Wait til this person hears about the many Boston workers who also have to pay for parking because their employers won't pony up for it.

Right, and taking the T to a Red Sox game is efficient and swift and happy and wonderful. And for folks who do drive, there is a parking megaplex attached to Fenw--oh. Right. The parking sucks at Fenway too and the T is a literal and figurative dumpster fire.

FWIW, I think the food there is fine. It's not the best, it's not the worst. I probably wouldn't regularly spend $17+ on a steak and cheese but if you want to occasionally treat yourself to something that will taste as unhealthy as it is, it fits the bill. I think they built a really tight brand that they've been able to grow and grow into, and it helped them gain a loyal following early. Their hype may have been manufactured (when it was still just a truck people would wait an hour for their sandwich when it should never take that long to churn out steak bombs) but it got them noticed and talked about. The owner might kinda suck as a person but that's a lot of restaurant workers. So in total I think people are just finding points about this place that they disagree with the most. There are definitely better spots in Worcester, and there are also worse ones.

The Price Chopper on Cambridge Street has a surprisingly good Asian section, as does the Shaws on Gold Star. But if you want better prices and even more selection, then the Asian Supermarket on Mill Street is really where you want to go.

The Kewpie mayo in the Leicester Walmart isn't the same mayo as in the Asian Supermarket, but it'll do in a pinch.

Redemption Rock Brewing does a monthly tabletop game night in the taproom, if you follow their Instagram they post when it's happening.

I want to gatekeep this place so bad but Release Well-Being Center in Westborough has a sun sauna, salt room, steam, an outdoor mineral hot tub, and a generally wonderful vibe. Their rates are pretty reasonable, and if you get there after 5pm you can get a half-day pass for like $35-40 (protip, they close at 9pm on Thursdays so going on a Thursday is the move).

Perfect Fit on Shrewsbury Street. Quick, inexpensive, and great quality!

Unpopular opinion, but wheelie bins in a city with a LOT of multi-family properties will turn trash day into chaos. Imagine 3-6 bins, per house, lined up side-by-side on a sidewalk. Where do the people walk? What if cars are blocking the truck arm's access to the bin? Those questions aside, it's a LOT of bins lined up on the street. Bonus round, there is not one singular trash day in Worcester, so this scenario will become part of the city landscape.

I'm not saying our current recycling system is great, but I am saying that wheelie bins are more than "I can cram a lot of stuff in here and it probably stays put!" (note: I've lived in places with the wheelie bins and they are also no match for a good gust of wind)

Now, if Worcester had street sweeping on a schedule that was more frequent than, say, twice a year, there would absolutely be less trash piled up in the streets and, thus, less discussion on whether or not our recycling bins are the problem.

I had a coworker who would get so impassioned talking about Big Y pizza that we affectionately poked fun at him for it. Finally I had to see what the fuss was about so I gave it a shot, and wow. I wouldn't call it the best in the city, but it definitely is a solid mid and nothing what you would expect from a grocery store. But, the fact that you sometimes have to order an hour in advance takes away so many points from the pro column.

I used to live around the corner from Pizzeria Delight and they are truly wonderful people! I still occasionally drive across the city for that J&S Special.

Was this before or after the school system went into receivership by the state?

Wait til you hear about Southboro/Northboro/Westboro/Marlboro.

Middleboro is the bonus round.

People who expect us to blindly thank city employees for their service probably do not pay taxes.

Since you've lived in bigger cities (as have I), you've probably noticed that bigger cities sweep their streets more than 1-2x per year. If Worcester had at a minimum monthly street sweeping, then maybe people would stop singing the same "recycling bin" refrain.

Let’s further that understanding with the fact that Worcester pays an embarrassingly low hourly rate for plow drivers, and the city refused to offer the plow drivers more when asked in the fall (certain other city departments always get more money but that’s not for this discussion). Additionally, surrounding towns offer great plow pay, so where would you go if you were a plow driver with at least one huge truck to fuel and maintain?

TL;DR: the city fumbled the bag on what should’ve been an easy snow season because of money.

USDA says no to wild game meat being sold in the U.S., which is a bummer.

Everyone is seemingly getting their cat converters stolen, could be that.

Unfortunately, this is the cost of decarbonization.

There is a frustrating lack of City Council coverage from the "main" news sources (i.e., T&G, MassLive). Some of the sources I follow for City Council and other local matters are:

Worcester Sucks and I Love It (Newsletter on actual Worcester issues from a journalist fed up with crappy local coverage)

Nicole Apostola (Twitter account for an OG voice in Worcester)

Worcester Meeting News (previews/summaries of C.C. meetings)

Ben White (Twitter account for one of the Talk of the Commonwealth guys, with a lot of Worcester news. Some hot takes and some cold ones, but there's always a good discussion in the replies)

Reminder: there are going to be at least two City Council seats up for grabs this fall, and the way we as taxpayers vote could heavily influence the oversight that the City Council (currently fails to) provide over the WPD. There is a pretty strong group of Councilors who are ACTIVELY pushing for more police reform, but they're being swallowed up by the "let's just keep things as they are" Council majority.

Worcester: "Well see, we pre-ripped them to save you the disappointment of a surprise rip when you're carrying them down to the curb! :)"

Fios is great but it's expensive as hell. My parents live out in the Burbs and switched from Fios to TMB to save a little cash, and they actually saw an increase in their internet speed/quality and reliability.

"Basic Target Millennial" here, I've been to all of them in the area and my Target power rankings are:

1. Marlborough West - conveniently off 290 and near the mall, rarely crowded, well-stocked.
2. Westborough - Route 9 is a pain but if you know shortcuts it's not bad to drive to. Also well-stocked, but the customers are downright aggressively entitled.
3. Marlborough East - Lower in the rankings only because it's a supreme pain to get to unless you're already in that part of Marlborough (it's across town from where 290/495 lets you out, so you're driving 10-15 minutes off the highway). But it's a "newer" Target and a very pleasant shopping experience.
4. Millbury - The rest of the stores in this shopping center boost Millbury's rankings higher, but it's really just two Worcester Targets in a trenchcoat. It's either well stocked or looted, no in-between, and like others have said do NOT buy fresh food there. It also hasn't had the Target Remodel yet so the layout is cramped.
5. Leominster - This would be higher if you didn't have to take 190 to get here, but a 10/10 shopping experience. Quick curbside pickup, well-stocked, and a very large store.

I'm not as well-versed in Walmart shopping, but I always go to Leicester or Westborough, whichever I'm closest to when I need to go there. The Hudson Walmart is, and always has been, terrible. West Boylston is a throwaway Walmart in that it's fine but I don't know anyone who goes there as a first choice.

Wonder if that's why they eliminated the Pizza Hut in that Target for the weird fresh food section that is now by the front?