🏆🏀 IT'S PARADE TIME, BOSTON!!!

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

🍣 It’s also International Sushi Day! To celebrate, we’re giving away a $100 gift card to the Seaport’s Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge to the first person who responds to this email. Ready … set … GO!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• IT'S PARADE TIME, BOSTON!!!

• It’s getting (too) hot in here

• A smoochable Celtic 

Up first…

TELEPHONE TAG

A citywide pizza party

Boston’s getting saucy this weekend. The Boston Pizza Festival is coming to City Hall Plaza this Saturday and Sunday, with 26 vendors serving up just about every type of pie you can imagine.

So for this month’s edition of small biz telephone tag, we called up some of the ’za slingers at this year’s festival to ask them which slices — aside from their own —  they’ll be grabbing first. 

🍕 Da LaPosta wants a slice of Florina. Even though reigning Pizza Fest champ Mario LaPosta is confident that Da LaPosta’s, in Newton, will take home another W this year, he’s willing to concede that there’s some pretty great competition. For him, a good pizza is “about flavor and ingredients,” and airs on the lighter side, which is why he likes Beacon Hill spot Florina’s artisan, thin-crust pies. “They take what they do really seriously, and that shows in the product,” he said.

🇮🇹 Florina wants a slice of Peppino’s. Florina’s pie is no stranger to the Pizza Fest winner’s circle either (they won best pie in 2018 and 2019). Owner John Cucinatti describes his taste in pizza as “simple.” He likes a plain pie where he can taste “the freshness of the tomatoes.” That said, his go-to slice is from Peppino’s, who specialize in Sicilian pie. “I've had that pizza many times and … it's really good,” he said. “They’re creative with their toppings … and the pizza is almost as good as [the owners’] personality.”

🍅 Peppino’s wants a slice of Wicked Cheesy. This year will be Peppino’s second at the pizza fest, where co-founders Ariana Sicuso and her husband, Luigi, expect they’re the only vendors who make pizza purely as a hobby. “Me and my husband just love cooking pizza,” Sicuso said. As for what makes a great pie, she’s “all about the cheese” and a good “cheese to sauce to crust ratio,” which is why it’s not surprising that the first slice she recommends is from Tewksbury’s Wicked Cheesy, her family’s go-to spot for a “delicious and very cheesy” slice. 

🧀 Wicked Cheesy wants a slice of Cancun Pizza. Wicked Cheesy manager Rachel Kelly has come from Revere to the Boston Pizza Festival every single year it’s been run. Currently, her two pizza obsessions include using hot honey as a topping (“I put it on all my pizzas now,” she said) and bar-style pies (“I like a crispy crust”). And you can get both in one place at Cancun Pizza, which specializes in a classic bar-style pie, and has a hot-honey topped pizza on the menu, which made it a natural pick for Kelly.

😋 Drooling yet? Never fear — you can still grab tickets to the festival here.

TOGETHER WITH FLEXCAR

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CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏆 IT PARADE TIME, BOSTON!!! 16 years, two Finals losses, eight conference finals appearances, and some chipped teeth later, the Celtics are NBA champs once again. The C’s dominated the Mavs from the get-go, sealing the deal on their 18th NBA title with a commanding 106-88 win at home (and on 617 Day!). Jaylen Brown was crowned Finals MVP, nabbing 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the series finale. There were dozens of iconic moments at TD Garden last night, be it these hilarious fan signs or Payton Pritchard’s unreal half-court shot, but perhaps the most heartwarming of them all was this tear-inducing clip of Jayson Tatum celebrating the title with his son. The parade is tentatively scheduled for Friday, so watch this space for more info!

🥵 It’s getting (a little too) hot in here. From today through Thursday, Boston is under an official heat emergency, due to a massive heat wave that’s expected to bring record-breaking, near-triple digit temps to Greater Boston, plus up to 56% humidity. That level of heat can bring negative health effects to just about anyone, so to stay safe, officials advise that you prioritize keeping cool, whether that means staying inside, turning on your air conditioning, hydrating, taking cold showers, or hitting up a cooling center in the city. And if you happen to be lacking an AC, here’s a guide to staying cool without one.

🚲 Somerville’s bikeability is on the up. Somerville will be adding 29 miles of protected bike lanes by 2030, thanks to the City Council’s recently passed “Safe Streets Ordinance.” The ordinance is intended to speed up the city’s work on its Vision Zero Action Plan, an effort to put an end to transportation-related injuries. It will require the city to build at least three miles of protected bike lanes a year, complete the planned 40-mile priority network by 2030, and add other pedestrian safety and accessibility measures along the way. 

🥜 This iconic brunch spot is a little less nutty. In Boston’s latest food news: The all-day brunch chain The Friendly Toast, which has locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Chestnut Hill, have officially gone peanut and tree nut-free. Meanwhile, Everett’s Park-9 Dog Bar is set to open a summertime pop-up in the Fenway, which, in addition to being a dog park, will offer human food, brews, and even beer for your pup (yes, seriously). And finally, the former Seaport pop-up The Half Cookie now has a whole home of its own at The Street Chestnut Hill. Happy eating!

QUICK QUESTION

💋 Wait, before you read on! Which Celtics player is the most kissable? 

ONE LAST THING

A smooch for a Celtic

If you could make out with any Celtics player, who would it be? As it turns out, a surprising number of fans seem to have their answer at the ready. 

In a recent video, local content creator @Narcolepsybetsy posed the question to (according to her, straight and male) C’s fans around TD before Game 1. The majority of them were not only game to answer, but did so without hesitation. 

As you’d expect from the team’s two stars, the J’s got a lot of the love, but beyond that, the responses were truly a hilarious mixed bag, from Jrue Holiday to Peyton Prichard, to even coach Joe Mazzulla. 

But not everyone was equally enthused about the question, prompting some uncomfortable laughs, a whole lot of silence, and even a few guys just walking away, which, TBH, just added to the vibes.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💋 Thanks for reading! Xoxo, the B-Side.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Flexcar, for supporting local journalism and making transportation more affordable and accessible in Boston. 

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