ecowaters, good post and you make some very valid points.
You're right that I've never lived in New Bedford. I guess that I'd have to to experience the real politics of it on a daily basis. However, An immediate family member of mine works directly with the mayor and the rest of the usual suspects so I've spent a good deal of face time with Mr. Lang, Mr. Morrissey and some of the other characters. I'm willing to bet this is why my view may be a bit rosier than the average resident's (because I hear the B.S. first hand yet don't live the failures daily). I grew up and spent the bulk of my life in Freetown (I've lived in Providence, Washington D.C. and Portland Maine and now reside in Boston as of about 2 months ago) and have family that still resides there. That being said, I'm not sure I agree 100% with all that you say.
I'll start with downtown. I am with you 100% on the lack of promotion on a local level. This is a huge mistake. Many people in the area don't know what type of asset they have in New Bedford and disregard it. In any real tourist destination, this isn't the case. In that regard, New Bedford has work to do. It should capitalize on it's region (the beaches, vineyards, forest, rivers, lakes, etc) and make itself appear to be the focal point of the Southcoast (which it really is with all due respect to Fall River). It's failed, so far, to accomplish that. I've met (educated) people in other parts of Mass who haven't even heard of New Bedford with the exception of the occasional shooting or other negative press.
I disagree, however, with the notion that there's nothing to do for more than 2 hours downtown. I think you'd have to be VERY selective to not find anything to do in Downtown New Bedford for a day or two. The Whaling Museum, Art Museum, and Ocean Explorium (which opens in full capacity within a month and has been VERY highly regarded so far) provide great anchor attractions. You can kill a few hours enjoying each. There are a significant number of art galleries downtown too. New Bedford could use some more varied shops, but there are some decent clothing boutiques, consignment shops, gift shops, etc that offer browsing options. You have plenty of restaurants (the more the merrier, though) downtown and now, a pretty good number of decent bars (I'd still love to see the National Club converted into something nicer). This doesn't include walking around and taking in the architecture of Downtown and the surrounds as well as checking out the fishing fleet as well as the Ernestina. There are also harbor tours available. I find it no less attractive and entertaining than most small city downtown areas in New England and FAR more appealing than many.
On the side-topic of bars being a popular new business in New Bedford, I'm glad you don't mind. Quite frankly, if it's the right type of place (which I think places like Pour Farm, Rose Alley, and Hibernia are), it can be an EXCELLENT addition to the city. The new places in New Bedford draw the right crowds and they bring people downtown after work hours which is a good thing. I'd like to see the National Club be replaced though.
One disappointment I have is (as you mentioned) signage and direction for visitors. I think one reason visitors may have trouble finding places to go is because they're poorly marked. If you travel to a Portland, ME or a Portsmouth NH, there are very visible signs EVERYWHERE telling you where to go and what's where. New Bedford has very few of these (in fact, I can only think of the one on the corner of 18 and elm near Candleworks). Because of that, I can see why people would be unsure of what to do with themselves. To take this point even further, businesses could do a better job with signage. There has been improvement in the past few years, but it still has a ways to go. Some nice carved wooden hanging signs or banners can really do a great job at drawing people in. Elaine with her Black Whale has always done this well, and places like Cork, Rose Alley, Travessia and Art Works! are also impressive with this. It's too hard to find many other businesses and as a result, many are avoided as people don't know they exist (Destination Soups and Brick are two that stand out in my mind as not having good signage).
Now, we're on different pages with the waterfront hotel. I see your point about there being B&Bs as well as other nearby hotels. There's no doubt that you're correct in that regard. But while B&B's fill a nice little niche, they're not as accessible to the masses and attractive as a brand name hotel. The Fairfield Inn & Suites may not be wonderful (it's certainly not horrible), but what can you expect in a city that hasn't hotel downtown in decades?! The W? They need to start somewhere and I feel this option is as good as any. It's a mid-scale hotel that's known and respected as a mid-scale hotel AND it's downtown.
