DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 12:55 pm
My daughter got her sub-lease, and it looks like its in a great neighborhood.
Capture.PNG
Only a 15-20 minute walk to her office, so she won't have to navigate the T every day.
Prime location, she'll be a 15 minute or less walk to just about anything. The Charles River Esplanade is a fantastic running trail just on the other side of Storrow Ave. Hopefully there is a walking bridge close by. Makes me nostalgic for living in a city and being young. So much possibility, and the free time to do everything (although not the money).
ETA: Looks like there is a walking bridge over Storrow Dr to the Esplanade running path right at the Harvard Bridge.
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt
DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 12:55 pm
My daughter got her sub-lease, and it looks like its in a great neighborhood.
Capture.PNG
Only a 15-20 minute walk to her office, so she won't have to navigate the T every day.
Prime location, she'll be a 15 minute or less walk to just about anything. The Charles River Esplanade is a fantastic running trail just on the other side of Storrow Ave. Hopefully there is a walking bridge close by. Makes me nostalgic for living in a city and being young. So much possibility, and the free time to do everything (although not the money).
ETA: Looks like there is a walking bridge over Storrow Dr to the Esplanade running path right at the Harvard Bridge.
Was just going to say I believe there is a bridge pretty close from what I can recall.
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
Yeah, I was alluding to being right on the Mass Ave bridge when I said Cambridge is more in play for her than most in Boston. If you aren't on the red line or right at a bridge, it just becomes more work than its worth most of the time.
Also, I feel like this might be a first time for this sentence: A friend was riding his bike over that bridge going home from a bachelor party at one of the two strip clubs sometime in the early AM when he hit a pothole, flipped forward over the handlebars and did the perfect amount of cosmetic damage to make the story (minor cuts and bruises but no real injuries).
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
mister d wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 8:58 pm
I can’t imagine anything more uncomfortable than “hello young person, I know your father from the men’s internet board”.
Ha ha. Yeah. Scratch that.
What' funny is that my kids grew up with me making friends on internet message boards and actually traveling to see them and attending weddings and stuff. (bigsoccer)
I don't know if they'd hang out with one of you willingly, but I don't know that they'd be that weirded out by the concept.
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
mister d wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 8:58 pm
I can’t imagine anything more uncomfortable than “hello young person, I know your father from the men’s internet board”.
Ha ha. Yeah. Scratch that.
What' funny is that my kids grew up with me making friends on internet message boards and actually traveling to see them and attending weddings and stuff. (bigsoccer)
I don't know if they'd hang out with one of you willingly, but I don't know that they'd be that weirded out by the concept.
My kids know how I met Rass, and even went to his house once. My son isn't fazed by anything, and he has friends from a Discord group that he regularly texts and has even called(!). My daughter thinks it's a little weird, but she still talks about how great Gus was, so that makes Rass acceptable by proxy.
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt
mister d wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 12:10 pm
My kids will roast the shit out of me for having computer friends whenever I inevitably meet Rass in person at Tiff's.
You should have brought the family to my Memorial Day parties when they were too young to know it's weird.
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt
Is it really that weird to kids to have computer friends these days? Media tells me that they just stay inside and scroll til-tok and play fortnight so that's what I believe.
I think the weird is "you should hang out with this person who is 25(?) years older than you". The generational difference seems like the biggest issue to me.
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”
P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 12:22 pm
Is it really that weird to kids to have computer friends these days? Media tells me that they just stay inside and scroll til-tok and play fortnight so that's what I believe.
This is largely true. Kids would rather communicate through apps (they don't text, they message through SnapChat etc) or FaceTime than actually see each other in person, so maybe the weird part of them is the face-to-face meetup, not the online interaction.
DSafetyGuy wrote:I think the weird is "you should hang out with this person who is 25(?) years older than you". The generational difference seems like the biggest issue to me.
100% this.
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt
P.D.X. wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 12:22 pm
Is it really that weird to kids to have computer friends these days? Media tells me that they just stay inside and scroll til-tok and play fortnight so that's what I believe.
I don't know if the computer friends part is weird but I think breaking the wall and meeting them in real life would be? Maybe both since the older one doesn't interact online (just mindlessly scrolls pinterest) and the younger one only plays with kids she already knows (and lives to talk shit about me).
Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 12:17 pm
My kid roasts me for having a cuddle pillow. I just tell them to fuck off. You're the adult here.
I use the youngest's stuffed animals and its cut the number of bad days with my right shoulder down by like 90%. Some subconscious thing where I don't put it up over my head or under my pillow if I have it wrapped around one of the Garys.
(There are four Garys: Gary Christmas, Gary Birthday, Gary Mexico and Gary Winter. Two tigers and two leopards.)
