[r c nelson]

Baines, on Aug 22 2007, 08:49 PM, said:

The word I have now is that "it is on hold...we should know something right after Labor Day."
Whatever that means...anytime after Sept 3rd in September or anytime after September 3rd but before October 27th?

The project delays are now longer than the estimated project construction time. I wonder if that can be correlated into a prediction of this going or not? This has become a matter of faith now (those that believe but cannot see)

Brother, I have faith but my resolve is slipping. Time to get a little silly but I feel it's relevant to the topic at hand. In 1956 I was in the 4th grade at the Henry Barnard School which used to be where Providece Place Mall stands today. My classroom was on the 2nd floor and the desks were facing west. We had huge windows which were to my left facing south towards downtown.
Instead of listening to my teacher Mrs. Ellsworth, I would stare out the window and look at downtown. I would daydream about what would happen if Godzilla came up the Providence River from the south and attacked the Industrial National Bank building. I could see Godzilla wrapping hs arms around the building and knocking it to the ground. Afterwards he would go after Turks Head and RI Hospital Trust. It would take only a few minutes to destroy everything. Slim pickings for a monster back in 1956. The Howard Building was too small to matter to such an important visitor to our fair city. If I really had my head in the clouds ,on other days Godzilla would continue to smash his way through the Chinese Wall wrecking the railroad tracks of New Haven Railroad and continue towards me and my fellow students. By then it may have been too late to escape.
Here is my point. Will I some day be able to fantasize about Godzilla sneaking up on 110 Westminster and on to the two Westin hotels or go back to school and finish the 4th grade. Thanx for your attention to this matter.

[Pseudo_Work]

Lone Ranger, on Aug 24 2007, 09:27 AM, said:

Well you don't have to worry about one thing, Jerry. Providence has never been, and will never be, merely a suburb of Boston.

That all depends on who you ask (not that I agree with it). I think part of the problem is that there are a lot of people around here who are quite frankly satisfied with Providence being Boston's bedroom, and not concerned enough with it being a great city in its own right.

[runawayjim]

Pseudo_Work, on Aug 24 2007, 02:55 PM, said:

That all depends on who you ask (not that I agree with it). I think part of the problem is that there are a lot of people around here who are quite frankly satisfied with Providence being Boston's bedroom, and not concerned enough with it being a great city in its own right.

i might be the only one, but i actually like providence a whole lot better than boston. if i could improve one thing about providence, it'd be the public transit. i think a lot will follow that.

[Liamlunchtray]

runawayjim, on Aug 24 2007, 03:19 PM, said:

i might be the only one, but i actually like providence a whole lot better than boston. if i could improve one thing about providence, it'd be the public transit. i think a lot will follow that.

Its not just you. I have always adored Providence, but completely despise Boston. I hate having to goto Boston. Its all of the hassle of living in a big city with very little of the payoff. If I was going to live in a large city in the northeast it would be New York. Providence is like the porridge that is "just right".

[Pseudo_Work]

runawayjim, on Aug 24 2007, 12:19 PM, said:

i might be the only one, but i actually like providence a whole lot better than boston. if i could improve one thing about providence, it'd be the public transit. i think a lot will follow that.

I adore this place too. I've never found another that makes me as happy (or as frustrated, at times). I also agree 110% about the public transit issue. I'd love nothing more than to sell my honda civic, and be able to step out my front door and catch the streetcar coming down Broadway.

All that being said, I don't actively dislike Boston (I think there ARE things we can learn from it), but Providence has much more to offer in most respects, and for that matter operates quite differently. All I'm saying is that unfortunately, a lot of the people at the top don't seem to have the vision or level of taste that most of the people who actually live here do. I think they're completely content letting Providence be Boston's little sister, and not much else.

If Providence should try to be like any place, it should be Portland, not Boston. But I try not to compare cities to each other too often.

[Baines]

Pseudo_Work, on Aug 24 2007, 12:55 PM, said:

That all depends on who you ask (not that I agree with it). I think part of the problem is that there are a lot of people around here who are quite frankly satisfied with Providence being Boston's bedroom, and not concerned enough with it being a great city in its own right.

I know of no significant attitude that PVD is a suburb to BOS...as it is not and never will be.

What I have seen for decades is people in RI with a very poor image of PVD, an extreme lack of knowledge of the city's great assets, no clue of the concept of a metro, and now a lack of awareness of it's national reputation. Hell - look at the bonehead sign RIAC put up at the airport. Doesn't that tell you volumes about the political climate? - they ignore the greatest asset in southern New England.

So, you are correct, the general lack of a grand vision and desire to invest in PVD always seems to place an artificial cap on most bold thoughts and actions things related to PVD.

But, there are people who do have commitment and pride in PVD and it will continue to get bigger, stronger, and better over time.

