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Boston, MA

Boston, Reno, Savannah Are Best For St. Patty’s Day, According To New Report

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Boston, Reno, Savannah Are Best For St. Patty’s Day, According To New Report


Boston has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a parade through the streets of South Boston for more than 300 years, and up to 1 million people, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, are expected to attend the parade this year. With such popular support, it may not be surprising that a new report names Boston as the best American city to be in to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

The report by personal-finance company WalletHub compared the 200 largest U.S. cities by 15 metrics, including Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, the lowest prices for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick’s Day and the expected weather.

“Boston is the best city for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s known for its iconic parade, which has been around since 1724,” says WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo. “Over 13% of the city’s residents have Irish roots, and Boston has the sixth-most Irish pubs and sixth-most Irish restaurants per capita.”

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The parade will be held on March 16, a day before St. Patrick’s Day, beginning at 11:30 a.m at Broadway station. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority posts a St. Patrick’s Day guide and a map of the day’s parade route on its website.

“Due to street closures and parking bans in the neighborhood, driving to the parade is not recommended,” the authority says. “Please plan ahead for your trip — you may need to wait longer than usual to get on a train.”

If you are not a local resident or don’t plan a trip to Boston, there are numerous other cities with top-flight St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the WalletHub report says.

The second-best city is Reno, Nevada, and Savannah, Georgia ranks No. 3. Rounding out the top 10 in WalletHub’s report are No. 4 Santa Rosa, California, followed consecutively by Worcester, Massachusetts; Chicago; New York; Henderson, Nevada; Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh.

“The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food, safe conditions to celebrate and good weather,” Lupo says. “Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

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The report also uncovered some unique findings:

*New York has the most Irish pubs per capita nearly 35 times more than San Jose, California, the city with the lowest number. New York also has one of the lowest rates of DUI-related fatalities 32 times less than in Salem, Oregon, the city with the highest rate.

*Naperville, Illinois has the highest share of Irish population — 48 times greater than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest share. Naperville also has the lowest violent-crime rate — nearly 57 times lower than Oakland, California, the city with the highest rate.

*Milwaukee, Wisconsin has the lowest average beer price — 1 1/2 times less expensive than in Anchorage, Alaska, the city with the highest average price.

Tampa, Florida, which ranks No. 21 in the report, holds its St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 15, and colors its river waters green.

A Saturday celebration allows more people to enjoy the festivities without worrying about work the next day, says Caroline Keesler, a Tampa Downtown Partnership marketing and communications official.

About 20,000 people attended Tampa’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration last year, and more are expected this year, Keesler says.

The festivities will include artist Trisha Sham, who will paint throughout the event, and a five-piece Celtic band called the Irish Buskers. The headline musical act is George Pennington & the Odyssey, a local band that fuses rock, blues, funk and jazz into its performance.



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Boston, MA

Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?

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Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?


Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.

For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.

A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.

We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.

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Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!

It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.

The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.  

The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.

Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.

We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.

By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.

The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.

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Boston, MA

House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement

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House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement


Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”

But Democrats push back on that framing.

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“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”

A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”

The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.



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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for $2.6m

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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for .6m


On the Market

Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.

250 Beacon St. #10 is on the market for $2.59 million. Surette Media Group

At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.

After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.

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“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”

A hallway inside the 2,075-square-foot condo. – Surette Media Group

It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.

“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”

The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.

Large windows bring in natural light and look out to the city. – Surette Media Group
Joan Bennett Kennedy was an avid pianist. – Surette Media Group
The living room fireplace has a marble surround. – Surette Media Group

“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.

The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.

The space has built-in storage and shelving throughout. – Surette Media Group

The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.

The primary bathroom with its pink vanity. – Surette Media Group

“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”

A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

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The kitchen is galley style. – Surette Media Group
One of three bedrooms. – Surette Media Group

There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.

The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.


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Megan Johnson

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Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.





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