The production is conducted by Daniela Candillari (l.) – who led the score for BLO’s national, award- winning 2022 film of Ana Sokolović’s “Svadba” and makes her BLO stage debut here. STREETCAR is directed by New Hampshire native Patricia Racette (r.), an acclaimed soprano with a longstanding connection to BLO. Early in her career, Racette sang four roles in the company’s 1992 production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Reviewer Richard Dyer said Racette “flooded the Emerson Majestic with gloriously full lyric-soprano tone…she will certainly have a successful career.”

The Story. Set in a sweltering New Orleans, the opera follows the magnetic, self-deluded Blanche DuBois, who leaves her Mississippi home and seeks shelter with sister Stella and Stella’s husband Stanley. Clinging to a romanticized past, Blanche finds herself at odds with the domineering Stanley, whose brutal realism clashes with her world view. Cruelty, desire, illusion and fear of change draw tensions between the characters, sending everyone involved careening toward destruction.

Racette says that while the opera is inspired by one of the great works in the American theater canon, she wants operagoers to find a new perspective with this staging. “I want the audience to have a seat in Blanche’s mind,” she says, “to feel the heat, the claustrophobia, and the emotional intensity with which the story unfolds. It helps that André Previn’s score is magnificent…it has a little bit of everything, from jazz to classical shadings and traditional New Orleans music.”

Cast And Creative Team. Brittany Renee makes her BLO debut as Blanche DuBois. Thomas Glass (also in his BLO debut) is Stanley Kowalski. The full cast includes: Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist alum Angela Yam as Stella Kowalski; Brenton Ryan as Mitch; Erica Brookhyser, who made her professional debut at BLO in 2006, returning as Eunice Hubbell; East Boston native and 2026/27 Emerging Artist Juliette Kaoudji as the Flower Seller; Emerging Artist alum and Daughter of the Regiment scene-stealer Neal Ferreira as Steve Hubbell; current BLO Emerging Artist Suowei Wu as the Young Collector; Jessica Jacobs as the Nurse; Boston native David J. Castillo, who makes his BLO mainstage debut as The Doctor; and Dallas-born, 2026/27 Emerging Artist Ricky Lee Owens, Jr. as Pablo.

In addition to Racette and Candillari, the creative team includes Set Designer Andrew Boyce, Costume Designer Amanda Gladu, Lighting Designer Eric Southern, Projection Designer Kylee Loera, Fight Director/Intimacy Coordinator Angie Jepson, and Associate Stage Director Alexandra Dietrich, a current BLO Emerging Artist. F

History Of “Streetcar” In Massachusetts. The Bay State played prominently in the development of Tennessee Williams’s 1947 play, on which this opera is based. Williams lived in an oceanside cottage near Provincetown that summer, famously receiving a visit from actor Marlon Brando, who read the part of Stanley Kowalski and went on to star in the play’s premiere. It was in that cottage where Williams says he wrote Blanche’s famous exit line, “…I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

The pre-Broadway run of STREETCAR played two weeks at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, in November 1947, where Williams, Brando, Jessica Tandy (who starred as Blanche) and director Elia Kazan refined the play after its New Haven tryout. The Boston run shaped one of America’s most celebrated dramas and the enduring legacy of a Pulitzer Prize-winner that also earned Tony and Olivier Awards.

Schedule and tickets. A Streetcar Named Desire is sung in English with English supertitles. Performances are Thu., Nov. 5 at 7:30 pm, Fri., Nov. 6 at 7:30 pm and Sun., Nov 8 at 3 pm. All performances are at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street in Boston. Tickets start at $40 and are available at blo.org/streetcar.

“Whether at daycare, at school, at home or in a park, air quality is fundamental to quality of life for all our residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “These programs give local organizations the resources to put community-driven solutions into action, making all our spaces safer and healthier for everyone.”

The six selectees are: 

• Museum of Science – $199,974 to establish the “Clearing the Air @ MOS” Living Lab and public engagement campaign at the new Public Science Common, featuring immersive digital visualizations, video storytelling, and educational features highlighting City of Boston grantees and air quality solutions for millions of visitors.

• Chinatown Community Land Trust, Inc. – $150,000 to evaluate the indoor air quality co-benefits of converting historic Chinatown row homes from gas to electric air-source heat pumps through continuous air quality monitoring in ten residences, bilingual resident workshops, and property owner engagement. 

• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Inc. – $200,000 to use heat, noise, and air quality sensor data from the 75-sensor Common Senses network to partner with local businesses in Roxbury and Dorchester on interventions and help residents shape a climate-resilient Urban Village Plan incorporating clean air goals.

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – $94,406 to use schoolyard monitoring, Boston Public Schools’ air quality data, nature-based solutions, and community knowledge at two Boston K-8 schools to evaluate how heat and air quality impact outdoor student spaces and identify practical strategies to improve health during outdoor learning and play.  

• Mothers Out Front East Boston – $198,352 to utilize new technology to measure ultrafine and fine particles in twenty East Boston daycares and test how well different models of air filters reduce indoor pollution exposure for children and caregivers. 

• North American Indian Center of Boston – $184,536 to install air quality monitors and HEPA air purifiers in ten American Indian and Alaska Native households to reduce indoor air pollution, evaluate health impacts, and build a long-term community mitigation plan.

Since the 2021, the Community Clean Air Grant Program has awarded $2,284,748 to 13 organizations. This round attracted 20 proposals, reviewed by a fifteen-member committee representing nine City departments. Applications were evaluated based on alignment with program goals, community and equity impacts, feasibility, organizational capacity, clarity of evaluation metrics, and demonstration of local expertise.

“Tackling urban air pollution requires direct collaboration with the communities bearing the greatest environmental burdens,” said Brian Swett, City of Boston’s Chief Climate Officer. “These six community-led projects demonstrate how local investments can measure pollution, lower health risks, and collect essential data to improve our City’s air quality for generations to come.” 

“Chinatown is Boston’s hottest neighborhood and has some of the worst particulate air pollution in the state,” said Lydia Lowe, Executive Director at the Chinatown Community Land Trust Inc. “We are thrilled to receive a Community Clean Air Grant, so that we can now measure the impact of electric heat pump conversion on indoor air quality and residents’ quality of life.”

“The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, in partnership with Project RIGHT and the Boston Area Research Initiative at Northeastern University, is using a network of heat, noise, and air quality sensors as community infrastructure, pairing that data with residents’ stories to bring solutions to Roxbury and Dorchester,” said Mike Pollio, Deputy Director of Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. “With this funding, DSNI will partner with local businesses on air-centered improvements, and residents will use what is learned to shape a neighborhood development plan with clean air at its center.”

“East Boston children face high pollution risks and are up to four times more likely to have asthma, making data on ultrafine particulates critical for their safety,” said Sonja Tengblad, Founder of Mothers Out Front East Boston. “By partnering with Air Partners and using new QuantAQ technology, we will test different air filter models and provide our community more accurate air quality information and better protection.” 

“Clean air is an essential public good, but poor indoor air quality and wildfire smoke continue to endanger children’s health and disrupt their learning,” said David Sittenfeld, Director of the Center for the Environment at the Museum of Science. “Clearing the Air @ MOS” will address this crisis by raising awareness of the environmental causes of unhealthy air, highlighting community-led solutions, and inspiring equitable environmental action across the region.”

“Reclaiming air quality is a vital priority for New England’s urban Indian community, especially after smoke from the recent Canadian wildfire demonstrated how environmental destruction directly impacts First Nations territories and Indigenous health in Boston,” said Jean-Luc Pierite, President of the North American Indian Center of Boston. “We are grateful to partner with Air Partners and the City of Boston to advance this critical work.”

“This funding will allow us to better understand the air quality and heat conditions children experience in the places where they play, learn, and gather outdoors,” said Judith Rodriguez, Senior Research Associate, Harvard Chan School of Public Health. “By working directly with schools and community partners, we hope to translate environmental data into practical actions that support healthier, cooler, and more equitable school environments.” 

The program is supported by the Air Pollution Control Commission’s Pollution Abatement Fund. The next round of Community Clean Air Grant applications will open in spring 2027. More information about the program can be found at Boston.gov/clean-air-grant/.

This success builds upon speed increases implemented in August 2025 where the Orange Line reached 55 MPH between Oak Grove and Assembly Station. The increased speeds are attributable to track improvement work completed as part of the Track Improvement Program (2023 – 2024) and recent infrastructure work. 

“When we took office, we made a commitment to fix the T and deliver the faster, safer and more reliable service that riders deserve,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Today, Orange Line trains can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour north of North Station because of the investments we’ve made to improve tracks and infrastructure. I’m grateful to General Manager Eng and the hardworking MBTA employees who are making these improvements possible. We’re going to keep building on this progress and delivering better service for riders across the entire system.”

