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October 22,
2018
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Featured Stories
In The News
This Week's Featured Event
Arts, Entertainment & Events
Meetings & Notices
Announcements
Deals & Promos
Construction, Utility Work and City Updates
City Services & Important Hotlines
BID Services & Links
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This Week's Featured Event
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WalkBoston 'Step On It!' Scavenger Hunt in Downtown Boston Oct. 27th
Think you have seen everything in Downtown Boston?
Guess again.
Join in a sidewalk scavenger hunt through Downtown Boston on Saturday, October 27th and see just how much you know.
Here's how the scavenger hunt works:
- Participants (teams of 1-6 people) will receive clues challenging them to find specific items embedded or engraved in the Downtown Boston sidewalks and pathways. Bonus questions provide opportunities for groups to earn additional points.
- Answer the questions/riddles and travel as a team to each spot. Take a team picture showing the answer. No vehicles or rideshares needed; all locations are within walking distance.
- Document it on Twitter or Instagram using the official event hashtag #StepOnItBoston. Make sure to include teammates in the photos.
Once all the riddles and locations are found, meet at
Scholars Bistro (25 School St.) for the post-hunt celebration and prizes for top finishers. Free entry for paid participants. Prizes are generously donated by local businesses and valued at more than $1,000.
100% of all proceeds will support WalkBoston, a non-profit organization dedicated to making Massachusetts more walkable.
Registration is at noon at Old City Hall (45 School St.). The hunt is from 1 to 3 pm. Click here to register for the event.
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Sign Your Dog Up!
Downtown Boston Doggone Halloween
Costume Parade Oct. 29th
Who doesn't love dogs in costumes?! The 5th Downtown Boston Doggone Halloween Costume Parade will be in Downtown Crossing on Monday, Oct. 29th.
This is a free event to enter and all dogs receive prizes. There are also several grand prizes, including one-night stays at area hotels! Grand prizes are awarded for the Best Costume, Scariest Costume, Best Dog and Human Costumes and Most Creative Costume.
The parade is on Monday, October 29th from
noon to 2 pm.
This year's event will be held on Summer Street between Washington and Hawley streets.
Click
here to register your dog!
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Arts, Entertainment & Events
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ILLUMINUS 2018
Light & Art Festival in Downtown Boston
Nov. 2nd & 3rd
ILLUMINUS, a contemporary light and arts festival that features original installations, video projections and performances by artists will be back in Downtown Boston on
Nov. 2nd and 3rd from
6 to 11 pm!
ILLUMINUS is an exciting free, nighttime, family-friendly two-night festival spread throughout Downtown Crossing. Click here for a site map.
This year's festival's installations include
INSOUND and Shatterproof.
INSOUND, above, is an immersive light and sound installation where visitors can experience what it might be like to be inside of a piece of music. How the music sounds depends on how one moves through installation. To this end, rather than passively listening to music, INSOUND invites visitors to actively listen and reinvent the music.
Shatterproof is a temporal sculpture, representing the cityscape of Downtown Boston as it faces the inevitable future of dramatic sea level rise. The artwork shows a representation of the Boston skyline encased in a solid block of ice, surrounded by standing heat lamps. When a guest approaches the sculpture they trigger one heat lamp to turn on, when more people surround the sculpture, more heat lamps will turn on, exculpating the melting of the block of ice revealing the cityscape within. As the ice melts it fills up a basin of water, and when the ice is completely melted there will be a sea of water surrounding the city at the height of projected sea level rise in 2050, illustrating what effect one can have on Boston and the environment.
Click here for descriptions and renderings of this year's installations.
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'Lest We Forget' Photo Exhibit Presents Portraits of Holocaust Survivors in Boston Common
Photographer Luigi Toscano's "Lest We Forget" photo exhibit of 70 large portraits of Holocaust survivors from around the world is in the Boston Common through Nov. 10th.
