Fenway Infill and Small Developments

Good to know it is pulling up its socks, but I think structural issues remain: cashiers and baggers who couldn't care less about customer service, the weird Shaws "international foods" section which only serves to make finding a particular "exotic" item (like black beans or pasta) a scavenger hunt (though not nearly as bad as the Prudential Shaws because of the smaller scale), and the quality-to-price ratio of the produce. The stock-outs also speak to the mediocrity of the store (one week they ran out of apples other than Granny Smiths..last time I was there it was out of onions...how do you run out of onions--they last forever [especially at Shaws])??). Maybe I am wrong to lay the blame for the overall bad quality of "mainstream" groceries in Boston at Shaw's door, but I can't wait for Wegmans.
 
Tombstoner said:
Good to know it is pulling up its socks, but I think structural issues remain: cashiers and baggers who couldn't care less about customer service, the weird Shaws "international foods" section which only serves to make finding a particular "exotic" item (like black beans or pasta) a scavenger hunt (though not nearly as bad as the Prudential Shaws because of the smaller scale), and the quality-to-price ratio of the produce. The stock-outs also speak to the mediocrity of the store (one week they ran out of apples other than Granny Smiths..last time I was there it was out of onions...how do you run out of onions--they last forever [especially at Shaws])??). Maybe I am wrong to lay the blame for the overall bad quality of "mainstream" groceries in Boston at Shaw's door, but I can't wait for Wegmans.
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This winter has been hell on produce delivery. Back in January I was at Shaw's and they were completely out of produce. Like, there wasn't a single item. I asked why and they said they hadn't had a shipment for 4 days because all the delivery trucks got stuck in Chicago due to the snow.
 
FenwayResident said:
This winter has been hell on produce delivery. Back in January I was at Shaw's and they were completely out of produce. Like, there wasn't a single item. I asked why and they said they hadn't had a shipment for 4 days because all the delivery trucks got stuck in Chicago due to the snow.
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But did other grocery stores have bare produce departments? I wasn't here the entire month of January, but I would be surprised if TJs or WFs couldn't get produce. I admit I can no longer be rational about Shaws--they are just the poster-child from everything that's wrong with crappy, over-priced, provincial (ooooo--ginger, that exotic root of the East) grocery shopping in Boston. I've never lived in a place with so many cosmopolitan people who have to put up with 1970s mainstream supermarket experiences.
 
Tombstoner said:
But did other grocery stores have bare produce departments? I wasn't here the entire month of January, but I would be surprised if TJs or WFs couldn't get produce. I admit I can no longer be rational about Shaws--they are just the poster-child from everything that's wrong with crappy, over-priced, provincial (ooooo--ginger, that exotic root of the East) grocery shopping in Boston. I've never lived in a place with so many cosmopolitan people who have to put up with 1970s mainstream supermarket experiences.
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Try shopping at the Charlesview one. A single rotation of leafy greens (kale, swiss chard, or broccoli rabe), always wilted. No loose spinach, only boxed/bagged. No sleeves of garlic. Now granted I grew up going to a Hanniford which is pretty awesome, but Shaws has got to have the most godforsaken produce department I've ever seen.

I also have to second their odd arrangement of things. Cans should be one section, dairy another, bread a third. Instead you've got different brands of cheese, bread, beans, canned tomatoes, etc scattered over different aisles. It makes it impossible to comparatively shop. Cross merchandising is fine, but don't make me walk across the entire store to compare different brands of hamburger buns! Just the other day I was looking for pickled peppers and artichoke hearts. Found something like eight different brands spread over three different aisles for each one. And forget about horseradish. In five years and two different stores I've yet to track down the elusive root.

/rant
 
The Handle Bar cycling studio going in next to Basho at the ground level of 1330 Boylston. Looks like it's only taking up 1 storefront, making 1 still empty.

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FenwayResident said:
Have you been in there recently? It's gotten a lot better, and they're planning on some pretty major renovations in the next few months. I'm still not convinced it will be better than Wegmans, but it's all that Fenway has for the next year or two, so I'm happy it's getting upgraded.
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Probably haven't been there since 2010 or so. Even in the best case scenario, I can't imagine it even coming close to Wegmans, but it is good to hear its getting upgraded.

Though I'd prefer to see it razed and replaced.
 
Is a "cycling studio" something different from a "bike shop"?

(The bicycle shop in Lexington Center is called Ride Studio Cafe. The name is a bit pretentious, but the place doubles as a coffee shop.)
 
Ron Newman said:
Is a "cycling studio" something different from a "bike shop"?

(The bicycle shop in Lexington Center is called Ride Studio Cafe. The name is a bit pretentious, but the place doubles as a coffee shop.)
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It's basically a gym dedicated to spinning classes.
 
Tombstoner said:
But did other grocery stores have bare produce departments? I wasn't here the entire month of January, but I would be surprised if TJs or WFs couldn't get produce. I admit I can no longer be rational about Shaws--they are just the poster-child from everything that's wrong with crappy, over-priced, provincial (ooooo--ginger, that exotic root of the East) grocery shopping in Boston. I've never lived in a place with so many cosmopolitan people who have to put up with 1970s mainstream supermarket experiences.
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There was one Sunday (after a big snow storm) that the TJ's in Cambridge had basically nothing.
 
I suppose this should go in the "Back Bay Developments" thread but no such thing exists so I'll dump these here. This is at 451 Marlborough, and a 5-story, 9 unit residential is going up where a little one-story brick building used to be:

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The makeshift memorial in front of the firehouse on Boylston.
 
Yup. See the Picture of the Day thread for the rest of my memorial shots.
 
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