BCEC expansion | Seaport

Does anyone know where google maps gets its neighborhood names from? At certain zoom levels, it shows neighborhood names that just dont exist - I noticed it first with Brookline, with all sorts of ridiculous names for nonexistant 'hoods. I assumed that they had some connection to local real estate companies, which could be the only source of these absurd fictions, but does anyone know the answer to this?

I think they got a lot from real estate companies initially. That is the only reason why South Boston is labeled as "D Street/West Broadway," which is obviously a term no one would use colloquially.

A while back though they had some crowdsourcing thing going on with the maps, where you could draw neighborhood boundaries and whatnot. I remember making the borders for the a few neighborhoods like the West End and the Seaport District; however, they don't seem to be changed so I don't think they have put any effort into verifying any neighborhood information.
 
I promise that I was using SoBo tongue in cheek after the NYT article from last year but I think SoWa might be hear to stay with the open market, etc.

I thought SoWa a pretty well established name for that specifc section of Washington due to the SoWa open market
 
I thought SoWa a pretty well established name for that specifc section of Washington due to the SoWa open market

I thought so, too.

I also think whenever I see someone using SoBo that they are making fun of it, not using it seriously.
 
I think SoWa is absolutely idiotic sounding (and somewhat geographically incorrect, as the area is more or less east of Washington St, which runs north-south) and I refuse to call it that. I've used the tag #IrefusetocallitSoWa on Instagram when posting photos of that area.
 
I've used the tag #IrefusetocallitSoWa on Instagram when posting photos of that area.

sorry, but that is far worse than actually using the term SoWa. But by all means, fight the "offenders" with those hashtags! That'll teach 'em!
 
I keep trying to find a similar NYC-hipster abbreviation for some Boston neighborhood that ends up sending some mixed message--preferably slightly R-rated--that can go viral as a prank to mock this SoBo inanity.

I'm having trouble. The "n" is in the wrong place in Roslindale to hashtag it as #RoDan. That would've been gold.

FIRE_RODAN.jpg
 
Well, since Washington actually runs NE-SW in that area, it could be #SeWa. Or Fenway-Kenmore could be #FeKen.
 
sorry, but that is far worse than actually using the term SoWa. But by all means, fight the "offenders" with those hashtags! That'll teach 'em!

Oh, you! You had better be careful or I'll make a hashtag for folks like you! #PeopleUnableToGraspTheConceptOfIrony
 
Give them a taste of their own #MedCen
Hurts your head, take some #AdVil
Or launch a #MissHill at them
 
I'm not as upset with the huge massive "Air rights garage parcel" now that I see the location - it's pretty much in the middle of a nothing block, with frontage only along D Street. That said, it had better include retail along D.

Also needs to be said, the garage is unnecessary and will create a shitload of induced demand traffic.
 
I'm not as upset with the huge massive "Air rights garage parcel" now that I see the location - it's pretty much in the middle of a nothing block, with frontage only along D Street. That said, it had better include retail along D.

Also needs to be said, the garage is unnecessary and will create a shitload of induced demand traffic.

Shepard -- Sure for national and international events the attendees will arrive by bus from the Back Bay and as far as they need to come depending on the scale of the event

However, when the BCEC or even the World Trade Center hall has a local-type event you will see thousands of cars parking in lots. When the BCEC expansion is complete, most of these lots will no longer exist -- including in particular the lot directly behind the BCEC where the expansion will be built.

So where are the attendees supposed to park?

PS: that pdf has an amazing amount of interesting information and some great photography of the state of development of the Seaport / Innovation District circa 2014
 
Westie, I think "Park and Ride" is the concept you're grasping for.

And for those who for whatever reason can't, there are garages under just about every Seaport hotel and office building that will likely have day rates.

I'm not just going to leave it there, though. Instead I'll do a Westie-style addendum to show you what the largest convention center in London has to say about traveling there:


HOW TO FIND US

The QEII Centre is located on Broad Sanctuary in Westminster, central London and can easily be reached by public transport. Our postcode is SW1P 3EE.

GETTING HERE BY TUBE

You can plan your tube journey and buy travel cards online using the Transport for London website.