Toscano, a German-Italian, started the project in 2015, and has photographed more than 200 survivors in seven countries.The exhibit has been staged in Germany, in Ukraine, and was recently surrounding the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC. Each survivor is identified and biographical details are provided at the portraits. |
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IIIC Hosting 'At Our Doors:
Central America and Immigration Today'
Oct. 23rd
In the wake of the ongoing family separation crisis, join the
Irish International Immigrant Center (One State St., 11th Floor)
for a brief film and discussion of Central America's modern history and its intersection with US immigration today on
Tuesday, Oct. 23rd
.
IIIC immigration attorney Becky Minahan will share her experience volunteering on the front lines at a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, providing legal assistance to mothers and children seeking asylum.
If you have questions or want to attend please RSVP to Francesca Paranzino at 617-542-7654 or [email protected]. This free event starts at 5:30 pm.
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Bibliophile Birthdays: Celebrating the Authors of Old South Meeting House
Oct. 26th
The Middays at the Old South Meeting House series continues by celebrating authors who were banned in Boston. On Friday, Oct. 26th, Neil Miller, author of "Banned in Boston: The Watch and Ward Society's Crusade Against Books, Burlesque, and the Social Evil," will talk about the banning of Eugene O'Neill's "Strange Interlude."
The Pulitzer Prize-winning "Strange Interlude" was barred from production at Boston's Hollis Street Theatre in 1928, so the producers relocated the staging to Quincy.
Admission is $6 or free for OSMH members. This event is at 1 pm. |
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ArtsEmerson Presenting
Boston Asian American Film Festival
Thru Oct. 28th
The
Boston Asian American Film Festival
is highlighting the Asian-American experience around the Greater Boston area during a 10-day festival presented by
ArtsEmerson
at the
Paramount Center
from
Oct. 18th through Oct. 28th
.
The festival includes a wide range of short films, feature films and documentaries and there are often Q&As with filmmakers following most screenings.
Please click here for information about screenings, showtimes and tickets. |
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ArtsEmerson Presents
'The Peculiar Patriot' Thru Oct. 28th
ArtsEmerson is presenting Liza Jessie Peterson's one-person show "The Peculiar Patriot" through Oct. 28th at the Paramount Center.
The play is inspired by Peterson's decades of working with prison populations, including New York City's notorious Riker's Island.
Click here for more information, showtimes and tickets.
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Author Jenna Blum Discusses Her New Book 'The Lost Family' at
Old South Meeting House Oct. 29th
The Vilna Shul, Boston's Center for Jewish Culture, is presenting author Jenna Blum as she reads from her new book "The Lost Family" at the Old South Meeting House on Monday, Oct. 29th.
This event is part of Old South Meeting House's Partners in Public Dialogue series.
Blum will also answer questions with author Randy Susan Meyers.
For details and tickets, please visit Vilna Shul's event page here.
OSMH members may receive a discount by using the following codes:
To receive $5 off the price of admission, use code OSMH5;
To receive $5 off the price of admission and copy of Blum's book, use OSMH33.
This event is at 7 pm.
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New Artist Installation on
Washington Street Brings
ILLUMINUS Light Festival Closer
A new artist installation at
349 Washington Street
recently debuted, bringing the free nighttime
ILLUMINUS Light Festival (Nov. 2nd and 3rd, starting at 6 pm)
closer.
Artist Pamela Hersch's "Ventana" video art was specifically created for the storefront of 349 Washington St. "Ventana" is the Spanish word for "window."
"This piece invites the viewer to look through the window panels to find another window. The wooden molding frames the space where video footage of the present alternates with footage that represents the future, drawing a comparison between both images," said Hersch. "
The videos change every second and simultaneously zoom out to the distance until they disappear, forming a 'time tunnel'."
The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 25th, leading up to the ILLUMINUS festival.
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Bridge Over Troubled Waters' Bridge 2 The Future Fundraiser Nov. 8th
Support Bridge Over Troubled Waters (47 West St.) at its Bridge 2 The Future fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 8th.
