🙋‍♀️💗 We got it from our mamas

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🏡 This just in: Taylor Swift’s former Cape Cod mansion just hit the market for $14.5 million, and unsurprisingly, the pool is absolutely to die for. Check out the pics here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The girls (Mass. lawmakers) are fighting …

• Cheap Caribbean flights, incoming!

• Real Housewives of Rhode Island

Up first…

OUT & ABOUT

She is (literally) Mother

Moms, mommies, Mothers, this one’s for you. Mother’s Day is this Sunday (!) and we KNOW you can do better than a last-minute card.

Whether you need a last-minute gift, activity, or bite, here’s how to plan a weekend worthy of the moms in your life:

THINGS TO DO

🌷 Flower peep at the Arboretum. A picnic at the Arnold Arboretum’s annual Lilac Sunday on May 11 is arguably the most classic Mother’s Day celly in Boston. Wanna avoid the crowds? Head there a day early for a wellness walk among the blooms with Boston’s Blossom Club.

🎥 See a movie about moms. Nothing says “Happy Mother’s Day” like a movie about motherly love, the space-time continuum … and generational trauma! Clearly, the MFA gets it: It’s showing “Everything Everywhere All At Once” on May 11.

🧘‍♀️ Go with the flow. Bow Market is hosting a chill, Mother’s Day-themed yoga flow where Moms get 20% off with code SUPERHERO. Don’t forget your mat!

🐒 Take a Sunday safari. A trip to the Franklin Park Zoo certainly isn’t every Mom’s idea of pampering, but all Moms get free admission on May 11, and there’s a baby sloth.

WHERE TO EAT

🫖 Grab a cuppa. Bistro Du Midi just launched a new Garden View Tea, with towers of pastries and hand-selected teas for $75 a pop (or $45 for kids). Weekend reservations are still available!

🎷 Book a brunch with a jazzy twist. City Winery is hosting its fourth annual Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch on May 11, featuring American Idol alums The Rubin Brothers. Make sure to grab tickets!

😋 Prefer a classic brunch? There are still tons of solid reservations for a Mother’s Day meal. For inspo, check out Boston Chefs’ big list of Mother’s Day specials.

LAST-MINUTE GIFTS

🛍️ Browse a market for moms. Not sure what Mom will love? Between the Boston Public Market’s special Mother’s Day Market from May 9 to 11 and the Boston Women’s Market at Assembly Row on May 10, you’ll find just the thing.

📸 Give her the gift … of your face! M.M.LaFleur at Chestnut Hill’s The Street is offering $7 *styled* Mother’s Day portraits on May 10 between 12 and 2:45 p.m. 

💐 Use your green thumb. Step one: Hand-make a stunning plant pot May 10 at High Street Place. Step two: Add a new plant cutting from at the BPL’s Egleston Branch plant swap May 10. Step three: Plant it and gift it!

🎨 Tap into your artsy side. If your mom is better at raising kids than plants, you can always give her a flower painting. This flower vase paint and sip on May 10 fits the bill. 

TOGETHER WITH BOCH CENTER

*Cue the inspirational music*

💡 🌟 You’ve binge-watched hopecore TikToks. You’ve started journaling. But you’re still feeling a little… lost? Jay Shetty can actually help. Head to the Boch Center on May 15 and get ready for a mind-blowing session of real talk and actionable life advice (plus a special secret guest appearance). From bestselling books to viral podcast moments with Oprah and Michelle Obama, Jay’s mastered the art of making ancient truths feel like a FaceTime from your future self. Grab your tickets now.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚶It’s time to hit the street (on your feet). Mayor Michelle Wu just announced the dates for this year’s Open Streets events, where a neighborhood street says goodbye to cars and hello to pedestrians, shopping, music, and FUN. This summer and fall, Open Streets are hitting Roxbury, JP, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and, for the first time, Mattapan’s Blue Hill Ave.! And that’s not all: Open Newbury Street is back from July 13 to Sept. 21, plus on Dec. 7 for holiday shopping. You can check out the whole schedule here.

🏘️ The girls (Mass. lawmakers) are fighting about broker fees. Good news: Cambridge’s City Council joined Boston and Somerville in calling for the end of renter-paid broker fees. Bad news: Although Gov. Maura Healey backs the idea, state lawmakers have very different ideas of how to do it. The Senate is down to assign the fee to whoever actually hires the broker (usually the landlord), but the House’s proposal says whoever “initiated contact” about the apartment (including responding to a listing) should pay the fee, which would essentially change … nothing. Oy.

✈️ Dreaming of a *cheap* Caribbean vacation? Enter: Arajet, a new, low-cost airline based in the Dominican Republic that’s coming to Logan in November. Boston will be the airline’s third U.S. city after Miami and Newark, running direct flights to Santo Domingo four times a week starting at just $170. But low prices often = high sacrifices.  Carry-ons over 15 pounds start at $30, there’s no free food or drink, and the reviews aren’t glowing. But hey, we’d do worse for a sub-$200 international flight.

🎸 The Common just got a little less … common. Because the UnCommon Corner and Beer Garden officially opened for its third season! ICYMI: This outdoor venue on the corner of Tremont and Boylston is a partnership between the city and Emerson College, serving up daily live music and performances, drinks, and eats (keep up with the schedule here). Harpoon Brewery is back again as the beverage supplier (also serving Dunkin’ spiked refreshers?) and, for the first time, El Jefe’s Taqueria will provide the eats. See you there.

QUICK QUESTION!

📺 Before you read on: Are you a Bravo person?

ONE LAST THING

The Real Housewives of … Rhode Island?!

New England Bravo-holics, Andy Cohen has smiled upon us: The network just announced the newest Real Housewives franchise will be based in Rhode Island! 

The deets are pretty scarce so far, but according to the announcement, the show will feature “a tight-knit circle of Rhode Islanders who have deep community roots and families that go back generations,” which, so far, sounds like pretty much every Rhode Islander we know.

It continues: "With aspirational lives, thriving businesses and tangled family dynamics, these decade-long friendships prove that in a state this small, there’s no escaping your past…or each other." 

Consider us absolutely, completely SAT.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👠 Thanks for reading! As for the cast … we’re betting on a Newport mansion descendant, some kind of Ocean State Job Lot heir, and at least one low-key mobster. Thoughts?

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Boch Center, for supporting local journalism and bringing a little more wisdom, inspiration, and healing to Boston. 

🍜 The results are in: Based on your votes, B-Side Certified’s next stop is Iru! … If we can get a reservation in time, that is. If not, we’re coming for My Mother’s Cutlets in the meantime. 

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