Howls of despair erupted when Filene's Basement announced it would close for two years for renovations. People would miss the Bridal Dress Catfight Spectacular, and the closing would damage Downtown Crossing's economic prospects.

To top it all off, the signs at Filene's Basement said, "Filene's is closing, but the basement stays." So much for that sentiment.

The Globe went straight to the mayor. Downtown Crossing has been a pet project for the mayor's office. At one point, the office was thinking about giving the neighborhood a fancy new name.

So it's no surprise that the mayor has gone all Crazy Eddie's Mattress Warehouse by pitching Filene's to reporters. He told the Globe, "They are the attraction in the area right now. I'm agitated. It means a lot to Downtown Crossing." The Globe also mentioned that Menino gets his suits at Filene's.

Even though the mayor seems unusually attached to Filene's, his argument is legit - the last thing Downtown Crossing needs is for Filene's Basement to close its doors. And Target, the mayor's other favored discount-shopping mecca, doesn't look like it's coming to the rescue just yet.

If the Downtown Crossing Filene's Basement closes, it also means that the fancier Back Bay Filene's Basement will represent the chain. That will take all the fun out of shopping at Filene's Basement because the whole point of the store is the pleasure of finding a designer goodie in a bargain bin.

The mayor clearly understands that kind of joy, so Bostonist is waiting to see if he'll say anything about the Basement shutdown in his weekly column. He could always threaten to wear a burlap sack if Filene's Basement doesn't move to a temporary location.

Image of a Filene's Basement sign courtesy of Flickr user cambodia4kidsorg. Image of the mayor probably rocking a Filene's suit from the city of Boston's website.

It comes up every now and again. The idea that somehow Boston and Bostonians want to be New York or New Yorkers invades us from the South. Sure, the big apple has it's charm but we've got our reasons for living here in Boston and we don't need it to replicate New York. The New York Times recently featured an article on Tony Goldman, a man credited with inventing SoHo, and his efforts to redevelop Fort Point. And perhaps try a new name on for size:

Mr. Goldman said he intended to rebrand the quarter as the Boston Wharf District, and construction of the first phase of his project, which begins in March, entails creating 87 condominiums at 316-322 Summer Street. A second phase, scheduled for construction next year, will add 150 to 200 more. The price of the apartments will be about $400,000 to over $1 million, with an average price of about $500,000. Within five years, Goldman Properties also plans to create about 90,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, said Albert Price, a managing director of the company.

The article concentrates on the similarities of Fort Point and SoHo and gives a hat tip to the South End for starting some of the SoHo-esque development (you know, SoWa) Goldman hopes to continue across the Channel from downtown. Bostonist shares the apprehension some from the Fort Point Cultural Coalition have expressed – Fort Point is already a neighborhood, trying to make it one is just forced. More less than affordable condos will surely crop up, and it was floated that some original cobblestone and railroad ties will be uncovered as part of the "new" neighborhood's charm.

Fort Point already has artists and galleries, even some hipsters. David Day shows some of the sights from sQuare one studios in Fort Point via Flickr.

Maureen Feeney (Dorchester) has been elected the first female Boston City Council president in 30 years. She gained more support from other councilors than incumbent and longtime president Michael Flaherty (at large) and John Tobin (JP, West Roxbury).

Aside from the great news that a woman is in charge after way too long, the other news is the fallout from Flaherty's defeat. The Globe repeats that he's still aiming for the mayor's office. Joe Heisler has some intriguing thoughts on how Feeney was voted in and Flaherty was voted out, asking, "Was [Flaherty] blinded by his own ambition, or merely blindsided by the ambitions of his colleagues?"

Why is this even a big deal in the first place? Well, whoever is City Council president will be acting mayor if anything happens to Tom Menino, and, as Flaherty has amply proven based on his ambition, the position is a nice jumping point for anyone who wants to be mayor.

So, will there be any big changes as a result? For starters, she could start thinking about how to stop the shooting in her district. Her press release declared that her focus would be on public safety and education, and she's a member of the Youth Violent Crime Prevention committee.

A Phoenix article from 2001, which covered Feeney as she ran for re-election against many opponents, noted, "Thanks in part to her work, there are now more than 30 neighborhood associations and crime-watch groups in the district." Of course, it's her job to worry about the whole city, but her particular expertise might come in handy when tackling one of the city's biggest problems.

Image of new Boston City Council president Maureen Feeney from maureenfeeney.com.