Future Boston Alliance

By thread I take it you mean the whole archboston forum. It's sucked for a while but this week it's a real shit fest. Please move to New York or California, unless your stuck here because you can't get a job there. That would explain all the cry babying. Few cities serve liquor after two, few cities have all night train service. I have a hard time feeling sorry for you guys because you can't get a drink after two.
 
davem said:
However things like this make me want to leave. I don't even like clubs, but damn if that isn't the most retarded waste of resources ever
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Fucking pathetic city.

Someone should slap these undercover "police" and say "Hello motherfuckers, there's kids getting shot the fuck up in Dorchester, you massive fucking pussies."
 
BostonObserver said:
By thread I take it you mean the whole archboston forum. It's sucked for a while but this week it's a real shit fest. Please move to New York or California, unless your stuck here because you can't get a job there. That would explain all the cry babying. Few cities serve liquor after two, few cities have all night train service. I have a hard time feeling sorry for you guys because you can't get a drink after two.
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It's less about the drinks-after-two and more about solving the shit-show that occurs every weekend night at 2am when everyone spills out on the streets looking for a cab.

But don't let me stop your self-righteous ranting... you need to get back to your busy job yelling at kids to get off your lawn.
 
Not only outside of bars. Have you ever been at Logan after the T closes?
 
Our summers suck too, unless you enjoy massive amounts of humidity.
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I'm sorry, but next time I hear a Bostonian complain about humidity in the summer I'm gonna lose it. Spend ONE DAY anywhere south of Baltimore in July or August and you'll understand what "humidity" is. I've spent summers in Virginia, New Orleans, DC, Atlanta, and Boston...trust me, Boston IS NOT HUMID!
 
^ Or how about stepping off a bus/train at South Station even? (many of which arrive after 12:30) Being forced to take a $60 cab ride across Boston after a $15 bus that crosses four states = ridiculous.

The NY Times has an article today about college graduates being concentrated in a few metropolitan areas. Below is a link to a chart with the rankings for the 100 most populous metropolitan areas, with the percentage of the population with a college degree in 1970 and in 2010. The Boston metro area is ranked 6th nationally, but has the greatest percentage growth in absolute terms of any of the 100 metro areas over the 40 year period.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...tro-areas.html

While Boston is ranked 6th at 43 percent, it is basically grouped with Stamford (44%), San Francisco 43.4%, and Madison 43.3%.
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Boston almost always looks good statistically, but having a high percentage of highly educated professionals might actually be an unsustainable drawback. People with graduate degrees aren't the ones starting street food stands or art collectives -- unless they're really unorthodox or desperate. But highly educated professionals want to live in places that have these things, and they eventually leave if they're around too many of the same type. It's the meto equivalent of Jane Jacobs' banks taking over interesting neighborhoods, making them less desirable paradox. Look at some of the highest ranked places. DC makes Boston look like New York when it comes to urban excitement. And Stamford? Enough said.

Of course, DC isn't going to empty out, nor is Boston going to collapse if it doesn't become more interesting. These cities' institutions are too entrenched. Still, look at Stamford, which faces a flight of offices back to Manhattan, despite CT's favorable tax rates. Even if Boston doesn't face the same phenomenon in the future, it could lose out to competitors in relative growth thanks to its lack of sparkle. And then there's the argument that this makes sense for Boston because it will make it a better city, and not merely because it won't prevent it from dying...
 
Boston doesn't totally suck - lets stop the exaggeration.

Boston could and should be more fun and appealing to the very important next generation - lets stop bitching about people who want to improve the city
 
Obviously Boston has its problems, as does ANY urban area. Yes the T is mismanaged and neglected and there's no signs of our political system doing anything to change it. Yes the city government seems to frequently have its priorities crossed. Yes winters are cold and snowy, summers are hot and sticky, and spring and fall are allergy ridden. Yes cabs are too expensive. But all this whining as though Boston is just a shitty place to be is so fucking tiresome. Millions of people live in metro-Boston and make a living, enjoying themselves and their surroundings. Boston isn't a dying city by a long shot. Stop with the fatalism, and go get on some anti-depressants. Jesus.
 
^^ +1

Seriously, the bitching is exaggerated and atrocious. And I'm also still waiting for some examples of "neat" things that the city is lacking.

Yes, it's easy to feel the need to constantly compare Boston to other cities, given its proximity toNY. But man, give it up. Or better yet, if you want to feel better, listen to some of the complaints that people in NY and SF have. I'm sure that Van and CZSZ can elaborate.

And not that it matters or even is 100% relevant, but Zuckerberg flat out said just 2 months ago that the one thing he would have done differently was to stay in Boston.
 
Matthew said:
Beer/food on patio: Deep Ellum, Daedalus, Lower Depths, Charlie's, and I'm sure people can name much more.
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Yeah, it's not even worth listing all the locations that rebut his remarks. There are dozens, probably hundreds of places to dine or drink outside, or otherwise hangout.
 
The love it or leave it backlash against the FBA and related issues is beyond idiotic. The issue isn't Boston is fine vs Boston sucks. We're definitely one of the top cities in the world. That's undeniable. But we've also got a lot of problems, just like most places. You can love the city and still think it needs to make some adjustments. Or we can rest on our laurels like Detroit.

