The Highs and Lows of 2017
Our highly opinionated look at the most sublime, sinful, and surprising moments of the year.
January
Photograph by Francis Mariani/Flickr
Make Way for Pussy Hats
An astonishing 175,000 people turned out on Boston Common for the Women’s March for America, making it one of the largest demonstrations in the U.S. following Donald Trump’s inauguration.
February
Photograph by Jeffrey Beall/Flickr
Tom Brady Joins the Club
The Pats QB led the greatest come-from-behind victory in history during Super Bowl LI, but the bigger win may well have come when he finally made it past the membership board at The Country Club in Brookline.
March
Can You Hear Me Now?
Probably not, given that Boston—despite being home to a bleeding-edge tech scene—was rated among the worst cities for mobile network performance.
Courtesy photo
Better Late than Never
Named headmaster of Boston Latin in March, Rachel Skerritt became the first person of color to hold the job in the school’s nearly 400-year history.
June
Photograph by Alex Lau
Busker Beatdown
A trio of New Hampshire teens yelled offensive slurs at Boston’s beloved Keytar Bear and physically assaulted him.
iStockphoto
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Trap
Boston officially logged more household rat sightings than New York, becoming second in the nation to Philadelphia in rodent infestation.
July
Forget Silicon Valley
The Hub emerged as the prized destination of the tech world, with Facebook and Amazon announcing plans over the summer to expand their footprints here.
iStockphoto
Real Estate Records
Sellers, rejoice: In July, the median home price in Massachusetts hit an all-time high of $400,000. Meanwhile, the North End’s “Skinny House” sold for $900,000, and a penthouse at the yet-to-be completed One Dalton went for $40 million.
September
Photograph by Tim Travers Hawkins
Ivy League Embarrassment
Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics suffered public humiliation after rescinding its controversial fellowship offer to WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning.
Off the Rails
This year, the feds awarded the MBTA a dubious prize—for having a commuter rail that broke down more than any other transit system in the country, lagging far behind even New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Railroad. Not that we’re surprised.
October
Photograph by Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Affleck’s Apology
After saying he was “saddened and angry” over the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations, Ben Affleck was called out in the national media for groping Hilarie Burton on TV back in the early aughts, then took to Twitter to ask for forgiveness.
November
Photograph by David Parsons/AP
Wins for Walsh
Not only did Marty coast to reelection, but he received good news when four Teamsters from his former union were found not guilty on federal extortion charges stemming from allegations that they harassed host Padma Lakshmi and producers of the hit show Top Chef.
