Recent content by Nemo

Fair enough. I guess you guys think in terms of geographical boundaries, whereas I think in terms of "look and feel".

I would actually agree with that, if there weren't some subtle nuances involved. Like, if we go the minutiae route, what do you consider to be the boundaries of "Copley", and are only the things inside those boundaries in the "heart" of Back Bay?

You and I would get along. One thing I appreciate is flexibility in thinking.

I beg to differ. The allée canopy, framed by the canyon, would make for a very scenic view to look down on from the top of the steps — if the steps were at the center and the view wasn't blocked by trees, which is what I'm mainly complaining about. At least to my eyes the scene above looks a...

Well, what exactly do you mean by the heart of the Back Bay? Since you're talking geography, where is it located geographically? Is it some official designation by the city or some subjective definition of your own? If it's subjective, what are the subjective criteria you're using to define it?

I think you're thinking in terms of geography whereas I'm thinking in terms of urban fabric and pedestrian experience.

Sure, why not? I'd say the Heart of the Back Bay goes from Boylston St. to the Comm Ave mall and from Arlington St. to Mass Ave. Parcel 12 makes for a nice missing bookend to the heart. The area is such a well-defined enclosure that maybe they should outline it on tourist maps and label it as such.

If your comments are at least partly in response to my posts then you're taking my words expressing my disappointment with the Summer St. steps and turning them into a condemnation of the whole Seaport that I actually never made. For the record, I'm amazed at how the Seaport has turned out. I...

Thanks. I actually haven't been there at all yet, and probably won't until next year in late spring or early summer, though I'm thinking of holding off and going as late as possible so Commonwealth Pier will also be done by the time I get there. That's something else I'm really looking forward...

True. And it will come even less close if you block it off with trees.

Can you provide some details on the single aesthetic? What exactly do they mean by that? Is the paving on either side of the boardwalk going to be the same from start to end? The paving on the steps in your photos looks nothing like the paving I've seen in photos of the segment between 101 and...

As I see it, the ICA and Fan Pier steps aren't iconic in and of themselves. They're iconic because of the views you get from them. If you look at Justbuildit's photos you can see that the Summer St. steps are looking at an iconic canyon view, but it's going to be hidden from sight by all the...

To rephrase a point I made in my earlier post, you can have both connectivity and at least a hint of urban grandeur. The two are not mutually exclusive. But "down to earth" and "urban grandeur" definitely are mutually exclusive, so I'm just surprised and disappointed that they went with the...

That's exactly my point. It should have been a transformational addition. The ghost of Daniel Burnham would like a word with you about your expectations. A sweeping open vista would have worked better here. There'll be plenty of trees and shade and seating along Harbor Way itself, so it's not...

Why on earth would you want to keep it "down to earth" here? Why let such a potentially awesome vista and grand entrance to the Seaport go to waste? It's not like views like this one are a dime a dozen that you can afford to make such paltry use of it. Besides, the average person can probably...