Rail Trail

Great news. It sounds like work on the Rail Trail is beginning. Check out the updates here.

I'm all in favor for any project that will shorten my commute to Plum Island Roasters.

Congratulations to..

The Studio, which won a Best of Boston magazine award last night.

Name the Restaurant

Two interesting restaurant postings on Craig's List.

One.

Two.

Rosie's might be one?

Yankee Homecoming

I'm offering up this space to anyone who wants to post results to the Yankee Homecoming events, pedicab races, etc.

BTW, I'm glad the Daily News ran this article today. We can argue for hours about the value of Yankee Homecoming, but whether you enjoy it or not there's a mess of people who give up a good deal of time to put this thing together.

They should be commended.

Shanley Loves The Earth

I'm a little light in ambition this morning so Ward 2 3 Councilor James Shanley pitches in with his one-man bid to save the earth.

Well, he rode his bike to work this morning but you've got to start somewhere. (I'm not sure if this is a direct response to the Sidford challenge.)

From his email:

It's Tuesday, and I rode my bike to work.

Here are the stats, according to my cycle computer/heart rate monitor (being a baseball fan, you must love stats, right?):

4.2 miles, one way
17:36 elapsed time
14.6 average mph
22.6 max speed
180 calories burned (about 1 beer)

I ride to work whenever I can, but it ususally works out to two or three time a week, depending on whose turn it is to schlep Lucky Sheldon to work. Maybe there are some numbers weenies out there who can do a cost benefit analysis of my ride to work. My Honda CRV gets around 22mpg. To be accurate, they probably should factor in the shower I had installed at work for $1,500 (amortized over a five year lease).

Happy numbers crunching!

James

Editor's Note: Lucky Sheldon is a dog.

So, I think we can all learn a valuable lesson from this. My takeaway, I gotta get me one of those computer heart rate thingies.

Olde Fashion Sunday

Well I had a good time.

The train was a nice touch, and the Rotary Club's chicken top notch. The Powow also was an excellent addition.

That's it really. Not much else to day. I hope no one got caught in the deluge.

Oh, and the Yankee Homecoming lovers won the day on the poll! I think we'll take a poll break this week though.

Public Service Announcement

SDS really brought his/her A-game to the comments section today. So here's a free plug.

Hi,

Please also note that both this Saturday & next Saturday there will be a muster on Newbury's upper green (starting @ 12). and both old newbury & the neps will have the handtubs out on the mall for old fashioned sunday.

come watch the oldest organized competition in america. and an integral part of our local history.

thanks,
sds

I'll be at Old Fashioned Sunday for sure.

Nothing Porty Here

This will forever remain one of the funniest bits ever.

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Strange

This morning the Daily News reported on Verizon's interest in wiring Newbury and Newburyport.

This afternoon a Comcast rep came by to check in on things. Fortunately, I don't manage our Internet account.

Note to whoever will negotiate our contract, get one of these behemoths to install wireless across the downtown. It'll be HUGE! We'll be a destination for latte-sipping, scone-swallowing, laptop-lugging professionals who want to get a little work done outside the office/home.

Say it ain't so, Howard.

I just love this Starbucks story.

For those who haven't been following, and I admittedly haven't followed this too closely, Starbucks customers from across the land are pleading with the company, begging CEO Howard Schultz to reverse course and keep their local joint open.

A loyal reader sent along this Wall Street Journal column today. I hope you can access it. If not, you can get the gist on the attached video.



It seems as if people have bonded with their local baristas, and they're unwilling to walk even two blocks to go to the nearest outlet. Perhaps they're lazy, but maybe there is something richer here. Perhaps people love their Starbucks.

So I ask this question, Would our downtown be a richer or poorer place without our Starbucks? The knee-jerk answer is richer. Those folks owuld argue that we'd be free from one more corporate giant sucking our tax dollars out of our community. In theory, local Starbucks acolytes would migrate to Fowle's or Plum Island Roasters, and give a boost to those local businesses.

But I'd argue losing our Starbucks would be a hit for the downtown. Like it or not, that shop is THE most vibrant one downtown. Everytime I walk by the corner of State and Liberty I see someone entering or exiting the building. Bottomline, it draws.

Second, it's a clear sign of life, particularly at night when our local shops can't or won't stay open. In my opinion that's one of the highest profile spot in the downtown--perhaps second only to the Firehouse. The idea seeing a closed sign in the window at 7 p.m. on a summer night saddens me just a bit.

