😮‍💨 This year is looking rough ...

It’s Monday, Boston.

☕ It was only a matter of time before Sabrina Carpenter got an espresso brand deal. We’re thrilled to report that it’s a brown sugar shaken espresso drink with Dunkin’. The promo video is 10/10. No notes.

🎂 And a very happy (belated) birthday to B-Siders Donna Shaw and Dominic Potito. Way to kick off the year right! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• MBTA shutdowns are SO back

• White Stadium’s reno is a go

• Boston’s first baby of 2025

Up first…

LOCAL NEWS

Our 2025 magic ball says …

We certainly can’t predict the future. But … we’re currently 2/2 on local New Year’s predictions. So we’re gunning for a hat trick in 2025.

Here’s what local experts think will happen this year:

♻️ State and local government will step up climate funding. With Donald Trump coming into office, local climate orgs can’t bank on the levels of federal funding they’ve come to expect in recent years, said Hessann Farooqi, executive director of the Boston Climate Action Network. He said it’ll be crucial that our local and state government, along with philanthropic organizations, “dramatically scale up” their support (a.k.a. $$$), especially for small, nonprofit organizations. 

🚇 The MBTA needs to find itself. “What does it look like to have premiere MBTA service and more transparency with riders?” That’s the big question of 2025, said Liveable Streets Alliance co-executive director Makayla Comas. Now that our year of major shutdowns is in the rearview, Comas predicts the conversation will turn to maintenance. Namely, how the agency can maintain its state of good repair while (crucially) keeping rider inconvenience at a minimum and handling its money problems.

🍽️ Local restaurants are going to downsize. Simply put: 2025 will be “a challenging year” for the restaurant industry as demand is down and costs are up, according to James Beard award- winning chef and restaurateur Jamie Bissonnette. His prediction? Downsizing. “We're going to see [restaurants] going back to the sweet spot of 65, 70 seats,” he said. Why? Less overhead, and a fuller and smaller dining room is much more inviting than a big, empty one, especially since customers have favored a great atmosphere over great food post-pandemic.

🏘️ Rent prices just won’t stop rising. For the second year in a row, BostonPads CEO Demetrios Salpoglou is expecting rent to rise “as new supply remains critically low.” This year, he predicts a 3.75 to 6.75% price bump, plus more demand for multiple bedroom units since folks will want to share the burden of utilities and energy. His No. 1 tip: If you can afford an average one bed, you can get WAY more bang for your buck by finding a roommate and getting an “unbelievable” two-bed for the same price per person.

🕺 Nightlife venues will have to think on their feet. “When things get tougher in the world, the nightlife and the arts tend to dig in deeper,” said CEO of Boston Urban Hospitality Brian Piccini. Given the political climate, he predicts Bostonians will be more eager for fun than they’ve been in years, and smart venues will capitalize by offering live performances and experiences. The venues “who will shine and do well are the ones who will try all new different artistic expressions,” he said.

QUICK QUESTION!

🎱 Which expert prediction is DEFINITELY happening?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚇 Out: Slow zones. In: Weekend shutdowns. At least for January. This weekend, Silver Line buses will operate at the street level due to drainage improvement work at South Station. And later this month, we’ll see two weekend shutdowns between Oak Grove and North Station on the Orange Line to accommodate a MassDOT bridge project, as well as one Red Line weekend shutdown between JFK/UMass and Braintree to perform signal work. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you later.

🤑 Mass. politicians are getting a BIG pay raise. In 2025, many of Mass.’ top elected officials will see a hefty 9.59% salary raise thanks to a complicated biennial process that ties the leaders’ pay to changes in Mass.’ wage levels. In practice, that’s at least a $12,000 boost for the Legislature’s top leaders and roughly $19,000 for the state’s constitutional officers. Plus, it’ll bump up the position, expense, and travel stipends many receive … which is how some make north of $200,000 when their base pay is $73,655. Nice.

⚽ “GOOOOOOOOOAL” — Mayor Michelle Wu, probably. After a long, rocky road, Boston inked a lease agreement with NWSL team BOS Nation FC to renovate and operate out of White Stadium in Franklin Park. The 321-page lease is public, if you’re into that. If not, here’s the TL;DR: It’s a 10-year lease with two additional 10-year options, the club will pay $400,000 in annual rent, plus additional revenue from advertising, concessions, and more. And the construction timeline is tight — aiming to be done by early 2026. Any more Q’s? Check here.

🌳 Copley Square Park is (partially) back in biz. On New Year’s Day, part of the park (the “Northeast Triangle,” to be exact) reopened after around 18 months of renovations. And there’s more to come. The entire park has been closed since 2023 for an accessibility, functionality, and community-use reno, including an update to its (iconic) fountain, increasing the tree canopy, and new event spaces. More chunks of the park will open soon, with the plaza and raised grove areas reopening in the next month or two, followed by the rest this summer.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🥵 Celebrate sauna szn with a cold plunge. Both are on the menu at this new sauna and cold plunge village in Somerville. Expect a classic hot-cold therapy experience with wood-fired saunas, cold plunge barrels, and fire pits. Book a spot here!

📚 Start chipping away at your 2025 TBR. The BPL’s winter reading challenge is officially underway. The goal? Read a book by an author from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania by the end of February.

🪴 Give your home a splash of green. Terrarium-making is on the agenda tonight at Castle Island Brewing. You’ll leave with a stylish glass vessel filled with plants, stones, and moss, and the skills to DIY.

🫗 Pour one out for your table’s water stains … ‘Cause we’re leaving them in 2024 after this pour-style art coaster-making class on Tuesday. 

🏴‍ ☠️ Get a little … weird in Union Square. This event on Wednesday caught our attention: Titanic & Chill. Expect a wine tasting with Titanic-inspired sips and a high-energy Titanic visualization meditation in a home pirate den. Wowza.

🥟 Eat ALLLL the dumplings. Mei Mei Dumplings is back with its iconic all-you-can-eat dumpling buffet for just $28.88. Load up on signature flavors like lemongrass pork and cheeseburger.

💻 Use your PowerPoint-making powers for good. Pitch-A-Friend is at Dorchester Brewing Co. on Friday where you’ll get five-ish minutes to tell the audience why they should date your single friend (via slideshow).

💃 Add “learn to drop it low” to your bucket list. Now’s your chance to try pole dancing. Fly Together Fitness in Watertown is hosting free mini classes at its winter open house on Sunday.

ONE LAST THING

The first baby of 2025

If you think you had a wild New Year’s, it still probably doesn’t hold a candle to Leah James Lombardi’s night. Because, well, she entered the world for the very first time! 

Little Leah was Boston’s first baby to be born in 2025, making her grand entrance at 12:14 a.m at Mass. General Hospital on New Year’s Day. She clocked in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 20.5 inches — a very healthy baby.

Her mom, Jessica Lombardi, told CBS Boston that it was “such an easy delivery” and that she “felt great.” What more could you ask for?

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👶 Thanks for reading! Awwwwwwwwwww.

😴 The results are in: 42% of B-Siders said they stayed in for New Year’s and went to bed early. One reader said: “Saving my cash for next year's B-Side events!” That’s what we’re talking about!

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