[Lone Ranger]

Pseudo_Work, on Aug 24 2007, 07:20 PM, said:

I think they're completely content letting Providence be Boston's little sister, and not much else.

Now, it's one thing to call Providence Boston's little sister (which doesn't necessarily carry negative connotations, and which I think is true, and which in fact is a term I myself have occasionally used with a measure of pride) and quite another to call Providence a suburb of Boston (which I think is completely untrue, almost to the point of being farcical).

For one thing, Providence isn't a suburb of anywhere. Providence is very dense, by American standards, one of the denser cities in this country. For another thing, there's far too much going on here -- culturally, I mean -- for us to be considered a bedroom community. Our restaurant scene is already better than Boston's. As for nightlife, Boston is a dud. And of course we can't match Boston in terms of the arts, but let's be reasonable in our comparisons: Providence is one of the artsiest mid-sized cities in the country. Oh, and I hear we have a couple of moderately good universities here as well. I think I said this very thing not too long ago, and I'll say it again, Brown might not be Harvard, but that's hardly to be considered a knock on Brown.

Boston is a big city, we're not, this much is true. And because of the extremely small physical size of the city of Providence, Providence will never be considered a big city in the same way that Boston is. It's just a fact of life. I mean, even if for some reason we had an incredible population explosion and the city's population reached 300,000 (which would give us a population density of 15,000 per square mile, a remarkable figure by American standards, behind only NYC and San Francisco, I believe), we would still *only* be considered a mid-sized city.

But the true measure of a city is more than its total population.

There's a great deal of life here. Credit where credit is due.

This post has been edited by Lone Ranger: 25 August 2007 - 10:28 AM

[runawayjim]

Lone Ranger, on Aug 24 2007, 08:46 PM, said:

I mean, even if for some reason we had an incredible population explosion and the city's population reached 300,000 (which would give us a population density of 15,000 per square mile, a remarkable figure by American standards, behind only NYC and San Francisco, I believe), we would still *only* be considered a mid-sized city.

if you only count cities with populations over 100k, then we'd be behind NYC, SF, jersey city, and perhaps cambridge. but people generally consider cambridge as part of boston (unless you live in cambridge or hate it for whatever reason) and jersey city is never really thought of nationally as it's way over-shadowed by NYC. but even still, it's some pretty good company up there.

there's some small cities (~60k and less) that are only a couple sq miles big, making their population densities huge. like who ever heard of guttenberg, NJ... 0.04 sq mi with a population of almost 11k.

[CtownMikey]

Cotuit, on Aug 14 2007, 09:47 AM, said:

Last I heard they were shooting for Labor Day weekend. Should be a BIG party when they finally open their doors.

The owner of Downcity said they are opening this Saturday

[Claremorris]

I get so excited every time I see this thread active again.

Any news here?

[Pseudo_Work]

Claremorris, on Sep 3 2007, 09:16 PM, said:

I get so excited every time I see this thread active again.

Any news here?

Everyone on here is watching this project like Sally Struthers watches "Good Eats." The second any shred of news breaks on this, it'll show up here.

[Claremorris 2]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I am someone who has been reading this website for years and have wanted to join the discussion, but just never actually did it. However, this conversation about Providence vs. Boston has compelled me to join, mainly because what I have read is utterly ridiculous. I lived in and attended college in Providence for four years and currently live in Boston. Great time. I really enjoyed just how far Providence has come because, even though I am young, I remember what it used to be like. There are great schools in the city, one of the most underated art musuems (RISD), and the restaurants are some of the best.

HOWEVER, I'm sorry to break it to you but Providence gets a little bit boring after awhile. You can only go to the mall, Thayer-Wickedon-Westminster-Atwells, Waterfire, etc. so many times. Don't get me wrong, compared to many other smaller cities, Providence is amazing in these aspects. But there is no way you could possibly say Providence is better than Boston. Boston has truly lived up to its nickname as the Athens of America and the Hub of the Universe. There are far, far more resturants, bars, museums, sports teams, students, etc. than Providence. I won't even begin to talk about how much more exciting the architecture prospects are for Boston.

Moreover, the reality is that Boston's metro area is growing. Towns that are located in southeastern MA (especially the 146-495 area) and yes, RI, are beginning to rely more and more upon Boston. I believe that towns have recently left the Providence metro and gone into the Boston (look up Bellingham, MA in wikipedia). I know many people who rightfully consider Providence a part of Boston's metro (and one blatant example of this are sports teams: Red Sox/Pawsox, Bruins/PBruins). Additionally and more importantly many people live in Providence and work in Boston; and most only because Providence is cheaper, not because it has cultural significance.

