Those are the only places where it's legally required but there are still a few businesses that have chosen to enforce their own mask policies. Some shows are requiring masks if the artist requests, and the recent PAX East convention had a mask requirement. For any big show or event it's a good idea to check their policies online before going.

Also not in Boston proper, but Pini's in Medford is cheap and delicious

It's not normal. I'm sorry but you guys must be looking at predatory management companies that take advantage of students who don't know about the rental market. I rented as a student in the area and never paid an "application fee," and I know many people who were students after me and also didn't have these fees. But we were looking at crappy apartments in triple deckers and stuff, not corporate-managed buildings that advertise to students.

It's perfectly normal to require such a high amount upfront regardless of being a student or not. But "up front" means at the time of signing the lease or just before. It is not normal at all to be asked for rent & brokers fees before they even look at your application.

I'm not sure about the exact laws on application fees, but reputable landlords tend not to use them. It is definitely illegal for them to charge you a fee that they would keep even if you don't get the apartment. I'm not sure if it's okay for them to charge a fee if they would refund it if you don't get the place. Regardless, if every place you're looking at has an application fee (NOT a brokers fee--those are different, much more common and legal), you're probably not looking in the best places. A lot of online listings with application fees are scams.

It's normal to pay that much AFTER your application is approved, even after approval but before signing the lease. But it's not normal to be asked to pay that much before your application has even been approved. A non-refundable application fee (the $50/person here) is also illegal in MA. There are several red flags here.

Seconding this! They have a great selection and the prices for many of the scoop-it-yourself options are better than dedicated tea stores or boxed teas.

Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea is legally accessible at night and very nice! Official parking is closed at night (or its resident-only, I forget), but you can find street parking in the town and then walk over. You can also walk from the commuter rail stop. It's not the closest but it's a bit less far than Crane Beach.

Craigslist isn't even full of fee-free listings if you can get past all the scams. Plenty of listings on there still have brokers fees--in fact most of the legitimate listings for a whole apartment do, at least for places in the city proper and Cambridge/Somerville. The no fee options that arent scams are mostly people renting out single rooms in shared apartments. Since some other sites don't allow that type of listing, it can seem like Craigslist has more no fee options, but that's not the case if you're looking at only whole apartments.

I've found great places on Craigslist and I think it's a fine site to use, but it's absolutely not the fee-free haven I see some people on here make it out to be. If you know the area and the market imo it's pretty easy to weed out the scams, but then what you're left with still have brokers fees as much as any other site.

I moved from Boston to Montreal this year and yeah...the difference in transit is astounding. People in Montreal actually think their transit system is bad (LOL) but when I tell stories about the T (especially what was happening this summer), jaws drop.

No, it doesn't. You must have taken the Northeast Regional. Acela is business and first class only, no coach. I've ridden it and there is no coach car. If you go on Amtrak's website to buy Acela tickets, they all say "unavailable" in the coach column and only list prices for business and first.

"Coach Class seats are available on all trains except Acela." -Amtrak website

Acela does not have coach. It's the faster, more expensive train and the whole thing is considered business class, with assigned seating on the whole train.

Northeast Regional is the slower version of the same route, with more stops. The majority of that train is coach with unassigned seats and then 1 car of business class with assigned seats.

Sewfisticated. Theres one in Dorchester and one in Somerville (Twin Cities Plaza).

Dirty Water is the best in Back Bay imo. They're more NY style than New Haven though.

Union Square Donuts is great. Personally I've been very unimpressed with Blackbird but Union is consistently excellent.