If lived here all my life (30 + years) and It's definitely lost a lot but there is still some good there, though mostly from a nostalgic view. I used to go out drinking there all the time, can't anymore because all the good bars/"clubs" are gone now and because Harvard kids are insufferable when they drink lol.

I still occasionally swing through Newbury comics "for old time sake" to see what kind of cool weird shit I can find in there. It's nice to go sit in the park and people watch still. Felipes and Charlie's Kitchen are still good places to go eat. The chains and businesses have taken over for sure but on a nice, mid-spring or a mild summer day it can still be really nice