Four Seasons Tower @ CSC | 1 Dalton Street | Back Bay

NorthshoreCity said:
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Throwback Thursday - June 6, 2018. I low key miss watching this one rise on the skyline.
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There are 2 kinds of people on this forum. Those that salivate over the top 2/3's of that magnificent picture, and those (like myself) that salivate over the bottom 1/3 of that magnificent picture. It's nice when there is something for everyone - - that's what makes cities so special.
 
there's also those who appreciate both the bottom 1/3 and the upper 2/3 of that image. wishing for more bright, colorful, fun upper-level activity on boston's skyline doesn't automatically indicate disinterest in the walkable, street-level engagement available in boston -- for my money more of the latter in this city than pretty much any other in the world.
 
shmessy said:
There are 2 kinds of people on this forum. Those that salivate over the top 2/3's of that magnificent picture, and those (like myself) that salivate over the bottom 1/3 of that magnificent picture. It's nice when there is something for everyone - - that's what makes cities so special.
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Agreed - thanks! The high-rise, street wall presence along that portion of Stuart Street is one of the few corridors that provides a real metropolis style feeling to Boston.
 
chrisbrat said:
there's also those who appreciate both the bottom 1/3 and the upper 2/3 of that image. wishing for more bright, colorful, fun upper-level activity on boston's skyline doesn't automatically indicate disinterest in the walkable, street-level engagement available in boston -- for my money more of the latter in this city than pretty much any other in the world.
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Well said - I hope the former can someday catch up with the latter someday in quality. I've had enough of the boring Boston crew cuts. The Hub at North Station should have had 2 historically conscious (the old Garden had 'em) soaring Art Deco spires. The city refused to swing away and decided to bunt.
 
shmessy said:
There are 2 kinds of people on this forum. Those that salivate over the top 2/3's of that magnificent picture, and those (like myself) that salivate over the bottom 1/3 of that magnificent picture. It's nice when there is something for everyone - - that's what makes cities so special.
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Nothing about the pedestrian experience on that stretch of Stuart is worth salivating over.
 
Blackbird said:
Nothing about the pedestrian experience on that stretch of Stuart is worth salivating over.
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I didn't write the term "pedestrian experience" in my post.

I do love the wide sidewalks in that picture along with the trees interspersed there, followed up with the large screen sign and the enclosed lit up glass walkway bridge. And, iirc, that's a very nice little pocket park cut off at the bottom right of the picture across from the Liberty Mutual Building.

Once the city bans on-street parking, and once the commercial buildings there re-purpose to residential (due to post-COVID new realities and an exploding longer lifespan senior/empty nest demographic ), that street scene will become greatly animated. The salivation is over the bones already in place and the potential once the non-parking/self-driving pods start up. And, yes, it will happen. The only question remains whether it will be in 5 years or 15.
 
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i strongly advocate for a moratorium on this "salivating" terminology. also, office space is coming back eventually. don't be a dope.
 
chrisbrat said:
i strongly advocate for a moratorium on this "salivating" terminology. also, office space is coming back eventually. don't be a dope.
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Lab/Science space will continue to boom in Boston.

I’ll be more respectful than you, evidently, and just agree to to disagree with you regarding urban office space going forward now that the masses have learned to Zoom and Skype while employers have seen INCREASED productivity per remote worker. Money talks.

I look forward to shopping for an apartment in the Pru or Hancock towers someday (half kidding). Meanwhile, going forward, apartment listings will now include office/dens along with the number of br and ba’s.

Boston will be MORE crowded, lively and animated - with fewer briefcases, but even more lab coats, tourists, empty nesters with discretionary income and the workers (hospitality, arts/entertainment and healthcare) to service them.
 
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chrisbrat said:
there's also those who appreciate both the bottom 1/3 and the upper 2/3 of that image. wishing for more bright, colorful, fun upper-level activity on boston's skyline doesn't automatically indicate disinterest in the walkable, street-level engagement available in boston -- for my money more of the latter in this city than pretty much any other in the world.
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With all due respect, although Boston certainly has better "walkable, street-level engagement" than most cities in the US, placing us above "pretty much any other [city] in the world" is a stretch for me, imo. You can get the experience Boston offers and better in *most* Western European cities, to say nothing of cities in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc.

Heck, you don't even have to travel that far. Canada and Mexico both have several phenomenal cities for walking and streetlife.
 
#bancars said:
With all due respect, although Boston certainly has better "walkable, street-level engagement" than most cities in the US, placing us above "pretty much any other [city] in the world" is a stretch for me, imo. You can get the experience Boston offers and better in *most* Western European cities, to say nothing of cities in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc.

Heck, you don't even have to travel that far. Canada and Mexico both have several phenomenal cities for walking and streetlife.
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opinions differ. i'd never claim to have been to *every* "walkable" city in the world, but i've been to more than a few that are commonly considered standouts in that respect and i'd hold boston's street-level exeprience up to (or beyond) those of barcelona, paris, san fran, london, shanghai, rome, etc. the weather presents challenges in the winter, of course, and like most u.s. cities (until recently) open-container consumption isn't allowed, but i'd say walking around boston in the spring/summer/fall pretty much can't be beat.
 
Another one for throwback Thursday since I have taken a plethora of 1 Dalton photos over the years. Took these after a storm that bypassed Boston on June 29, 2019:

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