Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Is Boston losing its young people to other US cities because we're dull and boring? Are we just too uptight? How come it's so hard to have a good time in this town?
Last week, the Boston Globe sponsored a discussion as part of its Building a Better Commonwealth series, Loosen Up, Boston?, where a group of panelists was asked its opinion on how to make Boston a more creative, dare I say “hip”, place to live. "How can we work together to find the right balance between maintaining Boston's character and needs of local residents while enhancing urban vitality and giving new nightlife venues a chance to take root?" It’s nothing new to hear a person here or there talking about Boston not being the most interesting, exciting place to live. But, an audience of ~400 assembling to share their thoughts on it? That is something new. People are looking for change. Here is what I heard people talking about and what…
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Who doesn't love having dogs running unleashed in our public parks? Only one person, I guess.
I hate it when people act arrogantly. Drivers cutting off other drivers in traffic, guys throwing frisbees that end up banging parents in the head while sitting having picnics - you get the idea. I encountered my worst pet peeve last week while sitting in Blackstone Square, on Washington Street in the South End. The square is busy most days. Men with bottles hang out there, talking and arguing with one another (and themselves). Mothers with babies mingle about, sunning themselves. And, pet owners bring their dogs there to poop on the lawn and run up on unsuspecting people’s laps. Previous comments to the contrary notwithstanding, I do like dogs. I love them. But, the scene here was overwhelming. I mean, like 12-15 dogs off leashes. Swear …
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
It's time to give the man his due: Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has worn out his opposition. It's no longer worth fighting against him. Just give up.
Dear Mayor Menino: You win! On behalf of all city residents who have been holding out for a better Boston than you’ve provided for us, I concede. A few of us (a dwindling few) have always thought Boston could be better - that you could do better. We’ve seen the city grow and prosper during the past twenty years, but felt it was being held back from being a truly great American city. Not that we aren’t happy to live here, just that you could help us make Boston a better place to live by building badly-needed schools in our neighborhoods, by recognizing, respecting, and responding to residents’ complaints about over-zealous developers and under-utilized zoning, by using the city's ever-increasing property tax revenue to give us safer, …
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
John Keith may or may not have been at the "Romney for President" event last night at Boston's Westin Copley Place hotel. The following conversation may or may not have taken place.
Last evening, high on a lethal mix of cold medicine, Zolpidem, and Yuengling beer, I headed to the Barnes & Noble in Back Bay to pick up a copy of Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72”. On the way back home thought I'd stop by presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Super Tuesday celebration at the Westin Copley Place. If I couldn't crash it, I hoped I'd get a good story out of it. But, before I could reach the party, I was overcome with nausea, so I beelined it to the closest men's room. After several dry heaves in the only open stall available, I heard the sobbing of what I assumed to be a man from the stall beside me. Knocking on the door, I was stunned and shocked when the candidate himself, Mitt Romney, …
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Are the Boston Public Schools about to improve? The odds are stacked against it happening.
As a companion piece to Jack Kelly’s Feb. 13 column, I thought I’d provide a deeper analysis of the Boston Public School student assignment policy and the challenges the city’s schools face going forward. Boston could end busing, today. It was instated in 1974 because the public school system was deemed "unconstitutionally segregated” and students were bused to schools outside their neighborhoods to create a better balance. That was 34 years ago, when out of approximately 100,000 students, 51 percent were white. Today, we have just over 57,000 students, and 13 percent are white. Hispanic (41%), Black (36%) and Asian (9%) make up the majority of the rest of enrollment. So, there’s no legal reason to continue busing. Nor is there a …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Boston's changed a lot since Kevin White was mayor. What's going to happen during the next couple of decades and is our city prepared for its future?
Upon hearing that former mayor Kevin White had died, I started thinking about how Boston has changed during the past 40 years. Who would have thought Boston would be where it is, today? Looking forward, what will Boston be like 40 years from now, or even in just 10? Based on the pattern established over the past several decades, Boston’s population will probably grow around 5 percent (although some predict much higher numbers). If so, the city will be home to 648,473 residents in 2020, an increase of 30,879 people. Meanwhile, Greater Boston will most likely grow, too, with over a hundred thousand more people moving in and around our city, every day. Where will all these people work? Well, during the past half century, our local economy has…
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Do the types of stores and restaurants opening in a neighborhood tell you whether or not it's succeeding and growing?
I believe you can tell how strong and healthy a neighborhood is by looking at its stores, shops, and restaurants, and what I’m seeing in downtown Boston right now is giving me cause for alarm. Whether because of the bad economy or something worse (did someone say, “Degentrification?"), it seems something is happening in our neighborhoods, something we haven’t seen in quite awhile. Much fuss was made over the recent proposal by a developer to open a Dunkin’ Donuts on Tremont Street, in the South End. While South Enders were arguing over the merits of a donut shop, Beacon Hill residents were saying no to a bank, no to an upscale market, and no to a burrito joint. Par for the course in our downtown neighborhoods, right? But, then I heard …
Thursday, October 27, 2011
It's not fair for Bostonians to solely shoulder the responsibility of caring for the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the mentally-ill. Others should share the burden.
Me (circa 1982): Dad, they want to build low-income housing in our town. Dad: Terrible idea. Me: Well, where should they build it? Dad: How about Downtown Chelsea? That was my father’s “go-to” answer whenever we discussed issues of the day. Of course, this was a common sentiment at the time. In the 1970s and early 1980s, cities were often thought of as only for the poor people, the sick, the homeless and the mentally-ill. Cities were dumping grounds for anyone on the outskirts of society - basically, anyone who couldn't get out. Today, 30 years later, U.S. cities are vibrant and exciting places to live. Yet, many people, especially those in the suburbs, still think of a city as a sort of “option of last resort”, the place where anything …
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The economy double-dips into another recession, there's rioting in the streets. So, what? I wouldn't be happy even with a million dollars in my pocket.
I’m miserable. I went away to the Catskills for the weekend so that we could attend a relative’s pig roast. Eh. The weather was terrible. The barbecue was almost rained out, but this didn’t make the event any less popular. My sister-in-law’s driveway was so packed that I had to back our car out to park on the street, running the rear bumper into a trailer carrying two all-terrain vehicles. Pulling the car forward to extract it ripped the wheel cover off. Oh, did I mention it was a rental car and that we had waived the collision waiver? When I wake up at home this morning, I find out I gained 7 pounds between Friday and today (how is that even possible??). I eat a brownie to make me feel better; it doesn’t. The brownie has chocolate chips …
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
It's summertime in Boston. Here are some of the things I love right now about living in the city.
Living in the city can often lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and grumpiness, especially during the dog days of August. Therefore, I thought I’d be the optimist for once and mention several of the things that are making me happy right now (well, mostly), courtesy of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the good people at City Hall. Food trucks – There are now fifteen food trucks located around the city. Food trucks serve hot, tasty food similar in quality to what you'd find at any two/three-star restaurant in Boston; in other words, these are definitely not glorified ice cream trucks. I've seen five or six of the trucks located around the city and they often seem to gather a good-sized crowd. The Kick-*ss Cupcakes truck was on Boylston …
hongfeng
4:43 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
http://www.coachoutletonlinebfd.com/ Coach Outlet Online http://www.guccibeltstb.com/ Gucci Belt http://www.coachoutletonlineste.com/ Coach Outlet Store Online http://www.cocoachoutletonline.org/ Coach Outlet Online http://www.coachoutletonlinetsy.net/ Coach Online Outlet more ›