“We have removed slow zones, upgraded signal systems, scaled accessibility efforts, delivered new fleets, and worked smartly to improve infrastructure across the entire MBTA system under the leadership of Healey-Driscoll Administration,” said Interim Secretary and MBTA General Manager Eng. “Today we are proud to deliver improvements that will make travel even more efficient giving riders back more time in their days. I’m proud of what our workforce continues to accomplish and thankful for our riders for their patience. As a result, we are providing our Orange Line riders shorter trip time and 76% more service every weekday compared to winter 2023.” 

For more information, visit mbta.com or connect with the T on X @MBTA and @MBTA_CR, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) opened America’s first subway tunnel in 1897, pioneering public transportation in the United States. Today, the MBTA is one of the largest public transit systems in the country, operating an extensive network of subway, bus, Commuter Rail, ferry, and paratransit services across 176 cities and towns. The MBTA is undergoing a transformative period, focusing on cultivating a culture of safety and excellence, modernizing infrastructure, and improving reliability and accessibility. Current priorities include accelerating critical infrastructure repairs, expanding accessibility, and reducing emissions. The MBTA is committed to providing dependable, frequent, and accessible service that riders can rely on while supporting the region’s economic vitality. Through initiatives like the unprecedented Track Improvement Program, the Better Bus Program, and the Rail Modernization Plan, the MBTA aims to connect communities and improve riders’ daily experiences and trips. For questions or assistance, riders are encouraged to contact the MBTA Customer Center at 617-222-3200. Members of the press are encouraged to contact mediarelations@mbta.com. For the latest updates on MBTA services, projects, and initiatives, visit MBTA.com or follow @MBTA on social media.

Unlike fussy preparations, soup is very forgiving. If you don’t have one ingredient, you can usually substitute another. Soup cooks over low heat, so it’s unlikely to burn or scorch. It’s also a great way to learn how to adjust any dish’s flavor.

If your soup tastes flat, ladle some into a small bowl and add a dash of vinegar to see if it helps. If you like the result, add some vinegar to the whole pot. You can do the same with herbs, spices, salt, and pepper.

Use Leftovers and Eat

Your Veggies

We often make a pot of soup by using up what’s in our refrigerator. We usually have stock or stock base; aromatic vegetables like carrots, onion, fennel, and celery; starches like rice, pasta, or noodles; and seasonings. We often cook and store the starch components separately and add them to each serving since they tend to swell and drink up all the stock.

We’ll add bits and pieces of leftover meat and whatever vegetables are in the crisper. We keep a few additions to soups, like chicken meatballs in our freezer. Not every ingredient has to be made from scratch.

We keep jars of legumes and beans ready to add hardiness to even the simplest soups. And a flavorful sausage, like Italian sausage, chorizo, or kielbasa, can take a basic vegetable soup to a new cuisine.

If you need a formula to start with, we recommend Pam Anderson’s book, How to Cook Without A Book. She begins her chapter on soup with this rhyme, “Sauté an onion, then add vegetables, starch, and meat. Cook it in a quart of broth for a meal that can’t be beat.” Then she teaches the reader to improvise around that theme.

Meat is optional. Anderson starts with a recipe for pureed vegetable soup and tells readers how to prepare variations with broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and squash.

Soup as Medicine

Cooks often stir up a pot of healing soup when a friend or family member has a cold or the flu. Today, scientists agree that chicken soup has many properties that relieve symptoms of those viruses.

The Mayo Clinic website explains how it helps. “Researchers say that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory and temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose. This relieves congestion and limits how long viruses contact the lining of your nose. Plus, soup and other liquids help loosen congestion and prevent dehydration.”

Recently, someone said to us, “I would give anything for one more bowl of my Mother’s chicken soup.” We associate homemade soup with family, tradition, and perhaps good memories. Every so often, Penny makes a batch of the clam chowder that was served at Rhode Island shore dinner halls in years past. It reminds her of fun times with her extended family.

So, for the sake of memories, to help someone feel better, or to clean out the refrigerator, reach for a big pot and brew yourself some soup.

Do you have a question or topic for Fresh & Local? Email Penny@BostonZest.com with your suggestion.