The location is perfect. I dislike the fact that there's no conference/events center (that could be changed if demand is there) but it's likely because the developer already owns two in the area (Whites and Rachel's) and doesn't want direct competition with his own facilities. It's also not a detriment to the waterfront's potential. The city has VAST amounts of space to build upon along the waterfront... this is but a fraction of it. In fact, the design isn't bad at all. It looks similar to a granite/wood version of the Whaling Museum and incorporates an existing historic building. Hardly cookie-cutter and well located. You say there is only one area restaurant, that's not true either. Yes, the Waterfront Grille (which is excellent, by the way) is right across the street. However, you're within EASY walking distance (through the nicest part of the city, mind you) to the Catwalk, Cork, Rose Alley, Candleworks, Cafe Balena, The Spicey Lime, Freestones, Brick, Destination Soups, etc, etc, etc. There are really no shortage of good dining options nearby.
After reading your post I'm inclined to ask, what is your issue with the hotel and what do you expect? New Bedford is a city loaded with potential but is far from reaching it at the moment. We can't expect a top tier hotel in town with no precedent for it. This is a good start for a waterfront hotel downtown. You say that there are hotels across the bridge in Fairhaven and a "big name" hotel in town already (I hope you don't mean the Days Inn on Hathaway) and that's all fine and good, but they don't put anyone within walking distance of downtown like the Fairfield will. If downtown is going to thrive, it needs that foot traffic at all times (not just 9-5 mon-fri like it is now). This is a step in the right direction and I just can't see it as a bad thing.
I like the Lofts at Wamsutta too. I'm curious though, where did you get your price figure of $1800? I'd laugh if that's what they were as well. When I toured the complex, I was told prices started between $800 and $1,000 for 1 and 2 bedroom units (nice little units, by the way). A quick google search yielded results that confirmed what I remembered hearing (
http://www.apartmentguide.com/apart...ew-Bedford/The-Lofts-at-Wamsutta-Place/82402/ ) --- that a 1 bedroom starts at $850 and a 2 bedroom goes for $995. Those may be a little high considering the location and that it's difficult to reach downtown from there, but not NEARLY as bad as the $1800 you suggested. The amenities (pool, fitness center, and small gallery) are quite nice too. The New Bedford Antiques Center has been relocated from Fairhaven Mills to a building on the Wamsutta complex too and in my opinion is better than before.
I don't disagree that the Fairhaven Mills demolition is sad. In a perfect world it would be preserved and reused. It is, however, in rough shape. It may not be in COMPLETE disrepair, but it's far from being an easy fixer-upper. I walked the site not more than 3 weeks ago and that really confirmed to me that it should be demolished. I don't know why you feel the scale is good. When walking around it, it felt hulking and stood in STARK contrast to the surrounding neighborhood (not in a good way). It may be noticeable from I-195, but it looks to be in rough shape to anyone driving by and would hardly scream, "stop here!" to passersby without extensive work. It would cost any developer a prohibitive amount of money to renovate and I can't see someone forking over that money in the near future. The McMall is by no means a wonderful solution (but you have to admit, it's better than a Home Depot), but it will make use of a site with mixed-use construction that would otherwise site empty with a rotting building. A grocery store is a good addition to the area and I'm curious to see what other tenants will locate there (I'm not surprised there are no tenants locked up given the controversy surrounding the building AND the economy) in the future. Finally, if the site DOES prove to be as valuable as we all hope it is, it'll be easier to renovate/redevelop a strip mall than it has been to destroy the nearly-vacant old mill (again, that antiques places is thriving in a new location). I'd rather see some good economic use take place there now with the possibility of replacement in the future than have people argue back and forth about whether or not a crumbling mill is worth saving AND the site is as valuable as we're told it is.
Finally, I don't think New Bedford is comparable to Portland NOW, but rather has the potential to be in the future. New Bedford IS a gateway city. It's the gateway from points South to Cape Cod and the Islands. It's also the centerpiece of the South Coast and all that region has to offer. When it's promoted as such, we will see a large increase in it's reputation and appeal. New Bedford has a comparable sized downtown to Portland and is equally architecturally significant (if not even more so). I spent 4 years living in Portland an was able to draw new comparisons every day. Portland has mastered the art of tourism (in fact, it's the city's leading business) and New Bedford is light years behind. There's no question though, that with work, New Bedford can be comparable. It does blow my mind that Gloucester gets more of the tourism. It's probably just as much because of NB's reputation for crime as it is the lack of good promoting for the city.
The small business owners and young people are what will make New Bedford great. They're the ones who take pride in the city and they will be the ones to put it back on the map.
