Coffee With Menino in Back Bay Today

SONG OF THE DAY: "You Are A Tourist" by Death Cab For Cutie

Good morning, Beacon Hill! Here are five things you need to know today, Tuesday, May 21:

1. COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR TODAY: As part of his 15th annual Boston Parks and Recreation Department Neighborhood Coffee Hour Series, Mayor Thomas Menino will appear at Clarendon Street Play Lot, 260 Clarendon St. in Back Bay today from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

2. BIKE CRASHES SPIKE: Bike-related crashes spiked a small amount given the higher ridership in the Boston area over the course of the last two years.

Mayor Thomas Menino’s office released the City of Boston Cyclist Safety Report May 15. The report, which analyzed data from the last four years, found that bicycle related crashes were up 2 percent according to the Boston Police Department and 9 percent according to Boston EMS between the period of 2010 and 2012.

3. GET THE PATCH NEWSLETTER: Have you signed up for the Back Bay Patch Daily Newsletter yet? Each morning you can get Back Bay Patch news delivered directly to your e-mail inbox. It's totally free, so if you like what you read here, sign up now!

4. THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On this day in 1881, in Washington, D.C., humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons found the American National Red Cross, an organization established to provide humanitarian aid tovictims of wars and natural disasters in congruence with the International Red Cross. Information courtesy of History.com.

5. TODAY'S FORECAST: Cloudy, patchy fog in the morning, high of 66. Scattered showers tonight, low of 55.