The full text of the public letter sent by the BHMA executive board to the Monument Square Landmark District (MSLLD) study committee follows:

“Dear Members of the MSLD Study Committee and the Boston Landmarks Commission:

The Bunker Hill Monument Association board of directors opposes the proposed Monument Square Landmark District and does not support its future adoption by the Boston Landmarks Commission. The Study Committee’s September 24, 2026 working study report says Monument Square “occupies the site of the main American redoubt” (Working Study Report, p. 12). It calls the 1839 house lots “preserved battlefield property” (Working Study Report, pp. 4, 12). Yet the report does not cite the Battle of Bunker Hill as a reason for designation, and it gives no reason for leaving the battle out under the events criterion of Chapter 772, Section 4(b).

We ask that the MSLD Study Committee formally address (and include answers to) the following questions in the public record:

1. Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, Section 4, expressly includes among its designation criteria sites “at which events occurred” that made an outstanding contribution to the “military” history of the city, the commonwealth, the New England region or the nation (Chapter 772, §4(b), pp. 1027–1028). Before any landmark district is designated, it also requires an investigation and report on the historical significance of the sites to be designated, as well as their architectural significance (Chapter 772, §4, p. 1028).

Does the Study Committee agree that the Battle of Bunker Hill satisfies the events criterion of Section 4(b), which expressly includes military history? If so, why does the report’s Justification for Designation (Section 1.5) cite only the 1839 subdivision under that criterion, and not the battle (Working Study Report, §1.5, pp. 3–4)?

2. The report omits two tablets/markers of the battle, at two different sites. Neither appears in the Justification for Designation or anywhere else in the report.

The Training Field (Winthrop Square): The report uses military history to justify adding the Training Field to the district, citing its militia training and its Civil War memorial (Working Study Report, pp. 4, 9). It does not mention the tablets the City of Boston placed on the Training Field in 1889 to honor the Americans killed at Bunker Hill.

30 Monument Square: On the granite facade of 30 Monument Square, a 1930 City of Boston tablet records that the rail fence, “the left wing of the Americans,” extended “to the Mystic River on the land between the present Polk and Elm Streets,” and that its defenders “protected the retreat from the redoubt.” The report lists 30 Monument Square in its building inventory (Working Study Report, p. 70). Its standards protect historic markers in general as building features (Working Study Report, pp. 48, 59), but the report does not identify this marker or the rail fence line it records.

3. On October 29, 2025, the Study Committee chair said battlefield recognition “is not within the purview of this study committee.” According to the minutes, staff explained that the proposed district “is about the built pattern of homes around the monument, not about recognizing the site of a battle” (Study Committee minutes, Oct. 29, 2025, §II.C).

Is the chair’s statement a limit set by Chapter 772 or another law, or a choice by the committee? If it is a choice, on what basis was it made? Who determined that battlefield recognition was outside the Study Committee’s purview? Is there a limit to how many criteria can be used to justify the district? Would recognizing the Battle of Bunker Hill under the events criterion of Section 4(b) prevent the committee from also recognizing the 1839 planned development and the district’s architecture under the criteria it already cites (Working Study Report, §1.5, pp. 3–4)? If not, why does the report’s Justification for Designation (Section 1.5) not cite the battle under the events criterion?

4. What role did redevelopment play in establishing the boundaries? At the August 12, 2026 meeting, the chair explained that Bunker Hill Street had been considered a northern boundary for the proposed Protection Area because everything beyond it had been redeveloped (Study Committee minutes, Aug. 12, 2026). Were battlefield parcels excluded from evaluation because they had already been redeveloped? Redevelopment may change the use of historic land, but it does not erase the events that occurred there.

5. Why are there no mandatory archaeological requirements for properties that sit on land where the battle happened? The 1987 National Register documentation describes the nineteenth-century residential lots as having been sold “on the preserved battlefield” (1987 National Register form, petition packet, PDF p. 34). Yet the working study report’s archaeology standards for these properties list “None” under “Requirements,” providing instead for review “solely at the request of the property owner” (Working Study Report, §4.4.2, p. 42).

We ask that the final study report:

1. Evaluate the Battle of Bunker Hill under the events criterion of Chapter 772, Section 4(b), and state its findings.

2. Explain whether the land on which the battle was fought, as a site “at which events occurred” under Section 4(b), was considered in drawing the proposed district and Protection Area boundaries, and if so, how.

3. Identify the legal basis, if any, for the position recorded in the October 29, 2025 minutes that “battlefield recognition” is “not within the purview of this study committee,” and state whether that position precludes evaluating the battle under Section 4(b).

