W Hotel | 100 Stuart St | Theater District

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Re: W Hotel

Doubtless they influenced your perceptions.
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Well, to me it sounds like you are speaking from a "tourist" perspective - someone who visited the area once a month or what not. Those of us who were there daily knew the area's dark side.
 
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In the Combat Zone, everyone was a tourist except those who sold the goods.

I won't say I was there daily, but often enough to know the score.

I bet you weren't there daily either.
 
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This just in: Different people can experience the same phenomenon in completely different ways.
 
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Seriously? We can't have bars?
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Actually, the main redeeming quality of the W Hotel is its lobby bar. It is bumping, and very well designed. A pretty unique scene for Boston. On weekend nights, there's a line of girls in miniskirts and heels stretching around the block to get in. That's impressive for this time of year.

Apparently, the lobby bar will soon be joined by another bar at the W. This one will be underground, and run by the same guys who did Milk & Honey in NY. NYTimes Magazine's double review of the W and Ames has some details: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/...-a-boston-double-play/?scp=7&sq=boston&st=cse
 
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It's new, of course it's bumping. Give it six months for the novelty to wear off and it will be as mundane as any other lobby bar in town, at least if they continue charging $7.50 for an Amstel. Another thing, there's nothing attractive about the crowd, they may be wearing miniskirts, but the vast majority of them have no business doing so. Some would probably be better off staying home all together.
 
Re: W Hotel

ablarc said:
In the Combat Zone, everyone was a tourist except those who sold the goods.

I won't say I was there daily, but often enough to know the score.

I bet you weren't there daily either.
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All this talk of the combat zone has me reminiscing a bit. I wasn't there in the heyday, but spent my fare share of time there in the late 80s and early 90s. I witnessed the death, so to speak. At any rate, I never felt endangered by the daily activities, but I'm sure many would have felt quite uncomfortable passing through, let alone spending any time there. Places like that add all kinds of vibrancy, character, and grit to a city. Boston used to be much better in that regard. The whole idea of a city to me is that it is a place where all facets of humanity gather for better and for worse. Clean up too much of the worse, and you start to become unattractive to the better.

There's an interesting discussion on Universal Hub about the old days -- quite a few remembrances from people who lived and worked there. Makes for an interesting read:

http://www.universalhub.com/glossary/combat_zone_the.html

At any rate, we can pine for the old zone, but it isn't coming back, so the neighborhood needs something else. The W is a step in the right direction, even though it is quite antithetical to the antecedent. It nevertheless brings activity on a different dimension than the theaters.
 
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^ Terrific link, HenryAlan. This particularly resonated with me:

In those days, as long as you knew the score, minded your own business, and watched your ass, you were in no danger.
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The folks who ran the clubs were no idiots; they weren't interested in shutting off their revenue flow.

I'm impressed by the number of people who came forward to share their memories on that website. You just know how many of them there are from remembering the bustling sidewalks in those days.

These days, by comparison, it's a ghost town.
 
Re: W Hotel

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That picture really doesn't capture just how ludicrous that overhang is.
 
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Van, glad you have a chance to be in town and see the new sights. Your top picture is amazing - phantomlike. Thanks for sharing it.
 
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I agree with the previous posters...that first pic is awesome.

A flat glass tree among a jungle of brick.
 
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Same pix last nite did'nt see any special lighting going on up top,thought they lit it up a bit at nite?
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This building really wishes it was a part of some other city.
 
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It's oh so quiet at the W. Photo shows one of the seven condo units that have closed to date. Condos on floors above sixteen, hotel rooms below.

w_2.jpg
 
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