« September 5, 2004 - September 11, 2004 | Main | September 19, 2004 - September 25, 2004 »
September 17, 2004
Inman Square: Isolated, but homey, simple
Inman Square is for the 'quiet creatives', those who want a slower pace, but still be able to meet interesting people in innovative third places. That's significantly achieved by its location away (but not too far away) from any university or subway stop.
Inman is similar in description to Central Square as far as venues and urban design (it is for the most part a four to five block main street). Intimate best describes Inman - the restaurants are stylish and average a tiny 600 sq. ft., it has a well-known improv tucked away, no shortage of thrift and hardware stores, great homemade ice cream, one of two locations for the creatives' favorite coffee place in town: 1369 Coffee House, and the best diner, S & S ("es and es" is yiddish for "eat and eat").
This is a neighborhood designed for long conversations on a Sunday morning.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 16, 2004
Central Square: Great venues, so-so urban design
The live music hangout in Cambridge, MA is in Central Square, the place to be for MIT students. It also has one of the most popular coffee houses (1369 Coffee House), co-op markets and Economy Hardware - where Target meets Ikea meets Home Depot in a small package on your neighborhood main street.
Unfortunately, the main street here is long and continuous, 50' wide vs. the 36' wide streets in Harvard Square, meaning the place feels more like pedestrians are secondary to a five-lane street rather than cars infringing on pedestrian territory like in Harvard Square. However, the fact that the place is less desirably aesthetically is the main reason why some of the coolest, budget-conscious hangouts (and people) are here.
If this is any indication, the two biggest art supply stores (by far) are located in Central Square.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 15, 2004
Harvard Square: Great place-making, but the creatives are long-gone
Harvard Square is a visual wonder - the streets are alive with students, outdoor seating abounds, the curving streets are picturesque, terminated streets give a feeling of being in grand outdoor rooms, and the buildings are either turn-of-the-century or built with quality brick and stone. As you can see in the plan, many of the streets are short, organic and end with buildings. This goes a long, long way in giving the area a strong sense of identity, as well as security and intimacy. In fact, compared to the other areas we visited, it's almost a must in creating a strong sense of place.
However, most of who you see on the streets are students or bourgeois, and many of the long-time tenants lamented about how the retail chains were turning the place into a shopping mall. Where were they going? That'll be covered in the next few blogs.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 14, 2004
First stop on our five-city tour?
A local pub of course. In order to know where to go, my associate and I had to ask the locals: Ben and his friend, Deborah, and Jason, followed later by George, Kara and Russ. Although our heads were swimming with newfound facts and insights, we were able to identify four must-see places:
Harvard Square: Although this was on our list and the most active, architecturally-rich place in Cambridge, we didn't realize it had turned into a 'giant shopping mall'. Proof? It had become a haven for chain stores and teenagers.
Central Square: MIT's hangout. This is where the creative overflow in the immediate area has migrated to, where the rents are a lot cheaper and one will find a lot more live music. It's also home to one of the coolest stores - more on that later.
Inman Square: The only main street we visited not near a university and a subway station, Inman had the most established residents, and probably the strongest sense of community.
Davis Square: Near Tufts University in Somerville, Davis' theater, pubs, coffee shops and cafes now attract what the patronage of Harvard Square used to - creatives, bohemians and the budget-conscious.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
September 13, 2004
Every neighborhood should have its day
This is my neighborhood and this is its day (yesteday), Adams Morgan Day.
Held since 1978 and organized by the Adams Morgan Main Street Group, this annual event attracts over 20,000 people to one of the only closed-street festivals in Washington DC.
In an effort to improve its business purpose of promoting the neighborhood main street, fewer outside vendors were allowed and 85% of all the local restaurants and stores were open (which isn't normal for many owners on a Sunday afternoon).
The highlights of the festival were a dunking booth and entertainment on three stages - one for the main acts, another for local performers, and the third for cultural performances/dances. Another crowd-pleaser was an open mike session in front of one of the restaurants.
By the way, this photo was taken from the office conference room at my shared entrepreneurial workplace, Affinity Lab.
I'm off to document Cambridge, MA and nearby areas, and back on Thursday.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
