Public markets return, weddings still happen, and blankets keep memories alive

Travel news you can use

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Boston’s public markets return

Get your fresh cod fish, cantaloupe, asparagus, and more at the Boston Public Market’s seasonal outdoor farmers’ markets, which reopened this month. The Dewey Square market on The Greenway runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., while the Boston Seaport market operates Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, new safety measures are in place, with market tables spaced apart, additional handwashing stations, and queuing markers. Shoppers must wear face coverings and are encouraged to use contactless payment methods whenever possible. Pick up farm-fresh produce, seafood, bread and other baked goods, and a variety of New England specialty foods. Check the website for vendor updates and changes. www.bostonpublicmarket.org.

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Get married in Boston

Tie the knot this year with a few of your favorite people at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza. The hotel’s new We Still Do wedding package launches mid-August and runs through Dec. 30 (Saturdays and Sundays only) and accommodates small ceremonies with up to 10 people. The wedding couple can choose from the hotel’s elegant ballrooms, which offer plenty of room for social distancing. The package includes a sparkling toast, a wedding cake, and exclusive access throughout the historic hotel for photos — in the Presidential Suite, on the outdoor roof deck, and in ballrooms (when not in use). Optional additions include livestreaming the wedding to friends and family who aren’t onsite. Package rates start at $1,000 per ceremony. 617-867-8562, www.fairmontcopleyplazaweddings.com.

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App provides COVID-19 safety ratings

The TripIt app, which helps travelers keep their itineraries, bookings, and travel-related documents organized in one spot, has incorporated new information under its Neighborhood Safety Scores section. The Health and Medical category now includes COVID-19 data as provided by GeoSure, an organization that uses risk modeling to determine travel safety conditions. That way, as you travel to neighborhoods, you can get up-to-date information on the health safety environment in those areas. The Neighborhood Safety Scores feature also provides ratings in other categories, including theft, women’s safety, political freedoms, LGBTQ safety, and physical harm. www.tripit.com.

Medical care for hotel travelers

Stay at these US-based hotels and resorts and receive virtual care services addressing any health concerns — including those related to COVID-19 — during your stay and upon returning home. Montage International has partnered with One Medical, a national digital health and primary care organization, to offer health services at several of its Montage and Pendry hotels and resorts, including Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina. The care includes 24/7 virtual services and a 30-day membership to One Medical’s health services, meaning guests can connect with a One Medical provider through on-demand video chat or secure messaging during their hotel stay and once home. An app lets travelers work with medical staff remotely to diagnose symptoms and get a recommended care plan for their condition. The app also handles everything from prescription renewals to remote assessment of a skin rash, for instance. In areas where One Medical has offices, such as Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., guests can make appointments for primary care needs and even COVID-19 testing. 800-700-9977, www.montagehotels.com.

Sena’s new R1 EVO Smart Cycling Helmet.Handout

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Bike helmet helps connect people

Get out for a bike ride with a friend and chat safely without having to ride side-by-side, shout at each other, or break any social-distancing recommendations. Sena’s new R1 EVO Smart Cycling Helmet comes with a microphone and built-in speakers that operate hands-free. Download the Sena app onto your smartphone, pair your helmet with the phone using Bluetooth, sync two helmets together — yes, you and your friend both need one — and then you can chat away in normal voices while up to half a mile away from each other. The company’s Mesh Intercom technology enables an unlimited number of helmets to work together, with only one helmet paired to a phone. The helmet has advantages when riding alone, too: Connect the R1 EVO to your smartphone and listen to your favorite music, make phone calls hands-free, and hear GPS directions. Don’t worry, you can still hear traffic and surrounding sounds. Other cool safety features: The helmet has built-in flashing-red taillights and can be operated using voice commands (or push buttons). $159. www.sena.com.

Project Repat — whose founders, Nathan Rothstein and Ross Lohr, grew up in Massachusetts — take your T-shirts and turn them into cozy patchwork blankets. Handout

Repurpose those old T-shirts

Time to take all those shirts you’ve collected from around the world — from tours, adventures, and races — and turn them into a cool memento that you can enjoy for years to come. Project Repat — whose founders, Nathan Rothstein and Ross Lohr, grew up in Massachusetts — take your T-shirts and turn them into cozy patchwork blankets. They call them “quilts,” but these high-quality blankets have soft fleece backs (you choose the color) and 12- or 14-inch panels of your favorite shirts beautifully stitched together on the front. It’s a simple process: Cut your shirts in half (the company offers clear instructions on how to do this), box them up, and mail; Project Repat even provides a printable shipping label so you can send the shirts without leaving home. Your shirts go to factories in Texas or North Carolina where it takes workers about four to six weeks (depending on demand) to produce and ship back your memory quilt. Quilts, which can be made with cotton and tech fabrics, are machine washable and come in lap to queen size. Prices start at $75. www.projectrepat.com.

KARI BODNARCHUK