🥲🚇 The T made us cry (in a good way)

🥓 Get in loser, we’re going to Publico. *Specifically* to get this $12 brekkie deal that comes with a breakfast sandwich, home fries, AND a Marylou’s Coffee (IYKYK). Race ya!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

The World Cup is over … the Orange Line is down … the bugs are startin’ to die … and yet, August still turned out to be pretty epic. 

Here are the feel-good stories you might’ve missed this month:

🐘 Mom, can the elephants please stay? ICYMI: The Great Elephant Migration, a.k.a., a herd of ~100 elephant statues, has taken over the Comm. Ave. Mall, and everyone is OBSESSED. And shockingly, this wasn’t always gonna be a given. The Back Bay neighborhood has a bit of a NIMBY streak, historically fighting back against tons of proposals like skyscrapers, dispensaries, and late-night tacos. And yet … there’ve been no complaints about the herd (though ofc they’re making sure that the grass is restored afterward). 

🚇 The King of the T got a sweet surprise from his hero. Our fave MBTA expert, 10-year-old Makai King, was on GBH News Morning Edition last week when he was surprised with a message from Frank Oglesby, the former voice of the T. He was so surprised, in fact, that he got a little emo live on air. In case you’re new here, Makai has been sharing fun fact videos about the T for just over a year, interviewing transit workers, operators, and even Train Daddy Phil. Lowkey, we’d cry if Frank made a video for us, too …

⚾ These Mass. boys made it to the Little League World Series. The Bridgewater Little League baseball team beat Maine in the New England Regional final 8-0 (hello, 14 strikeouts!), punching Bridgewater’s ticket to the series for the first time in its 74-year history. And while Bridgewater soon lost to New Jersey … then Ohio … in the knockout rounds, the fact they even made it to the tourney still meant they were one of the top 10 (!) Little League teams in the country.

🌊 These assisted-living seniors caught some waves. Fourteen folks from Cohen Florence Levine Estates were strapped in floating and water-resistant wheelchairs to take a dip at Revere Beach — this video could probably cure your depression. The facility started this tradition five years ago after many residents said they wished to feel the waves and squish their toes in the sand again (aww). For many of them, it was so nostalgic, reminding them of their own core childhood memories at this beach. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 He would walk 500 miles … and 500 more. We’re talking about Miles Howard, a.k.a. the Walking City Trails guy who decided to walk the 57-mile journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow (our sister city!) after seeing the Tartan Army take over Boston. He crossed gorg, charming villages, farm fields, and thick woodlands until he reached Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue, which started the traffic cone tradition. One of his main takeaways? The mutual love between the sister cities reminds us that connection and collaboration > everything else.

🦠 The Charles is giving … dirty water. And not in the fun “Red Sox walk it off” kind of way. The Boston Public Health Commission issued a cyanobacteria algae bloom warning on Aug. 21, asking people to avoid 20+ bodies of water in Mass. Yuck. So think twice before kayaking in the Charles River Lower Basin from the Mass. Ave. bridge to (nearish) the Zakim (here’s a map). In case you’re new here, we see these blooms every summer, and the toxins from it can make you sick. Made contact with the water accidentally? Rinse it off ASAP.

🐀 Bad news: Rat City might be losing its edge. Translation: Allston’s going through some BIG changes. The OG Great Scott is now a Taco Bell, Twin Donuts is turning into a Blank Street, and more bizzes are shutting their doors than during any year since COVID. As rising rents are pushing local shops and restaurants out (peep the Gordon Building’s new ownership), bigger groups and brands are swooping in, along with Asian companies looking to cater to Allston’s sizable student population.

💅 The Museum of Science’s glow-up is *almost* ready for her close-up. Enter: The Bloomberg Public Science Common, a.k.a. the museum’s soon-to-be *massive* space for events and immersive experiences with state-of-the-art tech (think: journeying across Mars or swimming with whales). Keep your eyes peeled for robot demos and presentations on topics like climate change and genetics, too. Mark your calendars: The 10,000-square-foot, $155 million project will open Oct. 10, sitting right along the Charles River with gorgina skyline views. 

