No, the new Copley Square isn't as bad as you've heard
Okay, I admit it, I went to the new Copley Square in Boston on Wednesday, prepared to hate it.
But you know what? It wasn't that bad.
Which is kind of surprising, because if you've been reading some of the press about the reopened and redesigned park, you'd think it was an utter architectural disaster.
I mean, yeah, there's lots and lots of open space and gleaming flagstone at the Back Bay's signature public gathering space. And at mid-morning in the middle of the week, there were only a handful of people in evidence. And there was a severe shade deficit.
But I did not see, as I expected to see, a sunblasted, dystopian hellscape with an Imperial Shuttle taking off at the corner of Dartmouth Street.
Nor did I witness any white helmeted stormtroopers marching in formation.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has urged Bostonians to be patient, and to put up with the lack of anything green — which city officials say is forthcoming.
'It will be a more vibrant, more walkable and more welcoming space for everyone,' Wu told WCVB-TV last month.
'Copley Square is one of these places where it's the chance to bring everyone together, whether it's your first time visiting Boston, or just your spot to have a bit of quiet reflection and sit and take in all the incredible architecture and beauty and community,' Wu continued. 'We wanted it to be everything it could be for all the different groups and people who love it so much.'
But because this is an election year, the redesign immediately became a flash point for the battle for City Hall.
Wu's chief rival, Josh Kraft, blasted out a suitably outraged press release.
'Like many Bostonians, I was shocked to see the 'new' Copley Plaza, consisting of mostly barren open space. It is grey, barren and soulless and looks like a skateboard park,' Kraft harrumphed. 'Where are the trees and green space, and more importantly, did the community have input here? Mayor Wu needs to explain what happened.'
Heavens. A skate park? Those kids and their darn punk music.
Stand by, Mr. Kraft, there are some aging, ex-Allston residents who'd like a word. They have rolled up copies of 'Thrasher' in their back pockets and The Bosstones blasting from their earbuds.
Punch line: They're also all trial lawyers now. And they write big checks. Like, huge.
Again, it's important to note that the park isn't done yet. And so far, we have to take the city at its word that the green space is coming.
When I stopped by there on Wednesday, I peered over the construction fencing near Trinity Church, and the work appeared to be ongoing.
But if those spires turn into some sort of Parthenon for Big Papi, all bets are off.
Speaking to WBUR, Brookline urban planner Jeff Speck, who didn't have a hand in the new park, similarly urged patience. He told the station it now has more space for live music performances and a proposed beer garden.
Look, I get it. This is a place that likes what it likes. How else to explain continued devotion to the Red Sox and a roast beef sandwich that inexplicably includes both barbecue sauce and mayonnaise?
Okay. The Red Sox thing I get. I'm an Orioles fan and a Catholic. I'm used to suffering and putting my faith in things I can't see.
Like, y'know, effective hitting and pitching.
The sandwich? Not as much.
Besides, if you're that impatient for green space, you can always walk the extra five blocks to The Public Garden or the Common.
There, you'll find roughly a zillion acres of green and a surplus of trees — but also tourists who struggle with the notion of two-way traffic on sidewalks.
So there's that.
Like Speck, I'm onboard with the sleek modernism of the new space, which he argues fits in with the city's urban core. Not everywhere has to be a mini-Walden Pond where we all go to live deliberately.
Patience, Boston. You waited 86 years for a World Series-winning ball club. You can wait a few more weeks for some trees.
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