--A level 3 sex offender with some serious impulse-control issues got busted in Cambridge District Court yesterday. According to the Herald, he went to the ladies' restroom, exposed himself, and masturbated in front of women in the restroom. Police arrested 48-year-old Malcolm Maker, who apparently really wanted to get caught. Far as we can tell, he had no other reason for being at the courthouse. He was already on the radar for incidents at Mohegan......

Protest over national vs. regional chains, the never-ending debate over the place of cars and bicycles in our metropolises, professional sports scandals, remembering a solemn day, and being issued a search warrant - it all happened across our sites this week! Another banner week at Chicagoist started off with daily reports from food writer Lisa Shames on her attempt to eat only locally grown and raised foodstuffs all week as part of a farmers market......

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried......

Once upon a time in a land far, far…oh. No. It was Brockton. Back in 1890 James Edgar of Edgar's Department Store in Brockton sported a white beard and a belly laugh, he suited up as Santa Claus for an appearance in his Brockton Store. It wasn't Macy's, it wasn't Coke, it was a store in "The City of Champions" where the department store Santa was born. In the interest of full disclosure it appears......

This little gem came in on the tip line over lunch So what's filled with over 10,000 gallons of water and in Boston metro area? If you guessed "AQUARIUM." You're right. If you guessed "Best Buy at Cambridgeide." You're also right!As it turns out 10,000 gallons is a lot less than we thought, an Olympic Swimming Pool holds quite a bit more. 10,000 gallons (an imprecise calculation – probably more likely on the scale of......

Downtown Crossing is set for a makeover. It's yet unseen what the City will do to improve the space (planters and pushcart awnings are promised). A big spot on the block is slated to be vacant very soon. Filene's will be no longer. Macy's parent corporation has merged with Filene's Federated, and is in the process of converting the Filene's branded stores to Macy's – and where they're in competition, consolidation will follow. Menino seems......

Because you're the only one in the office today and you've got the music cranked up as it flows from your computer – but you just want a little bit something different. Because last comic standing isn't going to be on tomorrow night (NBC shows the Macy's fireworks from NYC) and you're itching for some comedy. Because you can't stand the fact the Eugene Mirman calls New York home and not Cambridge. Because you're......

We haven't seen South End Sara rolling down the street yet – but she's out there somewhere. Mayor Menino was the dignitary on hand to christen the rainbow adorned duck boat. This short and shaky video certainly isn't of the best quality, though it's proof positive that Menino was there, even if his bottle breaking proficiency needs polishing. Sara sailed for the Youth Pride march in mid-May and sailed again as part of the Pride......

It's well known that Boston is not known for its fashion…unless fleece and Teva sandals topped off with a Red Sox hat rank high on your list of hot trends. But one man is defying the stereotype. Gary Croteau is Esquire magazine's Best Dressed Real Man in Boston. His stylish threads not only got him into Esquire, but also into the Globe last week, where he received even more accolades for his fine taste. According......

Bostonist truly loves to observe the consumer cycle in America that allows bad fashion trends to resurface every 10 years. Women generally get taken advantage of often in the case of the trends that should never rise again; refer to the metallic and neon colors of 2004, and the hippie-influenced "boho" craze of 2005. But in the case of one particular phase that Bostonist remembers from early high school, grunge, both sexes were serious......

When Filene's was bought by Federated Department Stores, Inc. this past February for $17 billion, many anticipated changes to Downtown Crossing. After already going through an identity crisis (changing from Boston's own Jordan Marsh to Macy's), the Macy's storefront has always remained a competitor with Filene's and her basement across the street. This recent buyout of Filene's now leaves Federated, who happens to own Macy's too, with two stores across the street from one another.......