Recent comments in /f/CambridgeMA

erbalchemy t1_jeb2tq5 wrote

"And as an adult, I haven’t spent as much time in Harvard Square."

That's basically the problem. (Not you, specifically) but people who don't live in a neighborhood, who don't visit, don't shop there. don't work there, don't spend money there, don't own property there, don't run a business there--they don't usually get a voice in how a neighborhood develops over time.

"Harvard Square isn’t what is used to be." It's like The Neverending Story. You have to go there. You have to participate. You have to be part of the story. Or else it gets consumed by the Nothing. (again, speaking in general terms--not trying to call you out)

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AMWJ t1_jeaur25 wrote

I'm so confused right now - you guessed correctly that I live in a loud city, so don't you also trust me that a plane flyover is occasionally way louder than anything else around this loud enough city? It's not my first flyover - I've never had warning of them before, so let me inform you that the two seconds it took to see this on the subreddit was far more pleasant than hearing a two second long explosion in the air that disrupts my meeting and thinking, "Why is it that the entire metropolitan area needs to know that there's a baseball game happening in downtown?"

Why in the world should I know that it's Openings Day? What even is Openings Day - is it the day of the first game? I know there's something called "pre-season" - is it the first day of pre-season, or is it the first day of the normal season? If there's an event at the stadium that's not a baseball game before the season, is the day of that event the Openings Day? Do I get off work? Is there Closings Day?

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devmac1221 t1_jear4mn wrote

If lived here all my life (30 + years) and It's definitely lost a lot but there is still some good there, though mostly from a nostalgic view. I used to go out drinking there all the time, can't anymore because all the good bars/"clubs" are gone now and because Harvard kids are insufferable when they drink lol.

I still occasionally swing through Newbury comics "for old time sake" to see what kind of cool weird shit I can find in there. It's nice to go sit in the park and people watch still. Felipes and Charlie's Kitchen are still good places to go eat. The chains and businesses have taken over for sure but on a nice, mid-spring or a mild summer day it can still be really nice

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MatNomis t1_jeam6u0 wrote

Yeah. There was even a gap between the closure of the big one (by the Pit; the last of the three to close) and the new, Curious George one opening where there was no Starbucks in the Square proper. It was wild.

But I feel like the best coffee (overall; including price/size value) is probably gotten at Flour, anyway (blue bottle is likely better, but too slow/expensive).

4

lilliavert t1_jeakjrq wrote

I sympathize with you on the savings and income piece because I found myself in a similar situation when I was looking for my first apartment, where I had the money to afford rent but my credit history was thin. Savings and and income may not be enough for landlords to deem you as a reliable tenant if your credit score is not up to their standards. Could this be a factor in your situation?

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bunk_debunk t1_jeah5uf wrote

> Not long ago, there was a Starbucks on Church Street, a Starbucks in the Garage, and then the big one by the Pit right outside the main T entrance. Those have all had a fair amount of seating space and have all closed and are replaced by the small one in the former Curious George space.

All closed? Hmm. I don't go to Starbuck's, so lost track, but those are the ones I was counting.

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MatNomis t1_jeafmsf wrote

There’s still a few nice things in the Square, but right now the argument between new and old, chain vs local is kind of moot because so many places are literally vacant…some for quite for a while. The theater, the old “Hidden Sweets” location near Felipe’s, the old Starbucks location on Church St, former Dickson Bros’ location now vacant..

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