Khaki pants. Traffic blocked. Home rentals up to $4,000 a night.
The U.S. Open is back at Brookline.
The golf tournament is expected to attract tens of thousands of fans when it returns to Brookline Country Club for the first time in 34 years.
And while some residents say they’re anxious about a week of traffic and detours, others are excited to take advantage of a business opportunity.
On Sunday, Brookline Town Meeting member Scott Gladstone peeked through the safety barrier to see the shaded fairways.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “I mean, on TV, it’s going to be fantastic.”
Gladstone lives a few blocks from the country club. He said people were caught off guard when detour signs started popping up in the streets around the route. He thinks the tournament and the city should have communicated traffic plans better.
“These questions could have been asked and answered in advance, and made people feel a little more comfortable – rather than, it’s just sort of thrown at them by the signs that just appear,” he said. -he says.
In a statement, the city said it was responding to the “fundamental concerns” of traffic and parking after receiving feedback from residents at public meetings.
Either way, Gladstone said it was exciting that a major sporting tournament was taking place right next door – and many of its neighbors agreed.
Carolyn Thall is also a member of Brookline Town Meeting and has children in high school.
“People are scrambling a bit, just to figure out what’s what, but it’s not rocket science, and it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “I have a high school girl, I just want to take her to her final exams at [Brookline High School]and that’s all.”
And Thall sees the event as a potential business opportunity. She said she was considering renting out her driveway for parking.
“I have notions like soliciting people who are in shuttles and saying, ‘I have an aisle here,'” she said with a laugh. “But I don’t know how it all works yet.”
Other people are finding ways to monetize not just their driveways, but their homes as well. Data Provided to WBUR by the Website Vrbo Boston-area show home bookings jumped 30% this week from the same time last year.
Mona Kelly has listed her five-bedroom Chestnut Hill home on Airbnb for $3,800 a night. She said she’s never done it before – but has seen other homeowners get high prices for their homes.
“You know, I just did it, and I wasn’t sure if it would work, but we actually had someone book in pretty quickly,” she said.
Kelly said she and her family spent the whole weekend cleaning up.
“It’s like a mini move, we had to empty all our cupboards, get rid of the food in the fridge, clean all the cabinets,” she said.
Mobs are also expected to bring money into traditional brick-and-mortar businesses.
At nearby shops in Putterham, Manisha Patel worked on the register at Putterham Market.
She said they made sure they were well stocked before the crowds arrived.
“We’re going to put water, drinks and more in the coolers,” she said.
Along the way, Rabbi Mendy Uminer was also preparing. He said the Chabad Center at Chestnut Hill will have free kosher chicken soup and challah bread for spectators.
“We will make sure people can get their spiritual nourishment as much as they can get their golf nutrition,” he said.
Rabbi Uminer said he couldn’t wait for the tournament to start.
“Think about it, the country club that banned Jews from joining will have a rabbi wrapping people in tefillin,” he said. “We’ll be handing out candle holders, if they want to light Shabbat candles on Friday. Challah. Chicken soup. That’s great.”
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