Like a lot of people, Mayor Tom Menino is hoping to make Boston a destination for eager young workers who might otherwise flock to Silicon Valley or New York. He’s proclaimed an Innovation District on the waterfront. He wants developers to build tiny, cheap “innovation units” to house work-focused techies and entrepreneurs. He’s even broken ground on an innovation center with meeting rooms and event space.
That’s all well and good, but what he ought to be thinking about is bars.
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get real ramos. it ain't the NIGHTLIFE thats ruining this formerly proud and great city. it's DAYLIFE or what transpires here during the daytime thats bringing boston to it's knees aka leadership or total lack therof from certain quarters.forget the bars and lounges, this city has history, walkability, the worlds greates collection of colleges, universities, grad schools, hospitals and medical care other nations never mind cities would die for. the problem once again lies on how this city is being run which is straight into the ground and if the majority of people who care think thats moving in the direction of forward than we're in deeper you know what than i thought. ma
I do not know the particulars, but I would love to have the local bakery, breakfast and lunch place (Roslindale) get its wine and beer license and be able to serve dinner. Isn't the city looking at the potential revenue from the extra business that is sure to ensue. Where I am, the respectable business serving liquor is not the problem. Two or three blocks closer to Forest Hills the goings-on have nothing to do with small restaurants and everything to do with other problems.
When I travel the US for business and meet 20 & 30-somethings, they say "ooohh we LOVE Boston...and go on about a minute or so but many add "its really great except the town seems to close early and what nightlife there is...is pretty grim".
Major Bloomberg is ending "Happy Hour" in NYC, please do some research. Silicon Valley is boring for night life. The most happening place is Cannery Row. Most people have to hit SF for fun. Silicon Valley is awesome because there is tons to do during the day and the weather.
well perhaps people behaving as drunken louts cause them to be treated that way. 2 for 1 drink specials as drivers of the economy, don't think so.
I'm not sure that there's any substance to this article. There seems to be plenty of places to drink downtown. The most serious problem is the lack of late-night public transportation, especially on weekends. Having to sprint to a subway station at midnight certainly puts a damper on a night in the city, even for older folks who might want to see a show and go to a late dinner or a snack afterward. You can do that in New York City; you can't in Boston. The scarcity of late night establishments is probably directly related to the lack of transportation.
I should have added that the problem for the T is their huge debt & the T's unions. Having to pay double time to bus drivers after a certain hour killed the Night Owl bus service a few years ago. Double time is punitive and actually cost the union jobs, but they're too near-sighted to see that. The debt problem is mostly a result of the Big Dig and needs to handled by the state government, not the MBTA.
Haha. You're a joke. Somehow Boston seems to be doing just fine to me. I don't see abandoned buildings. In fact, I see large numbers of people moving into a thriving city -- much better shape than it was just a few years ago. You need your vision checked.
I think there is something about bars lacking in Boston, but the biggest opportunity would be lowering the drinking age. Sound crazy? I doubt it. Boston is a walkable city filled with students. Back when I was in college, it was also filled with lots of cheap bars filled with young musicians playing their hearts out. Lets say you are a party happy college student in Boston -- maybe a smart one too -- and you spend your four years here trying to sneak booze into your dorm room. What kind of experience is that? Why stay in Boston when you graduate? On the other hand, if the bars were open to you, a) you'd drink less because it is more expensive and the bars could be made reluctant to get you over-drunk, b) you'd be supporting an exciting music scene for young people, c) you'd have a blast and want to stay after graduation.\
Couldn't agree more. As the author notes, in addition to the 19th century attitude toward drinking, the lack of new market rate housing construction (particularly in Cambridge and Somerville) is often the nail in the coffin. Stop the focus on deed restricted "affordable housing", which no college graduate wants, and build some housing for educated motivated people to move into. Preferably within walking distance to a bar or two.