New York is too much, Providence is too little, and Boston is just right. Providence just is not there yet. That's why RI has a problem with keeping college graduates in the state. That's why 110 is having problems going up; people don't want to move to a city that quite frankly becomes boring. I know that this post will draw many disgruntled responses and I welcome them, but please just realize how silly you look when you say Providence is better than Boston. Thanks for your time.

[Lone Ranger]

Cherrypicking.

[CtownMikey]

i dont think the vs thread is right or wrong... isn't it all about personal opinion and preference?

[Pseudo_Work]

Claremorris 2, on Sep 4 2007, 08:12 PM, said:

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I am someone who has been reading this website for years and have wanted to join the discussion, but just never actually did it. However, this conversation about Providence vs. Boston has compelled me to join, mainly because what I have read is utterly ridiculous. I lived in and attended college in Providence for four years and currently live in Boston. Great time. I really enjoyed just how far Providence has come because, even though I am young, I remember what it used to be like. There are great schools in the city, one of the most underated art musuems (RISD), and the restaurants are some of the best.

HOWEVER, I'm sorry to break it to you but Providence gets a little bit boring after awhile. You can only go to the mall, Thayer-Wickedon-Westminster-Atwells, Waterfire, etc. so many times. Don't get me wrong, compared to many other smaller cities, Providence is amazing in these aspects. But there is no way you could possibly say Providence is better than Boston. Boston has truly lived up to its nickname as the Athens of America and the Hub of the Universe. There are far, far more resturants, bars, museums, sports teams, students, etc. than Providence. I won't even begin to talk about how much more exciting the architecture prospects are for Boston.

Moreover, the reality is that Boston's metro area is growing. Towns that are located in southeastern MA (especially the 146-495 area) and yes, RI, are beginning to rely more and more upon Boston. I believe that towns have recently left the Providence metro and gone into the Boston (look up Bellingham, MA in wikipedia). I know many people who rightfully consider Providence a part of Boston's metro (and one blatant example of this are sports teams: Red Sox/Pawsox, Bruins/PBruins). Additionally and more importantly many people live in Providence and work in Boston; and most only because Providence is cheaper, not because it has cultural significance.

New York is too much, Providence is too little, and Boston is just right. Providence just is not there yet. That's why RI has a problem with keeping college graduates in the state. That's why 110 is having problems going up; people don't want to move to a city that quite frankly becomes boring. I know that this post will draw many disgruntled responses and I welcome them, but please just realize how silly you look when you say Providence is better than Boston. Thanks for your time.

My question is: Where in this thread did anyone go on a tyrade such as this one about how much better Providence is than Boston? Get over yourself, post this somewhere that's relevant, and let everyone else discuss the topic at hand without you mucking it up. Whether or not you're right is a topic that's not even worth getting into until you find the correct thread to do so. Create one of your own if you see fit. My unsolicited two cents, since I'm already just as guilty of getting sucked into this as you are of writing it in the first place: chances are, if that's really your attitude toward urban life, you'll get bored with Boston too. It might just take longer.

And yes, it IS completely about personal taste.

This post has been edited by Pseudo_Work: 05 September 2007 - 12:09 AM

[mental757]

apples and oranges folks, apples and oranges...

on the whole, Providence cannot be accurately compared with a city 5 times its size. Certain aspects perhaps, but not in general.

Hartford on the other hand, well, nevermind...

lol

[TheBostonian]

Based on nightlife, restaurants, culture, architecture, downtown and overall atmosphere, PVD is better than a number of cities several times its size like Charlotte, Phoenix and Houston.

mental757, on Sep 5 2007, 09:16 AM, said:

apples and oranges folks, apples and oranges...

on the whole, Providence cannot be accurately compared with a city 5 times its size. Certain aspects perhaps, but not in general.

Hartford on the other hand, well, nevermind...

lol

[Pseudo_Work]

TheBostonian, on Sep 5 2007, 06:50 AM, said:

Based on nightlife, restaurants, culture, architecture, downtown and overall atmosphere, PVD is better than a number of cities several times its size like Charlotte, Phoenix and Houston.

Most cities are better than Phoenix or Houston.

[mental757]

Houston - the city who couldn't decide where to build it's core?? There is like 5 "downtowns" in Houston. I almost moved to Houston a while back, and while I'm sure there are some nice things about it, glad I didn't.

[RLucas83]

mental757, on Sep 5 2007, 12:45 PM, said:

Houston - the city who couldn't decide where to build it's core?? There is like 5 "downtowns" in Houston. I almost moved to Houston a while back, and while I'm sure there are some nice things about it, glad I didn't.

Atlanta has a good 4 skylines too, the suburb of Buckhead has a skyline bigger and better than most mid sized american cities!

But anyways, i say we gte back on topic, im sure im not the only one who gets excited when i see theres a new post in this thread! Im giving it until their waterfire, if theres no news by then, i'll assume the project is dead.