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I just cannot get over how sleezy and lowly downtown Boise seems on Fri & Sat nights. Even weekdays it doesn't have the best vibe to it. Coming from Portland, I am use to a more mixed downtown with a cosmopolitan feel. I am just shocked at the lack of culture, events, except for drunken bar music or dance hall stuff, that is available in the city. It seems like a bunch of girls dressed up like hookers, which reminds me of the working girls I use to see roam SE 82nd ave in Portland about 15 years ago before the cops cleaned up the streets. However, these women are not working girls, they are just dressed like this, I assume to get male attention, but not looking for payment. Portland is hardly the epitome of morality, but I almost never saw women who were not prostitutes dress up in such skanky attire.
I guess I am disappointed a city as large and which serves as the main metropolitan center of the region is so lacking in character, culture or nightlife. It seems that most of the people here do not go out for any events except church. Lots of older and civilized people would be in downtown Portland at night. In Boise, however, the only people who seem to enjoy nightlife or city life are wild and crazy college kids and wannabe gangsters. The police presence is nothing less than draconian and scary. I've never been in a town where I felt more scared of the police than the people. This is coming from a guy who has been friends with police and gone shooting and training with them. There is just something about the way they patrol the downtown that makes me feel like I am in Communist Russia, rather than Freedom-Loving USA. I do like that the downtown is so safe, but the proliferation of foul-mouthed drunks, scantily dressed women and vigilant cops looking to arrest you for the slightest mistake I find a bit unappealing.
It seems most people, who are not wild and crazy drunks or looking for quick sex tend to just be involved with their churches and attend church events. T here is no social element outside of your church. Being of Jewish background, I don't fit in well with Christian scene. Also, most Christians are married from a young age here and tend to spend most time with their families rather than socializing.
Boise , overall, is a nice city. It appears as a giant suburb, rather than city. Sorry, I didn't want to complain about Boise, but the nightlife, activities and cultural events seem lacking. There just appears to be such a loathsome element to the heart of the city I haven't experienced in larger cities.
Boise is a small town; there isn't much of a nightlife. Shouldn't be a surprise.
There are things to do here if you want the cosmopolitan thing, and it's very easy to avoid the 6th/Main area. I've lived here my entire life and never had to deal with because, gasp!, I don't go down there Friday and Sat nights.
Boise is an outdoors town. That's what people do here. It's not LA or NYC.
MysticalDream, how long have you lived in Boise? You're statement regarding the presence of Boise City Police and they are scary, what do you mean by that?
When have I bad-mouthed Portland? I bad mouthed Hood River, the previous place I lived. I don't like Hood River and won't go back there. I actually tried moving back to Portland, but it was too expensive for me to live there.
Anyhow, I don't think Boise is bad.. I was just bit disappointed with the nightlife and the downtown area. The downtown is dead most of the time, but at night it picks up, but all the people I saw in the main strip of town were foul-mouthed, drunk and sleezy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1V23
MysticalDream, how long have you lived in Boise? You're statement regarding the presence of Boise City Police and they are scary, what do you mean by that?
Go down there and see for yourself.. I was talking to some girls last night who were standing outside their car. I was helping them with directions and we were BSing a little bit. The same cop made a few rounds around the block looking at us. THen he pulls into the parking lot and slowly profiles us, which I found annoying, as we were not doing anything wrong. I guess we may have been guilty of "loitering". We were talking for like 20 minutes or so. LOL. It just felt very sketchy. Also, I have watched cops drag people into police cars and I have seen so many searches of cars. Somehow, I don't feel like I am being protected, but rather like I am the criminal. As I said I have nothing against cops. I use to go shooting with a guy who was on the Portland Police force. I think he would agree with me about the way they conduct themselves in downtown Boise.
On another note, I think Boise is way better place to raise a family, as long as you keep your kids away from that rotten downtown area at night. I am single guy in 30s, so there isn't much social infrastructure for me.
Yes, Boise is an outdoors town, but I don't have the gas money to drive out to the mountains. THey are farther than I expected. I am thinking I may move up to Coeur d'Alene later in the year. Things have been tough with business and I'd like to be closer to hiking and other outdoor activities. It is true about 2 hours from Boise is some of the most amazing scenery in the world. It seems in Boise all outdoor recreation, except hiking in the barren foothills around town are quite far and some are closed half the year because of snow.
I actually miss the big trees and greenery as well.
People in Idaho seem friendly, but being a busy professional who doesn't live smack in downtown, it is a slow place to meet people or join social activities. I've looked up several types of activities, but I haven't found much. If people have suggestions of more productive activities, cultural, social , etc to do on the weekends, except going to church or getting drunk and soliciting one-night romances with scantily-dressed strangers, I'd like to know. HIking and camping are great, but it's hard to do that when you are living out near Eagle on a Saturday night.
Last edited by MysticalDream; 03-11-2012 at 02:38 PM..
It sounds like you were hanging around 6th & Main, which is largely for young partiers, except Penguilly's, which is often a cool place for laid-back live music. Try the Neurolux, The Bouquet, The Modern, The Flicks, Ha' Penny Pub, the lounge at Owyhee Plaza (live jazz, older crowd but such a dark, cozy spot), etc. Each of these places have different things to offer--the trick is to get out and explore a bit. We are late 30's/early 40's couple who never, ever go to the 6th & Main area (except Penguilly's occasionally).
