GETTING SALTY
The Union Oyster House weathered a pandemic in 1918. Owner Joe Milano says it will survive this one, too
He reflects on what it takes to endure, and a surprise concert from Luciano Pavarotti.
By Kara Baskin Globe Correspondent,Updated February 2, 2021, 8:05 a.m.
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Union Oyster House owner Joe Milano.
In Boston, there are truisms: Sports fanaticism, traffic, bad weather â and the reassuring endurance of the Union Oyster House, which opened in 1826. Owner Joe Milano, 76, born in the North End, has been there since 1970, before many of Bostonâs top chefs were even born. At the time, he says, his neighborhood only had a handful of restaurants. Now, the pandemic is echoing the past. He reflects on changing times, COVID-induced adaptation, and the persistent power of landmarks in a city grasping for reassurance.
Dear Boston, I miss you
The thing about Boston has always been the sense of ownership felt by those who live beyond official city limits. Our relationship with the city comes from a love of its history and traditions.
By Joan Vennochi Globe Columnist,Updated December 30, 2020, 4:23 p.m.
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Last Saturday night, we drove into the city just so we could drive around.
We came down Interstate
93 from a few miles north, took Storrow Drive to the MIT Bridge, and then turned right onto Memorial Drive to savor the shimmering view from the other side of the Charles. Then it was back over the river, down Charles Street, turning right on Beacon and left on Arlington to swing around the Public Garden. There was plenty of parking so we grabbed a space and walked across the footbridge. It was beautiful, but strangely still for a weekend night, even a cold one in December. Eventually, we made our way to the Seaport, which was bright with lights but light on people, like a movie s
Pandemic. Politics. Protest.
Those were the central issues that dominated 2020. Our photographers selected images from our coverage that best capture and illustrate those major storylines of 2020.
Below are the images that told the story of the pandemic. We also have photo highlights of the year in politics and in protests. You can find a complete collection here of more than 100 of the very best shots WBUR took in 2020.
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Feb. 5 | All of the hand sanitizer for sale in the Target in Watertown was quickly wiped out as people stocked up to prepare for the arrival of the novel coronavirus epidemic in the U.S. Within weeks, grocery stores would experience a surge in people panic-buying food and supplies.
It feels like an understatement to express that 2020 was a year like no other and yet, a review of the photographs that best helped us tell stories of the raging pandemic, protests for racial justice and an extraordinary presidential election makes the singularity of 2020 clear.
Our photographers, Jesse Costa and Robin Lubbock, captured a year rich in devastating loss and anxiety, but also showed us moments of solidarity even levity in Massachusetts.
The pair got as close arguably closer than most to many of the scenes that define the last 12 months. These are the images that will stay with us beyond this year.
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As Boston has grappled with a public health emergency coupled with myriad restrictions, local restaurants and bars of all stripes have tried to combat the challenges of 2020. But some of the city’s most notable eating and drinking establishments won’t be open to welcome Bostonians back. While many businesses hope to take a wait-and-see approach before they can safely reopen, there are just as many others eager to say they’re back in business. Still, most of us locals didn’t have a chance to give a final farewell to the following establishments:
Legal Oysteria: Charlestown s premier spot for slurping fresh bivalves, courtesy of the Legal Sea Foods empire, has closed up its raw bar for good.