The entire project of "The Seaport" or whatever you want to call it, is only ~1/3 done. You want to judge it already? When the Back Bay was 1/3 done, there were only a handful of houses built, no cultural institutions, no public transportation, no businesses, and the project wouldn't be finished for another 16 years or so. God! What a failure that turned out to be!
As is, and again it's only 1/3 finished, the Seaport already had business, transportation, housing, things people want to go to. There are still some parking lots? The Back Bay still had festering swamp.
The entire project of "The Seaport" or whatever you want to call it, is only ~1/3 done. You want to judge it already? When the Back Bay was 1/3 done, there were only a handful of houses built, no cultural institutions, no public transportation, no businesses, and the project wouldn't be finished for another 16 years or so. God! What a failure that turned out to be!
For what could have been compared to what we get.
#1 Seaport will never live up to its expectations in the long-run because of the poor planning of the Transporation Grid.
Seaport needs (2) Underground Hardrails stops with a Trolly going up and down the strip.
The Silverline is will not cut it.
(The Transportation Grid has also helped Cambridge & Somervilles Squares become so successful)
LOCATION Backbay, NorthEnd, Greenway, Financial District
#2 These restaurant & Bar scene---The Atlantic Beer Garden, Whiskey Priest need a major makeover....Besides that this will be the only appealing destination area to get people to travel to this area will be the Restaurants on the water. (besides the ICA and Childrens Museum)
(I could see this doing an entire 180 and the Rose Kenndey Greenway becomes the next hot spot for restaurants & Bar scene instead of the Seaport) Rose Kennedy Greenway just has the location, Walking distance from T's, North End, Financial District. Might see the RED CARPET type club on the strip of the RKG.
#3 The Courthouse, Fan Pier Development, Yuppie Condos complex, BCEC.
Nothing really foot traffic friendly or MBTA friendly.
Seaport will feel like a 128 development on the water next to the city.
The positives for the Seaport right now. Childrens Museum, Restaurants, ICA.
Negatives: Should have planned for the MBTA grid. The Silverline is joke. After taking the train in the city no family is going to jump on the Silverline bus to get to the Seaport District when they can walk to the North End, Backbay, Greenway.
Lots of wasteful taxpayers money enriching a bunch of politicans and their personal friends.
This is how I see it developing.
For what could have been compared to what we get.
#1 Seaport will never live up to its expectations in the long-run because of the poor planning of the Transporation Grid.
Seaport needs (2) Underground Hardrails stops with a Trolly going up and down the strip.
The Silverline will not cut it.
(See: Cambridge & Somervilles Squares become so successful)The Transportation Grid--Location, Location, Location.
LOCATION Backbay, NorthEnd, Greenway, Financial District
#2 These restaurant & Bar scene---The Atlantic Beer Garden, Whiskey Priest need a major makeover....Besides that this will be the only appealing destination area to get people to travel to this area will be the Restaurants on the water. (besides the ICA and Childrens Museum)
(I could see this doing an entire 180 and the Rose Kenndey Greenway becomes the next hot spot for restaurants & Bar scene instead of the Seaport) Rose Kennedy Greenway just has the location, Walking distance from T's, North End, Financial District. Might see the RED CARPET type club on the strip of the RKG.
#3 The Courthouse, Fan Pier Development, Yuppie Condos complex, BCEC.
Nothing really foot traffic friendly or MBTA friendly.
Seaport will feel like a 128 development on the water next to the city.
The positives for the Seaport right now. Childrens Museum, Restaurants, ICA.
Negatives: Should have planned for the MBTA grid. The Silverline is joke. After taking the train in the city no family is going to jump on the Silverline bus to get to the Seaport District when they can walk to the North End, Backbay, Greenway.
Lots of wasteful taxpayers money enriching a bunch of politicans and their personal friends.
When you start to realize that the parking lots might have not been that bad for the area, you know its not developing to its full potential.
This is how I see it developing.
The Courthouse and Fan Pier are a half mile from both the Aquarium and South Station stops. Not foot traffic or MBTA friendly? Give me a break.
With regard to the restaurants, the issue is why they are popular, not whether they are .
but this doom and gloom in the middle of a building boom (yes I like alliteration) is something else altogether.
I'm pretty sure I find the Seaport more accomodating than anything on the greenway. I like the yearly trip to Tia's after work, but it's a long walk to South Station from there when I need to catch a train. And, I'm not making 2 train changes to get on the commuter line.
Any of the mentioned places in the Seaport are easier escapes in that regard.
If 128 were made of water and was in fact Boston Harbor, I could see the comparison. However, 128 is a major highway with single use office buildings built next to it, in the middle of nowhere, with a deadly traffic back-up everytime you go to work, in your sterile self contained office nightmare. Anywhere in the seaport you can walk otu your door at lunch and find something interesting.
The only, only thing that the seaport and 128 have in common is poor architecture, and fat buildings. The ones on 128 however are wider than they are tall because this is what you do in the burbs and make mile long floor plates which make you hate your life if you work in a gigantic cube farm in them. The floor plates in the Seaport are yes much wider than most of us would like... but we know why that is, and it has been beaten to death.
There is no comparison to 128. None. Let's stick to facts and reality and hope for the best instead of acting as if the seaport has already breathed its death rattle.
Being a negative nellie is one thing, but this doom and gloom in the middle of a building boom (yes I like alliteration) is something else altogether.
The one thing I know is
It will never be what it should have been:
MISSED OPPORTUNITY (its going to look like the Fenway area with-out Fenway park) Great!!!......., I actually think they ruined Kenmore Square.
Buses work well where the heavy rail isn't or can't be!
Excellent point - though heavy and light rail expansion should sometimes be the end goal with the bus as an interim solution.