The people are speaking

According to the poll, the majority of us ENJOY Yankee Homecoming!

Polls close on Sunday.

Drat

I inadvertently made my tiny potty question my milestone 500th post.

Tiny Question

I'm enjoying the Daily News' series about the Tiny House being built by the GDA grade headed to Yale. But I have one tiny indelicate question...

Where is the tiny bathroom? And what will it connect to?

Have I missed that?

Hmm

Ari's post today sounds a whole lot like the A-frame argument, except it's A-FRAMES IN CYBERSPaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaACE!!

Four Day Work Week

I like the idea. Makes a ton of sense. Makes less sense for DPW guys I suspect, particularly in the winter when daytime is scare. But I like it.

I do agree with James Shanley though. Seems a bit nibbly-around-the-edges. But you've got to start somewhere.

Yes, but where

Today's editorial in the Daily News paints a pretty accurate picture of the unforeseen costs of the big dig.

It then predictably called on taxpayers not to raise taxes or tolls but to close the budget gap with budget cuts.

Who believes that the governor and the Legislature will not eventually turn to higher taxes and tolls to meet the Big Dig debt while continuing to fund every other spending request and pet project that comes their way?

That's all well and good. I see wisdom in the words. I only ask this:

The next time a local non-profit or government agency secures state dollars for some "spending request or pet project" the Daily News must editorial page must stand against it and demand the dollars be given back.

In a similar spirit, I must admit I winced a bit a few weeks back when I heard the state was giving us $100,000 of our dollars back to fund the new youth enrichment center initiative at the Kelley School.

Don't misundersand, I love the idea. But I only ask the same questions I offered about the senior center. Can we afford it? Will this $100,000 only help us launch an initiative we taxpayers ultimately can't sustain?

I hope not.

How about this?

James was right. The previous style was the same Ed Cameron's. Damn him.

So, this is sort of neat. The Lighthouse just comes with the template.

The kitschiness no doubt will draw the desirable khaki tide.

Mike's Sub

What exactly is happening to the former Mike's Sub building? We've all watched the rehab, which was definitely needed and welcome. But I'm unclear on exactly what is happening next.

I read in the Daily News last week's interesting "As I See It" on the buildings history, but was suprised by the editor's note at the end.

(Editor's note: Mr. Finneran originally planned to add a story onto the building, then filed plans to demolish it. This column was written before the plans to tear it down were made public).

So I did a search for the demolition plans but couldn't find any mention.

Then yesterday, I saw this piece, which discusses the plans to add a second story. I do agree with the Historical Commission's position. A building with clapboard siding doesn't fit in with that stretch of the downtown.

So what's going on, exactly? Is he tearing it down or building it up.

BTW, this will be an interesting trial balloon. First, a contentious argument over this building could strengthen the calls for a historic district downtown. Second, if this fellow gets clapboard it opens up a world of architectural possibilities for New England Development's projects.

Like the New Look?

Giving it a trial run. I've got a 30-day money-back guarantee.

A Foolish Mistake

Daily News reporter Stephen Tait, after rejecting numerous potentially lucrative--offers to join the dynamic new media world of Newburyport Posts, has instead opted to pursue his old media ways at a paper in his native Michigan or Minnesota or Montania, one of those other "M" states..

In short, he's outta here by the end of the month.

No surprise really. Stephen's a good guy and a talented reporter, and this is the nature of the newspaper business. Young reporters hop from job to job, seeking new experiences, new beats, bigger circulations and, one would hope, a slight bump in salary. I figured it was a matter of time before Stephen started hopping.

No doubt, it was the lure of going home that convinced him to reject my stock option-laden offer. I only now wish I'd sweetened the deal with a few of my fully-stamped coffee cards from Plum Island Roasters. Serves me right for playing hardball.

I take solace in knowing that he'll come crawling back once the newspaper industry collapses under its own weight.

Until that inevitable day comes, I wish Stephen the best of luck. No doubt he'll do well.



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The Poll-Yankee Homecoming

All right I caved to loyal reader Dick M. and added a third choice for this week's poll. As I noted in the early post, I'm excited about Yankee Homecoming.

Feel free to add comments here.

Great Morning

I had a nice only in Newburyport morning.

I didn't get a chance to visit the Tall ships in Salibury this weekend. But I was less interested in boarding the boats than I was seeing them from across the mouth of the river.

I lifted the photo from the Daily News slideshow.