Westminster Station (0.1 miles)

Lines: Circle, District, Jubilee

Exit the station via Exit 6 through the underground tunnel towards Parliament Square. You will come to street level on Whitehall. Turn left into Parliament Square, cross the road ahead of you then turn right into Broad Sanctuary. The Centre is on your right, directly opposite Westminster Abbey. (This is a step-free station.)

St James Park Station (0.1 miles)

Lines: Circle, District

Take the Broadway exit from the tube station and walk straight down Tothill Street. At the end of this street turn left and you will see the Centre directly in front of you. (This is NOT a step-free station.)

Victoria Station (0.7 miles)

Lines: Circle, District, Victoria

Exit from the front of the station, turn right and walk down Victoria Street. At the end of Victoria Street is Broad Sanctuary, the Centre is on the left, opposite Westminster Abbey. (This is NOT a step-free station.)

GETTING HERE BY BICYCLE

There are many cycle routes across Greater London. To plan the best route for you to get to The QEIICC visit the Transport for London cycle website.

GETTING HERE BY BUS

Buses 11,24,53,77a and 88 all stop at Parliament Square. The Centre is just to the west of the square, directly opposite Westminster Abbey. To plan your bus route, use the Transport for London journey planner.

GETTING HERE BY TRAIN

To plan your train journey to London you can use National Rail Enquiries.

There are three mainline rail stations within a mile of the Centre. These are Charing Cross, Victoria and Waterloo. To plan your travel from the other mainline terminals in central London (St Pancras International, King’s Cross, Paddington, Liverpool Street, London Bridge) use the Transport for London journey planner.

Walking from Charing Cross (0.7 miles)

Exit the front of Charing Cross Station and turn left towards Trafalgar Square. Turn left down Whitehall and continue until Parliament Square. Follow Parliament Square around to the right and turn right onto Broad Sanctuary. The Centre is on your right directly opposite Westminster Abbey.

Walking from Victoria (0.7 miles)

Exit the front of Victoria Station, walk across the bus stand area and turn right onto Victoria Street. Continue along Victoria Street until you reach Westminster Abbey. The Centre is on your left, directly opposite the Abbey.

Walking from Waterloo (1 mile)

Exit the station onto York Road. Turn left and walk to the roundabout with County Hall Hotel on your right. Cross York Road and take Westminster Bridge Road on your right. Cross the bridge to Parliament Square and follow Parliament Square around to the right. Turn right onto Broad Sanctuary. The Centre is on your right directly opposite Westminster Abbey.

St Pancras International - Eurostar

You can reach St Pancras International Station easily by public transport from Victoria Station. For more information on travelling on the Eurostar, contact National Rail Enquiries on 0845 7484950.

GETTING HERE BY AIR

It will take you 45 minutes to an hour to reach The QEIICC on public transport from any of London’s airports.

Travelling from Heathrow Airport

Approximate journey time: 1 hour

Take the tube to Green Park on the Piccadilly Line. Change to the Jubilee Line and stop at Westminster.

Alternatively take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and then take the Circle Line tube to Westminster.

Travelling from Gatwick Airport

Approximate journey time: 45 minutes

Take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Railway Station. The Centre is a 15-minute walk from Victoria via Victoria Street.

Travelling from Stansted Airport

Approximate journey time: 1 hour

Take the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street and then take the Circle Line tube to Westminster tube station.

Travelling from London City Airport

Approximate journey time: 45 minutes

Take the Jubilee Line from the airport to Westminster tube station.

Travelling from Luton Airport

Approximate journey time: 48 minutes

Take one of the special connecting buses from the airport to Luton rail station. Take one of the frequent trains to Kings Cross, and from here take the Circle Line tube to Westminster.

GETTING HERE BY ROAD

Please be advised that it is quicker and easier to travel to The QEIICC using public transport and that we are within the congestion charging zone.

CAR PARKING

The Q-Park Westminster car park is located just a short distance from The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Great College Street, SW1P 3RX. For more information about the car park please visit their website: www.q-park.co.uk.
 
I'm not as upset with the huge massive "Air rights garage parcel" now that I see the location - it's pretty much in the middle of a nothing block, with frontage only along D Street. That said, it had better include retail along D.