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 8:25 pm
Yea, Back Bay is gorgeous. But that was the point. It was created to keep the wealthy in and the poor Irish out.
I’ve been on the swamp most of my daughter’s life, met a bunch of you, got her help in Swampcrash, and occasionally showed her a funny post. And like all young’uns, she is very online. So, she or I meeting a swamper or somebody else through the internet wouldn’t faze her. Hell, AB’s kid gave her some tips on housing in Washington DC.
And, one of these days, we’ll get out to DC to visit her, and hopefully have a meetup with you DC/Baltimore/Philly area guys!
actually my kids have known for ages about "that message board" (even may have met 1 or 2...) but only over xmas break for some reason finding out my "handle" wasn't my real name but instead *MaxWebster* sent them into hysterics.
MaxWebster wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:35 pm
actually my kids have known for ages about "that message board" (even may have met 1 or 2...) but only over xmas break for some reason finding out my "handle" wasn't my real name but instead *MaxWebster* sent them into hysterics.
I am guessing they are familiar with Max Webster music?
sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:32 pm
I’ve been on the swamp most of my daughter’s life, met a bunch of you, got her help in Swampcrash, and occasionally showed her a funny post. And like all young’uns, she is very online. So, she or I meeting a swamper or somebody else through the internet wouldn’t faze her. Hell, AB’s kid gave her some tips on housing in Washington DC.
And, one of these days, we’ll get out to DC to visit her, and hopefully have a meetup with you DC/Baltimore/Philly area guys!
If that is the impetus, so be it. I've agitated for a meetup from the DMV for awhile.
We met up once at what used to be Buffalo Billiards in Dupont Circle, but that's the last one I'm aware of... Maybe you guys hate me?
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:32 pm
I’ve been on the swamp most of my daughter’s life, met a bunch of you, got her help in Swampcrash, and occasionally showed her a funny post. And like all young’uns, she is very online. So, she or I meeting a swamper or somebody else through the internet wouldn’t faze her. Hell, AB’s kid gave her some tips on housing in Washington DC.
And, one of these days, we’ll get out to DC to visit her, and hopefully have a meetup with you DC/Baltimore/Philly area guys!
She looked completely unexcited when I was at your place for dinner several years ago. It's the most frequent reaction.
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”
We made it to Boston. Decided to get a car service rather than try to negotiate the T with all of our luggage, including 2 overstuffed Patagonia duffel bags. Expensive, but worth it.
And when we pulled up to our hotel (The Arcadian in Brookline) I thought "wait...this place looks familiar". Turns out it used to be a Holiday Inn, and I stayed here in the mid 90's when I was in town for an Ultimate tournament.
I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel, having coffee, and doing some work, and its totally over-run with overweight guys with bad facial hair in flannel pajama pants.
Turns out there is a "Call of Duty" gamer tournament in town this weekend.
An update: We did the hellacious walking tour yesterday....from Back Bay, to by the Northeastern Campus, to downtown, then the Freedom trail over to Charlestown/Bunker Hill, then back along the waterfront, ending up at the Trillium Brewpub in Fort Point. It was a nice day, so it was cool...but it was about 10 miles and I was cooked afterwards.
Today we walked over to Fenway to the Target there, and walked by Fenway Park. I can imagine that area gets nutty on game days. Today was a lot colder, and kinda doing the "wintery mix" thing, so not seeing as many sights.
Did get to meet my daughter's roommate this afternoon. She seems cool...from Jersey, went to BC, has her masters in Public Health and is working for a Pharma company in Cambridge.
I'm super jealous of a young person getting to experience Boston and the surrounding area today. There's so much more modernization and cool stuff there now compared to 20+ years ago when I left for the military.
It's so, so cool that she'll get to live there now. Oh and if you google around there will be so much more development in the coming years too. Like Dorchester Bay and the Fenway Center.
mister d wrote:Couldn't have pegged me better.
EnochRoot wrote:I mean, whatever. Johnnie's all hot cuz I ride him.
this is/was absolutely crazy to watch. i lived in boston from 1987-2013 and exponentially the change downtown was crazy in that last decade especially - but even since then that Seaport district is mind-blowing. my last 4 years i worked in Seaport just over the channel (great old club The Channel in the late 80s / early 90s...) In 2013 it was still ... half? parking lots and then just coming back a few years later it was completely unrecognizable.
also when i first started in 2009 i could park all day for $9. by the time i'd left i was taking the train because it was well over $20 and I can't imagine it now.
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:43 pm
I'm super jealous of a young person getting to experience Boston and the surrounding area today. There's so much more modernization and cool stuff there now compared to 20+ years ago when I left for the military.
