NYC did their rollout pretty quickly and efficiently… years ago. How are we 3 years over projections and a quarter billion over?

MA government has got to be the one of the least efficiently run cesspools in the country. It cannot complete any project on time, within specs, or within budget. The new bullshit CCRC trains, the bullshit Sumner Tunnel closures, this bullshit. Three years over and a quarter billion down the drain.

I mean - the ONLY time any work was done was the Orange Line closure and that’s cause Washington was threatening to Federalize the agency. Which they should have.

By the time this tech is finally rolled out, it’ll be 6 years overdue, treated as a ‘victory’, and some new technology would’ve already already been invented.

If you have time, go to Bully Boy Distillery (a short Uber ride) or Short Path Distillery (in nearby Everett, also a short Uber). Both are in industrial areas. Bully Boy is the better tasting room, but the beauty of Short Path is that it's right near Bone Up Brewery & Night Shift Brewery - and good for a night out. Short Path also makes gin & other stuff.

Otherwise, I really like Saloon (they have 120+ whiskeys) in Davis Square off the Red Line. It's a quintessential whiskey bar and has pretty decent grub too.
The Quiet Few in East Boston has a great selection, it's my local spot. It's a short walk from Maverick Station off the Blue Line, about 6-7 minutes commute from downtown. I like their burgers. Great staff. Though it's tiny and can get crowded.
Worden Hall in South Boston is solid.

If you have to be downtown, The Last Hurrah is the hotel bar for the Omni Parker House and is pretty iconic.

In the Fenway area, there's Citizens Public House. Food and cocktails are okay, though they have a damn good selection. Also - pickleback shots on draft. But if you're going there, I'd highly recommend going to Fool's Errand across-ish the street, which is a tiny standing-room (mostly) craft cocktail bar.

Bab Al-Yemen in Fenway is what you're looking for.

"Middle Eastern" is a pretty huge category of restaurants that include Rami's (Israeli), Istanbul Diner Cafe (Turkish), Shawarma King (Lebanese), Koshari Mama (Egyptian), Shiraz Persian Cuisine (Persian/Iranian), Levant Delight (I think they're Jordanian)...

> Transit police plan to charge the man, whose name was not released, with assault with the intent to murder

Damn right

I don't think there are 'bad seats' at the venue. It's very well designed and everywhere has a good sight line.

With that in mind, I'm a bit acrophobic - and the balcony is too steep for my taste.

I grew up in Albany. It's at the intersection of 87 and 90, so having two roads called 'The Thruway' would've been confusing.

Northway as 87 was super common, but I feel like I heard it on morning traffic reports more often than I did when talking to people.
Thruway as 90 was way less common for me. Probably different if you live significantly outside of Albany.

No “the”. It outs you as a West Coaster.

If it’s a route, say “route + number”.
“I’m on Route 1”. Or “We need to take Route 9 home”

If it’s a highway, just the number.
“I fucking hate taking 93”. Or “Damn, 95 sucks today”.

If its I-90, you say “the Pike” or “the Mass Pike”. Short for Massachusetts Turnpike, which is never said in full. “Look, I’m on the pike right now. Lotta Staties out today, so maybe an extra 10 minutes”. It’s the only highway with a special name and has a “the”.

Once you leave Massachusetts, the Pike is back to “I-90” or just “90” in Upstate NY. Still no “the”. And a lot of folks on the Berkshires will say that version too if they travel back and forth to NYS frequently.

Commonwealth Avenue always “Comm Ave”.
Massachusetts Avenue is always “Mass Ave”.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts is often shortened to “Comm of Mass” or “The State” if you’re ever dealing with taxes or whatnot.

You get it.

> Why do many commenters on this sub advocate for gentrification?

Nobody is. It's a biproduct of other things that happen - such as investments in infrastructure, increased demand for skilled labor, improved education, etc.

We cannot stop gentrification. We can only prepare for it, smartly. Of course, almost no community ever does because of NIMBY assclowns.

> luxury housing

Frankly, we do not have the luxury to pick & chose what kind of housing we need.

Building specifically middle-class and lower-income housing is not a very profitable venture for housing developers. If we say "no" to a luxury building, then we risk nothing being built. The BPDA certainly doesn't make it attractive for developers to want to build here anyways.

High skilled workers are moving to Boston faster than we can house them. If there is no luxury building for them to move to, they will move into a 100-year old triple-decker typically occupied by working class families and deepen our already extraordinary housing crisis.

> Why are many of you against rent control?

Rent control doesn't work.

