Average Price of a 2 Bedroom in Charlestown?

Today is Tuesday, August 9. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. It's something I've been hearing anecdotally for a while: the rental market in Boston is out of control. And now there is data to prove it. The Globe reported last week that rents are hitting new heights (a median of $1,665 a month) and the vacancy rate is the lowest level in a decade. Read more about the forces creating this market. Oh and, a two-bedroom in Charlestown these days goes for about $2,316 -- so says RentalBeast.com. Yikes. 

2. That said, if you're looking in the neighborhood, I wish you luck. And here is one more resource you can use: CharlestownPads, a Twitter feed that posts apartment listings daily. There are some beautiful places (I can't help but look), but warning: they are not inexpensive.

3. by an Irish revolutionary who made Charlestown his home. You can also read about him, John Boyle O'Reilly, and where he lived in the 19th Century. Thanks to this week's At this Address column.

4. Our friends at Beacon Hill Patch have been publishing a fun column that reviews books by Boston authors. This week they're talking about "Storm at the Door" by Stephen Merrill Block -- and they call it this generation's "Cuckoo's Nest." . 

5. The sun might make a break for it today: Partly sunny, humid with highs in the mid 70s. Chance of rain (50 percent) in the evening.

For more info on what's happening around the neighborhood, check out our events calendar.