4. Document the historic markers on the Training Field and at 30 Monument Square, and map the American redoubt, breastwork, and rail fence in relation to Polk and Elm Streets, the Mystic River, the Bunker Hill Burying Ground and other existing public spaces, and the proposed district boundaries.

5. Explain the absence of mandatory archaeological requirements on documented battlefield land.

The BHMA board believes the public is entitled to know whether the decision not to cite the battle, an event of local, state and national significance, under the events criterion of Section 4(b) contributed to leaving other battlefield land outside the proposed district. That land includes the rail fence line, which the City of Boston’s 1930 tablet at 30 Monument Square places “on the land between the present Polk and Elm Streets,” the side boundaries of the Bunker Hill Burying Ground (MHC Inventory BOS.806, p. 10). In 2010 the Commission’s own architectural historian found the Burying Ground eligible for the National Register because it “sits upon land that was the site of Revolutionary War fortifications associated with the Battle of Bunker Hill,” and MHC staff concurred, noting that the fortifications “may make this eligible under Criterion D as well” (MHC Inventory BOS.806, pp. 14–15). The report places the Burying Ground only in the Protection Area and makes no mention of its National significance but notes that it “is already protected by state law” (Working Study Report, p. 35). That protection has not kept other city burying grounds out of Boston Landmarks Commission districts. The Eliot Burying Ground, which the City describes as the site of the 1775 “Burying Ground Redoubt,” lies within the Eustis Street Architectural Conservation District (City of Boston, Guide to the Historic Burying Grounds; Eustis Street Study Report).”

The plan identifies five strategic priorities focused on strengthening the OVA’s capacity, improving access to veterans’ benefits and services, examining housing and employment opportunities, and building trust and collaboration among organizations serving Massachusetts veterans and their families.

Established in the Acts of 2022 as the nation’s first independent state Office of the Veteran Advocate, the OVA is charged with safeguarding the well-being and rights of veterans under the care of the Commonwealth, promoting access to available benefits and services, and identifying opportunities to improve systems of care and support for veterans.

The Strategic Plan builds upon the agency’s foundational work during FY2025 and FY2026 and reflects more than a year of planning, informed by input from state leaders, key stakeholders, inquiries from the veteran community, and reviews of existing laws and policies. The OVA’s FY2026 Annual Report, released in September, highlights its accomplishments in FY2026 and identifies areas to improve the lives of veterans and their families.

“Massachusetts has a long and proud history of supporting those who have served our nation, and the creation of the Office of the Veteran Advocate represents another important step in that commitment,” said Veteran Advocate Robert Notch. “Our first Strategic Plan establishes a clear direction for the work ahead, with a focus on identifying opportunities to strengthen the systems, benefits, and services that veterans and their families depend upon. Through collaboration with our government partners, veterans service officers, and community organizations, we can build upon the Commonwealth’s commitment to ensuring that every veteran is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The Strategic Plan outlines five priorities that will guide the OVA’s work over the next five years:

1. Build Capacity: Strengthen the OVA’s ability to respond to inquiries, requests for assistance, and critical-incident referrals, while identifying trends that may reveal opportunities for system-wide improvements.

2. Review Benefits and Services: Increase awareness of available federal and state benefits, support veterans service officers and state agencies in improving access, and examine opportunities to strengthen benefits and services for Massachusetts veterans.

3. Review Housing Opportunities: Examine the housing needs of aging veterans, research alternative housing models, and identify opportunities to improve access to safe and attainable housing.

4. Explore Employment Opportunities: Assess opportunities to improve veteran access to employment, including careers that recognize military training and experience and contribute to the Commonwealth’s economy.

5. Build Trust and Collaboration: Strengthen the OVA’s expertise, relationships, research capabilities, and credibility as an independent advocate and trusted resource on issues affecting Massachusetts veterans.

Together, these priorities reflect the OVA’s commitment to addressing challenges affecting the Commonwealth’s veteran population, estimated at nearly 255,000 in FY2027, while recognizing the importance of supporting future generations of veterans and their families.

The plan also emphasizes the OVA’s unique role as an independent agency focused on system-wide oversight, policy analysis, advocacy, and coordination. Rather than duplicating the direct services provided by other organizations, the OVA seeks to identify gaps, recommend improvements, and work collaboratively with federal, state, local, and community partners to strengthen outcomes for veterans.

