Essays
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 […]
The Gilded Identity Crisis of Boston’s Favorite Winter Escape
The Palm Beach Daily News is called the “Shiny Sheet” by locals because of the thick, glossy paper it is printed on. It has all […]
Boston’s Winter Problem—and How to Fix It
“Enjoy winter in Boston.” These are four words you will seldom hear together—unless hollered at a puddle-soaked pedestrian by a malicious driver. As Bostonians, we […]
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 […]
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. […]
The Rise of ‘Elite Speak’: Why Do Smart People Sound So Dumb?
The realization that a large number of well-educated, well-meaning Bostonians had lost the ability to talk like regular people crystallized for me recently, after […]
This Bike Lanes Story Isn’t Really About Bike Lanes
For decades on Brighton’s Western Avenue, neighbors and others in the know have flocked to Big Daddy’s Pizza & Sub Shop for massive slices of […]
Confessions of a Former No-Earbuds-at-the-Gym Guy
I’ve been going to the gym for decades. I have to because, and I don’t say this much since it sounds like bragging, I have […]
Help! I’m Perimenopausal and My Instagram Feed Won’t Stop Selling Me Solutions
At 44, I wet my pants for the first time since toddlerhood. I was sitting on my couch when a whoosh of fluid seeped into […]
A Grilled Cheese Mystery: My Search for a Simple Sandwich
I can’t deny that I’ve got major skills, all of which have zero marketability. I can identify a Springsteen song two seconds in. I can […]
The Fractured, Surprising, and Sobering Truth About Kids and Smartphones
It was a miracle: My seventh grader was at the Burlington Mall with friends. I double-parked in front of Nordstrom for pickup, eagerly awaiting tales […]
No Reservations: The Trouble with Boston Dining Right Now
Not so long ago, my friends and I found ourselves walking through the streets of Cambridge on what felt like a mundane, spur-of-the-moment mission: to […]
How Yuppies Shaped Modern-Day Boston
One day a few months ago, I happened to be in the South End when I started noticing, in a way that I never have […]
Why I’m Ready to Break Up With Summer
I’m happy it’s about to be summer. Peaches are in season, and I can constantly wear shorts—a big win all around because, to be frank, […]
Why Harvard University Is Failing at Everything
It was an early moment of truth in the fledgling Harvard presidency of Claudine Gay. Called to testify in front of Congress about rising incidences […]