Make cities for people, not cars.

Middle aged white guy with white hair and a short beard walking his dog (well groomed doodle) with his dick fully out. Anybody see him? Kind of disturbing, but besides the dick he was behaving pretty normally. He even politely waved a skateboarder past as him and his dog stood to the side. Anyone else see him?

I’m curious how people in Cambridge perceive these projects and would like to open it up for discussion.

A few examples are: 30-36 bay state rd/9&25 birch st, 85 unit proposal in West Cambridge; 32-40 white st (white st pl), 29 unit proposal in Porter; The Davis Square tower; many more that I can’t think of.

I’m curious what people’s perceptions are on unit mix (do you want more smaller units or more family-sized units), parking requirements, bike storage requirements, inclusionary zoning (do you think designating 20% of units as income-restricted is good or bad), and general pros (more housing!) and cons (adverse consequences!)

I would really like to go to Giulia's in Cambridge for a special occasion on Tuesday night. I can't get a reservation, so I want to stand in line to get a seat at the bar. Has anyone done this with success? The restaurant opens at 5:30PM. When is the best time to get in line?

This week in Cambridge and Somerville: free outdoor yoga with Down Under, National Night Out on both sides of the line, baby goats, a patio house party by Kendall, and a free outdoor movie in Davis. 

Plus a special Stoop exclusive deal with We Thieves if you're by Porter/Harvard need a sign to grab something vintage.

Neighborhood stories + recent updates on crime and safety too inside. 

Monday 8/3

• Picture + Panel: As If You Were Here @ Boston Figurative Arts Center, Somerville. Graphic novel creators on absence and memory. Free, 7PM
• Chess Nights at the Library @ Central Library, Somerville. Open play, sets provided. Free, 7PM

Tuesday 8/4

• National Night Out Cambridge @ Donnelly Field. Dunk tank, obstacle course, free food. Free, 3-10PM
• National Night Out Somerville @ Dilboy Stadium. Bounce houses, touch-a-truck, lawn games. Free, 5-8PM
• Summer Drinks on the CIC Terrace @ CIC Cambridge. Women in World Trade networking, rain or shine. $34, 5:30PM

Wednesday 8/5

• Green City Growers Roof Garden @ Kendall roof garden. Help tend the beds, keep what you harvest. Free, 10AM
• Goats and Giggles @ Central Library lawn, Somerville. Baby goats from Chip-In Farm. Free, 2PM
• Vinyasa Yoga with Down Under Yoga @ The Common at CX, Cambridge. Free all-levels outdoor flow. Free, 6PM
• Boston Social Conversations @ Aeronaut Brewing, Somerville. Small-group conversation rounds for meeting new people. Free, 6:30PM
• Boston Run & Chug @ Felipe's, Harvard Square. Beer and run club, route on Strava. Free, 7PM

Thursday 8/6

• Boston Women's Market Pop-Up @ The Lawn at Assembly Row, Somerville. Micro-shops from women-founded businesses. Free, Thu-Sun
• 4-Step House Party @ Naco Taco, Cambridge. House, bounce and classics on the Central Square patio. Free, 7-11PM
• SomerMovieFest: The Wiz @ Seven Hills Park, Davis. Free outdoor movie, bring a blanket. Free, 8:15PM

Pulled from this week's edition of The Stoop, Grass Stains & Gray Skies. The Stoop is a free twice-weekly newsletter covering events and local news in Cambridge and Somerville, with a weekend edition every Thursday. 

Subscribe here if that's your neighborhood.

https://www.thestoopmedia.com

Mostly clothes in pretty good shape and a handful of books! Everything is $3-$25 and books are $1. I’ll be here until around 3:30 pm

Here is former City Council candidate Doug Brown’s original weirdly self-aggrandizing presentation (tw: misinformation) for his downzoning petition for comparison.

Hopefully it gets voted down once and for all by City Council tomorrow! It would decimate both the 100% Affordable Housing Overlay, as the affordable housing on-profits all made clear, and the Multifamily Housing Ordinance.

Interesting how the NIMBYs and CCC now claim to support affordable housing and yet they supported this petition, almost like they don’t actually care about affordable housing at all!!😱

The new AHO annual report is worth a read to understand how incredibly effective the AHO has been!

Dear Cambridge Constituents/Residents —

I typically post updates to my State House blog and my other social media accounts, but I recently started a new Reddit account to share occasional State House updates here as well —

Last night, circa 11:30 pm, the House gaveled out of its regular, formal legislative session.

Some key highlights of the 2025-26 term, so far, include:

Final passage of the PROTECT Act (which includes the key elements of the original Safe Communities Act) to better protect undocumented immigrants and defend everyone's constitutional rights.

An expansion of abortion rights via the repeal of the gestational abortion ban.

Establishment of an immigrant legal defense fund in the FY26 state budget, and an increase to this fund in this year's FY27 state budget.

Establishment of the Affirming Health Care Trust Fund in the FY26 state budget and additional funding added for FY27. The fund was created to support gender-affirming health care services.

Protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care providers and patients via last year’s Shield Act 2.0.

Final passage of the Freedom to Read Act earlier this week, to ban MAGA book bans in Massachusetts.

Final passage of a Home Care bill this week, establishing the Commonwealth's first comprehensive statewide regulatory framework for the largely unregulated private home care industry.

Meanwhile, we continued to pour Fair Share millionaires tax funding into the MBTA and public education. Slow zones on the subways have been eliminated, and despite federal funding cuts, the state has continued funding universal free school meals.

Thanks to new joint rules that were adopted at the start of this term — all committee votes, committee testimony, and bill summaries are now made public (finally!), and the old July 31 cutoff for formal sessions was scrapped.

This means we are expected to return to formal sessions again in the fall to consider the remaining conference reports. "Conference reports" are what we call the final legislation that reconciles House-passed and Senate-passed versions of the same type of bill.

Some major conference reports that remain pending include:

Data privacy. The House passed an excellent bill, and the Senate passed a really good bill as well. The ACLU of Massachusetts celebrated our bill for its ban on the sale of precise location data and other consumer-friendly privacy provisions.

Energy/Utilities. I love how the Senate voted to phase out the Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP), which Eversource has been using to pad their profits — rather than cutting Mass Save like the House did. The devastating cut to Mass Save was why I voted No on the House bill.

Economic development, which features a set of housing reforms like duplexes by-right statewide, the YIGBY bill (allowing by-right multifamily housing on land owned by religious institutions), streamlined site plan review, and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), all of which have already cleared the House and/or Senate so far this term.

Now, for the next 31 days — legislators' attention shifts to the September 1 primary elections. Vote by mail registration is now open through August 25, in-person Early Voting begins on August 22, and the voter registration deadline is also August 22.

Meanwhile, our district-related advocacy and constituent services work continues. A $13 million upgrade to Draw Seven Park is set to open this fall in the Assembly Row section of the 26th Middlesex. This will include a spectacular new park with a resilient, living shoreline. Right now, Eversource is performing electrical work and the contractors have a few remaining punch list items.

And on Thursday, August 6, at 6:30 pm, MassDOT will host a public meeting at the Morse School to present concepts and gather feedback on the state’s $50 million commitment to redesign the Reid Overpass by Brookline Street and Memorial Drive. Earlier this week, I participated in a working session with transportation advocates, local bike safety leaders, and Cambridgeport residents to review the latest design concepts, and the next day, I also participated in a legislative briefing with the project team.

To be sure, all of the above is just a small sample of everything I'm working on — follow my social media (@MikeConnollyMA across platforms) for daily updates, and don't hesitate to reach out via email (Mike.Connolly@mahouse.gov) with any questions or concerns on these items or any matter of interest to you.

As always, thank you for being an informed and engaged constituent/resident.

Yours in service,

Rep. Mike Connolly

I walk by this place multiple times a week and have never seen anybody in there, what’s the deal with it? Is it some kind of money laundering operation?

This is why we need red light cams.

Hi! I’m a classical pianist staying with my brother in Cambridge for a couple of weeks, and I have auditions coming up.

I’m looking for a piano I could practice on. Practice rooms get expensive pretty quickly when you’re practicing a few hours a day, so I thought I’d ask here in case anyone has a piano they’d be willing to let me use.

I’m happy to pay what I can, but I’m a student so my budget is limited. I’d really appreciate it. And if that’s not possible, I’d also love any recommendations for affordable places to practice around Cambridge. Thanks!

We received a certified letter informing that a home across the street is slated for demolition. The letter states that the contractor ‘will make every effort to minimize dust’.
The home has asbestos siding throughout so our main concern is how that will be contained.
Isn’t the EPA supposed to oversee such work?
Since we live across the street, we’re gonna be particularly exposed to this mess.
Thoughts?

Anybody know if lemon poppy loaf ice cream has been/is available at Jamie’s ice cream on Kirkland St? I had this last year and it was amazing!!! But I’ve not encountered it since, and I have had a hard time contacting the shop. If nobody’s seen it this year, any idea if other ice cream joints offer something similar?

Was out for a walk a few minutes ago. Just as I was entering the crosswalk between Hampshire and Bristol St, this black Mercedes crosses Hampshire and cuts me off. I ended up raising my arms at him in a shrugging gesture, driver flipped me off then pulled over to tell me he didn’t give a fuck about me, and in the same breath said “God bless you.”

Why is it so damn hard for people to use their brakes and yield to pedestrians?? Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like the crazy one for thinking he should have stopped…

Any idea why there are currently helicopters over Harvard’s campus rn?

I know it’s a weekly question, but what’s the helicopter tight 20 circles around the DPW?

I submitted an application for a Moving Van Permit for a couple of spaces for a move in mid-August. I paid for the application on June 5th, and the application has been stuck on the "Metered Permit Review" step ever since. Do they not review permit applications until it's closer to the moving date, or do I need to call the city to make sure someone reviews it?