Boston Dopers! What's new?

[scotandrsn]

@Sal Ammoniac

Scotandrsn, in reply to a couple of your questions above:

The Leather District is made up of old industrial buildings being converted to lofts, right behind the Children’s Museum, on the other side of the channel. It actually ajoins the new Seaport district, which features, among other things, the incredibly vast, but visually interesting, new convention center. Much of this area was semi-industrial wateland before.

I temped at the World Trade Center for summer, and was in that area frequently. I vividly remember the wasteland. I wasn’t down that way on my last visit, I’ll have to make a point to cruise through there.

@Sal Ammoniac

The MFA was panned, in some quarters, for putting on display Ralph Lauren’s car collection, which personally, I kind of liked. Oh, and for putting billionaire Bill Koch’s yacht on their front lawn.

It seems “classical” culture is losing its audience to old age. None of the remaining record CD stores around here even HAVE a classical music section anymore. It makes wonder about the ultimate fate of the BSO or the Handel and Haydn Society. Perhaps the MFA and other traditional art museums are feeling a similar pinch and trying to move with the times.

[scotandrsn]

@dinahmoe

Filene’s is no more. It’s empty, and kind of eerie. The Basement is still there, though, and will remain there, no matter what ends up in the Filene’s building (I heard Target, maybe?)

That’s right, cuz of the merger of Macy’s and May company. Lord knows how many times I’ve been in a Filene’s in my life. I can’t believe it’s gone.

May company owned Robinson’s May (looks just like Filene’s) out here, as well, but we haven’t seen a lot of store closures yet. Many malls out here are anchored by a Macy at the end of one wing, and a Robinson’s May at the end of another. I think Macy’s is working with the malls to figure out what to do, since losing the RM may drop the crowd enough at some of these places to sink the Macy’s as well.

@dinahmoe

North Station is much different as well.

That’s what we were talking about above. I was riding a tour bus and hadn’t been keeping track of where we were. It didn’t even register as Causeway street until I saw the Garden, and then it STILL didn’t register as Causeway Street. It was mind-boggling that all those giant ugly pillars and viaducts were just plain gone.

[Anne_Neville]

No Boston dopers were affected by that crane collapse yesterday, I hope?

[dinahmoe]

@scotandrsn

That’s what we were talking about above. I was riding a tour bus and hadn’t been keeping track of where we were. It didn’t even register as Causeway street until I saw the Garden, and then it STILL didn’t register as Causeway Street. It was mind-boggling that all those giant ugly pillars and viaducts were just plain gone.

I was actually referring to the inside of North Station (although Causeway St. is astoundingly different). The inside of the station is very sterile and generic compared to the days of the real Garden. There’s no place to get a drink or buy a magazine inside. Only McDonalds and DD.