[ARCHIVED] Harbor Garage Redevelopment | 70 East India Row | Waterfront | Downtown

Status
Not open for further replies.
TheRifleman said:
Probably more worried about their executive pays. I would love to know what these people make.

The NEAQ employees make garbage but it cost so much money to go to the Aquarium.

How much are these executives making off these seacreatures each year. They are more worried about losing their bonuses.

I would have no problem if these executives were hustling trying to make an awesome environment for the animals but they haven't done anything to make this development 1st class. Hasn't really changed since the 80's (some upgrades)
Click to expand...


Wow you really do hate the Aquarium.

I guess all those kids will just have to really love hanging out in that really cool atrium while their moms buy $600 dollar purses and drink their lattes in that boutique indoor mall.
 
Can someone give us some actual news from the meeting last night, and not your opinions on animal captivity. Please.
 
lapradetom said:
^Finally, someone speaks the TRUTH about the Aquarium! It really IS a giant toilet bowl. I saw the Tidy-Bowl guy swimming around cleaning the tank AND feeding fish!...(definitely not union represented). I've seen more interesting aquariums in friends' living rooms....I went once, then I went again 30 years later, and I swore I must be dreaming because everything seemed exactly the same....except for the overpriced admission...... The Aquarium and the Harbor Towers should be embracing the idea to make the area better with a quality development by Mr. Chiofaro.
Click to expand...

Lapradetom -- HUH?? -- you apparently somehow shoehorned your two visits into the time window between the original Aquarium and the rebuild of the center tank as a Caribbean Reef plus the addition of the Imax theatre and other major work outside of the original structure

Just to jog your memory highlights from the wiki article on the Aquarium:
  • 1970 The Giant Ocean Tank opened -- at the time was the largest circular ocean tank in the world
  • 1998 The new West Wing by Schwartz/Silver Architects -- The glass and steel addition includes the harbor seal exhibit on the public plaza, ticketing booth, changing exhibit galleries, gift shop, cafe, and new entry lobby.
  • 2001 -- The 428 seat Matthew and Marcia Simons IMAX Theatre -- separate building designed by E. Verner Johnson and Associates
  • 2009, the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center opened with Five Northern fur seals and two California sea lions are on exhibit behind the Aquarium on the harborside terrace, with views of Boston Harbor
  • 2013, the Aquarium reopened the Giant Ocean Tank after a ten-month renovation. The new Giant Ocean Tank features a new reef designed to represent a pre-Columbian Caribbean reef, new lighting with the reflective dome, and better views with the new viewing windows along the tank. Additionally, the number of fish in the tank has increased from 800 to 2,000 and number of species has increased from 90 to 140.

Sounds like quite a bit of change and innovation-- of course you might say that the MFA looks the same as well -- visiting it once in 1975 and once today, and somehow missing the Art of the Americas Wing and the other work by Norman Foster & Partners
 
I dunno, some visitors seem to like it.

Ted+Movie+Ted+and+Johnny+Mark+Wahlberg+at+Aquarium1.jpg
 
lapradetom said:
Massachusetts is the only state in the entire country having it's capitol directly on the ocean. That alone should make Boston strive to have a "destination" Aquarium, you know something that makes people WANT to go there.
Click to expand...

Ah.... What about New York City?
 
capital of NY is Albany last time I checked.

(beat me to it, Reznor)
 
Well the ICA seems to be doing just fine with almost every single open air lot around it gone and being in sort of an awkward place to get to via transit.

I think the BRA and the developer just need to say, "ok Aquarium your concerns are noted", and then just move forward with the project.
 
I gather there's no news here? I love how this one particular thread pops up every couple weeks even though nothing's changed.
 
There was apparently a meeting about this project yesterday. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that any AB members attended or if they did, they haven't done a write-up yet.

In the mean time we are having a nice discussion about the possible ramifications of this project on the NEAQ (and a few slight tangents about the NEAQ itself.)
 
Annapolis is a beautiful port town too. The built part of Juneau sits next to a long fjord, but that's still Pacific Ocean water.

Fun fact I just learned from Wikipedia: Juneau is physically larger than both the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
 
sm89 said:
Well the ICA seems to be doing just fine with almost every single open air lot around it gone and being in sort of an awkward place to get to via transit.

I think the BRA and the developer just need to say, "ok Aquarium your concerns are noted", and then just move forward with the project.
Click to expand...

I'll admit I've never been to the ICA and probably never will. But the New England Aquarium has about a million more visitors per year... so I think you just undermined your point.

On your second point, the BRA already approved a 600' tower and nearly a million square feet of floor space. So, yes the BRA already said FU to the Aquarium for the 3 or more years that there wouldn't be any parking.
 
I didn't realize that the aquarium had any ownership of the garage.
 
They don't, but according to their management a lot of their customers park there when visiting.

Just because we don't like people driving into the city doesn't mean people don't do it.
 
statler said:
Just because we don't like people driving into the city doesn't mean people don't do it.
Click to expand...

I drive in 100% of the time. Every pic I ever post is a result of me driving somewhere. I almost always park for free, or else sometimes I'll fork over the $1.25/hr for a couple hours at a metered spot.

I took the T for years. Personally, I never want to ride it again. It's inefficient, inconsistent, and often uncomfortable.
 
DZH22 said:
I took the T for years. Personally, I never want to ride it again. It's inefficient, inconsistent, and often uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

For a city to grow and be great into the 21st century.
This comment should be sent to every City official, MBTA officials and people that love the city of Boston.
 
lapradetom said:
^I have to disagree. With Boston's long and rich maritime heritage, the Aquarium's an embarrassment.....Of course the kids like it, kids like anything. It's just torture for everybody else. Massachusetts is the only state in the entire country having it's capitol directly on the ocean. That alone should make Boston strive to have a "destination" Aquarium, you know something that makes people WANT to go there.
Back on thread, there's NO reason why the Aquarium and Harbor Towers should be allowed to prevent Mr Chiofaro from building a beautiful building, make a return on his investment, open up the waterfront better, which then benefits us all.
Click to expand...

The only way we're going to get a state of the art, top tier aquarium is if they find more space somewhere else in the city and build a brand new facility.
 
mass88 said:
The only way we're going to get a state of the art, top tier aquarium is if they find more space somewhere else in the city and build a brand new facility.
Click to expand...

Mass -- Not going to happen -- they already tried to move to Charlestown and -- meanwhile 1.3 Million people visited last year
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top