This is a humble comment for the people of Boston. I don’t know if you realize this, but the tourist experience in your city seems to revolve almost entirely around the Big Dig. (everyone mentions it in tours) Someone visiting from the other side of the world, with little prior knowledge of Boston, might come away thinking the city is defined by a construction project. And no one talks about how it made the city better? Just “it was so expensive!” Ok. But the city is so quaint and walkable.

This is a humble comment for the people of Boston. I don’t know if you realize this, but the tourist experience in your city seems to revolve almost entirely around the Big Dig. (everyone mentions it in tours) Someone visiting from the other side of the world, with little prior knowledge of Boston, might come away thinking the city is defined by a construction project. And no one talks about how it made the city better? Just “it was so expensive!” Ok. But the city is so quaint and walkable.

@futurebird ¿I thought every city had that one big, expensive freeway project that didn't help anything?

I assume it was good “economic stimulus” too? But mostly… it’s just really old news by now— In NYC we have the second ave subway which still isn’t done, and I HOPE no one walks visitors around weeping about it— it is very upsetting, yes, but it is not easy to dig holes under big living cities. I’m impressed that Boston did it in the end.

Anyway. Just a thought.

@CowboyWho @futurebird Big dig is the rare example that actually was a tremendous improvement (after first disrupting everyone's lives for ~a decade and a half with its construction).

@futurebird London has built a number of new Tube lines deep underground over the last few decades without Second Ave Subway-style agita.

@steve @CowboyWho

An over-budget engineering project! I have never heard of such a thing!

IDK sounds like they overpromised and low-balled to get it to a point of no return and that is sometimes the only way to do big projects? It’s not like there isn’t anything else interesting in the city to talk about.

This is a humble comment for the people of Boston. I don’t know if you realize this, but the tourist experience in your city seems to revolve almost entirely around the Big Dig. (everyone mentions it in tours) Someone visiting from the other side of the world, with little prior knowledge of Boston, might come away thinking the city is defined by a construction project. And no one talks about how it made the city better? Just “it was so expensive!” Ok. But the city is so quaint and walkable.

@futurebird @CowboyWho they absolutely over-promised and lowballed it, but on the other hand, if they hadn't there'd most likely still be a giant elevated chunk of I-93 running right through the center of that "quaint and walkable" city, so I have a fair amount of sympathy for the politicians who walked into it knowing full-well what was happening.

I assume it was good “economic stimulus” too? But mostly… it’s just really old news by now— In NYC we have the second ave subway which still isn’t done, and I HOPE no one walks visitors around weeping about it— it is very upsetting, yes, but it is not easy to dig holes under big living cities. I’m impressed that Boston did it in the end.

Anyway. Just a thought.

@steve @futurebird @CowboyWho I've found it's way easier politically to get rid of giant elevated freeways by simply living in a seismically active zone.

@futurebird TBF half the city is only accessible because of the dig. Would be a very different place without it. Mind you, I wasn’t here living through it.
On another note, was your water trip on the legendary duck boats?

This is a humble comment for the people of Boston. I don’t know if you realize this, but the tourist experience in your city seems to revolve almost entirely around the Big Dig. (everyone mentions it in tours) Someone visiting from the other side of the world, with little prior knowledge of Boston, might come away thinking the city is defined by a construction project. And no one talks about how it made the city better? Just “it was so expensive!” Ok. But the city is so quaint and walkable.

@futurebird I visited Boston in the early 2000s and they were talking about the big dig then! Amazing it's still a subject for discussion.

@numist @steve @CowboyWho

oh well then we will all just jump up and down on the cross bronx expressway overpasses until the earthquake scientists get upset and demand its buried properly (or deleted)