All proceeds will benefit Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The event provides attendees an opportunity to connect and collaborate with like-minded supporters for an evening in support of homeless, runaway, and high-risk youth that rely on Bridge programs and services.
The Godfrey Hotel Boston, Ruka, George Howell Coffee Co. and the Hyatt Regency Boston have all donated prizes for the prize wheel. To contribute a raffle prize please contact Barbara Baxter at [email protected].
This event is from 6 to 9 pm at City Winery (80 Beverly St.). Click here to purchase tickets. |
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Last Week to Discover the
Dark Side of Boston's
Freedom Trail with Lantern Tours
Discover the Freedom Trail in a new light -- after dark -- on the official Freedom Trail
Lantern Tours
. These unique Lantern Tours offer visitors and residents the opportunity to experience the sinister history and mystery along the Freedom Trail!
Explore the ghastly side of Boston's iconic red-lined path and hear historic tales too macabre for daytime. Join Freedom Trail Players, darkly garbed with lanterns, who bring true accounts of appalling crimes, spies and assassins, cold-blooded killings and demonic possession to life on these 90-minute walking tours.
Tickets may be purchased at the ArtsBoston Booth at Faneuil Hall, the Boston Common Visitor Information Center, Cheers Retail Gift Shop at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and tickets are discounted when purchased online by clicking here.
The lantern tours are on Thursdays, Sept. 20th through Oct. 25th and Saturdays, Oct. 6 through Oct. 27th at 7 pm from the ArtsBoston Booth at Faneuil Hall. |
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Get $10 Tix to 'Hamilton':
At Boston Opera House Thru Nov. 18th
The Broadway smash hit, Tony Award-winning musical
"Hamilton"
made its Boston debut at the
Boston Opera House
on Sept. 18th and will be in town through Nov. 18th.
The musical is based on Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, was a Founding Father and America's first Treasury Secretary.
The show blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway to have America's present tell Hamilton's story from back in the 1700s.
Also, if you haven't purchased tickets there's still a chance get $10 tickets on the day of show! There will be a release of 40 $10 tickets for every show -- click
here to learn more.
Click
here
for showtimes and more info about the musical.
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Live Music at The Steps, Federal Street, Summer Street, Readers Park and More
The Downtown Boston BID's 2018 performance season features more than 1,600-plus live musical performances spread across five different locations.
This week, Zach Ivy, Gypsy Jazz, Code 51, DD Martin Trio, Square Peg, Nico Rivers and Opera Guy and Friends will perform at The Steps (Franklin and Washington streets). There are daily performances from noon to 2 pm and 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Monday through Friday, noon to 2 pm on Saturday and 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Sunday. With plenty of seating at The Steps, it's a wonderful spot to sit down with your lunch and enjoy the show.
Soloists Dan Barton and D'Rafaele will perform at 133 Federal St. this week. Performances are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 2 pm.
Berklee College of Music students, Opera Guy and the Pat Loomis Trio will perform outside of
Macy's on Summer Street. These performances are on
Thursday and Friday, from noon to 2 pm, and again from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Saturday performances, from 12:30 pm to 3 pm, feature the popular ensemble group Sweet Harmony, singing hits from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and today.
The BID is teaming up with
Exchange at 100 Federal Street to present live music inside the atrium from
4 to 6 pm on Tuesdays. Gypsy Jazz will perform this week.
The BID is also sponsoring live music at Readers Park (School and Washington streets) on Friday from noon to 1:30 pm and Saturday from noon to 2 pm. Soloists Kesnel Personnel and Dan Barton are performing this week.
All performances are subject to change and may be cancelled due to inclement weather.
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Look Out for Redcoats on
The Freedom Trail
The
Freedom Trail Foundation
and
Downtown Boston BID
offer the opportunity to experience British soldiers in 18th-century Redcoat uniforms reenacting guard duty like it's 1775.
