Fourth of July 2015 Fireworks in Boston: Where to Watch
[Photo by Merritt Boyd via Flickr]
This Saturday Boston looses its annual fireworks whiz-bangery along the Charles River and we've scoped out a dozen spots for you and yours to ooh and aww at the spectacle. The vast majority don't cost a dime, either. These include public parks such as Robbins Farm in Arlington and Prospect Hill in Somerville as well as the Harvard Bridge (a.k.a. the Mass. Ave. Bridge) and the Pru's Skywalk Observatory. Feeling like dropping some money for the big holiday? We've got you covered there, too, with a couple of hotel roof decks as well as a canoe-on-the-Charles option. Go.
Boston Plays Trump Card Against Casino; Hub Bunny Boom
HUB-WIDE—It's because they breed like ... "Boston is known to be home to many creatures people look to avoid: Rats, squirrels, mice, roaches, pigeons, seagulls, mosquitoes, plenty of other bugs and birds, raccoons, possums, and sometimes a few Yankees and Lakers fans. But the city is experiencing the most adorable annual 'infestation' imaginable: Bunnies." [Metro]
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CHARLESTOWN/EVERETT—And guess what? The commission is not too keen on approval. "Most of the gamblers who would flock to Wynn's $1.7 billion casino would need to use Boston streets to get there, through the tangle of traffic that is Sullivan Square in Charlestown. Wynn wants to make a series of improvements to make those trips easier. But those upgrades can't happen without approval from the city's Public Improvement Commission, a panel of city department heads with authority over city roads and rights-of-way." [Globe]
What Under $860K Buys You in Boston This Fourth of July
Summer is officially upon us, but the real estate market has been burning up for a while now. Once you're done checking out the spectacular fireworks show this weekend (for which we've put together a list of the best places to watch), check out these open houses around the way. This week's homes run the gamut from a loft in a converted brewery to a top-floor unit on the waterfront. Prices range from $859Kdown to $335K. As we know in this city, time is of the essence and there's no time to waste.
10 Cold War-Era U.S. Embassies That Did Modernism Right
The U.S. Interests Section in Havana, originally designed by Harrison & Abramovitz, will regain its embassy status thanks to a recent move to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. Photo by Terry Feuerborn/Creative CommonsHailed as a huge diplomatic step forward, President Obama's announcement that the United States will re-open its embassy in Havana stands as one more concrete sign that relations between the two countries will be restored. A symbol of U.S. might in a closed Communist country, the building's curious history mirrors the two nations' relationship. "Closed" by Eisenhower in 1961 and demoted to a U.S. Interests Section, the modernist tower designed by Harrison & Abramovitz, the architects behind the UN Headquarters, has been the site of political gamesmanship. Embassies have always provided a potent way to project U.S. power, especially during the Cold War. Whereas in previous decades, the State Department had purchased existing buildings in foreign capitals, by the '50s, diplomats felt it was in our interest to commission a series of Modernist buildings that presented America as forward-thinking and idealistic. On the occasion of the 4th of July, here are some of our favorite examples.
Cape & Islands Fireworks; Lobster Roll Price Index; More!
Curbed Cape Cod, where it's always about to be the Fourth of July.
CAPE & ISLANDS—'Tis the season for summer fireworks! Here's where you can check them out from the Fourth of July through late August.
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CAPE & ISLANDS—Behold, the lobster roll price index.
Big Reveal: the Recently Gut-Renovated Back Bay 1-BR
And, now, the answer to this week's asking-price guessing game.
Address: 233 Commonwealth Avenue, #8
Price: $849,000
The Skinny: This one was never close. Nearly half of you guessed the correct asking for this 1-BR, 1-BA condo recently renovated and rendered sleekly clean. The second-highest vote-getter was $999,900with 23 percent and a further 7 percent-plus guessed more than $1M. It is Back Bay, after all.
Price: $849,000
The Skinny: This one was never close. Nearly half of you guessed the correct asking for this 1-BR, 1-BA condo recently renovated and rendered sleekly clean. The second-highest vote-getter was $999,900with 23 percent and a further 7 percent-plus guessed more than $1M. It is Back Bay, after all.
Fort Point's hot new eateries need more condo owners and apartment tenants post-haste: "Today, there are more than four restaurant seats for every home in the area, according to city records. The South End, by comparison, is roughly the opposite, with nearly two residences for each restaurant seat." [Globe]
We've mapped a dozen spots for you and yours to ooh and aww at the big Boston Fourth of July fireworks this Saturday over the Charles River. The vast majority don't cost a dime, either. These include public parks such as Robbins Farm in Arlington and Prospect Hill in Somerville as well as the Harvard Bridge (a.k.a. the Mass. Ave. Bridge) and the Pru's Skywalk Observatory. There are also some for-profit options if you're feeling flush. [Curbed Boston]Let's All Cheer the Seaport's Super-Elliptical Office Tower
We don't normally cover office construction that much, but the forthcoming commercial tower at 121 Seaport Boulevard had us doing a serious double-take and then applauding. So much of what is going up in Boston is rather bland and homogenous, ruthlessly sleek and shiny. Boring, in other words. Sure, there are rivulets and grooves here and there, the sorts that make architects' hearts flutter; but, to most of us, the newer towers against the skyline and those planned for it appear to be all of the same breed and that breed is rectangular gray.
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Restaurants Open on July 4; The Frogmore Debuts; More!
Chow down on some restaurant news with Eater Boston.
[Photo: the Frogmore/Chris Coe for Eater]
HUB-WIDE—These restaurants are open on July 4 and ready to tempt you with barbecue specials and more.
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JAMAICA PLAIN—The Frogmore opens tonight, bedecked in a pineapple motif, in the former Centre Street Sanctuary space. The new venture from the Fairsted Kitchen team serves lowcountry cuisine from the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
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Olympics Plan Would Add This Much Housing to Midtown
The clue in our latest Real Estate Jeopardy is: This is the number of housing units called for in Boston's Midtown area under newly unveiled plans for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
North End Drone Tour; Parking Drives Southie Condo Fight
NORTH END—Take a bird's-eye tour of the classic neighborhood via drone. [NorthEndWaterfront via Biz Journal]
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SOUTH BOSTON—Parking concerns (what else?) appear to be driving residents' concerns re: a proposed residential project on Old Harbor Street: "About 30 people who live near the planned nine-unit condo complex attended a meeting held by the Cronin Group Tuesday night at Marian Manor. Not one person in the audience voiced support for construction of the condos, which need the approval of the Zoning Board of Appeals." [Globe]
One amount is running away with this week's asking-price guessing game: $849,000 has garnered the lion's share of votes thus far with $999,900 a distant second. The property in question? A gut-renovated 1-BR, 1-BA on Commonwealth Avenue. Polls open through today. Vote! [Curbed Boston]Mapping 14 Imperiled Modern Buildings Being Rescued by the Getty Foundation
Photo via Craft Council.
It hasn't been an easy year for 20th-century architecture. The world bid adieu to Tokyo's Hotel Okura, mourned the loss of Paul Rudolph's Orange County Government Center, and said a tearful farewell to Josep LluÃs Sert's Martin Luther King Jr. School. And that doesn't even begin to account for those perishing under the weight of abandonment, neglect, and water damage. So who is going to come to the defense of our many embattled midcentury structures? The Getty Foundation's Keeping It Modern program, of course. According to a recently released announcement pledging over $1.75 million to the conservation of imperiled landmarks, everything from Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House to Walter Gropius' residence can breath a sigh of relief, at least for this year.
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