snow totals ticked up, it became clear that the day wouldn’t go as planned. After considering some backup options, the couple decided to lean into the storm and have the ceremony in their hotel suite with their families on FaceTime.

What happened next was even better: The pair braved the elements in their wedding attire, strolling down Newbury Street, making snow angels in the Public Garden, and even jumping into piles of snow on Comm. Ave. Yes, the pictures are incredible. 

The groom’s takeaway? “We know that no matter what happens, we will be there for each other and always make the most out of any situation,” he told the Globe.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👰 Thanks for reading! No, YOU’RE crying about a stranger’s love!!!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, FiDO Pizza, for supporting local journalism and giving us all a tasty neighborhood spot to keep coming back to. 

❄️ The results are in: 60% of B-Siders said that the city did a better job of clearing snow this time around. One reader said: “I didn’t have to walk around a snow mountain and through a busy highway to get to the T this time!” Sounds like a low bar, but yay!

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