This historical program utilizes experienced Freedom Trail Players, costumed in the attire of 18th-century British soldiers, who bring the daily actions and atmosphere of British-occupied Boston to life. Residents and visitors can meet the soldiers and engage them in talk about their postings in the hostile environment of colonial Boston as they "occupy" Downtown Boston on Washington, Summer, and Winter streets. The Freedom Trail's Changing the Guard takes place through October on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2 pm.
For more information about Changing the Guard, please call the Freedom Trail Foundation at 617-357-8300 or visit TheFreedomTrail.org. |
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Wen's Yunnan Noodle & Ramen Now
Serving Up Deliciousness on Tremont Street
Wen's Yunnan Noodle & Ramen (144 Tremont St.)
recently opened its second location in Boston and eager customers quickly streamed in to get their soup on!
The restaurant's main entrees are Yunnan rice noodle soup and Japanese ramen. There are five varieties of Yunnan rice noodle soup offered: beef, chicken, pork, tofu or shrimp. Each one comes with standard sides: chives, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo and tofu skin. At their table customers put sides in with their broth.
Six varieties of ramen are offered, with offerings of pork, chicken, fish or vegetable broth. Standard sides include chashu (pork belly), egg, seawood, corn, wakame (a type of seaweed), scallions, corn and sesame.
Customers can also select more than 20 add-ons (additional cost), including extra noodles, fried peanuts, fish, shrimp, tofu, pork balls, spam, corn, mushrooms and more.
Wen's Yunnan Noodle & Ramen is inspired by a story that takes place a longtime ago, just south of the Yunnan city of Mengzixian.
There was a scholar who spent many days studying on an island and his loving wife would cross a bridge to bring his midday meal. But he often didn't eat until the food had grown cold. He became thin because of his eating habits. So his wife had an idea to separately prepare rice noodles, seasonings and ingredients. She brought them over the bridge in separate bowls. The broth stayed hot and when he remembered to eat, he assembled the sides in the broth and enjoyed a hot meal. He gained back weight as his wife brought the bowls to him every day. Click
here
to read more about this story.
Wen's Yunnan Noodle & Ramen
is open seven days a week from 11 am to 9:30 pm. Click
here
to see the full menu. You can call 857-310-5785 to place an order.
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Bailey & Sage Now Open in
Exchange at 100 Federal Street
"We take pride in our product. We serve all high-end ingredients and produce," said Matthew Kaplan, who started the business with his brother Michael. "We believe you don't need a silver fork to eat well."
Bailey & Sage has several specialty sandwiches and salads, such as Matthew's favorites, the Southwest salad and the steak sandwich. Customers can also choose to make their own salads, sandwiches and quinoa or brown rice bowls. He added the Cubano sandwich is also very popular.
This is the second restaurant in Exchange at 100 Federal Street (along with Blue Bottle Coffee). Kaplan said he loves the location, as Bailey & Sage also has a restaurant at 103 Street St., providing bookends of fast, casual and healthy restaurants in the Financial District. The brothers have a third restaurant, in Kendall Square, too.
Bailey & Sage is
open 7 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday, and is
open on Saturday, too (hours are being tested). Click
here to check out the menu and order online.
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Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Celebrates Golden Anniversary
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (10 Winter Place)
kicked off the celebration of its 50th anniversary (taking place in 2019) with a free program,
"The Supreme Court and Its Impact on You," with NPR's
Nina Totenberg
on Oct. 19th.
Founded in 1969, MCLE's singular mission is to train and assist Massachusetts lawyers to practice law.
"MCLE is excited to be celebrating 50 years of raising the bar! We've been part of the Downtown Crossing neighborhood over half that time, and look forward to many more years providing comprehensive and practical continuing legal education to the Massachusetts legal community," said John M. Reilly, MCLE Executive Director.
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Tonight: Public Meeting to Discuss Proposed Changes to
47-55 LaGrange Street Project
Oct. 22nd
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is hosting a public meeting tonight (Monday, Oct. 22nd) to discuss the proposed changes to the previously approved project at 47-55 LaGrange St.
