❄️🤩 The life of a Snowport girl

🤔 How well do you know your Boston history? In celebration of its 30th b-day, Boston.com has dropped a quiz about some of Boston’s biggest moments of the last 30 years. Not to brag, but we got it in six tries. Give it a go!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Yes, Halloween was last week. Yes, the Snowport opens TODAY. The Seaport’s annual transformation from ritzy shopping district to winter wonderland is officially complete. 

Here’s what to know:

🎄 The Snowport = a whole season of holiday happenings. See: free, iceless curling lanes (sign up for a spot on the Seaport Insider app), a tree market, holiday tree and menorah lighting events, a holiday and NYE ice sculpture stroll — even a pink yeti mascot (hey, Betty!). Here’s a full list of this season’s events.

🛍️ But the holiday market is the main attraction. This year, there will be 125+ vendors selling everything from clothes to gourmet food to knickknacks, and more. Fun fact(s): 65% of this year’s vendors are from New England, 88% are BIPOC and/or women-owned, and 18% are first-timers. The market will be open seven days a week through Dec. 28, with extended hours starting Dec. 8.

🍪 This year’s list of 20 food vendors is absolutely STACKED. Fan faves like Cheese Louise, The Half Cookie, and The Frenchman’s Crepes will be back in biz. But new bites include Neapolitan pizza at Temperance, a tiramisu latte from Lakon Paris, duck fat poutine from That Fat Duck, and Japanese bento boxes from Nagomi Bento. And you already know we have the lowdown on free samples.

🎟️ Per usual, you can pay to skip the weekend lines. Which can get pretty gnarly. To be clear: You don’t have to buy a timed entry slot to get in, but if you want to, it’ll cost you $14 per adult and $6 per child.

🎁 Don’t know where to start? We’ve got recs! Among this year’s new vendors, Citizens Crochet and Creation Jute USA caught our eye. If you’re ballin’ on a budget, almost all of our picks from our under $30 Snowport gift guide are running it back. Plus, the Snowport has a gift guide that makes it easy to peruse all the vendors. 

🧑‍🎄 Any other questions? Here’s all the info!

✈️ Flying out of Logan soon? Listen up! The airport is one of 40 across the country that’s canceling 10% of its daily flights to ease the burden on airport workers during the government shutdown (who are currently working without pay). At Logan, that’ll = about 118 cancelled flights a day, or 12,000 impacted passengers. As of Thursday evening, some cancellations were already rolling in, and some airlines are already offering refunds to travelers who opt not to fly. Massport’s advice: If you’re flying soon, triple check with your airline before heading to the airport. 

🍎 Are SNAP payments … so back? Don’t look now, but on Thursday afternoon, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund November SNAP food benefits by … today. The news comes after days of whiplash-inducing updates about this month’s payments, which, until Thursday, were only going to be partially funded. FWIW, even if the Trump admin supplies the payments today, it’s still unclear when residents will receive them. Previously, Gov. Healey said Mass. residents to expect payments next week.

🔍 Beacon Hill’s secrets are safe … for now. A year ago, Mass. voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot question allowing the state to audit parts of the notoriously *opaque* state legislature (don’t remember? Here’s a refresher). But, since then, not much has changed. Long story short: Unsurprisingly, the legislature won’t willingly participate in an audit, and though state auditor Diana DiZoglio is trying to take them to court, the Attorney General’s office says it needs more information to take up the case, which could raise some constitutional concerns. TL;DR: Don’t hold your breath.

🚆 This is your sign to take a holiday getaway: Amtrak is having a Winter Wanderlust sale! Here’s the deal: Through Nov. 13, travelers can get up to 30% off train trips between Dec. 2 and March 15. Think: $59 between Boston and NYC, or $16 between Boston and Providence. There are a few blackout dates (which you can check here), but other than that, the world is your oyster! Book your trip here.

🏔️ Breathe in some fresh fall air. Friends of the Fells is hosting a free hike around the Fells on Nov. 8 (just a 20-minute walk from the Orange Line!). You might even see a waterfall! Can’t make it? There are more free hikes where that came from. 

🎃 SMASH. A. PUMPKIN! Still got that Halloween pumpkin on your porch? Step one: Bring it to Somerville’s inaugural pumpkin smash Nov. 8. Step two: SMASH IT! Step three: It becomes compost!

⚔️ Don your Medieval garb. And wear it to Bow Market’s Nov. 8 Urban Renaissance Faire. Think: A goblin-themed vendor market, food and drink specials, shopping deals, performances, and a *fantasy ball.*

🛍️ Shop your neighbors’ closets. Picture a thrift market, but instead of overpriced Y2K clothes, the vendors are your neighbors selling their own pieces. That’s basically Style Exchange’s Southie pop-up Nov. 8.

🎀 Get crafty and cozy. Sustainable swaps is hosting a “social stitch” sustainable crafting workshop on Nov. 8. There will be printmaking, mending, collaging, and cozy drinks. See this pinterest board for the dress code.

🍦 Scream for $1 ice cream. Soft serve and mochi cafe Kyōyo Haus is opening in Harvard Square Nov. 9, and to celebrate, they’re dolling out $1 soft serve from noon until they run out.

🎂 Celebrate a thrifty anniversary. Select Markets is turning two(!) and to celebrate, it’s bringing 100+ thrift vendors, $5 piles, food trucks, free drinks, temporary tattoos, and more to the Reggie Lewis Center on Nov. 9.

✏️ Sketch your Sunday scaries away. For the final installment of its “Sundays Best” series, creative collective SUMO is hosting a sketch session … with a nude model … on Nov. 9. There will also be coffee, vinyl, and art.

🥟 Test your stomach’s dumpling capacity. Mei Mei is literally feeding us will this bottomless dumpling buffet on Nov. 9. $32 gets you in the door, with access to as many dumplings as you can eat.

You’ve heard of snow. You’ve heard of foliage. But allow us to introduce: Snowliage. 

It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: A combination of snow and fall foliage. And it’s not just a very catchy name, it’s a pretty beautiful, not to mention rare, sight. See: this incredible scene in Vermont. Or … this one.

Considering there aren’t too many days of the year — not to mention, places in the world — where there’s a possibility of snow and foliage at the same time, snowliage tends to be a New England-specific phenomenon, especially up in Vermont or New Hampshire near ski mountains.

And after some scrolling on snowliage TikTok, we’re ready to book a trip. It looks like a movie! Have you ever seen snowliage? Tell Boston.com all about it here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍂 Thanks for reading! Just when you think you know all the New England lore … 

🐶 The results are in: 69% of B-Siders are NOT into the idea of cloning a pet. One reader said: “Adopt, don’t shop! OR CLONE.”

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