There are those in the Boston blogosphere who will never abandon the (perhaps correct) notion that Bostonist is but a poseur, a johnnie-come-lately to the Hub, forever unqualified to comment upon or report about our fair city. We fear that this post may add fuel to their fire, for we must betray our ignorance by asking, is Downtown Crossing really that bad? The Globe reports this morning that Mayor Menino and others have a new plan to revitalize the shopping district and that "after years of sparse dollars and failed initiatives, no one is taking any chances this time." One corporate executive says about the area, "It's tired, it's dirty, and it can be a real downer."
This must be a memo that Bostonist didn't get. While we will concede that Downtown Crossing is far from upscale, we've always enjoyed having an unpretentious pedestrian mall full of food, clothing, and gift options right near work. The strip that the Globe seems at pains to liken to a third-world bazaar ("a craggy mix of discount chains, fast-food spots, and vacant storefronts;" "sandwich boards and pushcarts, hawking everything from peanuts to ties, clutter sidewalks") is delightfully vibrant on summer weekdays, as it is one of the few places in our city that consistently draws people of all races and economic backgrounds.
Photo courtesy of flickr.com/user: brewrat
Nevertheless, developers think Downtown Crossing should be spruced up, and from what we can tell from the Globe article, mallified until it is unrecognizable. Some of the plans and suggestions mentioned by the Globe seem good to us: Who can argue with fixing sidewalks, setting up free wireless access, or attracting a supermarket (or Target)? But we're not so sure we're on board for the rest. Among other things, developers and others might want to get rid of the all-pedstrian set-up, bring in more upscale retail chains, and discourage street vendors, banners, and anything else that smacks of the disorganized, unpredictable, human element that makes city living enjoyable.
Bostonist votes for a gentler approach than what was employed by our neighbor to the south when Times Square got revamped some years back (our opinion has always been that if we wanted to go to Disneyland, we'd go to Disneyland, not Manhattan). Boston already has the Copley mall and the innumerable fancy malls that dot the western suburbs, but we don't have so many unique urban spaces where the diversity of our city is actually visible without the aid of demographics charts. (Also, Hip Zepi USA.) We hope the Mayor and the $200,000-a-year consultant the city wants to hire for the project will manage to keep some of Downtown Crossing's charm, and beg them not to mess with the pushcarts. Because we like roasted peanuts, and sometimes, we need to buy three neckties for twelve dollars.
UPDATE: Notwithstanding our self-conscious worrying about seeming like an outsider among Boston bloggers, a quick perusal of some of the usual suspects shows that Bostonist is not alone in our wariness of the Newburification of Washington Street.
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