Mayor Walsh to explore extending bar hours to 3:30am (Boston: hotels, neighborhoods)

[mdovell]

In the 1950's my father grew up next to two bars. There were fights every night, screaming/arguing and who knows what in a back alley. Most of this was at night.

Obviously you cannot simply close a bar when it is dark out but at the same point there are reasons why they do close for the day.

Out of all the problems that the city has (parking, traffic, jobs etc) this is not really the top priority.

Besides if people really want to drink why would they go into boston to do it? I have probably ten bars in my town alone. I don't think there's really pent up demand for this. More importantly why would someone go out this late on a weekday? Didn't we reform some alcohol laws to permit serving on Sunday mornings?

[massnative71]

You would think that the newly elected mayor would have more crucial things to worry about, than things like serving drunks later and whining about who marches and who doesn't in a private parade. Is it me, or has Marty Walsh been so far very unimpressive? Maybe it is just where the media chooses to dwell, but I have yet to hear of anything productive out of this guy.

Sorry if I'm going off topic.

[Cape Cod Todd]

Boston is NOT New York. I think letting the bars stay open so late is a mistake. Think about when most crimes like fights, stabbings happen, when the bars let out so add a few more hours of drinking to these people with violent tendencies and what is going to happen. Plus will public transport be available or will all these sleep deprived drunk people stagger or drive home? I believe the state funded T is still operating on a deficent at rush hour never mind in the middle of the night with sparse ridership. Maybe they will have a bus dedicated to bring the kids back to their dorms?
I just don't think this is a good idea.

[495neighbor]

First of all, I remember not too long ago when last call was 12:30p and closing time was 1pm. Did not realized it had been extended to 2pm between there and here.

Most places to eat are closed around 9pm in Boston. Would be nice to have more places to eat open a bit later. People drinking on an empty stomach is yet an even bigger recipe for disaster.

I like to go downtown at night to network and it would feel safer if there were more people on the street on weekdays and I was not the only person in the garage.

Originally Posted by mdovell

Besides if people really want to drink why would they go into boston to do it? I have probably ten bars in my town alone. I don't think there's really pent up demand for this. More importantly why would someone go out this late on a weekday? Didn't we reform some alcohol laws to permit serving on Sunday mornings?

Ha, I could count at least 40 places in little old Acton and surrounds where someone can drink outside their home.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by massnative71

You would think that the newly elected mayor would have more crucial things to worry about, than things like serving drunks later and whining about who marches and who doesn't in a private parade. Is it me, or has Marty Walsh been so far very unimpressive? Maybe it is just where the media chooses to dwell, but I have yet to hear of anything productive out of this guy.

Sorry if I'm going off topic.

Agreed and one would think that given this Mayor himself suffered alcoholism and had to rehab himself, that he would be discouraging this sort of thing, not encouraging it.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Never been to New Orleans, but from what I've heard it's not a place to emulate. I think we score much higher on the livability scale.

As far as the restaurant owners and employees, I don't want to hear it. Most bartenders, at least the ones in the high volume Boston bars that would likely benefit from this; probably clean up more than I do or any average worker. And while I'm all for individual responsibility and the right to make a buck, these are business that are already making an enormous profit off of getting knuckleheads s$%^faced on a nightly basis. And when you think about all the people hurting right here in our own community...

I think if they make money getting people drunk, and people want to get drunk, that just seems like a good call on their part.

But really, Boston is one of the tamest cities I've lived in, if not THE tamest. I don't think all of a sudden, people will decide they need to go out and get wasted every night until 3:30 am if this proposal becomes reality.

[TAM88]

I don't understand how some people think extending last call is all of a sudden going to turn Boston into a minefield of drunk drivers and crime. They're not proposing making last call 5 am. They're not talking about allowing 3 for 1 Happy Hour deals. They're simply extending the time a bar can serve alcohol until 2:30 and then giving people extra time to finish their drinks and trickle out until 3:30. The way it is now forces people to pound their drinks and then rush outside the bar to fight for a cab. Allowing a bar to stay open an hour after they have to stop serving alcohol makes a lot more sense than calling last call at 1:30 and then shoving people out at 2 am.

People are going to go out and get wasted and fight no matter what time a bar closes. There are plenty of other cities in this country that have a later closing time than Boston.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Boston is NOT New York. I think letting the bars stay open so late is a mistake. Think about when most crimes like fights, stabbings happen, when the bars let out so add a few more hours of drinking to these people with violent tendencies and what is going to happen. Plus will public transport be available or will all these sleep deprived drunk people stagger or drive home? I believe the state funded T is still operating on a deficent at rush hour never mind in the middle of the night with sparse ridership. Maybe they will have a bus dedicated to bring the kids back to their dorms?
I just don't think this is a good idea.

Well said..no serious students or people who are serious about their careers will be out this late, it will only attract the bottom feeders.

Welcome to the state of addiction.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by TAM88

I don't understand how some people think extending last call is all of a sudden going to turn Boston into a minefield of drunk drivers and crime. They're not proposing making last call 5 am. They're not talking about allowing 3 for 1 Happy Hour deals. They're simply extending the time a bar can serve alcohol until 2:30 and then giving people extra time to finish their drinks and trickle out until 3:30. The way it is now forces people to pound their drinks and then rush outside the bar to fight for a cab. Allowing a bar to stay open an hour after they have to stop serving alcohol makes a lot more sense than calling last call at 1:30 and then shoving people out at 2 am.

People are going to go out and get wasted and fight no matter what time a bar closes. There are plenty of other cities in this country that have a later closing time than Boston.

Welcome to Las Vegas. Perhaps people will be sleeping in tunnels, same as there.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I think if they make money getting people drunk, and people want to get drunk, that just seems like a good call on their part.

While I don't agree with your opinion, I respect it. Humans have been taking advantage of other humans since the days of Creation. There are many ways people have been able to profit from pain inflicting and preying on the weak; from pushing drugs and alcohol, gambling, immoral lending practices, it goes on and on. What has changed IMHO, is that the taboo has sort of gone away it seems. There are no barriers in place in this anything-goes/throw-away society. It's like it's the norm now, and totally socially acceptable (man eats man, dog eats dog). I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I might personally think it's a selfish outlook to have, it's really just a sign of the times...