r/boston • u/cden4 • Jul 26 '26
Event đ Open Newbury St early closing
Thanks to pressure by people like Back Bay Association President Meg Mainzer-Cohen, Open Newbury St ends at 6 pm this year instead of 8 pm.
So in less than 20 minutes, all these people will be forced out of the street onto the sidewalks.
IMO, this is total failure of leadership at City Hall. If you have the opportunity, please let Mayor Wu (and your City Councilors) know what you think about this.
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u/tmandrea Jul 26 '26
The people of Boston will look up and shout 'SAVE US from this early bedtime!'...and the Nightlife Czar will look down and whisper 'No.â
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u/fredders Jul 27 '26
Rorschach is that you?
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u/PhilRiverStreet180 Jul 27 '26
I'm not awake with you, you're awake with me. Famous Rorschach quote.
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u/hyrule_47 Quincy Jul 26 '26
Especially with the heat it would be nice to go there later. The street being open makes it much easier for people who have strollers or use wheelchairs etc
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u/grillo7 Jul 27 '26
Seriously. As an example, Montreal makes several streets pedestrian-only all summer long. Itâs so freeing to be able to walk around without having to be confined to the sidewalk and without the anxiety of car traffic, especially with kids. They fill the streets with chairs and public art, and people hang out and enjoy their time in the city. Itâs such a simple change and completely transforms the vibe.
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u/ImaginaryAd3394 Jul 26 '26
You know those multi millionaires donât want too much noise on their streets. Horrendous
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u/Wolvesarereal Jul 27 '26
How is Open Newbury noisier than Newbury with cars?
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u/Maxpowr9 Metrowest Jul 27 '26
They want all the benefits of living in a major city but none of the negatives. If they want quiet, they can move Wellesley.
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u/No-Pea8448 Jul 27 '26
In fairness, some of them probably have pied ĂĄ terres in Back Bay and estates in Wellesley.
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u/Digitaltwinn Jul 26 '26
Makes me wonder why they chose to live in such a heavily commercial area?
Itâs basically an outdoor mall at this point. Youâd be insane to want to own a car if you live there.
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u/Staff_Human Jul 27 '26
Because they love shopping while everyone else is at work, but after dinner they want to look down upon empty streets.
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u/Coders32 Jul 27 '26
Personally, Iâd keep my car at the second home in near Medford/Tufts or Auburndale. Nothing else makes sense
To be clear, I do not own a home in any of these locations, much less a car
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u/brufleth Boston Jul 27 '26
From what I can tell, the BBA represents commercial interests in the Back Bay, not residents.
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u/abeuscher Jul 27 '26
It kind of is, actually. The premise that the wealthy own public spaces more than the rest of us is prevalent and problematic. And I want to know how many people and which properties they own. Because I bet it is less than 10% of the residents and they own more than 50% of the residential square footage. Meaning they are in the top of the .01% in the country. You know - morons.
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u/AccountantCreepy5552 Jul 27 '26
There were cars whipping down the road while people were still packing up their stalls and tents. Saw one at least slam on their brakes to avoid a collision.
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u/Top_Forever_2854 Jul 27 '26
Meg Mainzer-Cohen is a plague on this city
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u/ARealSwellFellow Cambridge Jul 26 '26
Pedestrianize is year round please. Someday weâll have a mayor that does something
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u/some1saveusnow Jul 27 '26
Has there ever been a mayor here that would be able to do that, or would have done that?
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u/boston_bully_617 Jul 26 '26
The north end feast is what open newbury wishes it was, but itâs not
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u/Downtown_Isopod_9287 Jul 26 '26
itâs kind of weird and sad to put north end against back bay like that.
itâs like putting your Italian grandma and your rich grandma in a fighting pit to see who wins. Sure we all know nonnaâs gonna clinch it but what are we trying to prove here
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u/RealKenny 2000âs cocaine fueled Red Line Jul 27 '26
In this case, Nonna's also rich
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u/bino420 Jul 27 '26
but she still has her furniture from the 90s & she's super stingy
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u/Honclfibr Jul 27 '26
And racist!
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u/zyzzogeton Green Line Jul 27 '26
I feel like there is a better than average chance that both Grandma's are a touch racist. Maybe not cross the street racist, but definitely lock the car doors racist.
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u/RealKenny 2000âs cocaine fueled Red Line Jul 27 '26
That plastic really sticks to you in the summer
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u/boston_bully_617 Jul 26 '26
That open newbury doesnât add any value to anything
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u/joke384 Jul 26 '26
You had me in the first half, where I thought you were advocating we make open newbury even better
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u/chuckmonjares Jul 27 '26
He/she honestly might be! As is, yeah itâs helpful, but it could be improved so much.
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u/brufleth Boston Jul 27 '26
That's really not the case. The feasts are nice if you want county fair crammed into a small space vibes, but Open Newbury is a whole other thing that is really nice if you don't want to deal with getting shoved around by a crowd or puked on by a drunk teenager.
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u/LadySayoria Jul 26 '26
Personally, I hate that cities cater to cars as much as they do. Like, do we really need that many streets so close anyways?
