Encore Boston Harbor Casino | 1 Broadway | Everett

Yeah, traffic was no different than any other Sunday. Very pleased to see that people actually did take alternative transportation to the casino. All the major "Wynn for All" intersections (Wellington Circle, Santilli Circle, Sweetser Circle, Sullivan Square, etc) had police details monitoring traffic flow and it was all good from what I could tell. While timid, the Wynn for All improvements actually did help. I saw a lot of people walking to the casino too.

It seems like they thought the Seaport was going to be chaotic with the boats yesterday, but it never was. There were 5-6 different police details at various points that were there to help pedestrians get to the ferries. I never saw a line longer than 10 people to get on the boats.
 
I think this is just a very small beginning

in 10 years Everett Waterfront AKA "Casinoville" will be a different focused version of the Seaport -- no more Costco etc
 
I think this is just a very small beginning

in 10 years Everett Waterfront AKA "Casinoville" will be a different focused version of the Seaport -- no more Costco etc

Welcome back. It's been a while.

I tend to agree, the shopping center is not long for this earth and I don't think the golf idea is cost effective or practical.
 
The only thing golf-related that this area will see is a Top-Golf or one of their competitors. And it would be part of a much larger redevelopment. The dirt is just way too valuable for other uses
 
As we've seen with Assembly and South Bay, big box retail centers can get way denser without the retail going anywhere. By my measurements, the Gateway Center has about 29 acres of surface parking lots. A developer could do a whole lot of building on that site without touching the stores that are there today.

Also, of all the stores in that shopping center, the Costco will be the last to go.
 
As we've seen with Assembly and South Bay, big box retail centers can get way denser without the retail going anywhere. By my measurements, the Gateway Center has about 29 acres of surface parking lots. A developer could do a whole lot of building on that site without touching the stores that are there today.

Also, of all the stores in that shopping center, the Costco will be the last to go.

Note that a lot of that shopping center site still has an AUL that is restrictive on many uses. Notice that the Costco is higher than it's surroundings? That is the cap. Additional, very expensive, remediation is required there and it won't have a casino floor to fully subsidize it.
 
Looks like a huge success. Traffic was fine, they had a plan... Plus this 1 building brought 5,000 jobs to the area. People are genuinely blown away with how nice it is, on the waterfront, the separate gambling floor, the water taxis...etc. Huge win for ol puritan Boston. Times are a changin.

Also I know theres been nothing about the commuter rail (yet) that goes literally right past, but I wouldnt be surprised to see a new balance situation eventually. Right now it wouldnt do a whole lot, itd be something, but one day if nsrl happens it would open up encore/everett to damn near everyone in mass to take the train there from whatever suburb. Its nuts how much nsrl goes beyond the “getting to the other station” and opens up soo many more things. Were terrified of traffic, with a sliced in half massively expansive cr system. One day it wont be a shit show anymore and well just use what we already have to its potential.. One day.
 
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Maybe a driving range or a nine hole executive/par three course but there's not enough land there to build a full golf course. Oakley in Watertown, which is an extremely compact and short course, sits on about 90 acres. This property's barely 60 acres.

Funny you should mention Oakley. I happen to be an abutter (more or less) on the downslope side closer to Mt. Auburn Cemetery. It's great to walk past it to head up to Moozy's on a nice day for some ice cream. However, you're always finding errant golf balls sitting beside the laughably short protective fence that separates the course from the south side of Belmont St. And then... one day I was driving eastbound (downslope) on Belmont St., and a flipping golf ball came skipping through the middle of the road and nearly hit the driver in front of me.

Point being: it seems like only a matter of time before something bad happens here, and I'm somewhat surprised Watertown & Belmont haven't demanded protective netting....
 
Lots of potential for this area to become well-connected to public transportation if you consider potential for an infill commuter rail station, footbridge to Assembly on the Orange Line, and perhaps even extending the Silver Line beyond Chelsea.

Looks like a huge success. Traffic was fine, they had a plan... Plus this 1 building brought 5,000 jobs to the area. People are genuinely blown away with how nice it is, on the waterfront, the separate gambling floor, the water taxis...etc. Huge win for ol puritan Boston. Times are a changin.

Also I know theres been nothing about the commuter rail (yet) that goes literally right past, but I wouldnt be surprised to see a new balance situation eventually. Right now it wouldnt do a whole lot, itd be something, but one day if nsrl happens it would open up encore/everett to damn near everyone in mass to take the train there from whatever suburb. Its nuts how much nsrl goes beyond the “getting to the other station” and opens up soo many more things. Were terrified of traffic, with a sliced in half massively expansive cr system. One day it wont be a shit show anymore and well just use what we already have to its potential.. One day.
 
