🚃😩 The Green Line did you DIRTY

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

😅 We’re not saying the state flag design finalists are … boring. But if we had to pick between a dinosaur holding a Dunkin’ cup or a circle of turkey feathers … ya, you already know the answer …

🥳 Also .. give a big B-Side HBD to Gabby Hernandez! Surprise! We got you a turkey feather state flag for your b-day — just what you asked for!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Getting a COVID jab just got harder …

• Blank slate to Blank Street

• Boston’s best green thumbs

Up first…

TRANSPORATION

A “gift” for Green Line girlies

Congrats! You survived your 9/1 move. The MBTA’s housewarming gift to you: A nine-day Green Line shutdown between Kenmore and Riverside on the D branch, from Sept. 3-11.

Here’s what to know: 

💥 The star of this shutdown: Crash prevention. Specifically, the Green Line Train Protection System, which should help with the line’s derailment and crashing *ahem* issues by adding speed controls and alerts for drivers. They’ll also be glowing up chunks of track to keep things moving and grooving for a loooong time.

🚃 Which means … Shuttle buses will replace T service from Sept. 3-11. Said shuttles will be making all the usual stops between Kenmore and Riverside.

🙅 … Except for Beaconsfield, which will be skipped. If that’s your stop, the MBTA recommends walking the extra four minutes to the Dean Road stop on the C branch. They also recommend Reservoir riders skip the shuttles and board the C branch at Cleveland Circle, just a two-minute walk away.  

🚌 Express shuttles will be joining the party. BLESS. These shuttles will make local stops at Riverside, Woodland, Waban, Eliot, and Newton Highlands (where you can transfer to or from the normal shuttle) before running express to Copley. 

⏰ Per usual, you’ll need to budget extra time for your commute. Think: An extra 30 to 45 minutes for riders traveling from Riverside to Government Center, according to the MBTA. *Sigh.*

🚲 Your new bestie? Bluebikes. The city is offering riders a code for up to five free unlocks during the shutdown. Claim it with the code MBTAGREEN925 in the app’s rewards section. We can’t promise it’ll be less chaotic than a shuttle bus, but the fresh air should be nice!

😮‍💨 And this is just the beginning for Green Line shutdown szn. According to the city’s MBTA shutdown calendar, C branch riders can expect a nine-day shutdown in October, with all the other branches seeing weekend shutdowns in October and November. Hey, at least the MBTA is honest these days!

TOGETHER WITH INDY PASS

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💉 Getting your COVID shot just got waaay more complicated … Because CVS is holding off on offering the jabs in 16 states, including Mass. Yes, that even applies to folks who meet the new criteria. Long story short: In some states, pharmacists can’t administer vaccines without a rec from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (a CDC panel). Despite the recent CDC … drama, the panel’s next meeting is Sept. 18-19. One loophole: You can still get the shot at the ~40 Mass. CVS MinuteClinics without the CDC panel’s greenlight.

🍁 Leaf-peeping season could come sooner than you think. A hot, dry summer + a wet, fungus-inducing spring = our trees feeling a little *stressed*. Throw in our current drought vibes, and you’ve got a recipe for leaves turning earlier, falling sooner, and being a little muted in color this season. That said, New England’s fall colors rarely miss; so despite some potential challenges, foliage experts predict another gorgeous leaf-peeping season ahead. Mark your calendars: We should peak in early November with colors showing by mid-September. 

🚂 Your “free” commuter rail home to the burbs won’t be for long. Yeah, we’re looking at YOU, crouched in your seat, avoiding the conductor punching tickets. The MBTA is getting ahead of fare evaders by installing fare gates at South Station this week, which could be ready to rock by winter. They’re just like the ones you’ve seen at North Station, where riders have to swipe their tickets and passes to get on the platform. It’s all part of the agency’s plan to beef up fare enforcement, which, friendly reminder: Fines and citations start Sept. 8!

🍩 Twin Donuts is going from blank slate to Blank Street. The rumors are true: The recently shuttered Allston diner is turning into a Blank Street Coffee come spring 2026, marking the chain’s eighth Boston location. But if this news is breaking your small biz-loving, strawberry matcha-hating heart, it’s not all bad: Blank Street plans to restore the iconic Twin Donuts sign (and technically incorporating Blank Street branding into it) and serve exclusive products to honor the diner. Our only request: Stop calling Blank Street a local coffee shop!!!

QUICK QUESTION!

👀 What’re your thoughts on Blank Street taking over the Twin Donuts space?

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🍹 Soak up the last of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Saguaro Garden Bar is hosting its weekly viewing party Sept. 3. And whether you’re team Conrad or Jere, there will be $5 mocktails!

✨ Make your Q4 dreams HAPPEN. September basically feels like January when it comes to *new year vibes,* so kick it off at Trident’s vision boarding event on Sept. 4. Supplies included! 

🧘 Go back(bend) to school. The folks at Upstairs at Bow are treating you to a $7 yoga class under the greenery on Sept. 4. Just remember to bring your own mat!

😛 Snack your way through Somerville. It’s a food nation celebration at Davis Square’s vintage block party on Sept. 4, where $20 gets you tons of food, a vintage fashion show, live music, and more.

🦈 Sink your teeth into “Jaws.” The New England Aquarium is showing special screenings of the iconic film on the big screen from Sept. 4-6, and tickets are just $10.

🍵 Level up your matcha game. Maruichi, a.k.a., home to our fave matcha, is teaming with Yamamotoyama (one of the best tea brands in the world) for a matcha pop-up from Sept. 3-9.

💎 Find your next sidewalk treasure. And no, we don’t mean Allston Christmas … We mean the South End Sidewalk Sale starting from Sept. 5-7. Enjoy amazing sidewalk deals and treats from your fave small businesses and restaurants!

🪴 Add a new plant baby to the fam. You’ve got tons of options at Haeven, an adorable, woman-owned plant and flower shop that just opened in the North End.

ONE LAST THING

Boston’s best green thumbs

Meet your black thumb’s final boss. The winners of Boston’s Mayor’s Garden Contest were crowned last week, celebrating residents who transformed their yards, rooftops, and community gardens into *unbelievable* green spaces that put your dying succulents to shame. 

Categories ranged from best pollinator garden, to veggie garden, to porch balcony, with first-place winners taking home the coveted “Golden Trowel” award and being entered into a drawing for two roundtrip JetBlue flights from Boston (slay). 

Some of our fave first-place winners included this adorable community garden with a bistro table and string lights that scream South End patio, and this porch balcony that, honestly, could’ve won on its skyline views alone …

You can take a peek at all the winners here!

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🪴 Thanks for reading! If you saw us clipping these unreal cotton candy flowers from the first-place medium yard garden … no you didn’t. 

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Indy Pass, for supporting local journalism and giving independent ski resorts the spotlight they deserve. 

💉 The results are in: And it looks like over 70% of B-Siders still planned to get their COVID shot this fall before the guidelines changed. One wrote, “Same policy I had in college: ‘You offer me a shot, I’m taking a shot.’” Yeah, about that …

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