> Are you aware that building luxury housing... is gentrification?

That's not how it works.
Again, new workers will either move to luxury housing - or move to the housing typically occupied by working-class populations. Landlords will raise rent with demand, and long-term renters will be priced out and forced to move. And the condos will still come later, when there are fewer community hurdles.

You either build condos now and buy working class people some extra time. Or you kick them out now. What would you rather have?

For clarity, building new housing in those Chelsea, Revere, Malden is only possible because there are fewer NIMBY roadblocks. I'd love for more luxury housing in already wealthy parts of town.

> Would you be open to luxury housing that is initially rent-controlled for some years before it can become market-rate? This would be similar to 421-A in NYC.

If it's a nice place to live, sure.

> Would you be open to luxury housing that is initially rent-controlled that can be sold to the renters there for a below-market-rate price?

Already happening, sort of. Most luxury buildings are required have a certain number of affordable housing units (obtainable by lottery). These are bought and sold at reduced rates. There isn't enough of them, IMO.

> Do you have another idea

Build as much and as fast as possible. That's all there is to it. MBTA investments would be nice, but the Commuter Rail is not a solution when people moving here want an urban life and grab a train that comes every 10 minutes, rather than every hour.

The Suffolk Downs project is something I'm looking forward to, but even that's somehow getting fucked up by parking requirements and stupid fucking bullshit. Still gonna be worthwhile, but the red tape is ridiculous.

If the we expanded Blue Line to Lynn, it would help a lot since downtown Lynn has a lot of unoccupied apartments and weak access to the city.

> Is the subway system in Boston relatively safe?

On it's most dangerous day, it's still a heck of a lot safer than driving.

Sure, there's an oddball on the T from time to time, maybe a drug addict dozing off. They're mostly harmless. But I've lived here about a decade and never had any issues. At worst, a bus I was on broke down and I had to catch the next one.

Normal city rules apply - so a little vigilance is recommend.

> What about getting off at a station at night?

Pretty much anywhere a tourist will be in Greater Boston area is safe at night. I see the closest station you'll be is Lechmere, you have nothing to worry about.

The Green Lines are a little slow (they're light rail trolleys, unlike the Blue, Orange and Red which are heavy rail subways) - but it'll get to where you need to go.

Have fun, enjoy!

My understanding is the licensing and inspection process is an expensive bureaucratic & time-consuming pain in the ass. There are higher standards and larger hurdles than restaurants, so most folks rather open restaurants if possible.

Cafe Polonia is my favorite. Moldova is excellent too (coltunasi, same thing). Cafe St. Petersburg sells pelmeni, which is the Russian variation.

There’s lots of places to buy frozen. Baltic Deli, Bazaar, etc.

Jaju is a local pierogi company that has occasional pop-up restaurants (has one in Bow Market), but mostly sells frozen ones in grocery stores. Not sure how well it does as a pop-up, but sure - a pierogi truck would entice me if it’s good. Just keep in mind that food trucks are notoriously challenging to operate in Massachusetts.

We can respect the law, without having to respect the man behind a badge.

We should always react in a traffic stop as calmly and conflict-avoidant as possible. But that’s not because the police deserve respect, it’s because they have a fucking gun - and proven time and again that they will use it against people that don’t deserve it.

You had a great experience, and I’m happy for you - but you only need to be unlucky once.

You might be right.

I've done that Cathay Pacific flight. Given the ridiculous timesuck, it was pretty alright.

El Amigo is great, you’ll be happy there! It’s just a little taqueria and it does ‘em perfectly every time.

One other taqueria I’d recommend is Taqueria Don Rogue in Everett. It’s a food truck in an empty lot - and in my opinion is as good as the decent ones you’ll find in Texas or SoCal. Scratches the itch quite well.

If you want something a little more substantial, I’m a huge fan of Angela’s Cafe in East Boston for Puebla-style home cooking. One of the only places around that does Mexican food as good as I’ve had in Mexico. Their campechana and pozole are great. I love their Pipian verde too. Mexicans I know swear by this place.

Outside of that, we don’t really have a Mexican population here. Most of our Latin folks come from El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala, Peru, etc. So there’s way more Central and South American food than Mexican. Actually, I would say the Boston punches way above its weight in those categories, it’s just that most people never seek that out. It’s all super different, though Salvadorans and Guatemalans do their own takes on tacos. If you accept the stylistic differences, then Teresa’s Market in Brighton is worth a trip for their agave pulled pork tacos.

For Salvadoran, I recommend Sabor Especial (just get pupusas!) or La Hacienda.