It's hard to meet people in public settings like that. You might try the Boise Weekly calendar for smaller group events for activities that are of interest to you. You almost need to devote more than the weekends to getting out and meeting people. It takes time, but you'll get there. I think some people have mentioned meetup.com as a good place for social connections. Good luck!
Thanks for your response BenchFan. I will certainly check out some of the places you mentioned. As I said, I am new here and I don't quite understand the town much or where things happen. In Portland, many night spots and other places with social activities were easy to identify, such as downtown, Hawthorne, Belmont, Pearl, Sellwood, Albina, Alberta, etc.. In Boise, it all seems like spread out suburb and things seem more hidden. Coming from Portland, I guess when I see crowds I think there is exciting things going on.. However, I was shocked once I was downtown at how repulsive the element was for Idaho's biggest city. I had a THanksgiving dinner at the Owyhee Plaza and thought it was a nice hotel. I'd love to hear live jazz and have a more civil, laid-back atmosphere, then wild , raging, drunk and sex-crazed one I see downtown. My only fears was I noticed that a lot of the more upscale entertainment seemed geared at a more upper-class element. I am not too wealthy and not sure how expensive it would be to hang out at places like Owyhee or some of the more upscale establishments I have seen around town.
I am working 13 hours a day right now, so yeah, one reason I having a hard time meeting people is because of that. I know its partially my fault and hope I can have more free time within a few months. I try with the little free time I have to join social activities, but it hasn't been easy. However, I will have to devote some more effort.
Aww, MysticalDream, dont' be too hard on those sex-crazed early twenty-somethings. Just because they are embracing that stage in life doesn't exactly make it a "repulsive element." Relax and explore--you'll find a great fit if you keep an open mind.
I just cannot get over how sleezy and lowly downtown Boise seems on Fri & Sat nights. Even weekdays it doesn't have the best vibe to it. Coming from Portland, I am use to a more mixed downtown with a cosmopolitan feel. I am just shocked at the lack of culture, events, except for drunken bar music or dance hall stuff, that is available in the city. It seems like a bunch of girls dressed up like hookers, which reminds me of the working girls I use to see roam SE 82nd ave in Portland about 15 years ago before the cops cleaned up the streets. However, these women are not working girls, they are just dressed like this, I assume to get male attention, but not looking for payment. Portland is hardly the epitome of morality, but I almost never saw women who were not prostitutes dress up in such skanky attire.
I guess I am disappointed a city as large and which serves as the main metropolitan center of the region is so lacking in character, culture or nightlife. It seems that most of the people here do not go out for any events except church. Lots of older and civilized people would be in downtown Portland at night. In Boise, however, the only people who seem to enjoy nightlife or city life are wild and crazy college kids and wannabe gangsters. The police presence is nothing less than draconian and scary. I've never been in a town where I felt more scared of the police than the people. This is coming from a guy who has been friends with police and gone shooting and training with them. There is just something about the way they patrol the downtown that makes me feel like I am in Communist Russia, rather than Freedom-Loving USA. I do like that the downtown is so safe, but the proliferation of foul-mouthed drunks, scantily dressed women and vigilant cops looking to arrest you for the slightest mistake I find a bit unappealing.
It seems most people, who are not wild and crazy drunks or looking for quick sex tend to just be involved with their churches and attend church events. T here is no social element outside of your church. Being of Jewish background, I don't fit in well with Christian scene. Also, most Christians are married from a young age here and tend to spend most time with their families rather than socializing.
Boise , overall, is a nice city. It appears as a giant suburb, rather than city. Sorry, I didn't want to complain about Boise, but the nightlife, activities and cultural events seem lacking. There just appears to be such a loathsome element to the heart of the city I haven't experienced in larger cities.
I would have to agree with you to some extent on this. However, I've heard visitors from larger cities say the opposite of what you're stating. Many people have told me that they really like the night life of downtown and the uniqueness it offers compared to larger places such as Seattle or Salt Lake City.
In terms of BPD making you feel, "there presence is nothing less than draconian and scary" I find it somewhat difficult to believe, but nevertheless that is your opinion. You may have seen officer(s) act more aggressive than others. Try putting yourself in their shoes and consider the situation at hand. Police aren't out there to ruin your fun; they are out there to keep the peace, protect, and serve the public. Don't get me wrong, some officers are less friendly than others. We all try to strive to meet the values and mission statement of the Boise City Police Department. I can see where you might feel you are being watched closely by police, and the fact we have a large presence of police officers in the downtown core area. This is simply due to the high volume of calls for service. BPD has a team of officers that work a directed patrol area where there is high chances of emergent calls for fights, problems with drunks, and domestics, especially in the area of 6th and Main St. My advise to you is if see an officer who is completely out of line, call police dispatch and make an officer complaint.
There is a rumor that persists about the overaggressiveness of Boise Police.
If you randomly sample 100 people in the Boise area, the most common response will be "be careful or you'll get shot."
Now this isn't true or very nice, but it is the general consensus. And, truth be told, the police here, especially downtown, are overly aggressive. I have a half dozen stories I could tell (I'm not involved in any) about instances where it would have been better for everyone if they just walk away, rather than purposefully escalate a situation.
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