The Office of the Veteran Advocate’s FY2027–FY2031 Strategic Plan is available online at https://www.mass.gov/doc/ova-fy2027-2031-strategic-plan/download.

For more information about the Office of the Veteran Advocate and its work on behalf of Massachusetts veterans and their families, visit www.mass.gov/OVA.

“Boston has been shaped by generations of residents who have worked to bring our neighborhoods together,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Elsie’s service and leadership has made a lasting impact across many City departments, and I am excited that she will continue to be a strong voice for our Cabo Verdean community, so every idea is heard and City programs reach all our residents.”

Born and raised in Boston, Dias has deep roots in Dorchester and a lifelong connection to the City’s Cape Verdean community. Her grandparents immigrated to Boston from Cabo Verde in 1975. Their journey and commitment to family and community helped shape Dias’s values and her commitment to public service.

As Cultural Advisor, Dias will help connect Cape Verdean residents with City services, resources, programs, and opportunities. She will also work with community members, organizations, and City departments to strengthen connections and support culturally responsive programs and services.

“I am honored to serve as the City of Boston’s Cape Verdean Cultural Advisor,” said Elsie Dias. “My family’s journey from Cabo Verde to Boston shaped who I am and taught me the importance of community, service, and staying connected to our roots. I look forward to listening to residents, building relationships, and helping make sure Cape Verdean residents feel welcomed, valued, and connected to the City.”

Dias began her career in community service as a Community Outreach Coordinator with the Cape Verdean Association of Boston. In that role, she connected residents with resources, services, and opportunities. Before starting as a Cultural Advisor, Dias worked at the City’s Age Strong Commission, where she advocated with and supported older residents to ensure housing and access to essential resources.

“Boston is proud to welcome Elsie Dias to this important role,” said Alexandra Valdez, Director of the Mayor’s Office Cultural Affairs. “Elsie brings a deep connection to Dorchester, Boston, and the Cape Verdean community, along with years of experience serving residents. Her knowledge, relationships, and commitment to community will help strengthen the connection between City Hall and Cape Verdean residents across Boston.”

Dias is also a fluent speaker of Kriolu. Her grandmother, Isabel Daveiga, helped nurture her connection to the language and the cultural traditions of her family. For Dias, speaking Kriolu is a way to stay connected to her family, her heritage, and generations of Cape Verdeans who came before her.

The City of Boston has a long history of supporting and celebrating its Cape Verdean community. Boston continues to offer programs and services that recognize the importance of Cape Verdean language and culture, including the City’s Cabo Verdean Language and Culture Preservation Program.

The MBTA’s Customer Experience team in partnership with the MBTA Fare Revenue Department previously released three commemorative cards in summer 2026. 

“Riding the T is one of those things that makes Boston, Boston,” said Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “I say that myself as someone who is proud to call Boston home. The T is one of the best ways to travel and see all that Massachusetts has to offer, and today we’re excited to reveal a new set of limited edition CharlieCards, which feature iconic Boston landmarks that remind so many people of the amazing city we live in and its rich history.”

For more information, visit mbta.com or connect with the T on X @MBTA and @MBTA_CR, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) opened America’s first subway tunnel in 1897, pioneering public transportation in the United States. Today, the MBTA is one of the largest public transit systems in the country, operating an extensive network of subway, bus, Commuter Rail, ferry, and paratransit services across 176 cities and towns. The MBTA is undergoing a transformative period, focusing on cultivating a culture of safety and excellence, modernizing infrastructure, and improving reliability and accessibility. Current priorities include accelerating critical infrastructure repairs, expanding accessibility, and reducing emissions. The MBTA is committed to providing dependable, frequent, and accessible service that riders can rely on while supporting the region’s economic vitality. Through initiatives like the unprecedented Track Improvement Program, the Better Bus Program, and the Rail Modernization Plan, the MBTA aims to connect communities and improve riders’ daily experiences and trips. For questions or assistance, riders are encouraged to contact the MBTA Customer Center at 617-222-3200. Members of the press are encouraged to contact mediarelations@mbta.com. For the latest updates on MBTA services, projects, and initiatives, visit MBTA.com or follow @MBTA on social media.

Non-members will then be allowed access to the Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery, special collections and art installations, and the library’s stunning reading rooms.

‘Explore Where’s Boston? 50 Years Later,’ features photographs by Constantine Manos originally commissioned for the Where’s Boston? Bicentennial exhibition. These images capture public gatherings and everyday moments, from protests and parades to flea markets and diners, offering a vivid snapshot of Boston in the 1970s.

