Boutique Running Pop Up at Arsenal Yards

The Blue Butterfly will be running a pop-up at Arsenal Yards. Belmont-based boutique The Blue Butterfly will be opening a temporary location in Watertown leading up to Christmas. Arsenal Yards sent out the following information about the pop up shop:

Need to finish some last-minute holiday shopping? Head to Watertown’s Arsenal Yards for The Blue Butterfly’s Pop Up Shop now through Wednesday, December 23! Based in Belmont, The Blue Butterfly is coming to Watertown for one week only, and will be setting up shop in the space next to Ben & Jerry’s at Arsenal Yards from 12noon to 7pm on Friday, December 18th through the 23rd.

Watertown Looking at Closing “Little Greenough” on Weekends for Recreation

A screenshot of a Google Map showing the section of Greenough Boulevard that Town officials are looking at closing on weekends. A Town Council Subcommittee supported the idea of doing a pilot program to close a portion of Greenough Boulevards to traffic on weekends during parts of the year, similar to Memorial Drive in Cambridge. The section of the roadway, sometimes called Little Greenough, runs between North Beacon and Arsenal streets, and provides a link between the two thoroughfares. On Dec. 10, the Committee on Economic Development and Planning voted to recommend that the full Council request that the state do a pilot study of closing the road on the weekends during the spring, summer and fall, and examine the impact on traffic.

New Hotel Opening on Arsenal Street by End of 2020

The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton is scheduled to open by the end of 2020 at Arsenal Yards. The following information was provided by Boylston Properties:

Boylston Properties and Stonebridge Companies today announced that the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton™ Watertown Boston is scheduled to open at the end of December 2020 in the heart of Arsenal Yards. The hotel will be a welcomed addition to the limited hotel options that currently exist in Watertown, which is a growing destination for Boston/Cambridge leisure travel, business travel within the exploding biotechnology industry, and patients and staff of the well-established medical community in Boston, to name a few. The property will operate as a Hilton franchise, owned by a joint venture of Boylston Properties and the Stonebridge Companies, and managed by Stonebridge Companies. In an ideal location directly on Arsenal Street, and just minutes from Cambridge and Boston, the hotel serves as a gateway to historical attractions and new and upcoming venues.

Boston Restaurant Opening Second Location in Watertown

The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Boylston Properties and Wilder proudly announced today that they’ve leased 3,000 square feet at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards to local celebrity chef and restaurateur, Jason Santos. Following the success of Buttermilk & Bourbon in Boston’s Back Bay, the nationally-recognized chef will open his second location of the popular restaurant in the new neighborhood in 2021, bringing a taste of Southern hospitality to Watertown. The New Orleans’ inspired restaurant will be an exciting addition to the eclectic mix of offerings at Arsenal Yards, which will offer a true neighborhood experience with its more than one million square feet of retail shops, residential apartments, life science space, and a 146-room hotel when construction is completed in Fall 2021.   

“For a chef of Jason Santos’ caliber to open his next restaurant at Arsenal Yards only adds to the incredible level of buzz that Arsenal Yards and the town of Watertown is currently receiving,” said Bill McQuillan, Principal at Boylston Properties. “And while COVID-19 continues to greatly impact our communities and neighborhoods, we couldn’t be more grateful to share some positive news about one of the best chefs and restaurant groups in Boston. Our team is committed as ever to creating a unique place for people to work, live, and simply just enjoy, and Jason and Buttermilk & Bourbon are the perfect complement to this lasting, energized experience that we’re creating at Arsenal Yards.”

Bluebikes Opens New Station at Arsenal Yards, Officials Say Bike Share Has Had a Good Start

The recently installed BlueBike station outside Arsenal Yards. Bikeshare company Lyft Bluebikes opened its latest docking station at Arsenal Yards with some fanfare last week. It is the fourth in Watertown with three more planned, and Town officials say they have already drawn a lot of interest. The first Bluebike station in Watertown opened in August, as part of a five community expansion, which also included Newton and Arlington. Three of the Town’s stations in are on public land, but four will be located on private property, said Laura Wiener, Watertown’s Transportation Planner.

Arsenal Yards Celebrating the ‘Falladays’ During October

The giant pumpkin is on display now at Arsenal Yards. It had originally been grown to be in the Topsfield Fair. The following information was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Through the end of October, Watertown’s Arsenal Yards is making Fall a daily holiday with a new “Fall Falladays” activation. Guests and residents are invited to come out to the River Green at Arsenal Yards for autumnal activities taking place throughout the month. The River Green is decorated for the season with hay bales, pumpkins and gourds.