Field Guide to Boston

A collection of stories from our ongoing series, Field Guide to Boston. The series offers guides and public service journalism focused on how residents can better connect with each other while exploring the city's neighborhoods and rich culture.

A couple out for a autumn walk near Jamaica Pond (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Farms, fairs and lots of food: What to look forward to about fall in Boston

Make your autumn even more exciting with our guide to fall in Boston. It includes tips for New England fairs, timing your leaf-peeping excursion, fall hiking, apple-picking and — of...

Local Coverage

Sep 23, 2023

John Singer Sargent, "Nonchaloir (Repose)," 1911. (Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Curt H. Reisinger; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

10 art exhibits to explore this fall

There’s plenty of art to look forward to this season, including an exhibit about Isabella Stewart Gardner, three exhibits with vastly different approaches to portraiture and several exhibits exploring American...

Arts & Culture

Sep 22, 2023

A sign in Boston's Kenmore Square tells visitors they can follow Route 20 west for 3,365 miles, all the way to Newport, Oregon. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Welcome to Route 20: America’s longest road stretches from Boston to Oregon

The longest road in the U.S. starts in Boston. Or ends here, depending on which direction you're heading.

Local Coverage

05:57Sep 22, 2023

Police escort school buses as they leave South Boston High School on the second day of court-ordered busing on Sept. 14, 1974. Some buses were stoned and several arrests were made. (AP Photo)

Exploring busing in Boston through one mother-daughter relationship

Local bestselling author Dennis Lehane has spent a lifetime reflecting on busing, too, whether he meant to or not, and he wrote his latest book "Small Mercies," about it. We...

Radio Boston

16:38Sep 19, 2023

In this Oct. 23, 2015 black and white infrared photo released by the National Park Service shows coyote C-146 captured by a motion-triggered camera trap near in Northeast Los Angeles. (Courtesy of the National Park Service via AP)

What to do if you encounter a bear or coyote in Greater Boston

WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy spoke with Dave Wattles, biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, about whether large wildlife encounters are occurring more frequently and what...

Local Coverage

03:48Sep 19, 2023

Book critic Katherine Ouellette recommends eight books to read this fall. (Courtesy the publishers)

Sidestep into the uncanny this fall with 12 new books

From historical novels that sound like the modern news cycle to contemporary works that take a twist toward the speculative, book critic Katherine Ouellette rounds up a selection of other-worldly...

Arts & Culture

Sep 19, 2023

(Clockwise from top left: Drop Nineteens (Courtesy Steve Eichner); Bad Rabbits (Courtesy Garden Of Eden); Singer Mali (Courtesy Alex Springer); Houndsteeth (Courtesy Bret Kaser); Lost Film (Courtesy Lost Film); Izzy Heltai (Courtesy Jacqueline Justice); Shallow Pools (Courtesy Sarah Mentus)

7 albums to listen to this fall

From Western Massachusetts indie rock to energetic pop-leaning projects in Boston, our Massachusetts-focused music guide showcases the state’s deep well of music diversity.

Arts & Culture

Sep 18, 2023

People fill seats and tables outside the South End Buttery on Shawmut Avenue in Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

5 facts from our Field Guide to Boston that even locals may not know

Even for a long-time local, the city still surprises. Here are a few surprising Boston facts from WBUR's Field Guide, ranging from baked beans to crooked streets to the Boston...

Local Coverage

Sep 16, 2023

'The Common' team tries Mattapan's best local eats

WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy talked with 'The Common' host Darryl C. Murphy his trip to Mattapan for the 'Field Guide to Boston' and the local culinary institutions that...

Local Coverage

07:13Sep 15, 2023

A still from "A Gaza Weekend." (Courtesy Cohen Media Group)

8 Greater Boston film festivals to check out this fall

Despite the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the festival circuit keeps chugging along with a steady stream of indie and international films screening locally. Film critic Erin Trahan highlights the...

Arts & Culture

Sep 15, 2023

José Massó on 48 years of “¡Con Salsa!”

Amplify Latinx's ALX100 recognizes inspirational leaders from across Massachusetts' Latinx community's diverse professions, nationalities and identities. This year's inaugural list of 100 includes WBUR's own José Massó, host of ¡Con...

The Common

14:45Sep 15, 2023

Continuum Dance Project rehearses "Becoming Water" in Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park along The Greenway on August 3, 2023. (Courtesy Olivia Moon Photography)

13 dance events to attend this fall

This season, new programs and emerging talent highlight the local dance events, with both Boston-based companies and troupes from overseas scheduled to perform. Dance critic Iris Fanger details the ones...

Arts & Culture

Sep 14, 2023

Exploring the 'weird and wonderful' through WBUR's Field Guide to Boston

If you’re new to Boston, you probably just survived the move-in process. So now it’s time to think about settling in and finding your community. That can be hard. So...

Local Coverage

07:08Sep 13, 2023

A woman runs to catch the trolley at the MBTA Mattapan Station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Field Guide: A taste of Mattapan

Today, we're heading to Mattapan, looking for food. This culinary quest is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston — a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's...

The Common

12:58Sep 13, 2023

Weird and wonderful: This is your Field Guide to Boston

The Field Guide to Boston is a collection of Boston facts and fascinations, a salute to the weird and the wonderful that makes this place home. Whether you just set...

Local Coverage

Sep 12, 2023

A Red Line train bound for Ashmont rolls slowly into South Station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Here's why the T is so slow, according to a new report

A new independent report commissioned by the MBTA finds track staff were underqualified and accumulated a massive backlog as the subway's state of repair deteriorated last winter. We discuss what...

Radio Boston

28:17Sep 12, 2023

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz celebrates as he rounds first base after hitting a game-winning home run in the 12th inning against the New York Yankees, of Game 4 of the AL championship series, Sunday night, Oct. 17, 2004, at Boston's Fenway Park. The Yankees lead series, 3-1. (Amy Sancetta/AP)

There’s no one way to be a Boston sports fan

At the heart of being a sports fan is hope, writes Cloe Axelson. When a game begins, we don’t know how it will end – or when it will start...

Cognoscenti

Sep 12, 2023

Cousin Stizz brings hip hop to the Seaport with Commonwealth Fest

Since breaking out in 2014, Dorchester-raised MC Cousin Stizz has released five albums and won Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards three times. Now, he's returning to...

The Common

13:53Sep 12, 2023

People hanging out at ManRay in Cambridge. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

From bottle service to bar trivia, how to make the most of Boston nightlife

It's true that the MBTA stops running at 1 a.m., and most bars close by 2 a.m. Nonetheless, Bostonians still have quite a few options to find a good time...

Arts & Culture

Sep 11, 2023

An illustration of tacos and chips. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

Dig in: Here's your primer on Boston's culinary landscape

There's plenty to explore around town: restaurants, breweries and supermarkets — not to mention our surprisingly sweet culinary history. Let’s tuck our napkins into our collars and dig in.

Arts & Culture

Sep 11, 2023