The previously approved project was for "up to 130 dwelling units" and the proposed change is to make it "up to 176 dwelling units." No other aspect of the project, such as the building size, is proposed to change.
This meeting is being held at the Hyatt Regency Boston (1 Avenue de Lafayette) from 6 to 8 pm. Please contact Casey Hines at [email protected] or 617-919-4244 for more info. |
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Vendors Wanted for
2018 Downtown Boston Holiday Market
Vendor applications are now being accepted for the Downtown Boston BID 2018-2019 Downtown Holiday Arts Market presented by Bank of America.
This year's market is in a pop-up location at 467 Washington St. The market will run from November 23rd through January 6th. There will be
numerous local vendors showcasing artisan products such as jewelry, woodcarvings, metal sculptures, food, candles, clothing, holiday goods and more throughout these winter months.
The market is open seven days a week from 11 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday, and 11 am to 5 pm on Sundays. The market's last day will be January 6th.
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BID Little Free Libraries at
Readers Park and 175 Federal St.
The Downtown Boston BID's very popular
Little Free Library
at
Readers Park (School and Washington streets)
is for anyone to take a book and leave a book. The Readers Park Little Free Library was so popular that a second one was added to the district at
175 Federal St. (Summer Street side)
.
The general public is invited to donate free books to the BID's Little Free Libraries by dropping off books at the libraries or by contacting Kristen Flanagan at [email protected] to organize a pickup in the downtown area.
The BID's Little Free Libraries are officially registered with the
Little Free Library non-profit organization. There are actually more than 50,000 registered little free libraries across the country and world!
The BID's Little Free Libraries are
open daily from 10 am to 6 pm
(closed during inclement weather).
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Celebrate National Boston Cream Pie Day at Omni Parker House Oct. 23rd
Celebrate the official dessert of Massachusetts on
Tuesday, Oct. 23rd at its birthplace, the Omni Parker House.
In honor of National Boston Cream Pie Day, guests will receive one complimentary slice of Boston Cream pie with purchase of an adult entree in Parker's Restaurant or Parker's Bar.
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Shed's BBQ Halloween Menu Available
Oct. 24th - Oct. 31st
Shed's BBQ (32 Bromfield St.) has concocted a Halloween menu that is available from Oct. 24th through Halloween (with 48 hours notice for catering).
The menu includes bedeviled eggs, smoked spicy bag wings, fall spice pumpkin whoopie pies, sloppy spider sliders and more! Click here for the full menu. |
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Primark Debuts New Skincare Line
After two years of research and development,
Primark is excited to reveal an incredible skincare collaboration with beauty expert
Alex Steinherr.
The collection is fragrance-free, gentle and results-driven and has been carefully curated by Steinherr to feature her must-have skincare actives including Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide and Squalane. Each product is priced from $4.50-$6.50, so everyone -- whatever their lifestyle, skin concern or budget -- can achieve beautiful skin.
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Metro Meeting Centers Offering
Pre-Cyber Monday Sale
Metro Meeting Centers (101 Federal Street, 4th Floor) is offering a pre-Cyber Monday Sale leading up to the actual day on Nov. 26th.
You will receive 20% off a full-day package value of the meeting when you reserve space for a new meeting to occur in 2019. A deposit of 50% or more for that space by Nov. 26th must be made to take advantage of the offer.
Please call 617-737-1200 for more info and to make reservations. |
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Boston Area Spanish Exchange Offering Discount for Fall Courses
Boston Area Spanish Exchange's (101 Arch St., 8th Floor)
next course period begins the week of Nov. 5th. Boston BID newsletter readers are being offered a 5% tuition waiver when using the coupon code BOSTONBID5.
The registration deadline is Oct. 26th. Click here to register for classes.
BASE also offers free Spanish conversation opportunities at 6 pm on Tuesdays in October. |
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Take Your Shot at These
Special 'Hamilton' Deals
Local businesses are very excited about "Hamilton" being in Boston and are offering special menus, drinks, parking discounts and more.
