The Mayor and the MBTA
KNOW THIS.
The Mayor and the MBTA
Michelle Wu is mayor and all for cutting emissions and boosting public transportation. In her first month in office, she’s signed an ordinance she helped push as a city councilor to divest city funds from fossil fuels and extended the Free 28 Bus Pilot from 2 months to 2 years. The extension includes expanding the program to the 23 and 29 routes, to connect Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan. Other temporary programs like Boston’s $60 Charlie Cards and Blue Bike passes for Main Street workers and Worcester’s entirely free system have proved to boost ridership and accessibility. Now they’re being evaluated for longevity. Most of these programs are funded by federal Covid relief grants - aka one time investments, but that doesn’t mean the city can’t take advantage of the momentum they’ve provided.
The MBTA was originally meant to be a radically accessible system - check out the preliminary map from a 1947 report by the State Rapid-Transit Commission - yes that’s a Green Line from Needham to Woburn! Yes, that's a Blue Line to Lynn! Fulfilling that ideal has always been a challenge with the reality of the system inspiring the short sci-fi story, A Subway Named Mobius, the jiggy ballad of Charlie (from the Card!) stuck in the Park Street station after a fare hike locked him inside, and Twitter threads like this. Challenging doesn’t mean impossible, though, and with a Mayor, cabinet, and citizens this invested in a better transit future, the next four years could get us a little closer to the ideal. Maybe even keep the Green Line Extension delays to 6 months max.
DO THIS.
Today
Explore Somerville’s newest autonomous zone: Elfland. Just outside of Union Square, a 4-inch tall town has started to boom with its own holiday lights, skyscrapers, and Rainbow Swash. All day//free
Join the Massachusetts Historical Society and Robert Gross to learn about the Transcendentalists and the small, radical community that made their frothing, pondering, cultural soup possible. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.//free
Tomorrow
The Cambridge Forum hosts the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, Benjamin Zander, to discuss the art of possibility in a time of crisis. 5 p.m.//free
Take a tour of downtown Boston’s holiday lights and sights with the 261 Fearless Run Club. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.//free
Wednesday
Join the City of Cambridge for a community meeting on plans for the city’s open spaces covering topics including accessibility, resilience, public health, and community. 6 - 7:30 p.m.//free
Make your voice heard at the Somerville Bicycle Network Plan’s first community meeting. 6 p.m.//free
Get some inspo for your next holiday feast in person at the Boston Athenaeum as curators take you through the collection’s grub related items covering chocolate, mince pies, and okonomiyaki. 7 - 8 p.m.//$10
ONCE Somerville and Springdale Beer combined their respective powers to bring you the ONCE Again! IPA. Get to the Crystal Ballroom to celebrate with a tapped keg and local sounds from Salem Wolves, Evan Greer, and Glacier. 8 p.m.//free
Thursday
March with the Fairlawn Tenant Association and City Life/Vida Urbana to the DSF Group Offices and demand the corporate landlord sit down to negotiate sustainable lease terms after 3 years of dodging their own tenants. 12 p.m.//free
Have your Mia-Princess-of-Genovia moment at the Finding Royal Connections in Your Family Tree workshop from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. 3 - 4 p.m.//free
Learn how to survive your first winter hike with all your fingers and toes with a virtual Winter Hiking Class from seasoned White Mountain veterans 6 p.m.//$10.
Friday
Head to Club Cafe for one of Boston’s holiday classics: Gumdrops and The Funny Uncle for an alt-family-friendly, un-Nutcracker cabaret collection of holiday stories and dance. Proceeds benefit The Stones to Rainbows/Gay to Queer Project. 7 - 8:30 p.m.//$25
Dance the night away at the Sinclair with funk provided by none other than the Glitter Boys. Pregame with a quick skim of their recent and wonderful profile in Dig Boston. 9 p.m.//$10
Saturday
See the Illuminations Tour from behind bars - handlebars - with a 90 minute ride through the city’s glowing highlights. 5:45 p.m.//free
Join Mayor Curtatone, and musician Ken Fields for Somerville’s COVID-19 Remembrance Vigil at Symphony Park to honor community members lost to the ongoing pandemic. 1 - 2 p.m.//free
Sunday
Get serenaded by the Singing Trees, an audio installation in the Seaport that turns the electrical signals from Sugar Maples and Sassafras into a holiday chorus like no other. 12 - 2 p.m.//free
LesbianNightLife takes over Dorchester Brewing’s rooftop for an Ugly Sweater/Sexy Santa TeaDance. 4 - 8 p.m.//$10
This week’s edition of Inbound was brought to you by Maya Detwiller.