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I know there is a phenomenal amount of large-scale development in Boston right now. Similarly, there are dozens of proposed/under construction projects in Center City/University City in Philadelphia--primarily residential and/or hospitality-based: Philadelphia Projects & Construction - SkyscraperPage Forum
I think that the first order of business should be to change the name of downtown Philly from Center City to something that sounds a little less like a fictional location.
Less edgy? Yea, I'd definitely agree with that. Boston's become very gentrified in the city center, and anything "questionable" has been pushed into other neighborhoods. H
A few blocks in Downtown Crossing, Chinatown, old Combat Zone are kind of sketchy. Parts of the South End are a bit sketchy too, as well as some blocks closer to Northeastern. Nothing bad though downtown.
A few blocks in Downtown Crossing, Chinatown, old Combat Zone are kind of sketchy. Parts of the South End are a bit sketchy too, as well as some blocks closer to Northeastern. Nothing bad though downtown.
There is no combat zone anymore. It's been gone for 20 years and now the whole area is lined with luxury highrise apartments, condos and retail. Sometimes it seems like no one on this board has actually been to Boston, at least in the last ten years. Boston has one of the largest, safest and most active core city areas in the country all linked by heavy rail subway, LRT and BRT. It is arguably as large as greater DT SF and the building boom underway in Boston from the seaport to DTX, the back bay, north station and east Cambridge is truly enormous.
There is no combat zone anymore. It's been gone for 20 years and now the whole area is lined with luxury highrise apartments, condos and retail.
That's not true, at all. Why do people always make such ridiculous claims like this? Even Manhattan, London, Paris, etc. have sketch blocks in the center.
Yes, the area has been cleaned up but it is hardly "lined with luxury highrise apartments". There are plenty of semi-seedy blocks still. No city I'm aware of has no sketch areas, and Boston is no different.
A few blocks in Downtown Crossing, Chinatown, old Combat Zone are kind of sketchy. Parts of the South End are a bit sketchy too, as well as some blocks closer to Northeastern. Nothing bad though downtown.
Well that's the thing--it's really not anymore. I think parts of Chinatown and the Leather District can get a little shady at night due to the junkies hanging outside of South Station. However other than that, it's been extremely gentrified. Downtown Crossing and Chinatown were all part of the Combat Zone from back in the day...but the Combat Zone is dead. Now there's the Ritz Carlton Towers (which are from the early 2000s), a W, the new Millennium Place, where prices are approaching $2,000/square foot, and several other luxury projects. Even Chinatown has the new Radian Tower where studio apartments are starting at $2,600 a month.
I would agree about parts of the South End & Northeastern area being sketchy though. My original statement about "questionable" things being pushed out was mainly referencing establishments such as strip clubs, etc. There used to be a bunch of them in the area but I think now there's only 1.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NOLA101
That's not true, at all. Why do people always make such ridiculous claims like this? Even Manhattan, London, Paris, etc. have sketch blocks in the center.
Yes, the area has been cleaned up but it is hardly "lined with luxury highrise apartments". There are plenty of semi-seedy blocks still. No city I'm aware of has no sketch areas, and Boston is no different.
Of course Boston has sketchy areas, even in the center of town. But the point he & I are making is that what was known as the "Combat Zone" is dead & buried at this point. This is what has replaced it.
Less edgy? Yea, I'd definitely agree with that. Boston's become very gentrified in the city center, and anything "questionable" has been pushed into other neighborhoods. However, "more sleepy" is something I'd definitely disagree with. As I mentioned in my previous post, there is a solid amount of construction going on in Downtown Crossing alone which is helping to bring a formerly 9-5 to a full on residential area. I know you're visiting the area often, so I'd recommend checking it out!
have not spent any time in this area in a few years will check it out
The gap between the two is close for now, but if the West End ever gets reactivated by all the developments that are currently planned for that area (namely the towers at the Government Center Garage, and the towers and shops at the TD Garden) then that could be a big game-changer for Boston.
DTX also probably isn't at its max vibrancy level yet either.
And the extension of T service on the weekends was probably a good call, too, as far as nightlife in Boston goes.
The gap between the two is close for now, but if the West End ever gets reactivated by all the developments that are currently planned for that area (namely the towers at the Government Center Garage, and the towers and shops at the TD Garden) then that could be a big game-changer for Boston.
DTX also probably isn't at its max vibrancy level yet either.
And the extension of T service on the weekends was probably a good call, too, as far as nightlife in Boston goes.
it seem both have added later night service on weekends. All of Phillys subways now run 24 hour service on the weekends based on the pilot this past summer
agree on the whole they are pretty close and among the most vibrant DTs in the country
both are adding folks pretty rapidly and continuing to do so
Also both U City and Kendall Sq are building up quickly with research and residential components
How much does Government Center hurt DT Boston's vibrancy?
Not too terribly much. It's more/less on the border of downtown, so there's not a huge dead-zone in the middle of it all. However it's certainly a huge dead zone between downtown and North Station. Fortunately the rest of downtown is much better.
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