🚃🤯 The last Green Line shutdown(s)?!

It’s Monday, Boston.

🇺🇸 It’s also Veterans Day. In celebration, vets can enjoy deals like free chowder at Legal Sea Foods, a discount at View Boston, free food at Flight Club, and a free drink at Aroma Joe’s today. You deserve them all!

🗳️ Want to know how your city voted in the election? This map by WBUR shows the results of the major races town by town, and it’s pretty juicy (see: Boston voting “yes” on every single ballot Q).

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Mass. is on fire 

• A very jolly Amtrak deal

• Election anxiety: Want to talk about it?

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

It’s the final(?) shutdown

We don’t want to jinx anything, but this might be one of the last major MBTA shutdowns of the year. And the lucky riders are … Green Liners! 

Starting today through Nov. 17, parts of the D and E branches will be shut down. And it’s gonna be a doozy. 

Here’s what to know:

🚃 Service will be suspended between Union Square and Lechmere from Nov. 11 to 17. Notice how we didn’t mention shuttle buses? Yeah … there won’t be any. Instead, the MBTA recommends riders use the 86, 91, or CT2 buses between Union and East Somerville Station (the 91 will have increased service on weekday peak hours), or the 87 bus between Union Square and Lechmere. The agency said that riders traveling from Park Street to Union Square should budget an extra 10 minutes for travel time.

😬 But come Nov. 15, things get a liiiittle more complicated. Starting at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 through the 17th, the shutdown will extend to include all stops from Park Street to East Somerville. And the shuttle situation is, honestly, not great:

• There will be shuttles between North Station and East Somerville. They’ll make all the usual stops, plus an extra at Sullivan Square on the Orange Line for transfers. 

• There won't be shuttle service between Park Street and North Station. Instead, riders should use the Orange Line for service to North Station (the Winter Street concourse will take you between Park Street and Downtown Crossing), then hop on a shuttle.

• Got all that? If not, check out the shutdown map, but it might give you a migraine. 

💸 The good news? The MBTA is throwing us a bone. A.k.a. fare-free trains between Medford/Tufts and East Somerville from Nov. 15 to 17. It might be the sneaky perfect time to try out our GLX food crawl. 

👍 And the other good news … As of now, there are just EIGHT slow zones across the entire T, two of which are on the Green Line. So if all goes to plan, we could be looking at a slow zone-free T by the end of the year. Keep that in mind when you’re fighting for your life on a packed 86 bus this week. 

QUICK QUESTION

👀 We’re taking bets. Do you think the T will be slow-zone-free by the end of the year?

TOGETHER WITH SNOWBOUND EXPO

Ready to swap sneakers for ski boots? 

❄️ 🏂 The weather outside may not be frightful (yet), but your winter game is about to get seriously delightful. Shop the freshest ski and snowboard gear at the Snowbound Expo from Nov. 15-17 at the BCEC, where you can score up to 60% off on top brands! Hit the indoor mega slope, sip some chilled beers at apres ski, and maybe even brush shoulders with legendary athletes like Hannah Kearney and Donny Pelletier. Arrive early for the chance to win an IKON Pass, along with other giveaways and swag. Now’s your last chance to snag tickets for just $8 using code: BSIDE! 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🔥 Mass. is on fire this week. No, seriously. If you’ve noticed some smoky skies, it’s likely the over 50 ongoing wildfires and bushfires across the state, including some pretty big ones as close to Boston as Lynn and Salem. That number is just a fraction of last week’s 155 total fires, which have burned 305 acres combined. Why? Thank the “critical” drought facing most of Eastern and Central Mass. right now, which, paired with dry winds and low humidity, make for perfect fire starting (and spreading) conditions.

🚔 Mass. State Police will “absolutely not” be helping with mass deportations. That’s according to Gov. Maura Healey, who also said the state will use “every tool in the toolbox” to protect its residents from them. Her thoughts were a response to a question about a Trump-admin plan to deport the nation’s roughly 11 million undocumented migrants, and drew some criticism from mostly local GOP figures. They argue Healey isn't doing enough to handle the state’s expensive migrant crisis, but Healey places the blame on the feds’ inactivity.