And yeah, the general negativity on this board is ridiculous. De facto negativity gets passed off as having an interesting perspective. It's not. But negativity towards the political process of development in Boston is more than justified.
 
type001 said:
^^ +1

Seriously, the bitching is exaggerated and atrocious. And I'm also still waiting for some examples of "neat" things that the city is lacking.

Yes, it's easy to feel the need to constantly compare Boston to other cities, given its proximity toNY. But man, give it up. Or better yet, if you want to feel better, listen to some of the complaints that people in NY and SF have. I'm sure that Van and CZSZ can elaborate.

And not that it matters or even is 100% relevant, but Zuckerberg flat out said just 2 months ago that the one thing he would have done differently was to stay in Boston.
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I'm not even comparing us to NYC or San Fran in terms of street vitality. That would be stupid. I'm comparing us to Lancaster, PA, Lambertville, NJ, and New Paltz, NY. To me, these rinky-dink citys are more intresting and diverse from the street level experiance than here. That's the issue, an amazing city like boston that I love shouldn't make me desire to live with the almish.

Loads of inviting art galleries with extravigant storefronts that capture attention. Large concentrations of resturants, cafes, and bars in close proximity with street seating. Unique retailers in large concentrations. Affordable housing. No dance police. Neat.

Boston could be, should be, and deserves to be better than it is.

Excuse my spelling errors, I'm typing on my phone from the pooper.
 
davem said:
I'm not even comparing us to NYC or San Fran in terms of street vitality. That would be stupid. I'm comparing us to Lancaster, PA, Lambertville, NJ, and New Paltz, NY. To me, these rinky-dink citys are more intresting and diverse from the street level experiance than here. That's the issue, an amazing city like boston that I love shouldn't make me desire to live with the almish.

Loads of inviting art galleries with extravigant storefronts that capture attention. Large concentrations of resturants, cafes, and bars in close proximity with street seating. Unique retailers in large concentrations. Affordable housing. No dance police. Neat.

Excuse my spelling errors, I'm typing on my phone from the pooper.
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Well, you really didn't need to write that last part. It sounds like a city is not your cup of tea then, and that's totally fine. What you're describing our places more on par with Northampton, Amherst, or Newburyport.


PS - At the risk of sounding like a broken AB record, SF = good, but overrated.
 
I think the underlying consensus is Boston is a great city with a lot to offer but there is room for improvement. I think what FBA is trying to do (hopefully) and what this thread should (ideally) be is a focus on the discussion of the policies and policy changes that can create an even better city and build off its already impressive strength.

Let's move beyond the negativity and negative talk about the negative and into something more constructive.

One thing I thing Boston should try to do to both increase vibrancy and affordability is focus on developing city squares outside of downtown. Build up more 4-6 story mixed use buildings in Harvard Ave. Allston, Oak Sq. Brighton Dudley. The Southie-Seaport line. This would grow the nexus of activity beyond north end, beacon hill, back bay. I think Fenway is going along a very promising route at the current moment. And I think Somerville with the GLX (different city but still) could do the same. Offering up more affordable housing and comparable-if not better access to downtown.
 
Not to mention that its impossible to find a place to eat outside, or god forbid enjoy a beer on a patio. I've had more fun outdoors in the tiny citys in central PA then I do here.
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Except throughout the Back Bay, South End, Charlestown, Waterfront, Seaport, Cambridge, Somerville and Jamaica Plain.

I would say you don't get out of Brighton enough, but UrbanSpoon lists 31 restaurants in Allston/Brighton that offer outdoor dining.
 
davem said:
Loads of inviting art galleries with extravigant storefronts that capture attention. Large concentrations of resturants, cafes, and bars in close proximity with street seating. Unique retailers in large concentrations. Affordable housing. No dance police. Neat.
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See, I think Boston has all of those things. Unique retailers are fading away with general gentrification in Metro-Boston area true. There are plenty of art galleries. Plenty of restaurant districts and bar/pub areas. Affordable housing exists if you don't mind living in Allston, Malden, Chelsea, etc. Unless you mean "outside of the North East Corridor" affordable housing, in which case you're not finding that anywhere in MA east of 128. Boston's political priorities are all mixed up, but so are most cities with strong mayoral power and an established patronage system.

Sounds like you'd prefer a city like Northampton, Manchester NH, Portland ME or some other small city that's outside of the global city sphere.
 
EDIT: URL fixed

]Karmaloop’s Greg Selkoe Won’t Run Against Mayor Tom Menino in 2013, But He May Back Someone Who Will

Greg Selkoe, the entrepreneur and business mogul behind Karmaloop.com, has been batting off rumors on the regular that he is vying for Boston’s longest-serving mayor’s seat.

“It’s flattering that [people] would put my name on that list,” Selkoe told BostInno during a recent interview. “But my political ambitions are not the case.”

Instead, Selkoe said he would throw “a lot of support” behind another candidate that is allegedly toying with the idea of running against Mayor Thomas Menino, that is, if Menino chooses to run for reelection in 2013.

“I think that there is going to probably be a good mayoral candidate hopefully that I would support,” Selkoe hinted, adding, “this person is young and interesting and dynamic and totally different…he would be a breath of fresh air.”
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Am I the only one who never heard of this guy, nor his website, until yesterday when the media tried to say he could beat Menino?
 
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