Artisan Bistro (10 Avery St.) is serving three "Hamilton" inspired cocktails:
Eliza, A Despicable Opinion, and The Price of Truth. Each cocktail is $15.
Back Deck (2 West St.) is offering a "Hamilton" inspired menu with a Hamilton Old-Fashioned, Monticello White Bean Soup, Cider-Braised Beef Brisket Pot-Roast, Indian Pudding and a Rattle Skull (Goslings dark rum, Blacklash Molasses Stout, lime and nutmeg). Click here for the full menu and descriptions.
Hyatt Regency Boston (One Avenue de Lafayette) is offering two tickets to the Nov. 2nd "Hamilton" show when you reserve a semi-private dining experience. This offer is valid for dinner receptions with a $5,000 food and beverage minimum by October 31st.
The Marliave (10 Bosworth St.) is offering 10% off entrees with a ticket from that day's performance.
The Merchant (60 Franklin St.) is offering 10% off food only with a ticket from that day's performance. Also, the restaurant is offering $6 validated parking at the 33 Arch Street Garage after 3:30 pm during the week and all day on the weekend. The restaurant will validate your parking ticket.
PABU (3 Franklin St., 2nd Floor) is offering
complimentary chicken karaage or edamame for anyone who presents their theater ticket for that date's performance. |
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Construction, Utility
Work and City Updates
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New Developments Under Construction, Proposed Projects and More
Downtown Boston is continually transforming, with new buildings rising, as well as transportation projects taking place underground and at street level. Looking for the latest updates on developments, construction, sidewalk closings, and more? Click here. 
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City Services &
Important Hotlines
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Important Phone Numbers
Boston Fire, Police & Emergency Services: 911
Non-emergency requests: 311
Eversource gas and electric: 1-800-592-2000
National Grid: 1-800-322-3223
Boston Water & Sewer Commission: 617-989-7000
Mass Water Resources Authority: 617-242-6000
City of Boston Tow Lot: 617-635-3900
National Weather Service: 508-822-0634
Verizon: 800-837-4966
Boston Animal Care and Control: 617-635-5348
Cold Relief Heatline: 800-632-8175
Elderly Commission: 617-635-4366
Emergency Shelter Commission: 617-635-4507
MBTA: 617-222-3200
MEMA: 508-820-1428
Mass. Road and Traffic Conditions: 617-374-1234
City of Boston Neighborhood Services: 617-635-3485
State Police: 617-740-7600
Transit Police: 617-222-1212
City of Boston Veterans Services: 617-635-3957
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BID Ambassadors Provide Clean & Hospitality Services
in Downtown
The
Downtown Boston BID Ambassadors
provide clean and hospitality services seven days a week, nearly 24 hours a day. Ambassadors create a friendly, welcoming Downtown presence by helping visitors with directions, notifying fire and police personnel of incidents and more.
B
ID Ambassadors
provide walking escorts when needed and
they'll even tote an umbrella if it's raining! Please call 617-261-0066 if you want to contact our BID ambassador services program. You can also email [email protected].
- Ambassadors remove litter and graffiti
- Ambassadors clear crosswalks, handicapped ramps and storm drain openings
- Ambassadors shovel in Downtown Boston during winter
- Ambassadors maintain the BID's landscaping
- Masonry Ambassadors fix sidewalks and more
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Additional BID Services & Info
- Communication and Business Networking
- Meetings with individual BID members to discuss neighborhood issues
- Entertainment programming
- Member Advocacy
- Capital/Public Improvements
- Wayfinding
- Please click here for the Downtown Boston BID's Welcome Guide that provides a look at many of the BID's accomplishments in leading the transformation of Downtown Crossing
- For additional details and information on the complete range of BID services please contact Doug Meyer, Membership Services & Database Manager, at [email protected].
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Downtown Boston BID Weekly News Update
For questions and comments, please contact David Ertischek, Communications & Social Media Manager, at:
[email protected]
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