Quincy Market Update/Renovation | Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Downtown

I propose we move the meetup to the great rotunda in Quincy Market (in lieu of moving it to the Pru food court, RIP).
 
fattony said:
Fine, your anecdotal evidence is as good as mine. But I'm standing by my position.

Ask your out of town/state/country friends what Faneuil Hall is. Heck, ask a Bostonian which building is actually Faneuil Hall. When you get tired of getting blank stares, ask about the Freedom Trail and watch their face light up - "Oh! the red line through historic Boston!"

The Freedom Trail is memorable and has national (though probably not global) brand recognition. Faneuil/Quincy Market barely has recognition outside of 128.
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I distinctly recalling an illustration of it in my junior high history book detailing the independence speeches delivered prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. But then, 1) I'm a dinosaur and 2) more of a history buff than most.

I recently visited Seattle and spent some time at Pike Place and it really saddened me in thinking about what the marketplace used to be before it was taken over by big retail. Granted Pike Place is still city owned and run, but there was not a chain in sight aside from the original Starbucks location. Clearly the rents there are pretty cheap judging by the eclectic mix of small retailers and food offerings which featured everything from small crafts to antique stores, a brewery, distillery, and a whole lot more. It was a real marketplace, not an "any-city, outdoor urban mall" like Fanieul/Quincy Market has morphed into.
 
meddlepal said:
Not to be a dick here, but dude you have some weird friends. I know people in Boston who wouldn't know what the flying fuck the Freedom Trail is let alone the ones who live in other states.

I'd say most of them know what Faneuil Hall is and where it is.
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+1.

I live here in Maryland and everyone here asks me about going to "Fan yoo ill" Hall. Very few ever ask about the Freedom Trail.

I always tell them to skip Quincy Market and spend two days with their kids on the Freedom Trail. Take frequent stops for grazing at food trucks and holes in the wall.

They always thank me when they get back.
 
The freedom trail is far and away the most popular tourist attraction in Boston. I'm sorry, that isn't up for debate despite Equilibrium finding one website that didn't mention it.

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/boston-us-ma-boston.htm

http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/ma/boston/articles/tour-bostons-top-5-attractions

http://www.10best.com/destinations/massachusetts/boston/attractions/best-attractions-activities/

http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1984920_1984917_1984695,00.html

I could keep going. This is not controversial. And I don't know why I care whether or not anyone acknowledges it.


And here, just to show I'm not cherry-picking, somewhere around the 10th click in my google search I found one that lists Faneuil Hall first. Guess what is listed second...

http://www.virtualtourist.com/trave...Boston-794476/Things_To_Do-Boston-TG-C-1.html
 
datadyne007 said:
Godiva in the South Market is gone. I think you mean Ghirardelli in the North Market. $10 for a sundae (albeit DAMN GOOD) is just not going to bring in the crowds.
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I do, you're right. I just can't see it ever being a draw. There's no shortage of good ice cream in Boston. Especially in warmer months. I love the Cookie Monstah truck (oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie, please), Batch, Frozen Hoagies, etc. $10 from a chain for a sundae (even a damn good one) is just too much. Their chocolate is "meh" too.
 
Lrfox said:
I do, you're right. I just can't see it ever being a draw. There's no shortage of good ice cream in Boston. Especially in warmer months. I love the Cookie Monstah truck (oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie, please), Batch, Frozen Hoagies, etc. $10 from a chain for a sundae (even a damn good one) is just too much. Their chocolate is "meh" too.
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And coming soon to the Public Market, my very first part-time job in the late 90s . . . Crescent Ridge Dairy!
 
The Freedom Trail isn't an attraction... it's a walking route connecting attractions of historical significance... people come for the history, to which the Freedom Trail provides access. They don't come to Boston for some bricks in the sidewalk. Faneuil Hall is a piece of the history itself and that history has been taken advantage of be creating a shopping and eating destination around it.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
The Freedom Trail isn't an attraction... it's a walking route connecting attractions of historical significance... people come for the history, to which the Freedom Trail provides access. They don't come to Boston for some bricks in the sidewalk. Faneuil Hall is a piece of the history itself and that history has been taken advantage of be creating a shopping and eating destination around it.
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I have to disagree. Would you also say the Vegas Strip is not an attraction in itself? Is the thing that links attractions into a group an attraction in itself?
 
datadyne007 said:
I have to disagree. Would you also say the Vegas Strip is not an attraction in itself? Is the thing that links attractions into a group an attraction in itself?
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No. Not in my opinion. It's a facilitator. The Vegas Strip is different. It's like Times Square. People go there because it's NUTS and want to experience it. It feeds off of its own hype. Kind of like Quincy Market/Faneuil actually (though on a much smaller scale).

