Long Reads

A man wearing a brown blazer over a blue shirt and a green kilt is standing indoors, holding a yellow and black soccer ball. Behind him, people are seated at tables, raising their hands and holding drinks, watching a soccer game projected on a screen. The setting has exposed brick walls and a casual, lively atmosphere.
City Life

The World Is Coming to Boston This Summer. Now What?

If you’re wondering who’s responsible for bringing the FIFA World Cup to Boston, it isn’t Robert Kraft, or the Healey administration, or the mayor’s office, […]

By Joe Keohane
Silhouette of a person holding a large knife, standing in a dimly lit room with wooden panel walls, a staircase, and dark furniture. Light casts the shadow on the floor, creating a tense and ominous atmosphere.
City Life

The Oldest Cold Case Murder Ever Solved in Massachusetts

The blue-and-white Chevy Impala was missing. Raymond Scheublin noticed it the moment he pulled up to his home on Pine Hill Road—a quiet street in […]

By John H. Tucker
Four animated characters sit on a beige couch in a room with dark patterned wallpaper and three electric guitars hanging on the wall behind them. From left to right: a young man with brown hair wearing a green Boston hoodie and blue jeans, looking at his phone; a middle-aged man with gray hair, glasses, and a mustache, wearing a black leather jacket with patches and tattoos on his arms, looking serious; a woman with long gray and pink hair, leopard print glasses, a black leather jacket with patches, and black pants, sitting with arms crossed and an annoyed expression; and a young woman with long brown hair, a gray hoodie, and blue jeans, smiling while looking at her phone. Green plants flank the couch on both sides.
City Life

The Kids Are Staying Home: How a Generation Lost the Art of Getting Into (Formative) Trouble

One of my clearest memories from high school in the late 1980s isn’t a specific party, but the hunt for one. A car full of […]

By Julie Suratt
A group of men are engaged in a physical confrontation on a street in front of a building with a sign that reads "THE BOARDING HOUSE." Several people are watching the scene from the sidewalk, and a white vehicle is parked nearby. The men involved are wearing casual winter clothing, including jackets and hats.
Travel

Why Is Everyone So Obsessed with Nantucket?

Was it the first fight ever to break out at Nantucket’s annual Christmas Stroll? That we don’t know. But what we do know is this: […]

By Tom McGrath
A silver ring with a large round diamond, attached to a red price tag displaying "$70,000" in white text, set against a dark blue background.
City Life

The Engagement Ring Is Having an Identity Crisis

The old script went like this: A lovestruck fellow would save his paycheck—for months, maybe years—to afford an engagement ring. Or a lucky heir would […]

By Kara Baskin
A large, dark, textured spherical object hovers low over a cityscape at sunset, with tall buildings and a body of water visible in the distance under a clear blue sky.
City Life

Is the Massachusetts Economy About to Get Wrecked?

Here’s the thing about Cape Cod potato chips: They were always about much more than the chips. They were about that low-slung building in Hyannis […]

By Jon Keller
The Michelin Man mascot wearing a white chef's hat and a blue sash with the word "MICHELIN" in white letters, holding a golden flower-shaped object in his hand, with a city skyline and a colorful sunset in the background.
Restaurants

The Real Cost of One Michelin Star

In the weeks before Michelin announced its first-ever Boston selections, whispers among dining insiders spread across town faster than whipped butter. The first question—“Did you […]

By Erika Adams
A cartoon-style illustration of a woman with bright red hair and green eyes, looking surprised or shocked. She has rosy cheeks and red lips, and is wearing a green top. Surrounding her are grayscale figures of people, emphasizing her colorful and expressive appearance.
City Life

When Did It Become So Hard to Make Friends?

I was on the T headed to one of my favorite restaurants in Boston when I found myself thinking about the last time I ate […]

By Makena Gera
Three cross-country skiers wearing red bibs are skiing on a snowy trail at night. The skier in the foreground is dressed in a yellow and black outfit with a striped beanie, while the two skiers behind wear darker clothing and hats. Blue markers are visible on the snow along the trail.
City Life

The Beer-League Ski Race That Became My Unlikely Salvation

We were in the bland hinterlands of Greater Boston, skiing along the ho-hum Leo J. Martin Golf Course—otherwise known as the worst golf course in […]

By Bill Donahue
A person in camouflage military gear and helmet is sitting on the edge of a helicopter door, looking down at a snowy forest below. Several people in bright jackets are on the ground near a red object, possibly involved in a rescue or search operation. The forest is densely covered with snow.
City Life

Stranded in New Hampshire: A Rescue Mission at Franconia Ridge

A single beam of light bobbed in the darkness as Patrick Bittman, cold and winded from hours of hiking, hauled himself up the last stretch […]

By Catherine Elton
Restaurants

How to Fix the Restaurant Industry

The city’s restaurant scene has never looked better from the dining room, but behind kitchen doors, the industry is struggling with thin margins, labor shortages, […]

By Erika Adams
City Life

The Crypto Con Woman and the Charlestown Houseboat Murder

It was nearing 11 o’clock on a February night when two Boston police officers stepped from their patrol car into the Charlestown Navy Yard. Biting […]

By Michele McPhee
City Life

Welcome to the News Jungle: Why Influencers Matter to Boston

Boston’s mayor threw a Content Creator summit, a radio reporter became a TikTok star, and a songwriter realized her social posts pay better than her […]

City Life

How to Win Friends and Lose Millions: The Aaron Sells Story

The man sitting across from me at lunch has been sued for millions by former business partners, among them some of Boston society’s more notable […]

By Susan Zalkind
City Life

How to Grab the Golden Egg: Seven Rules for Winning Negotiations in the Trump Era

One morning this summer, I burst through the doors of the Tesla showroom at the Prudential Center, announcing my arrival with authority. “Hello!” I said. […]

By Tom McGrath