Why is BPS so bad and what should be done to improve it? (Boston: transfer, weddings)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

It's also a rather binary take the 'burbs. At least in MA.

On any given Saturday, there are plenty of Bostonians (and dull suburbanites) traveling out to my podunk central MA 'burbs to peak at an original Thomas Cole, view 15th century Russian icons, tour the Tower Hill Botanical grounds, source rare veneers, geek-out over ultra-rare German machinist equipment in some unassuming barn, learn obscure/lost trades skills, etc.

In short, an individual who finds the dense and wealthy Massachusetts 'burbs 'dull' will likely remain 'dull' in a city flush grand institutions. Yeah, the 'culture' is much thinner, but it's only strip malls and trees to the intellectual lazy.

Do we really believe this only happens in MA/New England suburbs? People do these things all over the world and this country. Maybe it's not Thomas Cole (who is that?) or Tower Hill Botanical Gardens (never heard of it) specifically, but it's something. That's all that matters-there's seemingly infinite history, gardens, and equipment.

Also most of this can be done in cities as well.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Do we really believe this only happens in MA/New England suburbs? People do these things all over the world and this country. Maybe it's not Thomas Cole (who is that?) or Tower Hill Botanical Gardens (never heard of it) specifically, but it's something. That's all that matters-there's seemingly infinite history, gardens, and equipment.

Also most of this can be done in cities as well.

Sure, it simply scales based on the education, development, and wealth of a given region. Williamstown can support the Clark Institute due to the density of the Northeast, rural Wyoming cannot. It’s different, but ‘culture’ is still there ... I acknowledged as much in my last post suggesting where there are people there will always be some degree of ‘culture’.

Top-tier cities obviously have rich and diverse institutions and I’d never argue otherwise. If you’re not using those resources or the high skill labor market, it’s financially advisable to exit that high COL environment for a lower COL city (with fewer institutions) or the ‘burbs. They aren’t cultural voids ... you’ll be fine.

[bigfatdude]

If I had a dollar for every clown bragging about living in the cultural capital of the world even though he can't even locate MFA on the map I would have had my mortgage paid off much, much sooner.

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Sure, it simply scales based on the education, development, and wealth of a given region. Williamstown can support the Clark Institute due to the density of the Northeast, rural Wyoming cannot. It’s different, but ‘culture’ is still there ... I acknowledged as much in my last post suggesting where there are people there will always be some degree of ‘culture’.

Top-tier cities obviously have rich and diverse institutions and I’d never argue otherwise. If you’re not using those resources or the high skill labor market, it’s financially advisable to exit that high COL environment for a lower COL city (with fewer institutions) or the ‘burbs. They aren’t cultural voids ... you’ll be fine.

[Guineas]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

If I had a dollar for every clown bragging about living in the cultural capital of the world even though he can't even locate MFA on the map I would have had my mortgage paid off much, much sooner.

Doesn't matter, the point is the MFA is there and easily accessible. Even if the clown doesn't know where it is, his kids might and their teachers might take them there.

But when all you got are 15th Century Russian Icons and Tower Hill in the burbs, then maybe weekends spent at the strip mall isn't so bad.

Escapism seems a thing with American culture, but it's one thing to escape to the Sierra Nevadas or go grow grapes in Sonoma County, it's another to escape to Uxbridge MA. I'll take Boston with the cost, traffic and homeless over Uxbridge any day.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Guineas

I'll take Boston with the cost, traffic and homeless over Uxbridge any day.

That's just your own preference though, others obviously disagree. Point is that civilization exists all over (city, suburban, rural). That it's the "kind" of civilization you prefer, is a question for another day.



And fwiw, Uxbridge barely has any strip malls. And plenty of suburban school kids make trips to the MFA. Plenty of BPS kids do not.

[mdovell]

Culture depends. CPA has helped along with historical districts. Some areas have potential. DW park in brockton could be much better if they had the funding. But in many communities recreation has become more private and frankly they aren't really doing much. I tend to not see that much at least in eastern mass, south eastern that gets cultural. If everyone is pretty much generically white, no mosques or synagogues, no different languages, no festivals. Western mass has plenty of this. Irish parade, Puerto Rican parade, polish community, Jamaican etc.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by Guineas

But when all you got are 15th Century Russian Icons and Tower Hill in the burbs, then maybe weekends spent at the strip mall isn't so bad.

How pretentious.

"Institutions matter, but not your institutions."

[bigfatdude]

What are the chances you aren't a part of the crowd that brags about all sorts of things cultural on their Tinder profile but whose actual cultural experience mostly consists of pounding $8 (plus tip) bud lites at some southie dudebro inebriatory and going to an occasional sox game?

Originally Posted by Guineas

Doesn't matter, the point is the MFA is there and easily accessible. Even if the clown doesn't know where it is, his kids might and their teachers might take them there.

But when all you got are 15th Century Russian Icons and Tower Hill in the burbs, then maybe weekends spent at the strip mall isn't so bad.

Escapism seems a thing with American culture, but it's one thing to escape to the Sierra Nevadas or go grow grapes in Sonoma County, it's another to escape to Uxbridge MA. I'll take Boston with the cost, traffic and homeless over Uxbridge any day.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

It's also a rather binary take the 'burbs. At least in MA.

On any given Saturday, there are plenty of Bostonians (and dull suburbanites) traveling out to my podunk central MA 'burbs to peak at an original Thomas Cole, view 15th century Russian icons, tour the Tower Hill Botanical grounds, source rare veneers, geek-out over ultra-rare German machinist equipment in some unassuming barn, learn obscure/lost trades skills, etc.

In short, an individual who finds the dense and wealthy Massachusetts 'burbs 'dull' will likely remain 'dull' in a city flush grand institutions. Yeah, the 'culture' is much thinner, but it's only strip malls and trees to the intellectual lazy.

Definitely. What makes these Massachusetts towns 'burbs' is a relatively recent and spotty overlay of strip malls and subdivisions. In between those is a dense web of sights and sites like Fruitlands (I'm guessing that's where the Cole lives). There's so much to see and do. Also true that we have the suburban overlay to thank for all sorts of public amenities that crop up in response to development-- town conservation lands, trails and rail trails, former farms become state parks (Great Brook Farm) or once private estates that become public places (Maudslay, Borderlands, Castle Hill), national wildlife refuges. Preservation doesn't always spring from a generous impulse--i.e., we have the anti-Semite Henry Ford to thank for preserving the Wayside Inn and grounds in Sudbury--but at least the resources are there and becoming more available to a wider public all the time.

[Boston Shudra]

Maybe it's important to differentiate "culture" from "vibrancy"? Sure "culture" can exist wherever there's people, but that doesn't necessitate laughter and happiness.

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

How pretentious.

"Institutions matter, but not your institutions."

Is Tower Hill even a nice botanical garden? I looked up pictures on Google and it looks like its a wedding venue first and garden second..