Rose Kennedy Greenway

commuter guy said:
Regarding public art: ... they have left a support beam of the old elevated artery up by South Station;
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I love that beam, but it needs to be highlighted more. Right now it's too unassuming, and it's much easy to walk right by it and not even think about it. Put some landscaping around it, have an artist paint it in a funky scheme... anything to draw attention to it would be a plus.
 
I think it just needs to be highlighted better by lights. Perhaps a concrete pedestal, but not landscaping...there's enough of that on the Greenway already. I think they should be very careful about how much art they put on the Greenway, because everytime they landmark a parcel, the possibility for redevelopment decreases. IMO, most of the art should be kept to CC park, or around the fountain, or the lightblades. There really does need to be a beer garden somewhere. Probably the best bet would be right outside Quincy Market or near Causeway St. Or maybe on that parking lot on the North End side, right near where the tunnel used to come out.
 
kz1000ps said:
I love that beam, but it needs to be highlighted more. Right now it's too unassuming, and it's much easy to walk right by it and not even think about it. Put some landscaping around it, have an artist paint it in a funky scheme... anything to draw attention to it would be a plus.
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^ I agree,this could have been much bigger,maybe even spanning the st like an arch if they had left the middle section,or they should have kept the old elevated High st walkway!
 
I thought there was another one right near Faneuil Hall?
 
Yes, the other one is where you cross from the North Market to Commercial Street.
 
Not directly related to the RKG, but we had been talking about plazas in Boston, and how they never work.

Heres an example pf a Boston pedestrian space that does work, only a short walk from the greenway

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Ron Newman said:
Do the tables belong to some nearby coffee shop or restaurant?
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The tables belong to International Place (Chiofaro). This plaza acts sort of as an extension of the buildings food court. For being totally in shadows for most of the day, this area sees a lot of activity.
 
^The Oliver Street Tower, I think? It's part of a complex of "towers." it's adjacent to international place. The complex has those 2 shorter twins that have green slanted rooves. I don't know the name of the complex, but you've seen it.
 
Let's consider what makes the plaza "work": we've established it's near the building food court. What else? It's also in a very cozy space - buildings all around, feeling like an enclosure.

Interestingly enough, there's barely a scrap of green.

I'm not sure how much the Greenway can learn from this, other than to be the opposite of what it is now.
 
Needless to say this plaza is dead from November to May and on weeknights and weekends. I don't think it's really a huge 'success'. It's just serves the office lunchtime crowd.
 
It's just serves the office lunchtime crowd.
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Compared to the Greenway, it's a success. Isn't serving such people the Greenway's highest aspiration, after all? "It will be just like PO Square!" "Wait until the sun comes out and tempts all the hungry office workers!"
 
Waldorf said:
Needless to say this plaza is dead from November to May
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It's hard for me to think of a plaza anywhere that people want to use during the cold and dark winter months. Even the chessplayers at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square don't want to freeze to death.
 
I walked most of the length of the greenway on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, a beautiful, warm and sunny day! Quincy Market was packed with people, activities, food, etc. The Greenway was utterly deserted, except for two homeless men sleeping on the grass. The plaza across from Quincy Market was crowded due to some street performers who were gathering patrons as they moved to and from the Waterfront Park. Of course, the big, round, expensive, computer-controlled, signature fountain was dry (why am I not surprised? Is the city a slave to some kind of date, like June 1, for fountains to be turned on?).
 
You guys have "Small-Sample-Size-itis". Big Papi's having a bad season, so he must have sucked his entire career, right?
 
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