And to think they get paid for it

Now, our blog is not one for us to rant on, but I thought this article, especially for those of us who may pay taxes in Boston, is an interesting one. Apparently, a bunch of people from City Hall went down to NYC to take a look at how New York has redeveloped or planned their parks. Why? Because Boston Common is being used more for crime and drug use than the actual public use it was made for, many years ago. Click here for the article.

As someone with an urban planning background, perhaps this is why I find this to be dumb. Go around your own city, and check out PO Square in the Financial District or the new cafe at the ICA and see how successful they are...why? cause there is food, music and it's clean. The fact that officials took notes learning about wi-fi cafes, public events and concerts that happen in NYC is sad to me. Perhaps instead of wasting money on a trip, they could have saved Shakespeare in the Common or brought a new group there. Or better yet, giving the potential of a Frog Pond bar/cafe (already proposed many times before) some actual merit. Or, some more street lights, but similar to Menino's massive tower, maybe this is a pie in the sky dream.