Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

Beton Brut said:
São Paulo?
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Stop the presses, you got it and there is no reason to keep guessing.

If you are wondering how I "cheated", just search for the name of the image on google (you can "save as" to find the name) and there are only 2 results. If you go into the photostream, you can see that this pic is linked to something like 41 different albums, one of them being Sao Paulo. And... boom, done.
 
I lived in Sao Paulo for almost a year (several years ago) and would have never guessed that.
 
Thanks to DZH for letting everyone know - yes, it's Sao Paulo, which can look like a surprisingly generic North American city (or at least like one or two North American cities, depending on the angle). The shot from before looks like something from Boston or Montreal. This looks like something from a particularly boring corner of Midtown Manhattan, or maybe Toronto or downtown LA:

6047786983_9854b123bd_z.jpg
 
They've opened up the ground floor, and look to be doing some work to the overhang, but I doubt they touch anything above the overhang.
 
This list includes a few new retail spaces:

http://origin.library.constantconta...378/Downtown+Boston+Retail+September+2011.pdf

• AT&T
349 Washington Street
(opening in December)
• Back Deck Grill
10 West Street (signed lease)
• Barbizon
50 Franklin Street (signed lease)
• Capital One (2 locations)
129 Tremont Street (opening in December)
84 Summer Street (signed lease)
• Chipotle
283 Washington Street
(opening in December)
• Colonial Shoe Repair
101 Summer Street (signed lease)
• Five Guys Burgers & Fries
58 Summer Street (signed lease)
• Fresh Mango
34 Bromfield Street (opening in October)
• GNC
101 Summer Street (signed lease)
• JM Curley
21 Temple Street (signed lease)
• Salvatore’s
545 Washington Street (signed lease)
• Subway
18 Tremont Street (signed)
• Subway
600 Washington Street (signed lease)
• Torit Montessori School
45 Province Street (opening in September)
• Uno Due Go
52 Summer Street (opening in October)
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One thing I don't think is ever been mentioned is the level of political influence Filene's and Jordan Marsh had in Boston. Both were headquatered in Boston and I always heard they used thier connections to keep any big retail competition out of downtown. Were still paying the price for that.
 
I hope the AT&T store is replacing the two already on that street, not adding a third one?
 
PaulC said:
This list includes a few new retail spaces:

http://origin.library.constantconta...378/Downtown+Boston+Retail+September+2011.pdf


One thing I don't think is ever been mentioned is the level of political influence Filene's and Jordan Marsh had in Boston. Both were headquatered in Boston and I always heard they used thier connections to keep any big retail competition out of downtown. Were still paying the price for that.
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Paul -- it was a different era -- Jordans and Filenes surviivors of a DTX wih 7 or so department stores -- just like the Globe and Herald were the survirors of a comparable number of morning and evenig Newspapers

I'm not quite sure it was a one to one mapping but just as each newspaper had its demographics and politics (e.g. the Herald and the Traveler were both Republican but one fit the people taking the Merchant's Limited to NYC, Philadelphia and DC and the other the people who took the Comuter Rail in from the North Shore to sit in their offices on State Street and clip coupons from bonds) similarly R.H. White, Raymonds, Kennedy's, Jordans, Filenes, etc each had its clientelle who read the paper where the store advertised.

In that era there were no big retail competitors except for another city's version of the above -- and none of these were thinking of invading the territory of a brother

I don't think that political influence had much to do with it -- it was changing demographics, highways and the dramatic suburbanization of grater Boston

As the suburban malls began to be built in the "jet / space-age" (1950's and early 60's) -- they (e.g. Shoppers World, Burligton Mall ) began to displace DTX as the place to be and be seen and the successful downtown stores began to build in the malls.

As the papers began to fold one by one -- so did the Big stores in DTX who wihout a mall presence.

Fairly soon there were two Jordans and Filees and then when they sold out to the mega chains Federated and May) - soon they were part of one family and then there was only Jordans (aka Macys)

Meanwhile as malling began to bcome dominant in the 1970's and 1980's -- the growing national chains had no interest in DTX -- stores were closing -- not opening. At the very least they wanted to be in a place in the city with parking: Sears had been in the Fenway with a huge parking lot for decades, Blomingdales went into the chichi Mall at Chestnut Hill wih acres of parking quite early; Lord & Taylor, Sax 5th Avenue went into the Pru (with a huge underground garage) -- Neiman Marcus went into the Copley Place (with another huge underground garage).

Even the attempt to redo DTX as Laffayette Place was founded on a huge parking garage in the same complex as the new Jordans store coupled to a wierdly arranged if traditional 2 level mall (curved layout of the circulation to the shops)
 
If it's a sign of things to come, the average price of a burger in DTX has tripled over the past year.

I grabbed a bite at b.good on Washington St. this past week and was underwhelmed considering the price -- a burger with no extras at around $7. Five Guys is reportedly at $10-$12 for a burger/fries/drink. No complaints about pricey joints, but these prices approach the burger of my choice -- Casablanca in Harvard Square.
 
I heard rumors that Sears wanted to go into dtx and Filenes and Jordan Marsh keep them out. There was also talk of Blomingdales in the 80's(?). For some reason I find it easy to believe that our politicians are that corrupt
 
PaulC said:
I heard rumors that Sears wanted to go into dtx and Filenes and Jordan Marsh keep them out. There was also talk of Blomingdales in the 80's(?). For some reason I find it easy to believe that our politicians are that corrupt
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Paul, I think I do remeber something about Sears -- before they went to CambridgeSide Galleria

I thinkthere weree referenes to Bloomingdales from time to time -- but none seemed really serious -- I think that the most serious discussion about Blomingdales came later when the consolidation of Filenes and Jordans into the same parent would end-up leaving one of the Big Stores on Summer St. vacant
 
Bloomingdales was Lafayette Place Phase 2 (now Hayward Place).
 
Sicilian said:
If it's a sign of things to come, the average price of a burger in DTX has tripled over the past year.

I grabbed a bite at b.good on Washington St. this past week and was underwhelmed considering the price -- a burger with no extras at around $7. Five Guys is reportedly at $10-$12 for a burger/fries/drink. No complaints about pricey joints, but these prices approach the burger of my choice -- Casablanca in Harvard Square.
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It's too bad In-N-Out will never be on the East Coast...........
 
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