🥂 You’re gonna wanna cheers to this. We got big bar news on tap: SEVEN, a new restaurant and cocktail lounge, is opening downtown this fall, and it’s all inspired by the seven deadly sins. Think: Themed sections like the Garden of Eden and … Hell (oop), plus forbidden-fruit-like desserts. Speaking of downtown, Press Club (a new groovy D.C. hot spot) and Loma (recent James Beard winner for Best New Bar in PVD) are both heading to Wig Shop on Aug. 31 for the *ultimate* collab. 

⚾ Beat the Globe’s sports writers in trivia. Yup, our colleagues are taking over UnCommon Corner on Aug. 25 for a Sports Trivia Night to see if anyone is smarter than the experts. The prize? Some swag … and bragging rights for life. 

🍽️ Pay what you can at Comfort Kitchen. No, seriously. Comfort Kitchen is making Aug. 26 Pay What You Can Day, part of a movement to make restaurants more accessible. Order anything on the menu, and contribute however much you want. Make a res here!

✍️ Get on a train back to Boston … to get Stella Lefty’s John Hancock. This is the part where you run to Newbury Comics at Faneuil Hall for Stella Lefty’s “Long Way Home” album signing on Aug. 27.

🧘 Strike a corpse pose … in the cemetery. Bring your mat to Mount Auburn Cemetery on Aug. 27 for a ~peaceful~ monthly yoga class. This one’s all about movement and restoration. 

🥊 Raise your fist if you loved “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! You can sign up for Fit for Fiction’s Seven Rounds of Evelyn Hugo class on Aug. 28. Your ticket comes with gear, a complimentary class credit, AND a copy of “The Chelsea Girls” by Fiona Davis.

💘 Pitch your single besties. Make the case for your day ones via PowerPoint at this Pitch Your Friend Night on Aug. 28 at the Foundry. Bonus: If two people get set up, they’ll get free matcha at Naru for their date!

🎤 Practice your “A-ca-scuse me?” Sound Off is hosting its a cappella summer show at Club Cafe on Aug. 28. It’s basically “Pitch Perfect” IRL.

🍺 Come for the beer, stay for the pizza.* Patio season is NOT over yet, and Night Shift Lovejoy Wharf is keeping summer going with award-winning Detroit-style pizza, fresh beer, and waterfront views. Stop in before a game, after a North End stroll, or just because.

*This listing was produced in partnership with Night Shift Brewing.

PSA: View Boston’s Rooftop Wellness Series closes out on Sept. 19! Choose between a yoga sound bath on the 52nd floor, or DJ sculpt on the rooftop. Then, get sips, snacks, and TONS of freebies from vendors like BOLA Granola, Boosted Bake, MALK, Red Bull, Ripple PT, and more! B-Side Members save $25 on their ticket. Book here!

Breaking: We found Boston’s ninth circle of Hell. 

Imagine: The Orange Line is shut down, so you wake up extra early knowing your commute is gonna be extra long. The shuttle bus is already packed like sardines. Then you see out the window … you’re going north … on I-93. 

Not to mention, when the driver asks everyone if he’s going the right way, everyone says “NO,” and yet he keeps driving … all the way to Stoneham before turning back around.

Well, that’s what some unlucky MBTA passengers’ Thursday morning looked like last week. And thankfully, the MBTA confirmed: This driver is “no longer working on this service.”

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🚌 Thanks for reading! Live footage of how those passengers probably felt.

🍹 The results are in: 33% of B-Siders are Aperol spritz girlies (same). But a bunch of readers wrote in another option: “Justice for the limoncello spritz! It's basically a boozy lemonade.” We’re like a dog hearing our favorite words …

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