View Boston (Observatory) | Prudential Tower | Back Bay

They not replacing the indoor observation deck with an outdoor one. Theyre keeping the current one on 50 because they need to have the egress from there to the roof of 50 for the outdoor observation deck.

Thats why I was saying its weird that theyre also using the old top of the hub space on 51 and 52 for even more indoor observation deck space when they already have one on 50.

I was just saying that since they have to keep the current observation deck on 50 anyways, plus theyre adding the new outdoor observation deck above that making it better than before, it would have made sense/been nice to have upgraded the restaurant on 51 and 52 vs making it into a second indoor observation deck. That way we would have had an indoor observation deck, an outdoor observation deck, and an upgraded restaurant vs what were getting now with 2 indoor observation decks and an outdoor observation deck. Thats all.
I thought they had mentioned something about event space? I would assume the upper 'observation' decks will be pretty booked year round. I also bet that Weddings and Corporate events bring a bit more in than a restaurant.

That said, I totally agree with you and wish some sort of actual (nice) restaurant could have been worked in, Top of the Hub for what it was, was pretty good for the rare special occasion. I will say if this means you can grab a beer/drink in the observation level, though, that is a pretty big step forward.
 
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Or if you knew the trick, just snuck up into the bar for the view and a drink and skipped the food.

You probably could've done that, had the restaurant was given just a redo. But the fact that they got rid of it just seems like a no-no to me. Look at all the loyal people they put out of work by doing that. Not to mention the many years of seniority they had. Guess that having a job means nothing to them. Their motto must be that; they can find work elsewhere. :(
 
The top of the Pru always reminded me of this from The Empire Strikes Back:
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It has been said that on a clear sunny day, you can see the tip of Mt. Manadkock in NH. As a kid in camp, I once climed that mountain to the top. I felt so proud that I did that!! I was about 14 years old. :)

You can definitely see Boston from the top of Monadnock. I didn't know you could see Monadnock from Boston (though I guess it makes sense).
 
Bruh... that mess up there is part of the aesthetic.
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If that mess up there qualifies as "aesthetic", then it's an extremely loose interpretation. It's just pure functionality, things that were thrown up there for necessity over the last 60 years. I just think there is a better way, a way to modernize and clean it up. If this is THE building people think of when they think of the Boston skyline, shouldn't we want it to progress over time while preserving the important aesthetic elements?
 
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If that mess up there qualifies as "aesthetic", then it's an extremely loose interpretation. It's just pure functionality, things that were thrown up there for necessity over the last 60 years. I just think there is a better way, a way to modernize and clean it up. If this is THE building people think of when they think of the Boston skyline, shouldn't we want it to progress over time while preserving the important aesthetic elements?
I hear what you're saying, although they don't really bother me at all. Plus, at night all you see is the main antenna. What I do find unpleasing to the eye is the random antennas on the Hancock building.
 
You can definitely see Boston from the top of Monadnock. I didn't know you could see Monadnock from Boston (though I guess it makes sense).

Off topic but what is cool (to me anyway) is that from the top of Mt Wachusett, you can see both Boston on the eastern side of Mass and Mt Greylock on the western side near the border with NY.
 
Well, thanks to Squidman 1, we were able to at least get a glimpse of what's going on inside the building near the top. Good job, buddy!!! :)
 
Off topic but what is cool (to me anyway) is that from the top of Mt Wachusett, you can see both Boston on the eastern side of Mass and Mt Greylock on the western side near the border with NY.

Staying OT (sorry) - Hancock, Prudential, One Dalton from Green Hill in Worcester, 37 miles distance at ca 650 feet elevation with crappy iPhone camera. Makes me feel home.

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They've consistently referred to beverage and food vendors up at the new 'View Boston' thing, so it's not like there are gonna be no dining options. These may be more "bars with bar food" rather than haute cuisine, but in truth the food at Top of the Hub was nothing special. You paid (and understandably so) for the views; not the award-winning food.

I'm expecting some sort of food court hall like Time Out Market. Craft beer, wine, cocktails, and small food items from a variety of higher regarded vendors. In some ways, that might be better than a mediocre restaurant.
 
In some ways, that might be better than a mediocre restaurant.
I think this would be better than the Top of the Hub was in just about all ways. The idea of the Top of the Hub was fantastic, but the execution really wasn't great. Even the bar there was very generic and meh.
 
I think that they might go with something similar to the one on the 94th floor at the JHC in Chicago. A snack / beer /wine, / cocktail bar with some light fanfare. I had a beer up there last summer after experiencing the 360-degree Tilt Ride.
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I hear what you're saying, although they don't really bother me at all. Plus, at night all you see is the main antenna. What I do find unpleasing to the eye is the random antennas on the Hancock building.
Old pics of the Pru, pre-current mast, always make it look a little incomplete.
 

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