Seaport Neighborhood - Infill and Discussion

Re: South Boston Seaport

If you worked in the North End Waterfront for five years, as I did, you would never doubt that Boston attracts huge numbers of tourists.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Yea, I find it hard to believe B-more gets more tourists. I really feel like it's the afterthought city of the east cost. NY, DC, Bos/Philly, then oh yea Balt. I mean all those other cities you can easily state some of the attractions. Baltimore..... Camden Yards.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

The Baltimore tourist numbers may be skewed by the number of Red Sox fans that migrate there for a game at Fenway Park south.

But I would guess that nobody would argue that Baltimore is a city in better shape than Boston. Other than Inner Harbor and Fells Point most of it is in really, really bad shape.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

A lot of cities cook their books based on airport traffic and business travel...even so I still havent seen anything suggesting Baltimore to be anything but an afterthought to most people everywhere...

And domestic visitor stats are pretty much useless when measuring city brand appeal beyond New York City...

http://tourismtobe.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/top-10-the-most-visited-us-cities-in-2007/

These are the top cities visited by overseas travelers. Excludes visitors from Canada, and Mexico.

10. Boston, Massachusetts (721,000 Arrivals)
Boston?s appeal on the other side of the Atlantic is timeless. Europeans seem to be fascinated with visiting Boston, & do so in large numbers.

9. Chicago, Illinois (721,000 Arrivals)
Chicago is home to the 2nd busiest airport in the world, so it?s no surprise that it makes this list. That & Shy Town has some tourist attractions of its own.

8. Washington D.C., District of Columbia (901,000 Arrivals)
The American capital, while having had some bad press in the past, is truly a wonderful place to visit. And it seems that the world is finally realizing it.

7. Las Vegas, Nevada (1.3 Million Arrivals)
Home to the glitz, the glamour, the cheesy, this is Las Vegas. Enough said.

6. Honolulu, Hawaii (1.6 Million Arrivals)
Honolulu is in Hawaii, & it?s well Hawaii, beautiful beaches, tropical weather, volcanic activity, what more could you want on an island in the middle of the Pacific?

5. San Francisco, California (1.6 Million Arrivals)
Truly one of the world?s most beautiful cities, San Francisco has long been popular with the international set, as a simple trip up Nob Hill will reveal, all languages, & all foreign travelers are to be found here.

4. Orlando, Florida (1.8 Million Arrivals)
Disney World is maybe the largest attraction in the world, receiving visitors from every nation on earth. It?s every kid?s paradise, & every adult?s childhood dream.

3. Miami, Florida (2.2 Million Arrivals)
Proving that Florida isn?t jus Disney World, Miami is ground zero for Europeans on a package-holiday, it seems as if every European has at one time or another taken a vacation package to Miami.

2. Los Angeles, California (2.2 Million Arrivals)
Maybe the most dreamt of place in the world, it?s no surprise that Los Angeles ranks as high as it does on the international visitor chart. This is where dreams come from, this is where they?re made, this is whey they?re found. And people come from all around the world looking for theirs.

1. New York City, New York (4 Million Arrivals)
Ahh New York, the least surprising end to any list ever made. New York City has always been the most visited city in the United States by far. This city has direct flights to Azerbaijan for goodness sake, & you know if they have direct flights to Azerbaijan they have direct flights to pretty much everywhere, & hence visitors from everywhere.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

^Pretty impressive to be #10 on that list. Especially considering it doesn't include Canadians, who are obviously big visitors to Boston.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

...though if Canada and Mexico were added Boston would probably trail Detroit and El Paso...

Boston?s appeal on the other side of the Atlantic is timeless. Europeans seem to be fascinated with visiting Boston, & do so in large numbers.

Don't get it, though. Boston is seen as the most European major city in the US (although for a variety of reasons I think SF might actually be better suited for the title). Why spend all their Euros to see something so similar to what they have at home? I don't go to Europe to see its most American cities (anyone ever get psyched about Frankfurt?)

This city has direct flights to Azerbaijan

Not quite.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Yea, I find it hard to believe B-more gets more tourists. I really feel like it's the afterthought city of the east cost. NY, DC, Bos/Philly, then oh yea Balt. .

I had to study population numbers for baltimore and boston for a business. Tourists were an essential component of the business, so I had to find good numbers.

I think that might be due to the close proximity to DC.

This is the conclusion I also got to. People go to DC and stop in Baltimore to visit the inner harbor and eat crabs.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

People go to DC and stop in Baltimore to visit the inner harbor and eat crabs.

Or catch them.

I have family in Baw'mer (my mom's from there) and I seriously doubt the tourist numbers comparing Boston and Baltimore are being counted equally. I suspect that Baltimore's numbers are being heavily inflated by BWI, which acts as Washington's second international airport. I have a handful of friends who always opt for flying in and out of BWI over Dulles. Based on my own personal experience, I have no reason to believe that Baltimore's tourism numbers (real tourist visits) are higher than Boston's.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Is Black Falcon just a cruise terminal or does it receive shipping traffic? I thought all the shipping came in from Conley Terminal. If that's the case what good is this rail line? What's up with that huge gray area above Black Falcon?
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Black Falcon is a passenger terminal. But there's also the Boston Marine Industrial Park, which I think is where the rail line goes.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

I'd love to know more about the Baltimore tourist #s. I've been, (I really liked Baltimore) and I find it really hard to believe. When I was there in June '08 it felt a bit like a ghost town. For a city w/such a booming tourism industry, they cater greatly to Red Sox and Yankee fans. Felt like they rolled up the sidewalks when we left.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Don't get it, though. Boston is seen as the most European major city in the US (although for a variety of reasons I think SF might actually be better suited for the title). Why spend all their Euros to see something so similar to what they have at home? I don't go to Europe to see its most American cities (anyone ever get psyched about Frankfurt?)

Well, based on a non-scientific surveys of Swedish friends and acquaintances that have visited both NYC and Boston, almost all prefer Boston. NYC is seen as being too overwhelming. Of course, we're talking Sweden here that is fairly rural compared to most European nations. In general, Europeans do not have very high opinions of American cities. They tend to prefer American cities that are European in its layout and walkability.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

I think Canadian cities are more european looking than Boston IMO
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Depends. Quebec City, definitely. Vancouver, not really.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Well, based on a non-scientific surveys of Swedish friends and acquaintances that have visited both NYC and Boston, almost all prefer Boston. NYC is seen as being too overwhelming. Of course, we're talking Sweden here that is fairly rural compared to most European nations. In general, Europeans do not have very high opinions of American cities. They tend to prefer American cities that are European in its layout and walkability.

Exactly. Euros don't come over here in order to experience what it's like to drive on massive highways in Atlanta and Houston.

Sure cities like Boston, DC, NYC, Philly have European characteristics...but they're some of the few truly urban major American cities. That's why they're attractive to visitors. They've got beautiful streetscapes, architecture, etc. The only others I would put in the "urban" category would be Chicago, San Francisco, and maybe Portland, OR.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Charleston, Savannah, Santa Fe ... but these are an order of magnitude smaller that your list.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

The big easy also.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

^^only in a very small area, its average density is near the bottom among major American cities.
 
Re: South Boston Seaport

Charleston, Savannah, Santa Fe ... but these are an order of magnitude smaller that your list.

Yea those are definitely urban, but I was just listing major metros...those aren't exactly on the same level as the others.

Though I do love Charleston.
 

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