As a white dude I am not really qualified to answer that.

With a child on the spectrum, Holden is a good bet. He'll get better services through the Wachusett school district than through Worcester. Worcester schools are fine but if I had an impacted child I'd prefer to be in Wachusett. Wachusett might have more opportunities for gifted students, but, the kid is 4. Talented in 'music, computers, STEM, and maps/geography' at 4 years old sounds a lot more like a parent over-embellishing their first born than reality. Either way, Holden is a good bet.

I am not asian american but Holden is fairly affluent and welcoming. Most of MA is, really. As others said, Worcester has a decently sized Vietnamese population and Worcester borders Holden; might be able to find some community connections that way. Again, with a child on the spectrum I would opt for Holden, but depending on where you live in Holden everything in Worcester is a short drive.

Redemption is a great tip; bonus points for having a lovely space to hang in, and, beer.

Nu Kitchen. Can confirm that their coffee is usually pretty crappy. Not a bad spot for lunch though, or to set up shop and do some remote work.

Please at least do a bit of research.

https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Question_2,Medical_Loss_Ratios_for_Dental_Insurance_Plans_Initiative(2022)#Support

Actual dentists and dentist organizations overwhelmingly support Q2, and the only opponents are insurance companies.

Since no one has really answered your question directly yet: dental insurance plans have agreed upon rates for specific procedures, just like health insurance plans. There are many dental insurance companies competing with each other, so pricing would never get too out of whack.

Example: you need a crown. The dentist is covered under your insurance network. The dentist can theoretically bill whatever they want, from $500 to $30,000, but the actual cost of the procedure is determined by the insurance company. Say the dentist does actually bill $30,000 for a crown, but the insurance company's set rate is $1000, and your coinsurance is 50% for crowns. The remaining $29,000 is disallowed and no one sees that money, the insurance company pays the dentist $500, and you're on the hook for the remaining coinsurance of $500.

Insurance companies might raise rates to compensate for Q2, but dentists aren't likely to start charging more because of Q2. They're cash flow isn't really going to be affected.

Highly recommend Volturno; they also have amazing homemade pasta and other entrees. All around a fantastic restaurant. They actually host pasta making classes in their function room--if you wanted to do something a bit more interactive they might be open to doing a class for just your party. When I did one a few years ago it was very low-key and you got to eat what you made (among lots of other foods and lots of wine flowing). Could be a fun idea, I know my wife would love that.

Worcester Ice Center doesn't offer them anymore? That's a bummer.

I've always wondered this as well. Curious to hear a real answer; I imagine/really hope that JetBlue would be on the hook for passenger transport back to Worcester, through their own money or some accommodation with ORH/Massport. They can get away with not paying for delays when weather is the cause, but a different arrival location seems like something that should be compensated for.

The sopping wet/cheesy/consomme thing really doesn't do it for me. Feels like hazy IPAs; a consumable fad that needs to go away. Maybe I'm just a crotchety 35 year old.

Wish there was a place in town that did proper al pastor. Would be all over that.

I'm not a huge fan of the birria thing. I like the classics (carne asada/carnitas/al pastor) and Caliente fell flat on those when I tried them. Been a while though.

The few times I tried them I did not love the meat preparations--they tasted like they were all cooked in the AM then sat in a warming pan full of juices all day. Weren't my favorite but maybe I'll have to try again. I prefer Pepe's and El Patron for authentic tacos but wish they did their own tortillas. Haven't really found a perfect taco spot around here. I was admittedly spoiled by San Diego tacos for 6 years so I will probably never be fully satisfied.