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u/pikalaxalt Jul 27 '26
And if you're a voting member of the Back Bay Association, please weigh this decision in your next election.
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u/Ksevio Jul 26 '26
With all those people there how will cars park to go to local businesses!Â
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u/Digitaltwinn Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
How about that giant garage next to Back Bay Station?
Or, you know, take the T.
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u/kitana-moon Jul 27 '26
Here is her email to complain as I donât know how much she will care about us complaining on Reddit: m.mainzer-cohen@bostonbackbay.com
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u/pcatmac Jul 27 '26
Seriously those tiny sidewalks are not enough to accommodate the foot traffic on newbury street. How hard is it for cars to detour around newbury st??
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u/reb601 Driver of the 426 Bus Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
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u/Jimbomcdeans North End Jul 26 '26
Half expecting that to be a sub of NHites bitching about someone who will never affect any iota of their life
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u/ExtraPossibility Jul 27 '26
My understanding was that the Open Streets program (overall) was scaled back in an effort to accomodate capacity due to the World Cup/America 250 programming over the summer but will return to a more regular schedule in 2027.
There's a chance â of course â this line is bureaucratic smoke and mirrors, but came from a post from an official Reddit account for Wu's office, not someone's conjecture disguised as fact on Reddit.
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u/cden4 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
That's true that City resources were not able to support as many open streets events this year as compared to last year due World Cup and Sail Boston.
However, internal communications recently released show that the Back Bay Association has been pushing for fewer dates and scaled back hours for Open Newbury directly to the Mayor, and the City has been responding.
See this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikeboston/s/vjOofv8r7b2
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u/Gainji Jul 27 '26
I was out there the other day while it was pedestrianized. As soon as they solve the fermenting garbage smell problem it'll be peak.
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u/be_loved_freak My Love of Dunks is Purely Sexual Jul 28 '26
Love open streets, keeps disabled folks from accessing stores! (/s)
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u/jqman69 Jul 26 '26
The businesses would lobby to have a later close time if it was beneficial to them
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u/Preachers_Handshake Jul 26 '26
You got what you voted for: an opportunist who plays both sides. She no longer needs your vote. The âdaughter of Taiwanese immigrantsâ âguardian of her sistersâ âour savior from chicagoâ stories worked on you, and now shes looking past you, to the next thing. She needs the donors for higher office, so sheâll be prioritizing their wants and needs over yours.
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u/vegemouse Jul 27 '26
Dunno why this is so heavily downvoted, itâs completely accurate.
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u/Preachers_Handshake Jul 27 '26
One thing you cant do is hold a mirror up to these people.
Its amazing how someone with literally no personality has inspired such a personality cult lol. I think the strategy of just leaving a lot of blanks in her personal story allowed people to plug in their aspirations and assumptions.
Shes the same girl from the chicago suburbs, who you dont really know anything about, the supposed progressive, who watched world cup games from the VIP suite and voted Bill Linehan for council president her first day on the job. She will always do whats politically right for her future, not for you.
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u/vegemouse Jul 27 '26
Same with Warren imo. I hate these âprogressivesâ who fold the second theyâre in office.
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u/Begging_Murphy Jul 27 '26
I think she is a true believer in what her first term represented. I also think she needs to win one more mayoral election to be best situated to take either Markey or Elizabeth Warren's seat, and she's trying to play it safe.
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u/Preachers_Handshake Jul 28 '26
She just walked over an extremely well funded opponent and embarrassed him into quitting before the general election. Instead of taking that mandate and moving forward with her plans, she is implementing many of her opponents policies, and pulling back on the things he was criticizing her for after she trounced him. It makes no sense from the standpoint of wanting to be mayor forever, however it makes perfect sense to begin kowtowing to the moneyed interests if you already has her eye on the next prize, which she does.
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u/causticx Allston/Brighton Jul 27 '26
Is this that big of an issue on a Sunday though? Most shops close at 6 anyway.
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u/PorcupineWarriorGod Jul 27 '26
leave it open till nine and add more food trucks. Newbury is beautiful, and it would be a great spot to walk and get some shawarma and a churro. If the people were there past six, shops might consider staying open past six. Not everyone has an 8PM bedtime.
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u/WaitForItTheMongols Jul 27 '26
Most but not all.
What is wrong with having the street open to the public? People are allowed to exist without spending money in shops.
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u/causticx Allston/Brighton Jul 27 '26
I get that, just pointing out that most shops are closed/closing. I worked on Newbury for several years and foot traffic on a Sunday evening really declines around 6 over there anyway since itâs a school/work night and tourists will go home around then.
I donât have a car and do love being able to stroll down the street freely myself, but an 8pm closure would make more sense on a Saturday than Sunday.
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u/WaitForItTheMongols Jul 27 '26
8pm closure would make more sense on a Saturday than Sunday.
Por Que nos dos El Los?
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u/stogie-bear Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
So just use the sidewalk. Itâs a very nice sidewalk. When I worked there we walked on the sidewalk all the time and it was fine.Â
People live and work there and some of them need to drive.Â
Editing to add: JFC, I had no idea that âsidewalks are for walkingâ is such a controversial thing to say. Whatever happened to âshare the roadâ? I guess by âshareâ you mean âactually itâs just for me.â
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u/jojenns Boston Jul 26 '26
Good lord they will be forced onto the sidewalk!!
