🛫 How to travel like a Turkey Day pro

It's Thursday, Boston. 

☕ PSA: Anyone who orders a holiday or fall beverage at Starbucks today will get a free limited-edition reusable red cup at participating U.S. stores. If it’s free, it’s for me. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Rat electrocution in Somerville

• Is Thursday the new Friday?

• Harvard’s mascot movement

Up first…

TRAVEL

Fly smarter this Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is a week away, but for many, the traveling starts now.

Massport is expecting over 1.2 million people to travel in and out Logan Airport between today and the Monday after Thanksgiving. And since they’ve done this rodeo before, here’s what they want you to know heading into the holiday stretch:

✈️ If you’re flying out of Logan:

Domestic flyers should get to the airport two hours before departure. Make that three hours if you’re flying internationally. More bodies = longer check-in and security lines.

If it’s been a while since you’ve flown, extra airport staff will be on hand to help you get from point A to B. 

🚘 If you’re driving to Logan:

The airport is undergoing major construction, so make sure to drive carefully and pay extra attention to any detour signs. Good news, though: Sumner Tunnel closures won’t resume until the weekend of Dec. 2.

📱 If you’re taking an Uber or Lyft:

The Terminal B pickup and drop-off area has moved to the Terminal B Garage on the Departures Level — a much shorter walk to and from Terminal B. Passengers who request an Accessible Ride App can still be picked up or dropped off at all the terminal curbs.

🚇 And if you can, take public transit.

Yes, it may take a little longer and feel less convenient for some, but fewer cars heading into the airport means less traffic overall. 

If you’re taking the T, you can get to Logan via shuttle bus from the Blue Line, or get there directly on the Silver Line. $2.40 for a trip to the airport beats a $40 Uber IMO.

If you’re taking one of the Logan Express buses to the airport, Massport recommends getting dropped off at the pick-up sites since parking may be limited. 

Pro tip: If you take the Logan Express shuttle from Back Bay, you can cut the airport security line.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🐀 The Somerville rats are going to hate this announcement. The city declared its “SMART box” rat-trapping program (essentially, rat electrocution) a success this week. These boxes have trapped over 1,000 rats and recorded meaningful information about where they like to hang. To no one’s surprise, they prefer commercial dumpsters and abandoned properties. These boxes will be crucial in managing the area’s rat population (or infestation), with Brookline being the next town to implement them.

🛫 JetBlue will add nonstop flights from Boston to Paris sometime in 2023. New York will get the first taste with the direct route from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport starting next summer, and the Boston route likely starting later in the year. This will be JetBlue’s second transatlantic destination after the airline recently added direct routes from New York and Boston to London.

🤔 Is Thursday the new Friday? Well if the booming business at local bars and restaurants is any indication, it just might be. Thursdays are enjoying a renaissance in our “post-pandemic” world, with some local owners having to hike up inventory or bring on extra staff to keep pace with the crowds. Data from OpenTable show that reservations through the service were up 30% the last Thursday in October compared to the same day in 2019.

THINGS TO DO

Thanksgiving around the city

💆 Don’t lift a finger. Get a full Thanksgiving meal from Bambara in Cambridge. Turkey and all the fixins will be served along with your choice of appetizer and dessert. $55 per person | Thursday, Nov. 24, 4 to 7 p.m.

🦪 For the seafood lovers, grab your Turkey Day dinner from The Banks Fish House. Their turkey is served alongside Island Creek Oyster cornbread stuffing. Dishes are available alongside their regular menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the holiday.

🥧 Snag Turkey Day sweets and sides from Flour Bakery and Cafe. But try to order soon, some items are already selling out. | Order by 4 p.m. on Nov. 20. Pick up on Nov. 22 or 23. 

🦃 Chow down on your Thanksgiving favorites with a twist from Five Horses Tavern. Their green bean casserole is served over tater tots (yes, please). Dishes are available alongside their regular menu from 4 to 10 p.m. on the holiday.

🍗 Get the full Thanksgiving spread from Mamaleh's Delicatessen. Pre-order everything from the turkey to pie by Nov. 20. | Pick up is on Nov. 22 and 23 at their Cambridge or Brookline locations. 

ONE LAST THING

Harvard’s new mascot (maybe)

Harvard students want a new mascot. The turkey may be the answer.

Harvard senior Felix B. Bulwa recently surveyed the student body on their school spirit and found that over 70% of respondents think the college needs a mascot (John Harvard apparently isn’t cutting it). Of the options provided in the survey, a turkey was the clear winner.

While the school’s official mascot is John Harvard, they currently compete as the Harvard Crimson. But now there’s money behind the unofficial mascot idea, with the Harvard Undergraduate Association voting to allocate $1,000 to testing the gobbler.

🌴 Thanks for reading! I’ll be taking Massport’s advice as I jet off to warmer climates for the holidays. If you correctly guess where I’m going, I’ll Venmo you $5 for a coffee. 

💃 Keep up with other B-Side tomfoolery on IG, TikTok, and Twitter @BostonBSide. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].