For Colombian, I recommend El Penol.

For Guatemalan, I recommend Mi Tierra.

For Peruvian, I recommend Tambo 22. Or Rincon Limeno if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

I will agree. That is a great Mac & Cheese!

The Hopewell should be fine. They make cocktails, burgers, and have a decent beer list. It's right off the B Line.

If it's too busy, The Avenue next door is a good plan B.

Whoa, really? That’s great news! Do you have a source?

Zaftig’s, Mamaleh’s, Lendy’s, S&S. In that order (my opinion). Mamaleh’s is the most ‘upscale’, but you pay a premium for it. Zaftig’s is just best all around.

Our Father’s used to be my favorite for pastrami, but they have closed during the pandemic. Miss ‘em. There was a time where I heard some rumblings of a return, but that’s all fizzled out.

A lot of people also like Michael’s Deli in Brookline. It’s a great sandwich shop, but it’s never quite scratched the itch that a classic Jewish deli does for me. I’d still recommend giving it a try anyways.

Keep an eye out for Lehrhaus, which is a Jewish tavern opening in Somerville soon (maybe next few weeks?). They’ll have a full restaurant - head chef is a James Beard semifinalist, so I’m pretty hopeful.

Depends on the style. If you want something more dependable and 'California' then El Pelon, Tenoch or Esquite should hit the mark.

Teresa's Market in Brighton is also stellar.

Otherwise, if you want something a little more classic - then Cactus Grill, Taqueria Don Rogue (food truck in Everett), and Taqueria Jalisco won't disappoint.

Honestly, I've been getting my burritos from Rincon Salvadoreno - a little hole-in-the-wall. They're a little basic, but really good bang for your buck and pretty damn yummy. Angela's is awesome, though it's a traditional Puebla-style restaurant, so you should sit down and order anything else. You won't regret it.

Super Burritos is a fun wildcard - you never know if it'll be good! But if it's good, it's fuckin' great.

Honestly, it’s my favorite restaurant anywhere in the world. Maybe not the best restaurant, but their signature dish is a deeply emotional experience, incredibly rich and complex, and I’ve never had anything quite like it. It’s definitely a Last Meal kind of place.

I don't have a spreadsheet for other Canadian delicacies. I only made one for Poutine 'cause I organized a food crawl for my friends.

With that in mind, I don't like Ketchup Chips. But I know that Market Basket carries Humpty Dumpty chips, a Canadian brand - and I've bought the All Dressed chips before. The MB in Chelsea (my local one) definitely has a few styles. And it makes me nostalgic for Decarie all-dressed hot dogs in Mtl... excellent drunk food :)

I usually get my diary at Wegman's if I can, as it mostly comes from Upstate New York cows and I like to support my ol' homeland.

I wouldn't know if there is a specific difference in the curds between our country and Canada's - but there will be a difference in brands. So I guess keep trying different brands until you find what you like? Otherwise, you'll just have to order online.

There's Turenne Bagels in Union Square for Montreal-Style. Though I prefer New York Style bagels. Same when it comes to Smoked Meat Sandwiches v Pastrami.

Other goodies.. umm.. BeaverTails, I guess? But it's fried dough and I don't seek that out.

Everyone's a critic.

For me, being in Canada adds to a better experience - and better food memories. I totally enjoy poutine more when I travel. But if I account for those biases - I believe Downtown Saus would win in a blind tasting for it's class. It's okay to disagree. :)

For the record - I live near Santarpio's and think it's overcooked and poorly assembled trash. Dough is meh too. There's a good pizza somewhere in there, because the sauce is super garlic forward (which I like) - but it's never come together right. It's still a fun place to go to every now and then for cheap drinks & lamb. I appreciate there's a lot of Bostonians that grew up with it and cherish it, but I didn't and don't.

IMO - Ciao makes the best pizza in the area, and would be a solid contender for 'world class'. Followed by Ernesto's. Though - I love the American-Neapolitan styles best.

FYI - per the spreadsheet, Duckfat in Portland ME is where you want to go.

From my experiences - Canadians tends to prefer fast food style (like Chez Ashton or Harvey's) whereas in the States, poutine leans gastropub style (like your Frite Alors or Poutine Centrale).

I prefer the gastropub style, so Saus hits my sweet spot. Like, I also enjoy the stuff you find in a gas-station Dairy Queen or something - but it's a different class.

While I'm not Canadian, I grew up in Upstate NY and spent a lot of long weekends in Quebec. I still make a pilgrimage to Au Pied de Cochon like ever other year.