The Freedom Trail is footpath that links historical sites together, making Boston's scattered history more accessible to visitors. People don't come here for the trail itself, and it doesn't add anything to the experience by itself.
 
fattony said:
The freedom trail is far and away the most popular tourist attraction in Boston. I'm sorry, that isn't up for debate despite Equilibrium finding one website that didn't mention it.

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/boston-us-ma-boston.htm

http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/ma/boston/articles/tour-bostons-top-5-attractions

http://www.10best.com/destinations/massachusetts/boston/attractions/best-attractions-activities/

http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1984920_1984917_1984695,00.html

I could keep going. This is not controversial. And I don't know why I care whether or not anyone acknowledges it.


And here, just to show I'm not cherry-picking, somewhere around the 10th click in my google search I found one that lists Faneuil Hall first. Guess what is listed second...

http://www.virtualtourist.com/trave...Boston-794476/Things_To_Do-Boston-TG-C-1.html
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The fact that the freedom trail is listed by some websites or magazines does not make it more popular (perhaps the Freedom Trail is just more interesting to the audience of these sites). Faneuil Hall attracts 18M annual visitors. It is ranked the 7th most popular (defined by amount of visitors) tourist attraction in the world. The Feedom Trail does not rank. By any metric Faneuil Hall is in fact the more "popular" attraction. Anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal.
 
Both are plenty popular.

Source: live in the North End and have to drop the shoulder to walk through crowds of tourists constantly.
 
fattony said:
The freedom trail is far and away the most popular tourist attraction in Boston. I'm sorry, that isn't up for debate despite Equilibrium finding one website that didn't mention it.

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/boston-us-ma-boston.htm

http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/ma/boston/articles/tour-bostons-top-5-attractions

http://www.10best.com/destinations/massachusetts/boston/attractions/best-attractions-activities/

http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1984920_1984917_1984695,00.html

I could keep going. This is not controversial. And I don't know why I care whether or not anyone acknowledges it.


And here, just to show I'm not cherry-picking, somewhere around the 10th click in my google search I found one that lists Faneuil Hall first. Guess what is listed second...

http://www.virtualtourist.com/trave...Boston-794476/Things_To_Do-Boston-TG-C-1.html
Click to expand...

TripAdvisor puts the Freedom Trail at #4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is #38.

MFA is #1; Fenway Park is #2

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60745-Activities-Boston_Massachusetts.html
 
JeffDowntown said:
TripAdvisor puts the Freedom Trail at #4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is #38.

MFA is #1; Fenway Park is #2

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60745-Activities-Boston_Massachusetts.html
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Jeff --if we are to be true to our distaste for suburban office park [numerous denigrating remarks to that effect] then we have to admit that anything from Trip Advisor is "Uh so-Needham" and hence not to be taken seriously in the HUB of the Hub

But beyond that -- the counting is done in two different ways

MFA, Fenway -- direct count

Freedom Trail, Quincy Market -- estimate based on surveys
 
Just anecdotal, but I thought I'd chime in since I've given informal tours of Boston to friends and tourists and have helped countless souls looking for the "Red Line" trail since 1975...Far and away the Freedom Trail has been first on their lips, with Faneuil Hall (NOT the marketplace) on their list alongside of the Old State House. Practically no one has ever asked about Quincy Market, except as an aside.
 
whighlander said:
Jeff --if we are to be true to our distaste for suburban office park [numerous denigrating remarks to that effect] then we have to admit that anything from Trip Advisor is "Uh so-Needham" and hence not to be taken seriously in the HUB of the Hub
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I think those folks who are posting in the "Uh-so Needham" source are called TOURISTS -- the people we are talking about????
 
atlantaden said:
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/2015/07/disabled_man_sues_over_faneuil_hall_access

Just what are the rules on historic structures like Quincy Market, the Old State House, or Fanueil Hall when it comes to providing total access to the disabled.
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There is some discussion here: http://www.ada.gov/pubs/t2qa.txt

Basically, alternative standards to provide "minimal access" may be used if historic features will be destroyed by ADA accessibility modifications. If even minimal access isn't possible with less damaging alterations then the historic value outweighs the ADA requirements. And certainly there is leeway for only one accessible route, even if it is not the main entrance.

Maybe Quincy Market can do more but if this guy's goal is strictly "equal access" then that just doesn't seem like a realistic outcome.
 
In addition to Zuma, I've taken a shine to Anthem. Great flatbreads and their brunch was delicious.
 
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