Rose Kennedy Greenway

It's really hard to enforce a no skateboarding law, and that area is admittedly prime real estate for skateboarders. I think that the best would be to build two or three strategically placed parks designed for skateboarders throughout the city. I've seen it work in other places. Wasn't there a skatepark proposed for Charlestown? Was that ever built, or did it make its way to the scrap heap?
 
I think it's still in fundraising mode, and it supposed to be under the Zakim bridge and loop ramps. The Charles River Conservancy will build it.
 
My fiance and I walked all over town yesterday after work. The commons were crowded, along w/downtown (considering it's half abandoned) but the RFK was mostly empty, save for Chris Columbus Park and a few skate boarders. There was however some entertainment on high street.

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Photos are really small and I don't see an obvious way to enlarge them. What are they?
 
That's very cool in a disaster movie way. The small photos give it a cinematic quality. So what was the deal? I know there was a manhole explosion a few blocks away, but this looks like a mid-nineties Chevy Caprice got lit up.
 
April 12 2008
Less people than I expected given the temps in the 60s, but Im sure these parks will fill up once the trees get leaves. Also, the weather prediction yesterday called for 40-50, so suburban families didnt plan a downtown visit.

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Apparently some guy's car caught on fire as he was driving. People started honking at him and he was able to pull over and get out. I could see the smoke from a good ways off; the flames were unbelievable, and at one point we heard an explosion.
The pics were taken w/my phone and unfortunately they don't do the scene any justice. I have no idea how to make them bigger, I was just proud of myself that I could get them posted.
 
Wow, that is crazy....how the hell does that happen? haha
was there any damage to the surrounding buildings or anything?
 
Some thoughts on the North End Parks.

First I don't like how they are elevated on one side. I understand why they are but it blocks the views of people in the park and outside of the park from seeing one another so you don't understand that these are public spaces to be used. Walking along the side I felt that it was a green wall blocking me from the North End.
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If they actually did something with these pergolas like grow some ivy or something to shade the area it might actually be nice to sit under.
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The green space is nice enough where people could play sports or sun bathe but as you can see they are not using them as such. These parks are still too much like islands in the middle of a highway. Take out a lane of traffic and put in light rail and that will get some people walking around and using the parks.
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Sad. The weather was so nice today in Boston and the greenway parks around Haymarket were largely empty (although it was Patriots Day so this area of town was quieter than usual). I walked with 2 co-workers from my workplace near government center and crossed the greenway en route to lunch on Salem St. in the N. End. As we crossed the greenway via the N. End park section, both of them commented that the greenway seemed to be "missing something." I explained that perhaps buildings or structures would have been a better fit. Both briefly gave me a blank look and then stated that the parks should have been designed better (neither have any particular interest or background in design issues). I informed them that in warmer weather there is a water feature in the N. End park, which seemed to please them a bit more. However, it was interesting for me to hear the opinions of those who do not have particularly strong opinions on urban design issues. As the park appeared today, it did not make much of an impression on them.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
These parks are still too much like islands in the middle of a highway. Take out a lane of traffic and put in light rail and that will get some people walking around and using the parks.
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Spot on.

I think the bigger issue that people have failed to realize is that these parks leave people feeling vulnerable. There is no ground/vegetation coverage whatsoever; no change in scale, proportion, or density at all.

When crossing the Greenway, how many of us have felt awkward once reaching the middle? You instantly feel like an puny object within a giant void. It's overwhelming, being flanked by 8+ story buildings while traffic rushes around you. Almost like some weird and twisted dream you can't explain.

It's a simple case of public vs. private ... where the idea was to make the Greenway public space ... but it's too public. There's too much isolated activity to make it public. No stalls, street vendors, or other open area'd activities can make this space work. There needs to be a zone where people can feel safe and protected.
 
JimboJones said:
No, no, no. This is well-used during the summer. I have seen it packed.
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I have too, and I've spent a good hour or more there on one of those late summer days enjoying the park and the people watching (yes, there were plenty of people to watch).
 
The article about Menino in the globe the other day had a random pole question about the greenway. The majority said they hadnt been, while the second majority said they liked it. A tiny minority voted dislike.
 
Ron Newman said:
Safe and protected from what?
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The sun. The lack of shade is the one thing I really hate the most about the Greenway. Even when the trees that are there grow in twenty or thirty years, there won't be much of it to be found.
 
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