The Calderwood gallery will also offer a Bloomberg Connections digital guide, which aligns photographs displayed in the exhibition with oral histories of the individuals who remember the ‘70s and are seen in these images.

‘Imagined Nation,’ meanwhile, includes historical artifacts and printings related to citizenship and voting, including a printing of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation; a 1886 Woman Suffrage Cook Book; and an original newspaper clipping of the Gerrymander.

“The Boston Athenaeum has something for everyone to enjoy. Discovery Day invites visitors to experience beautiful art and architecture throughout the Athenaeum’s first floor, including two ongoing exhibitions and peaceful views of the historic Granary Burial Ground,” said Angie Osborn, marketing manager for the Athenaeum. “We hope our monthly Discovery Days invite Bostonians to meet fellow art and literature lovers and explore more ways they can join our community.”

Discovery Day at the Boston Athenaeum is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 10½ Beacon St. No registration is required. Visit https://events.bostonathenaeum.org/en-US/4W52KhR7/discovery-days-at-the-boston-athenaeum-5a2KUmAGGnp to learn more about this event.

“As we celebrate 25 years of Amgen Massachusetts, I am proud of the place we have earned in this community and especially proud of the people whose work and commitment made it possible,” said Margaret Faul, Vice President, Drug Substance Technologies and Site Head at Amgen Massachusetts. “Innovation lives in the science we pursue, the questions we ask, and the creativity and collaboration our colleagues bring to work every day. It lives in a community that keeps learning, solving problems and looking for better ways to help patients.”

Amgen opened its 285,000-square-foot Cambridge research center in 2001, becoming one of the early biotechnology companies to establish a major presence in what would grow into a global life sciences hub. As Kendall Square evolved, the Amgen site evolved alongside it. What opened as a research center is now home to Amgen’s Operations East Coast Innovation Center, focused on process development and operations innovation.

In a neighborhood known for scientific discovery, Amgen Massachusetts focuses on the critical work that follows. Teams across drug substance, drug product, analytical testing and scale-up develop and optimize the processes and technologies needed to prepare promising medicines for safe, consistent and efficient production at Amgen manufacturing facilities around the world.

“Kendall Square has earned its reputation as the most innovative square mile on the planet, thanks in part to companies like Amgen that have chosen to call Cambridge home,” said Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui. “For 25 years, Amgen has been part of a community dedicated to tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, advancing groundbreaking research, and developing life-saving treatments that improve lives around the world. Beyond its scientific contributions, Amgen has created opportunities and invested in our local community. We are proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to many more years of innovation and partnership.”

The celebration recognized more than 450 employees at the Cambridge site, whose work spans chemistry, biology, engineering, data science and other disciplines to turn promising science into medicines for patients globally.

Faul also led a panel discussion with former Amgen Massachusetts site heads, who reflected on the Cambridge site’s early years, its transformation over the past quarter century, and the people and innovations that shaped its growth.

The program featured a video message from Amgen Chairman and CEO Bob Bradway and remarks from Kendall Square Association Executive Director Beth O’Neill Maloney on Amgen Massachusetts’ role in the region’s life sciences ecosystem. Attendees included State Senator Sal DiDomenico, State Representatives Marjorie Decker and Daniel J. Ryan, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang.

“The presence of Amgen in Kendall Square has brought palpable, purpose-driven energy and creativity to this community,” said Kendall Square Association Executive Director Beth O’Neill Malloney. “You exemplify the collaboration, the tenacity, the creativity, resilience, plus compassion and commitment to doing good that are hallmarks of Kendall Square. And they are known not just here in this neighborhood, but globally.”

“The work being done at Amgen has real-world consequences for patients and their families,” said State Senator Sal DiDomenico. “By turning scientific discoveries into medicines, Amgen is helping people live longer, healthier lives and giving families more time with their loved ones. For 25 years, the people at Amgen have put their time, talent and resources toward making life better for patients around the world.”

Amgen Massachusetts is home to Amgen’s Operations East Coast Innovation Center in Kendall Square. The Cambridge-based team focuses on process development and operations innovation, developing the processes and technologies needed to turn scientific discoveries into medicines that can be produced safely, reliably and at scale. The site brings together teams across chemistry, biology, engineering and data science to solve technical challenges and prepare medicines for transfer to Amgen manufacturing facilities worldwide.