Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Which big-name authors are coming to Copley Square this October?

Spotted on the Back Bay calendar: Little Miss and the Boom: The Velvet Hour - A Modern Vintage Cabaret Experience

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Good morning to you Back Bay! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Which big-name authors are coming to Copley Square this October?
  • Why Back Bay ranks among America's 25 best urban neighborhoods
  • Orange Line shutdown riders accidentally ended up in Stoneham instead of North Station.

Also on today's calendar: Little Miss and the Boom: The Velvet Hour - A Modern Vintage Cabaret Experience and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Partly sunny, showers around, with a high of 73 and low of 64 degrees.
  • Saturday: Cloudy and humid with showers, temps: high: 71, low: 65.
  • Sunday: Cloudy, showers around; humid, with a high of 79 and low of 64 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Boston Book Festival 2026 returns to Copley Square (dorchesterpost.com) — Back Bay residents can look forward to the Boston Book Festival returning to Copley Square on October 17, with more than 200 authors and 80 free events. Venues around the square, including the Boston Public Library and Old South Church, will host talks, kids' activities, and an outdoor exhibitor fair, following a ticketed opening night conversation with Michael Lewis and Geraldine Brooks.
   

• Duany's 25 top American cities, and why the grid is key (cnu.org) — Back Bay earns a spot on urbanist Andres Duany's list of top American city sectors, praised for its 19th-century fill-in origins and iconic Victorian brick townhouses. The article explores why orthogonal street grids, like Back Bay's, underpin many of the country's most walkable, character-rich neighborhoods, from Charleston to Portland and Savannah.
   

• MBTA bus mistakenly shuttles passengers to North Shore, instead of North Station (wcvb.com) — During an 11-day Orange Line shutdown between Oak Grove and Back Bay, an MBTA shuttle bus driver mistakenly carried riders all the way to Stoneham instead of North Station. The T has apologized, removed the driver from the shuttle service, and says the vendor has been formally addressed over the error.
   

📸 Around Back Bay

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Back Bay

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Boston Village Offers Free Lecture on Aging with Value and Dignity —David Thomson Read on Patch
  • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Musical Reading at Old North Church —Diana Read on Patch

🗞 Nearby News

South End

North End

Boston

  • Beloved Boston Sandwich Shop Closes (patch.com)
  • Boston's Museum Of Science Opening New 10,000-Square-Foot Wing (patch.com)

Ok Back Bay! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A sponge (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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