Also needs to be said, the garage is unnecessary and will create a shitload of induced demand traffic.

+1

I am against parking for all of the obvious reasons including induced demand, land use, tax base etc.

But is there any actual evidence that there is a parking problem in Boston?

A cursory google shows that Boston parking is expensive, but not unusually so. Not to mention the places with high parking rates (NY, Chi, SF, SD, LA) all seem like successful enough urban places to me. (Surprised DC isn't on there).

Reviewing an online space finder shows that you can park downtown tomorrow all day within a few blocks of anywhere in the city.

The fact that parking costs money is not even remotely a problem anymore than the idea that there is road traffic in popular places during rush hour is a problem. It would be much more of a problem if a city in which a 500SF apartment cost $500k let you park a car in the same location for free. I'm still not sure I understand why this concept is difficult for some to understand.

Finally the BCEC expansion plan already has 2 new garages planned and as pointed out by Shepard every parking lot being replaced by a building in the Seaport is already getting equivalent or more parking below grade.

In sum, there is plenty of parking of Boston, and plenty of places to park in the Seaport. I'd try the new Channel Center garage with 970 spaces less than a block from the expansion that charges $15.

Good try though.
 
I also see a south station tower, a redeveloped USPS building, and someone parked the intrepid museum behind BOA pavilion.

Maybe they plan on getting the JFK.;)


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_F._Kennedy_(CV-67)

Future plans
In November 2009, the Navy placed Kennedy on donation hold for use as a museum and memorial.[21] A report in the Boston Herald newspaper on 26 November 2009 mentioned the possibility of bringing Kennedy to the Boston, Massachusetts area, as a museum or memorial at no cost to the city, if desired.[22]

In August 2010, two groups successfully passed into Phase II of the U.S. Navy Ship Donation Program:[23]

Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame,[24] Providence, Rhode Island
USS John F. Kennedy Museum,[25] Portland, Maine
On 19 January 2011 the Portland, Maine City Council voted 9–0 to not continue with the project to bring the ship to Maine.[26]

Current plans as of September 2014 have the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame working to secure Pier 2 of the Naval Station Newport. These developments come after the former USS*Saratoga*(CV-60) was sold for scrapping earlier in the year after years of being moored in Newport.[27][28]
 
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This thread went silent at just as Baker was (by my lights) doing the right thing: putting a freeze on a $1b worth of borrowing. I join the Globe in applauding the freeze.

The Globe said:
legislation authorizing the enlargement of the convention center, including the construction of a major new hotel at public expense, sailed through the House and Senate last summer. It was signed by former Governor Deval Patrick, notwithstanding serious red flags identified by fiscal watchdogs like Gregory Sullivan, the former state inspector general who is now research director at the Pioneer Institute. Among those red flags: highly unrealistic revenue forecasts for the hotel taxes that will be needed to secure the bonds; a sweeping exemption from the state’s public-records law; and the explicit exclusion of the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance — the state agency that constructs and manages major state buildings — from jurisdiction over the project.

Given the winter's events, if the State is going to do $1b worth of borrowing (and taxes on Cambridge-Boston hotels and rental cars) in the name of tourism and hotel stays in the Core, I'd say that spending it on the Seaport Silver Line, and Red-Blue connector are equally plausible as drivers of visits as would be an empty cavern that virtual trade shows have made obsolete.

The BCEC expansion is basically the South Coast Rail. About as expensive and near as likely-empty.
 
This thread went silent at just as Baker was (by my lights) doing the right thing: putting a freeze on a $1b worth of borrowing. I join the Globe in applauding the freeze.

The Globe said:

Given the winter's events, if the State is going to do $1b worth of borrowing (and taxes on Cambridge-Boston hotels and rental cars) in the name of tourism and hotel stays in the Core, I'd say that spending it on the Seaport Silver Line, and Red-Blue connector are equally plausible as drivers of visits as would be an empty cavern that virtual trade shows have made obsolete.

The BCEC expansion is basically the South Coast Rail. About as expensive and near as likely-empty.

BCEC Expansion is nothing more than a swindle job. At least give the billion to the MBTA to let rebuild and expand that infrastructure before we end up like LA
 

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