📣 A local congressman is going viral for talking about trans athletes. On Thursday, Salem Democrat Seth Moulton was quoted in The New York Times saying he wouldn’t want his two young daughters “getting run over” by a trans athlete on a sports field, “but as a Democrat, [he’s] supposed to be afraid to say that.” His comments — part of a larger point about how identity politics are hurting his party — have since been blasted by local LGBTQ+ organizations, politicians, and even Salem’s mayor, which led him to release a clarification. Moulton also said he stands by his comments.

🚆 Out: Flying home for the holidays. In: Training home for the holidays. Amtrak is offering an up-to 40% off flash deal on tickets for trips taken between Dec. 2, 2024, and March 15, 2025. The deal is good through Nov. 14 for trains on Monday through Thursdays and Saturdays, minus a few blackout dates. For Bostonians, that means you could get coach tickets to Providence, R.I., for as low as $13 one-way or to NYC for $34. The only catch: You have to book before the deal ends this Thursday, Nov. 14. So get moving! Check out the deals here.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

💏 Catch the greatest romcom ever. OK, we might be biased … but “When Harry Met Sally” is playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre tonight on 35MM for its big screen classics series. 

🧀 Level up your cheese and wine game. Your days of mindlessly buying Trader Joe’s pre-sliced manchego might be numbered after this wine and cheese pairing class at BRIX this Tuesday.

👯 Turn strangers into besties. If you’re in your thirties, flirting, and thriving, but want some new pals, head to Trident Booksellers on Tuesday for its 30s speed-friending event hosted by Skip the Small Talk.

🏳️‍🌈 See the best new LGBTQ+ flicks in town. Boston’s Wicked Queer: Doc Film Festival is here! You can catch the fest’s lineup of films at venues across the city this week. 

🎤 Practice your tap tap “Is this thing on?” If the thought of “I should start a podcast” has ever crossed your mind, this podcast workshop in Allston on Wednesday might be for you. 

😂 See the king of loopholes. We’re talking about Max Fosh, a YouTuber and comedian with 4+ million followers whose schtick is all about exploiting life’s loopholes. He’ll be at The Wilbur Wednesday night. 

🇼 Take your Words With Friends game IRL. Nothing beats sitting around a table playing a game of Scrabble. And that’s exactly what’s on the agenda at the Roslindale BPL branch’s Scrabble club on Thursday. 

🍶 Spend a night sipping sake at the MFA. The folks from The Koji Club are hosting a guided sake tasting Friday at the museum. Bonus: Stick around after to explore the galleries — they’ll be open till 10 p.m.!

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Biggest Boston Thrift Market Returns!

B-Side is a proud sponsor of Select Markets, the local vintage clothing pop-up team who’s celebrating one year on Nov. 16 at the Reggie Lewis Center with one of the biggest thrift markets to ever grace the state! Expect over 90 vendors and 80 square feet of vintage clothing, $10 piles, food trucks, free drinks, and all the works. Grab your tickets fast! 

ONE LAST THING

Election anxiety: Want to talk about it?

It’s no secret that a lot of folks had strong feelings about this election. But only two people set up a “public listening” station to talk about it (that we know of, anyway). 

On Friday, friends Ben (who was only identified by his first name) and Alexander Kelly set up four plastic chairs near the boathouse by Jamaica Pond with a handmade sign reading simply  “Want to talk about it?” And apparently, people did. Over the course of five hours, over 50 passersby sat down to chat about their post-election feelings. 

According to the pair, the idea was to “show up in a public space and make visible to the whole community that you’re not in this alone.” One person they spoke to said it was “really valuable … to have this moment in time, to be able to sit and talk with somebody, a stranger, no judgment.” 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🥲 Thanks for reading! Sounds a lot healthier than our personal strategy of eating cookies with our phones turned off.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Snowbound Expo, for supporting local journalism and already getting us hyped for winter 2024. 

❄️ The results are in: 38% of B-Siders go to Snowport for the vibes, just edging out folks who simply don’t go. One reader said “Only weeknights tho! Lines aren't vibes.”

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