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Like Seattle felt the need to host the Worlds Fair to announce it had arrived. Minneapolis poured a ton of money into the Vikings new stadium and Seattle’s ego was deeply bruised by the SuperSonics leaving.
So Boston building the FleetCenter/TD Garden wasn't gaudy, but a new stadium in Minneapolis or Seattle is?
You're confusing municipal projects with personal attitudes.
So Boston building the FleetCenter/TD Garden wasn't gaudy, but a new stadium in Minneapolis or Seattle is?
You're confusing municipal projects with personal attitudes.
Boston did not build it, Jacobs did. And the Garden is Farley bare bones (and Gillette is super bare bones) compared to most (largely because Jacobs used his own money) adjusted for inflation US Bank Stadium cost ~2.75x more than Gillette because they wanted something nice and state of the art so the city did it.
Municipal projects reflect personal attitudes because do you know who elects the Mayor of Seattle?
The people of Boston forced the city and a few billionaires to back down because they thought the Olympics were wasteful and silly. Seattle was enthusiastic about the Worlds fair.
Seattle does not at all come off as gaudy to me. Just walking on the streets anywhere and observing how people dress, what car they drive, how they talk, etc... you would never guess that you're in one of the most expensive cities in the US.
I know this is anecdotal, but we used to visit my great aunt and stay in her house in Upper Queen Anne in the summers when we were kids. As you can probably infer, she is quite wealthy, though as a kid, I had no idea. She is the kind of person that owns like 5 shirts, enjoys going out to eat at diners on the weekend, and goes grocery shopping at QFC. Just super down to earth and the opposite of flashy. I'd imagine there are a lot of Seattle natives that are like this.
It's interesting that this thread has turned into a contest over which city residents strive to be the most low key. To each his own, but that's not what I consider to be a desirable characteristic for a big city. I like the energy and excitement in cities, but if I'm understanding the posts, those that prefer less can't go wrong with either of these.
Low-key style can co-exist with busy sidewalks and even nightlife. Chains and shouty personalities aren't required.
BTW, Seattle did a couple world's fairs, but we wouldn't go for them today. We did the WTO conference in 1999 but that wasn't a huge event until the protesters got involved. The Goodwill Games were a mini-Olympics vs. in 1990, which might stretch our interest today. More recently, we turned down an attempt to go for the Olympics. Even I'd probably vote against pursuit today...we have other spending and policy priorities, and the PR value isn't enough.
Losing the Sonics hurt. But there's still no way we'd vote for a public stadium or arena. And the loss hurt more because we loved the team, not because of our image. We don't consider ourselves under the radar.
So some Hispanic having a rosary is a ostentatious display of wealth but buying a boat isn’t?
Especially on the civic level, Seattle and Minneapolis are far more gaudy than Boston.
Like Seattle felt the need to host the Worlds Fair to announce it had arrived. Minneapolis poured a ton of money into the Vikings new stadium and Seattle’s ego was deeply bruised by the SuperSonics leaving.
While by and large Boston was totally okay with the Patriots bolting to Foxboro in the 1970s and the state was ready to let the Patriots go in the 1990s if they wanted their money. No worry about it’s “Status”.
The Zakim Bridge isn’t Gaudy?what about a giant neon gas sign? The entire complex outside the TD Garden? Wynn Encore Casino
Boston’s municipal projects or any city’s municipal projects seem like a weird way to ensure showiness. The people you’re talking about being less showy are WASP New Englanders who don’t really live in Boston, just looking t the ethnicities they’re literally a single digit percentage of its residents (75% of Bostonians are minorities, Irish, or Italian). Marty Walsh tried his damndest to bring Indy Car Racing and the 2024 Olympics to Boston and the business community was behind him. People locally didn’t want it because of fears of gentrification and traffic: not because we’re puritans.
I don't really know. I didn't make the quote. I would guess it's because Mpls' and St. Paul's differing downtowns and street structure. You could include housing styles, and industry that shaped the growth of each city.
The Zakim Bridge isn’t Gaudy?what about a giant neon gas sign? The entire complex outside the TD Garden? Wynn Encore Casino
Boston’s municipal projects or any city’s municipal projects seem like a weird way to ensure showiness. The people you’re talking about being less showy are WASP New Englanders who don’t really live in Boston, just looking t the ethnicities they’re literally a single digit percentage of its residents (75% of Bostonians are minorities, Irish, or Italian). Marty Walsh tried his damndest to bring Indy Car Racing and the 2024 Olympics to Boston and the business community was behind him. People locally didn’t want it because of fears of gentrification and traffic: not because we’re puritans.
Boston is far more WASPY than Seattle is Scandinavian.
The assimilation over ~140-180 years the Irish have been here is pretty much complete.
Seattle's Scandinavian heritage feels like a fading memory. It's a significant heritage, yes. By coincidence I toured the National Nordic Museum in the Ballard neighborhood yesterday, and they do a good job explaining the historic and current connection to the city and region. Really the main transfer was a century ago. Ballard mostly feels like mainline Seattle with a lot of Nordic/Skandanavian names and a big fishing industry.
Boston is far more WASPY than Seattle is Scandinavian.
The assimilation over ~140-180 years the Irish have been here is pretty much complete.
I hiiiighly doubt that. But I don’t know Seattle Scandinavian heritage.
Boston isn’t WASPY… even if Irish were WASPS (the ones who live in Boston really aren’t) theyre at best 13% of Boston. you’re speaking on mannerism of people who by and large do not live in Boston but rather some of its tonier burbs. A large portion of white Bostonians are portuguese, Jewish, Armenian, green, or just generic “American” from other states but not “WASPS”.
Who is the last notable WASP born and raised in Boston? You’d find more WASPS in a variety of American cities.
WASPS are people you come across in Cleveland Circle or Chestnut Hill(flashy area though) or Winchester or Duxbury or Lynnfield. People in Boston are not boohooing what other people are doing. Much of the city’s image is built around braggadocio and imposing your opinions and tastes on others.
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