Rose Kennedy Greenway

Also commented: "I appreciate the city's push for 'good food' alternatives. I'm gonna go eat my two hot dogs and Coke, now."
 
saulblum said:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/713662?tag=main_body;topic-713662

About the new food carts. One comment in particular stood out: "Rosemary fries were excellent, hot out of the frier. No shade anywhere to be had, though, so I brought them back to the office."
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In 30 years we'll have nice, mature trees running along the Surface Artery, and we can all stand there and eat our hot dogs snugly up alongside the traffic we had to dodge to get there.

It's sad to think passing cars will get more shade than visitors. But not unexpected, really.
 
HELP: Remember the post someone wrote here that read as if it was an op-ed piece? We all loved it. I can't find it. I want to talk to the poster.
 
Hubert Murray outlined the parcels and Ken Greenburg's firm did the landscape design I think.
 
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Wow! One of the best photostreams I"ve ever seen! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this!!! Enjoyed it very, very, much!!
 
Admittedly, this scene has potential. Would have made a nice standalone square, maybe:

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But, uh, holy Natick offramp office park:

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I wish they could introduce something of Chicago's Navy Pier into the space: food in outdoor cafes, live bands, some commercial exhibition space, Wednesday night fireworks and yes, gasp, a few amusement rides. (For those who say "we already have that at Quincy Market", well, no we don't. We have Burlington Mall with cobblestones.)
 
Man. I came home this week and the first thing I did was walk the Greenway. It's always been a disappointment but for some reason I felt particularly down about Boston this time around. The area between Faneuil and Long Wharf/Aquarium (and up to the ramp parcel in front of Hard Rock Car Park) has got to be the shittiest urban space in Boston -- at least given its importance for tourism. Obviously that shitty windowless three story curved building behind Quincy Market was built with the Central Artery in mind, so when the Greenway was unveiled I didn't complain about the feeling of desolation and lack of life on those parcels. But absolutely nothing has been done since then except Parcel 9 getting axed and people bitching about Chiofaro. And none of the tourists boarding those kitschy trolley buses at Long Wharf seem to care/notice how suburban and UNATTRACTIVE that entire area is. So really, with all the NIMBY interests to protect in that area, what exactly is going to be done? We get a friggin Harbor Cruise pavilion and that's it? Whatever...

Ugh, at least the Common was alive today, reminding me that open space actually can succeed -- at least on Boston's three nice days a year. (Ok, and I guess people like ice skating and stuffs during the winter...)

I wish they could introduce something of Chicago's Navy Pier into the space: food in outdoor cafes, live bands, some commercial exhibition space, Wednesday night fireworks and yes, gasp, a few amusement rides. (For those who say "we already have that at Quincy Market", well, no we don't. We have Burlington Mall with cobblestones.)
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We have most of that at Boston Common, so even if they introduce it to the Greenway to which will suburbanites/tourists flock if given the choice?
 
blade_bltz said:
We have most of that at Boston Common, so even if they introduce it to the Greenway to which will suburbanites/tourists flock if given the choice?
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I may have had too many mimosas at breakfast, but when I was walking the pup on the Common late morning I didn't see "most of that". Or maybe I had too much to drink at the beer garden, but this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Pier) is what I saw at the pier. Not saying it is completely appropriate, but at least some of it might draw the Quincy Market crowd out, and give the rest of us a different place to sit out at and, ah, eat, and maybe make Boston a little less drab.
 
So what happened wuz that when you said "amusement rides", my brain immediately wuz like: "BUT... BUT...WE HAVE THAT KIDDIE CAROUSEL!" My bad. I guess I take your point. But wouldn't something Navy-Pier-scaled just be obviously more appropriate for the Seaport? I'm more of the Campbell/Tom Piper/Pipe-dream school of thought on the Greenway...just build housing like mad and then all that grassy space will come alive without any bells and whistles.
 
blade_bltz said:
So what happened wuz that when you said "amusement rides", my brain immediately wuz like: "BUT... BUT...WE HAVE THAT KIDDIE CAROUSEL!" My bad. I guess I take your point. But wouldn't something Navy-Pier-scaled just be obviously more appropriate for the Seaport? I'm more of the Campbell/Tom Piper/Pipe-dream school of thought on the Greenway...just build housing like mad and then all that grassy space will come alive without any bells and whistles.
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You are absolutely right about the housing.

My guess is that because so much of the greenway goes through prime commercial space there won't be much on offer. And something stylish like Chiafaro's residential tower won't happen. My gloomy fear is that we are left with a choice between "bread and circus" or a median strip ennobled with monuments to foreign tragedies. In that election, I pencil my 'X' in next to frivolity.

I did have a bit of fun on the Common today. There was a multi-tent exhibition of canine grooming accessories and boutique dog biscuits set up where the bible belters usually thump their tubs. And a tourist believed me when, in answering his question as to why the Frog Pond is currently empty, I explained that the City is waiting for a shipment of new frogs.
 
Friday night I attended an event at the WTC, then took a cab to the North End. The greenway actually looked fantastic from the cab, both landscaping and crowd-wise. We then walked to Quincy Market, followed by a walk over to the Intercontinental for drinks. It was all quite pleasant, and lots of strolling people enjoying the evening.

I know the space has problems, but it really had a good atmosphere going Friday. And behind the IC is a lovely patio looking out on the channel. It was a great place for a glass of scotch, and even One Marina Park looked good. It fit in nicely as some contrast with museum wharf (old vs. new). The bridge looks nice, too, and is bathed in purple light from bellow. Were I a tourist, I would now be telling my friends how charming and romantic this section of Boston is.

Maybe it just needs more time, a few more buildings, and some tweaking of the programming.
 
The Greenway was beautiful yesterday and seemed to work quite well. I was as surprised as anyone.

I'd give it a solid B- at this point in time.
 
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