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Tips for surviving Boston's annual move-in weekend, from Allston Christmas to Storrow Drive
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TGIF! It’s almost Labor Day weekend. But not everyone will be grilling and relaxing. That’s because it’s also move-in weekend for many in the Boston area. Thanks to the city’s concentration of college students, about 70% of Boston’s leases turn over on Sept 1. — a phenomenon that apparently dates back to at least 1899.
It will be a bit chaotic, but city officials hope you’ll be patient as students settle in. Also be aware there are a bunch of temporary parking restrictions happening now through Monday in Allston, Fenway, Mission Hill and Roxbury, and there’s always the chance of a Storrowing, no matter how many warnings and memes DCR posts.
(If you’re new to Boston, welcome! 👋 Make sure to bookmark our Field Guide to Boston. It’s packed with guides to our neighborhoods, transportation options, food scene and things to do.)
Here’s what to know ahead of moving madness season:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Allston Christmas that is. It’s a yearly Sept. 1 tradition where renters pick up discarded furniture from the sidewalk in areas populated with students. But Tania Del Rio, the city’s inspectional services commissioner (and a former Boston-area college kid), urges folks to reconsider due to the threat of bed bugs. “You can not only get your own unit infested, you could get your neighbors units infested.” Del Rio said at a press conference yesterday. To get that point across, Boston will send out 50 city inspectors this weekend to educate new residents about sanitation codes and rodent control, WBUR’s Carrie Jung reports.
- If you just started a new lease, be sure to listen to the latest episode of The Common. They sat down with Selena Eutsay, a tenant association leader and volunteer with City Life/Vida Urbana, to go over your rights as a renter. (This explainer is also pretty expansive.)
- Here’s your annual reminder to not drive moving trucks on Storrow Drive or this will be your fate. Pro tip: Avoid Google Maps or Waze for directions. Instead try truck-focused navigation apps like TruckMap, Hammer, TruckerPath and SmartTruckRoute (they’ll keep you away from low-clearance bridges).
- FYI: City officials say the number of cooking fires jumps 38% each fall when students move back. Boston’s fire marshal reminded students and parents to find their second exits and make sure their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors work.
- Have a non-emergency issue? You can report it to the city via Boston 311.
On Beacon Hill: A bill to reform the state’s long-term care sector is headed to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk. House and Senate lawmakers approved the bill yesterday, after agreeing to a compromise nearly a month after the end of formal sessions. (Yes, they can do that, as long as no single legislator objects.) The bill requires nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to have plans in place to deal with COVID-19 and other contagious illnesses. It also includes programs to boost the long-term care workforce and increase state oversight, with an eye on the role of private equity in the sector.
- What they’re saying: Tim Foley, the vice president of the union that represents many health care workers, told WBUR’s Dan Guzman he supports the bill: “We know there’s a lot of transfers of operating licenses from one nursing home to another. We want to really strengthen that review process to ensure these are operators that we want to maintain and run nursing homes in the state of Massachusetts.”
PSA: Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office shared yesterday on X that there have been reports of Bay Staters getting text messages telling them they aren’t registered to vote. Don’t click on the link! “Election officials in Massachusetts won’t text,” Galvin’s office wrote.
- If you want to see your registration status, check here or at your local election office.
- PSA: Today is the last day of early voting ahead of next Tuesday’s state primary election. Read more about it in this guide.
Stopping the shopping: Stop & Shop closed its bfresh store at 165 Needham St. in Newton yesterday, the first of eight locations in Massachusetts that will shutter this fall. According to a Stop & Shop spokesperson, the other seven affected stores will stay open in the coming weeks, but close by Nov. 2.
P.S.— Do you know what’s new about early voting in the state this year? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.
