Summary graphic: A plate of steak tips from Casey's in Sommerville, MA

What are Boston steak tips, why are they delicious, and why are they different from the steak tips in the rest of the country? We’re going to attempt to answer these questions with a series of road (and T) trips throughout Greater Boston.

Summary graphic: People stand atop a three-story “mountain” of snow on the MIT campus.

Standing atop the MIT Alps I saw a pale city splayed out in all directions. And yet here, atop the largest deposit of winter’s harvest, I saw no frozen necropolis.

Summary graphic: Keytar Bear, wearing his full-body bear costume, stands on a stage before fans with his hands raised in a “victory” pose.

Keytar Bear is much more complex than his man-in-a-bear-suit act implies. Despite all I’ve learned about him, there are a couple questions I’ve been asking myself that no one else has been able to answer.

Elements of “old” and “new” East Somerville collided during the East End Grille’s Oktoberfest party, and we were able to capture this commingling in one image.