The dirt is just way too valuable for other uses

The dirt is where the problem lies, and why a golf course is highly likely. Power plants and ports are notorious for contaminated soil, and a residential project on one would have years of paperwork and testing to work through. The casino was worth the investment to clean out the monsanto pollution because... it's a casino. Who is going to invest another $50+ million to clean that up for residential?

3 feet of dirt is a lot cheaper, and the EPA has historically promoted them: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/11/174399.pdf
 
Ok archBoston, there’s a $2.6 Billion development open to the public 24 hours a day. Who’s sacrificing themselves and is going to post some photos up close and from the interior? :)
 
Ok archBoston, there’s a $2.6 Billion development open to the public 24 hours a day. Who’s sacrificing themselves and is going to post some photos up close and from the interior? :)

I wouldn't go if someone paid me.

Check out the Globe, they've been blowing their load on this casino just about every day.
 
Yes I've seen those, but the discerning members of this forum will show us some angles and details that the average Globe reader would not be interested in.
 
Ok archBoston, there’s a $2.6 Billion development open to the public 24 hours a day. Who’s sacrificing themselves and is going to post some photos up close and from the interior? :)

I live nearby and have gone twice. Hardly a sacrifice--the place is beautiful. My recommendation would be to look at the photos taken by professionals of the space--my personal photos don't look better.

A few pro tips from the last couple trips:
- The cashier lines on the ground level can get quite long... there are cashiers on the second floor by the high roller tables and poker room with much much shorter lines. Also, if you have a cashier ticket from a slot machine, you can redeem it at a redemption booth for cash... you don't need to line up for the cashier (a fact lost on a dozen people in line last night and Sunday).
- The Buffet: incredibly gorgeous, well-designed, comfortable space... food selection and quality falls far short of the Wynn Buffet in Las Vegas. :(
- Weather-permitting, if you take the orange line to get to the resort, just walk over from Sullivan Station. A shuttle bus from Wellington Station took 15 minutes to arrive at 5:30p yesterday, and then idled for 7 minutes before departing for the casino. By choosing the shuttle bus, it took 30 minutes to get from Wellington Station to Encore Boston Harbor. And due to the on-property traffic management, it took just as long to get onto a bus and back to the station at 11p.
- Mystique: food was delicious, space is beautiful, and most drinks are on point. Robata chicken wings and Singapore noodles were excellent, and service was excellent. Unfortunately, the bartender doesn't know how to make a French 75, but the manager didn't charge us for the drink... stick to drinks from the menus, initially anyway.
 
^^ Nice. i don't go in for casinos. For Boston however,
it's plainly a huge Wynn to see the hotel rooms added to the total inventory,
+ offering additional playtime options after work-time for business travelers.
Figure this place to be booked near capacity pretty much always.
 
- The Buffet: incredibly gorgeous, well-designed, comfortable space... food selection and quality falls far short of the Wynn Buffet in Las Vegas. :(

But, for someone who hasn't been to the Wynn Vegas buffet, how might they rate the Wynn Boston buffet? And thanks for the review. Looking forward to seeing the place though it won't be for a while.
 
From comments by Casino Management quoted in the Globe and various other places -- The Casino would like to start building the Pedestrian Bridge to Assembly ASAP

I think it will be a huge "Education" for the MassPols and Bureaucrats to see a public project done in -- Casino-Time -- very similar to "Google-Time" -- but involving more public-centric projects
 
But, for someone who hasn't been to the Wynn Vegas buffet, how might they rate the Wynn Boston buffet?

Over-priced, bland. I was with 3 others, two of whom have never been to the Wynn Buffet in Las Vegas.
Seafood = tasted good
Sushi = awful... embarrassingly awful.
Side dishes/vegetables = ??? didn't see any.
Meats = tough on outside, fatty cuts (my partner quipped the good meats were probably all at Rare Steakhouse).
Salads = laughable. They had a beautiful-looking salad called a "Caesar" made with kale, craisin, almond, oil, vinegar, and 1 Parmigiana shard.
Italian = pizza slices were good, but... I mean... it's hard to mess up pizza.
Desserts = fantastic... literally the best part about the buffet.

If all you're going for are crab legs, bottomless shrimp cocktail, desserts, and atmosphere, then the Buffet is fine. To be completely honest, though, it's just underwhelming. The selection is so limited compared to most buffets. I've been on two Norwegian Cruise Line ships the last year whose 24-hour buffets featured 3x to 4x more food options for people than the Encore Boston Harbor. When you hear $2.6 Billion investment, 3 million square foot resort, and 30k-50k daily visitors anticipated, the buffet falls incredibly short on... like... the food. The investment shows in the decor, the seating, the floral arrangements, marble, upholstery, etc... but the food and selection needs work.

There's my Encore Boston Harbor Buffet review.
 

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