Look Who's Back: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Thursday, May 13. We're talking about how impossible it is to catch a ride, getting out to the ballpark and some old tunes.

But first...

Mark your calendar: Sunday, Oct. 3.

Tom Brady is coming back to Foxborough, and he'll be lugging his seventh Super Bowl ring, Rob Gronkowski and a dynasty's worth of memories with him.

I get it, this isn't a sports blog. But if you've lived in New England over the past 20 years, you understand why there won't be a more communal day all year. Everyone will be talking about it. Everyone will be watching it. Whether or not the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl this year, they'll have hosted Brady. He won't admit it, but it's a game Bill Belichick would give his hood to win.

My good friend Jim McBride at The Boston Globe is already calling it "the most coveted ticket in New England Patriots history." It's also very possibly the game where Brady breaks the all-time passing record.

You can read more about the full 2021 Patriots schedule from Jeff Howe at The Athletic.

Check it out

I'm glad someone's writing about this — and leave it to the estimable Spencer Buell at Boston Magazine to do so. Spencer dives asks why it is next to impossible to get an Uber or Lyft these days, a complete 180 from pre-pandemic times when you couldn't cross the street without dodging one of the rideshare cars. As a one-time Uber moonlighter, his reasoning that the surge pricing ban has contributed to the scarcity of available rides is completely on point.

If you haven't been to Fenway Park this season, get there before the end of the summer. I made my second vist Tuesday night — it was the first game with the ballpark at 25 percent capacity — and it was sublime. No traffic, relatively easy parking and plenty of room to lounge around the mostly empty ballpark. You can still get Red Sox tickets for May games here. Can't beat this for $40:

If you haven't figured it yet out, I'm not cool. I don't know fun song titles of old music. So the Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner" falls on deaf ears here, but it's the new name of what will soon be the largest general admission indoor music venue in Boston. You can read more about the planned 3,500-person venue from José Da Silva in Boston Magazine.

UPDATE: I'll be honest, the song's pretty alright!

What I'm reading today: You're not alone, Rachel Kempster Barry. She wrote in The Boston Globe about an emerging topic of conversation I've come across in daily life — is it wrong to be scared to get back to normal? I can tell you firmly the answer is "no." There's no guilt in having found comfort in reconnecting to or discovering parts of your life when the commuting and constant social activity came to a screeching halt early last year. I would love to know where you are in this process: email me your anxieties about getting back to the new normal at mike.carraggi@patch.com.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Sunny, with a high near 69. Northwest wind around 7 mph. At night — Mostly clear, with a low around 49. West wind 3 to 5 mph.

Have a swell Thursday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.