It's so, so cool that she'll get to live there now. Oh and if you google around there will be so much more development in the coming years too. Like Dorchester Bay and the Fenway Center.
yeah - a just question. there's a lot of nostalgia (from me, mostly) for the "grimy" era and it certainly was a lot cheaper to get around. hard to not look through a lens of "back in the day" - good question on whether it's better or not - probably/objectively is. it's just different.
HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 7:32 am
Is that better though. Probably. Maybe?
HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 7:32 am
Is that better though. Probably. Maybe?
It was for the seaport because its not like they gentrified, it was just an undeveloped wasteland (like abandoned post-harbor shipping facilities) easily walkable from the city directly next to a major transit hub. I don't love it now (because new in Boston is weird), but its definitely better than it was.
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
I won't say nothing there. I went to that area some as a kid aside from Aquarium and south station but the connectivity did almost create new land on the govt dime. More generally though I'd say Boston development seems to lag elsewhere especially as compared to newer cities and the core has changed maybe? for the better aside from student. That is is the childrens museum still free fridays
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:43 pm
I'm super jealous of a young person getting to experience Boston and the surrounding area today. There's so much more modernization and cool stuff there now compared to 20+ years ago when I left for the military.
It's so, so cool that she'll get to live there now. Oh and if you google around there will be so much more development in the coming years too. Like Dorchester Bay and the Fenway Center.
The Seaport district was where that Trillium brewery was that we ended up at. All kinds of development there, including a Trader Joes and an Alamo Draft House. All bustling with people on an early Saturday evening.
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:43 pm
I'm super jealous of a young person getting to experience Boston and the surrounding area today. There's so much more modernization and cool stuff there now compared to 20+ years ago when I left for the military.
It's so, so cool that she'll get to live there now. Oh and if you google around there will be so much more development in the coming years too. Like Dorchester Bay and the Fenway Center.
The Seaport district was where that Trillium brewery was that we ended up at. All kinds of development there, including a Trader Joes and an Alamo Draft House. All bustling with people on an early Saturday evening.
Excited to watch this video. I was blown away went I went to Fort Point/Seaport area about 5 years ago (to go to Trillium). When I was in Boston (1998-2001), that area was mostly warehouses and industrial buildings that were largely empty. Went to the World Trade Center (which was more like a convention center) for some standardized test or something, can't even remember what it was, and once to eat at a touristy seafood place that was on a barge. Other than that, no reason to ever go there. First time I went at night, and it felt like a futuristic Brooklyn, I felt like I walked into a rosy, hipster version of Bladerunner. It was just such a shocking transformation.
As for the Greenway, my time in Boston was fully during the construction period of the Big Dig. That area was nothing but a tangled mess of merging highways elevated over grimy streets. Driving in that area was an absolute nightmare due to constant road closures. Even walking was a hassle. Now, all the roads are underground and it's a series of beautiful parks and highly walkable. It was an epic disaster, but probably worth it in the end. 15 years and Billions over budget, the mafia had their hands in jacking up costs and slowing progress. My friend/classmate's roommate was a foreman on the project, and he rarely even showed up to work, stole insane amounts of expensive tools, etc... Great guy, but he just didn't see the point in showing up or doing the right thing since nobody else was. Actually, going to their apartment was the only time I ever crossed into Somerville (cross thread comment).
An honest to God cult of personality - formed around a failed steak salesman.
-Pruitt
The Sybian wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:39 am
Driving in that area was an absolute nightmare due to constant road closures. Even walking was a hassle.
I've taken a bunch of Uber/Lyft rides while I've been here...and I can't even begin to imagine what driving in this town is like. Just seems completely baffling.
Driving there was one of those things where the more you learned the city, the worse the driving was because there weren't any good ways and the more you knew that, the more pre-annoyed you could get. There was like one softball field we'd play on that was two different buses where I drove it but otherwise the train/bus/bike worked out. Even now when we visit, we park the car up at the top of the red line (Alewife) when we arrive and pick it up when we're leaving. (Which is an excellent plan unless you take the train back to your car on the last day and realize in the parking garage you left the car keys in your bag which is back in the hotel.)
Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:13 pmOh shit, you just reminded me about toilet paper.
Now try it with a Thule on top*. And a tray on the back. IT's a terrible city to drive and I'd sell my car if I lived there.
I assume I have told this but I went into a parking garage down by the harbor but the thule was too tall. So I had to take the thule off and put in the minivan with all the seats down. I actually sent the kids to the hotel on the metro because the oldest was familiar. Luckily no one in the garage was from Boston so I think they felt sorry for me. A true bostonian would have murdered me (and not convicted). Also reminds me of a nashville story that I may go post.
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