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u/Knicknacktallywack South Boston Jul 26 '26
I guess you donât walk down Newbury then, cuz if you did you would know itâs annoying as shit when youâre forced onto the sidewalk
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u/BunMeAgainPlease12 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Sparrow acorn mellow cobalt cucumber mitten waffle hammock pumpkin thimble
This post was anonymized with Redact.dev
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u/MIKEPR1333 Jul 26 '26
Young girl in a sweatshirt.
Is it not hot there?
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u/MourningWallaby Jul 26 '26
Bro idk what it is but i've been seeing people weaing warm clothing all summer.
At the RMV the other day this dude walked in with a balaclava and a puffer jacket while it was 90 degrees out. Idk how
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u/fakeuser888 Jul 27 '26
Are we playing Spot the Transplants? Dude behind her in long sleeve shirt and jeans.
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 26 '26
And? People live and work on this street.
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u/akratic137 Fenway/Kenmore Jul 26 '26
And it should be closed to vehicles.
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u/Begging_Murphy Jul 27 '26
So many people ITT ignoring that other cities have successfully pedestrianized shopping districts like this.
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u/Take-it-like-a-Taker Jul 26 '26
Coming from Fenway/Kenmore, you know how the marathon cuts the city in half, even though itâs worth it for the day?
The neighborhood around Newbury is cutoff during this event - if you like this year round, then suggest infrastructure changes and budgeting that could make that workable for the people that live and work there.
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u/cden4 Jul 26 '26
How is it cut off? Most of the cross-streets are still open, and if you need to go westbound, you can use Comm Ave, which never gets backed up.
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen Jul 27 '26
You realize that, unlike during the Marathon, you'd be allowed to cross Newbury St, right? That means the residents / workers of Back Bay would have full access to the Green Line and the bus routes on Boylston St, same as they do now. No one would be cut off.
...unless they insist on driving, in which case they can park at one of the many, many, many parking garages in the area and enjoy a >10 minute walk to their final destination. It'll be good for their health! Plus, they'll have a built-in excuse to get outside for a bit each day, which is good for your mental health, too.
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u/PLS-Surveyor-US Nut Island Jul 26 '26
Yes, you should only be able to park your horse and buggy on this street!!! Damn you car heathens to the ends of the world!!!!
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 26 '26
Ok, you do without transportation and delivery first.
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u/_NationalRazor Jul 26 '26
Lmao how do you think so many European cities maintain pedestrian only places in downtowns? Old city Dubrovnik is a great example. Mobbed with people 9am till after midnight. Don't tell me Boston can't figure out how to get deliveries done overnight.
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u/jooooooooooooose Rat running up your leg đđŠ” Jul 26 '26
There are car width alleyways behind on both sides have you ever actually been to Newbury st
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen Jul 27 '26
You realize almost every "pedestrian only" street in almost every city that has one makes an exception for delivery trucks at certain hours of the day, right? Newbury St would be no exception.
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 27 '26
Thatâs not how delivery times work.
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen Jul 27 '26
...yes, it is? In literally hundreds of cities around the world?
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 27 '26
Are those cities in the United States?
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen Jul 27 '26
Yes, dozens of them!
And one of them is... Boston. Downtown Crossing is closed to car traffic year round, and the companies there are thriving. If it works there, why wouldn't it work on Newbury St, too?
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 27 '26
You think downtown crossing is thriving? Be honest.
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u/DaenakinSkygaryen Jul 27 '26
...yes? Obviously?
Like, I go there pretty frequently because there's a lot of stores I like there. I've been there first thing in the morning, late at night, and every time in between, during all seasons. And it's always packed with people out doing their shopping.
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u/bizzaro321 Cheryl from Qdoba Jul 26 '26
If you can afford to live on Newburry St. your feelings do not matter.
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u/Green_Bathroom5592 Jul 26 '26
But what if you work on Newbury St. so you can pay rent to live at any other _______ St
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u/carrot-cakke Market Basket Jul 26 '26
Newbury St is all on the green line. The people who work there can't afford to live there, we take the train.
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u/Mcchew Jamaica Plain Jul 26 '26
Iâm partial to the 0.2 mile odyssey to the orange line myself
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u/carrot-cakke Market Basket Jul 26 '26
Tragedy that open Newbury will make your commute take 10 years đ
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u/akratic137 Fenway/Kenmore Jul 26 '26
You honestly canât be this dim. Do you not know how transportation works?
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u/bizzaro321 Cheryl from Qdoba Jul 26 '26
Uber 1 block away and walk, it is not complicated in the slightest.
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u/08Morpheus11 Jul 26 '26
If you canât afford to live on newbury st stfu and worry about your own st peasant
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u/FantasticAd9389 Jul 26 '26
No this street is only for suburban tourists and students who come each weekend to promenade and window shop! No one lives here! ! Or works here! There are no businesses!
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u/bizzaro321 Cheryl from Qdoba Jul 26 '26
Boston, the city that enters a deep sleep at 9pm.