Kara Baskin

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

These days, a $7,000 lab-grown diamond is indistinguishable from a $70,000 mined one. And buyers aren’t just choosing the cheaper option—they’ve stopped caring about the difference altogether.

City Life

What Influencers Really Make: From $400 Instagram Reels to $158K Weeks

“I was making more on my own [as a creator] than my corporate salary—maybe double.”

City Life

Want to Be an Influencer? Read This First.

Hospitality gatekeepers share the unwritten rules of influencer etiquette, the fastest ways to get blacklisted, and how to ensure you’ll never enjoy comped caviar again.

City Life

The Relentless, (Sometimes) Lucrative, Surprisingly Wild World of Boston Influencers

The Mayor courts them, restaurants design for them, and brands pay them thousands per post. Local social media personalities aren’t just documenting today’s city—they’re shaping it. Whether you follow them or not.

City Life

The Clacking Class: How Mahjong Took over Boston Suburbs

Forget pickleball and Pilates. The latest status symbol among suburban moms involves 152 tiles, designer game sets, and absolutely no athletic ability at all.

City Life

No Trad Wives Welcome Here: The Identity Crisis of Local Stay-at-Home Moms

Why high-powered Massachusetts moms are secretly ditching their careers for full-time family life—and why they won’t talk about it.

Wellness

Help! I’m Perimenopausal and My Instagram Feed Won’t Stop Selling Me Solutions

Remember when no one wanted to talk about “the change”? Now midlife influencers and celebrities can’t stop peddling wonder cures. But what actually helps—and what doesn’t? Hint: It’s not always what’s trending on TikTok.

Life & Style

The Hottest Party in Town … Has Adult Supervision

Welcome to the new frontier of kids’ parties, where cupcakes are so last season, and the only thing inflated more than the balloons are the blockbuster budgets.

City Life

Inside Luxury Kids’ Parties, Where Parents Are the Plus-Ones

Education

How to Manage Your Teen’s Social Media and Phone Use, According to Experts

Ding, ding, ding: Teens receive 240 app notifications per day—a quarter of them during school.

City Life

How to Limit Your Child’s Smartphone Use — and Stick to It

Is your kid always scrolling, even during meals or homework time? Here are four ways to take back control.

Education

Are Smartphones and Screens Good or Bad for Alternative Learners?

We asked two experts to parse the benefits and drawbacks of digital devices for students who learn differently.

City Life

The Fractured, Surprising, and Sobering Truth About Kids and Smartphones

A special report on our Tiktok-scrolling, Snapchat-loving, sleep-deprived teens—and what caregivers need to know to keep kids safe.

Arts & Entertainment

The Enduring Imagination of Henry Bear’s Park

This local toy store chainlet has succeeded for 48 years by centering creativity in play.

Home & Property

Shelter From the Storm

There’s more than meets the eye at this architect’s Provincetown retreat, from nostalgic touches to exotic elements that bring the outside in.