Allston

One can only imagine what this U-Haul was doing to get towed away by a city truck.

Excellent vantage points on Ashford Street, at least as long as you're not too drunk.

Off Harvard Avenue.

City inspectors were everywhere, walking around in their blue T-shirts that read "ISD" on the back (not to be confused with the hordes of red-shirted Comcast reps and the poor, lonely single RCN rep in a purple shirt).

On Harvard Avenue.

These guys were having some trouble getting a U-Haul out of their driveway. When a cop pulled up, lights flashing, though, they were convinced to pull it back into the driveway right quick.

Bubble wrap was everywhere in Allston today, and we got to hear what it sounded like when a U-Haul drove over lots and lots of it - it was very loud.

As we were trying to figure out if this was going in or going out, the owner came up to me and asked if I liked it. He said he "hunted and killed it" when he was just 14, and on vacation in the Black Forest in Germany. I thought it was pretty big, but he said it was "just a baby boy." And he said he was moving out.

Greg Hun found the perfect spot to watch the dawn break on Allston Christmas - a window seat at Twin Donuts.

Nickellis14, who moved out of Allston several years ago to escape, well, Allston, reports on the commotion around 4:30 a.m. today on his JP front porch, when a drunken guy started banging on windows and mailboxes when his efforts to simply open the door failed.

He learned, when police arrived, the dude was from Allston's infamous Ashford Street and was unable to explain how he wound up on a Jamaica Plain porch at 4:30 in the morning.

An Allston Christmas tree.

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This just in from the Boston Police Department:

Traffic & Parking Advisory: Relative to College Move in Weekend August 31-September 4, 2012 Residents should expect congestion and delays in the areas of Allston, Brighton, Fenway, Back Bay, Mission Hill and Beacon Hill as 70,000 college students will be moving in these neighborhoods.

Car fire. Forwarded by Allison Francis.

Brian D'Amico reports firefighters responded to 28 Allston St. shortly before midnight to put out a car fire.

Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said this morning it was just a run-of-the-mill car fire, rather than the return of the Allston Flamer.

Bikeyface shows us what to expect.

Quincy and Boston Police would like to have a word with a guy they say has held up two banks in Quincy and a bank in Allston.

Dude's charged with holding up the Eastern Bank branch at 63 Franklin St. on July 30 and the Eastern Bank branch on Hancock Street on Aug. 17. He's also a suspect in the hold up of East West Bank on Harvard Avenue in Allston on Aug. 6.

If you know any Yankees fans who like to direct traffic who seem to have come into some extra money, contact Det. Bill Monteith at 617-745-5767.

A winded citizen reports from Cambridge Street by the turnpike:

Temporary concrete construction barriers are completely blocking access between Cambridge Street and the bridge over the MassPike. People are forced to climb over the barriers to cross the street. This is especially inconvenient because it blocks access to the Cambridge Street @ Linden Street MBTA bus station. Please restore the normal crossing as soon as possible. Thank you. (as a bonus, you could mark the crosswalk at this location).

A disgusted citizen - no doubt hoping the city doesn't forget Allston in its newfound zeal to go after the rat warrens of the Fenway - posts a photo of a very dead, very flat rat in the middle of Park Vale Avenue, and adds:

A growing regular scene in the neighborhood - large dead rats on the street.

The city promptly marked the case closed, however, because:

Unable to locate dead animal. please provide a better location.

But, wait, this just in from Mead Street in L.A.:

We've noticed a definite increase in rat sightings over the past week or so. Building's dumpster has been overflowing with furniture/large debris.

WCVB reports ISD says rat infestations in two student-heavy buildings on Hemenway and Haviland streets in the Fenway are among the worst they've seen in years.

His victim? Not quite so lucky.

Back in the day, kids had to learn how to hide under their desks when the A-bombs fell. Things sure are better these days - the odds of a Soviet ICBM barrage are kind of low. But as Boston University Police remind us, we need to be prepared for mass murderers.

Compare:

Along Harvard Avenue. Again.

The Daily Free Press reports a BU alumnus who tried crossing in front of a 57 bus at Commonwealth and Babcock yesterday morning was taken away in bad shape. The T says the bus had the green light.

The former Harpers Ferry goes before the Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing on Monday for permission to expand its capacity from 340 to 476 people.

The hearing starts at 10 a.m. in the Dapper O'Neil hearing room on City Hall's eighth floor.