Before the Combat Zone There Was Gay Times Sq.
Before the Combat Zone, lower Washington Street was Gay Times Square, a mecca of bright lights, entertainment and a tolerance for life beyond the societal norms of heterosexuality..

Rezoning Blindsides Downtown Residents
The zoning plan, known as PLAN: Downtown, has been an issue for months, after the city proposed a draft in January that allowed for 500-foot residential towers on Washington Street When it received over 500 letters of opposition from residents, the city agreed to revise the plan along with a coalition of Downtown community leaders.

Boston Parks Rank 12th in U.S
The city came in twelfth in 2025’s list, three spots above its placement last year and just barely enough to make it into the dozen best cities showcased by the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a nonprofit advocating better parks nationwide..

BID for Back Bay Is Getting Closer
The Back Bay Association’s (BBA)’s plan to become a Business Improvement District (BID) is getting close to completion, according to data presented at the association’s annual meeting last Thursday..

Potential Strip Club Planned for Stuart St.
The project, located at 27-29 Stuart Street, was first presented to the Zoning Board of Appeals last week in order to prove that any construction would not negatively impact the area’s groundwater level. After providing “no harm” letters from the Boston Groundwater Trust, it was approved.

Holocaust Museum Breaks Ground
Holocaust Museum Boston, funded by the Holocaust Legacy Foundation, will sit at the northeast end of the Boston Common on Tremont Street, across from the Park Street Church. That puts it on the Freedom Trail, diagonally opposite the historic Central Burial Ground, and down the street from the State House.

2024 Red Sox Concerts Brought in $125 Million
Last year's Fenway Concert Series delivered a resounding economic boost to the Fenway neighborhood, generating a total economic impact of $124.9 million. According to a recent study commissioned by Meet Boston and conducted by Tourism Economics, the concert series drew nearly 400,000 attendees to Fenway Park for 12 performances.

TREE HUGGERS
Elected officials and members of the Charlesgate Alliance gathered on June 5 to dedicate 14 newly planted trees along the Muddy River..

Landmarks Orchestra Turns 25 Years Old
“The orchestra was started by Charles Ansbacher, who died in his 10th year as music director. So, I took over 15 years ago,” said Christopher Wilkins in an interview, the Landmarks Orchestra’s current conductor and musical director.

Family Discount
Two Beacon Hill family members received diplomas within 24 hours of each other. Sara Demeter graduated from the Kennedy School and son Sebastian is leaving Brimmer & May to attend Indiana University in the fall..

Residents Seeing No Relief from Druggies
Issues with homelessness and drug trafficking aren’t new to the South End, but this year’s warm weather surge has been accompanied by a continued enforcement crackdown around the epicenter of Mass and Cass.

City Trying for Safer Streets
Speed humps in particular have been critically important in recent years thanks to navigation apps making every neighborhood in Boston a cut-through street and vehicles becoming bigger, faster and more dangerous.

Autonomous Cars Are “Learning” Boston
Waymo, the company that developed Google’s self-driving cars, has begun mapping the streets of Boston. The company has deployed a limited fleet of about 10 autonomous-capable vehicles operated by human drivers. They will be mapping Boston from Cambridge and Sommerville to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, Back Bay, Downtown and parts of the Seaport.

Seaport Pride
As part of Pride month, WS Development commissioned a mural by Boston artist John Guthrie on Sea Green in the Seaport. The art celebrates the many facets of Pride and its place in our lives in his signature style, which he defines as queer abstraction.