View Boston (Observatory) | Prudential Tower | Back Bay

5/27 Does anybody know what's going on with the floor below the outdoor observation area? That's where the Skywalk deck used to be.

IMG_0797 by David Z, on Flickr

As far as I know, it's still there & has become part of the 3-story package. I think the bistro is there also. :)
 
The old observatory floor on the 50th floor is included in the new observatory.

Going by the website I think its possible to figure out the layout of the floors.

On the site the top floor looks like this and is called the view. This is on the 52nd floor.
Floor-52_View-Boston-scaled.jpg


On the next floor down theyve fitted out the old blank space between the tower and top hat into a new area which has the bar called stratus. You can see that it leads directly to the outdoor observation deck. This floor is called the cloud terrace and is on floor 51.

The description on the site is as follows: “The journey continues on the 51st floor where you will find plenty of photo opportunities as you roam the 360-degree open air roof deck and stop to enjoy beverages with a view at Stratus.” All thats mentioned is the bar and outdoor obs deck.
Stratus-Rooftop-Bar-View-Boston-63c02af03775b-scaled.jpg


So that leaves boston 365, explore boston, the theatre called open doors, and the beacon restaurant. Theres also a gift shop called the shop.

Boston 365
Projection-Model_SummerFrame1_20221101-scaled.jpg

Explore Boston
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Open doors
270-Theater_PublicGardens_20221103-scaled.jpg

The beacon
view-boston-rendering-bxp-handout-8-1673618864.jpg

The shop
Retail-image-for-website.png


So thats a lot of stuff for the 50th floor so its possible the restaurant is also on the 51st floor with the bar. Either way that leaves boston 365, explore boston, and the open doors theater for floor 50, plus the gift shop is probably somewhere in there as well.

https://viewboston.com/experience/
 
The old observatory floor on the 50th floor is included in the new observatory.

Going by the website I think its possible to figure out the layout of the floors.

On the site the top floor looks like this and is called the view. This is on the 52nd floor.
Floor-52_View-Boston-scaled.jpg


On the next floor down theyve fitted out the old blank space between the tower and top hat into a new area which has the bar called stratus. You can see that it leads directly to the outdoor observation deck. This floor is called the cloud terrace and is on floor 51.

The description on the site is as follows: “The journey continues on the 51st floor where you will find plenty of photo opportunities as you roam the 360-degree open air roof deck and stop to enjoy beverages with a view at Stratus.” All thats mentioned is the bar and outdoor obs deck.
Stratus-Rooftop-Bar-View-Boston-63c02af03775b-scaled.jpg


So that leaves boston 365, explore boston, the theatre called open doors, and the beacon restaurant. Theres also a gift shop called the shop.

Boston 365
Projection-Model_SummerFrame1_20221101-scaled.jpg

Explore Boston
View attachment 38668
Open doors
270-Theater_PublicGardens_20221103-scaled.jpg

The beacon
view-boston-rendering-bxp-handout-8-1673618864.jpg

The shop
Retail-image-for-website.png


So thats a lot of stuff for the 50th floor so its possible the restaurant is also on the 51st floor with the bar. Either way that leaves boston 365, explore boston, and the open doors theater for floor 50, plus the gift shop is probably somewhere in there as well.

https://viewboston.com/experience/

Yup!! Looks quite similar to the one at the World Trade Center in New York!! :)
 
So the company that set up the exhibit asked to use one of my photos in it, and unlike the many companies that ask to use a photo but offer no compensation or never totally follow up, this one actually paid me a nice little sum. On top of it, the shot they wanted and actually paid for was a junky nondescript pic of the Bulfinch Triangle taken in 2005 on a terrible Nikon Coolpix that had a max res of 1280x900, perfect for your Windows 98 computer.

So long story short, if you end up at View Boston I guess be on the look out for a crappy shot I took almost 20 years ago :D
 
Two things:
1) The official opening is apparently today (reported by multiple outlets):

2) They read my rant on aB and the Stratus bar has expanded its hours to a 10pm closing:
 
Anyone know of any plans or diagrams that show how the basement part is laid out?
 
Anyone know of any plans or diagrams that show how the basement part is laid out?
I can't imagine it's a big production as the original renders of placing it within the South Garden. You walk into the former storefront space and there's essentially a vestibule with an escalator to take you down to -1 and then I think you pick up the elevator down there within a modest lobby.

I think a few folks on here have already been...am I close to right?
 
They did have their grand reopening today, and just coincidentally happened to be in the city. I snagged a ticket and spent two hours checking it out and taking photos. I have an old camera phone (Galaxy S8) so these aren't professional grade. But I tried to capture as many angles as possible with you all in mind. Living in Boston in the early 2000s, I remember quite well the Top of the Hub. However, I'll say that the Top of the Hub is a fart in the wind compared to what is there now (in my humble opinion). I was very impressed.
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They did have their grand reopening today, and just coincidentally happened to be in the city. I snagged a ticket and spent two hours checking it out and taking photos. I have an old camera phone (Galaxy S8) so these aren't professional grade. But I tried to capture as many angles as possible with you all in mind. Living in Boston in the early 2000s, I remember quite well the Top of the Hub. However, I'll say that the Top of the Hub is a fart in the wind compared to what is there now (in my humble opinion). I was very impressed. View attachment 39150
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I hope it never happens that someone, like, throws a baseball over that glass. Do they restrict people from carrying stuff onto the outdoor area?
 
Lowest option is $35 per adult.


If the operating model in any way resembles the legacy Skywalk, then many people will get their tix through discounted group sales, such as those that were offered to Boston area university events ticket offices, etc. Some will probably end up in tourist packages as well. The $35 is the stand-alone fee if an adult were to just walk up and seek admission (which, of course, is what it will be for many/most people).
 
I hope it never happens that someone, like, throws a baseball over that glass. Do they restrict people from carrying stuff onto the outdoor area?
You know, I this thought crossed my mind while I was there. I had a glass of wine from the bar and assumed that I would be restricted to the bar area with my glass. However, when I asked, the bartender said I was free to walk anywhere I wanted as long as I stayed in the outdoor open glass area or in the bar itself (i.e. don't go to other levels with the glass). Maybe this will be more restrictive now that the grand reopening is done, but I was quite surprised. And I did take advantage of it and spent a good part of an hour (and two glasses of wine) just walking around and enjoying the views.
 
Most cities allow you to be an adult and allow you wander around with your drink. The WTC in NYC has a bar and allows you to walk around with your drink without any issues. I was just in LAX airport and they even allow you to wander around the terminal with a drink. Boston's archaic alcohol ways are so engraved with our culture here that this small thing of walking around with a drink feels liberating.
 

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