Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

I've been thinking lately...while I typically love red brick sidewalks....I think that those around Winter St. and the Filene's area would be best served if they were light concrete or even blacktop.....something about the brick does not work in that area.
 
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I hate brick sidewalks. They're always uneven, and difficult for people with strollers and/or walkers / wheelchairs to maneuver. Ban them!
 
Let's get rid of all paving and allow the earth to breathe free to the sky!

Mud is only a reflection of the weather, we as children of the earth must learn to coexist!
 
Or we could develop hover boots. But yes, I agree John, brick sidewalks RARELY work. I do like the current concrete-with-a-brick-trim trend. A little color, without sacrificing concrete's durability.
 
The problem with brick sidewalks in Boston is for the last 20 years they've been using "City Hall Pavers" instead of wire cut bricks. City Hall Pavers have intentional imperfections so that they look . . . umm . . . colonial??? My guess is this was probably the invention of the Back Bay Neighborhood Association (or some similar group).

Anyway, the CHP's don't even meet AAB standards (see the sidewalk on Huntington Ave near Mass Ave that was torn up after a lawsuit by AAB) so the City has stopped using them. Wire cut bricks can and will make a big difference going forward.
 
There is a difference between bricks used on Winter Street and the ones used down on Washington around the Old Meeting House....

Which ones are which?

The ones by the Church are nice imo...the Winter Street/Filene's stretch of bricks are horrible and dour...they seem to show a lot more dirt. Water also seems to evaporate more slowly on them....are they made with less clay?
 
I think they used city pavers on the renovation of the West Newton Street sidewalks and they look damn good, for now. Actually, I consider that street to be the exception to the rule.

I was at a South End Landmarks meeting once and had to listen to the city's representatives give a half hour presentation of the benefits / costs of different types of brick. I slit my wrists and died, that night.
 
As far as I know they're made with the same material. THe difference is in how they're formed. Wire cut bricks are fairly percise - more or less the same as those they use in building facades. City Hall Pavers have a sort of "lip" around the bottom that is, by design, not necessarily even. There are also dimples, etc. in the surface/edges. This is all intentional so that the brick sidewalk is imperfect and looks aged, but tell that to someone who has to tackle these sidewalks in a wheelchair.

Not sure which is which on Winter St vs. Washington St . . . .
 
I'd honestly like to see a Target go up in DTX so I can buy undershirts, socks, and boxers at a good price. Oh yeah, and I think we should start Tokyoinizing it so it has pretty and shiny lights at night.
 
There's already a Marshall's and TJX in Downtown Crossing selling that stuff. I'd like to have Filene's Basement back, though.
 
While we're on the topic of DTX, is there anything planned for that parking lot across from the paramount? Post a link if this has already been discussed...
 
Thats Haywood Place another can of worms! There's a thread here someplace dig deep lol!
 
armpitsOFmight said:
Those stores don't carry fruit of the loom products at a decent price.
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Buy it on the internet from a site like Amazon that doesn't charge tax or shipping. Even if it is the same price as what you would find at Target, you are getting a 6.5% discount and getting it delivered to your door for free.***


*** it's suggestions like these that are ruining retail districts like Downtown Crossing but some day retailers will wake up and realize that they need to be on their toes if they want business less customers buy things from the comfort of their home for better prices.
 
It's called the option to ship to store for free. Being able to return something on the spot it's the wrong size, or otherwise unwanted upon sight, is a big deal.
 
BosDevelop said:
*** it's suggestions like these that are ruining retail districts like Downtown Crossing but some day retailers will wake up and realize that they need to be on their toes if they want business less customers buy things from the comfort of their home for better prices.
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I'm not sure that is true. As internet shopping continues to proliferate, the greatest reason remaining to visit a brick and mortar store will be the experience. Something that DTX hopefully will be able to offer but a suburban Target will not. The net will kill the strip mall and in doing so lead to a reemergence of the downtown shopping district and department store.

This is silly wishful thinking, I know.
 
Justin7 said:
The net will kill the strip mall...
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And the fat will become fatter....

These conversations always make me shiver and I inadvertantly end up visualizing the dystopian world of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains"
 
yesterday very calm (empty) before the snow!
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took a walk down the street
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over to the common
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^ this will all look really nice tonite now that it has snowed! This horse was cold!!!
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