So I awoke aearly took the bike to Plum Island Point, right up to the top platform on the boardwalk. There they were. The Nina, the Pin...No wait...the Mystic, the Roseway and the Spirit of South Carolina resting silently along the floating dock system.

(I honestly didn't know which ship it was until I got home, but it was the largest of the three and sported three masts so I'm pretty confident in my identificiation.)

Sailing ships just flat out inspire. To see them in the Merrimack just drags you back 100 years and, we're forced to rely upon paintings like those of Richard Jones to deliver us. The sight of these vessels just shines a stark white light on the contrasts of that Newburyport and our Newburyport. (I'm clearly on board with the idea of having one personally assigned to our Waterfront as commenters have suggested here.)

(Update: Gillian Swart has some nice pictures of the Friendship, which visited Newburyport a few years ago, on her blog.)

I then got a bonus. The Mystic was on the move. It eased away from the dock under engine power and crept along the Salisbury side of the river to the open sea. I watched for a bit before making a break to Plum Island Center, and there she was past the tip of the Salisbury reservation.

I watched for a bit, hoping to catch the unfurling of sails but I don't think that was going to happen so close to shore. The Mystic scooted along the horizon, parallel to the beach for a bit before bearing left (or port as they say in Star Trek) and fading into the mist.

As I watched the ship slowly disappear, I reminded myself that Back in The Day this was the fastest way to travel. This was hard to believe, particularly when the island was already abuzz with early risers steering their cars and trucks off the island in an instant.

Then I hopped on my bike and came home.

Yankee Homecoming

I'm looking forward to Yankee Homecoming.

What can I say?

I like the life it brings downtown. I enjoy some of the sidewalk shows. I might take The Boy to see the bed race. I'll try to grab a Ralph Ayer's tour this time. I'll probably walk through Old Fashioned Sunday and I'm definitely anticipating the fireworks which you can see from my backyard if you crane your neck just so.

A tiny confession: I didn't care for it as much when I was at the Daily News. Some reporters, self included, have difficulty find their muse at a crafts table or hanging on the bargain racks on State Street. But I miraculously managed to get through four summers at the paper without covering a single homecoming parade.

It's only a week. I know that's seven days too long for some folks, but I suspect those same people complained about the city's one-night Rivervest affair. I mean is one night even worth complaining about? I too was inconvenienced by the assembly of Blind Melon fans. I tried going East on Merrimack for my afternoon cup of Plum Island Roasters coffee, but I was quickly turned back by the line of cars. Instead, I grabbed a coffee at the Natural Grocer. I didn't make the concert, however, as I had tickets to the Red Sox.

I'm not quite certain what drives those people to harbor such negative feelings toward anything that draws a crowd, but I suspect they're merely a vocal minority.

Time to put the suspicions to a test. Check out this week's poll on the blog tomorrow. It asks a simple question. Are you looking forward to Yankee Homecoming Yes or No.

I considered drawing up a question with some shades of gray, but I don't want to complicate things.

Yes or no, are you looking forward to Yankee Homecoming?

I definitely am.

Sigh

I'm thinking of dumping the "Stuff about Karp" compilation below.

It just seems so dated and unnecessary.

Sigh, I sometimes wish he never came to town. I miss my bogey man.

PR Professionals take note. Access and information is kryptonite to people like me.

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A day (or more) late

And people complain about the local press. The Nantucket paper is just getting around to reporting on Karp's advance onto Provincetown.

Patrick and the landfill

My day job kept me from attending the Patrick talk in Amesbury, but Gillian Swart is on the case.

And tomorrow I shall post the Daily News story righhhhhhhhhhhhhht........



there.


No here. I'll put it here.


Overall I was impressed with the answers. Sounds like he was well briefed. Sorry I missed it.

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Hopscotch

I guess it opened last week. Very nice.

I just finished off a nice curried chicken sandwich with mango.

I guess that makes me part of the Curried Chicken Tide.

Ideas?

Ari Herzog has a nice summation of the effort to bolster the region's cultural tourism. (Well, it's more than that. Read here.) He presents some interesting ideas.

Plus, for those not paying attention the below post on Pleasant Street took a wide turn down Hotel Argument Alley.

Well, all this chatter just got me thinking what else could we do to make the downtown unique and eminently visitable, livable and workable.

I'd love to come up with a top 5 list so we can have a poll. But I'm straight out busy.

So I'll offer one. I hope the chorus will join in.

1. Extend a wireless signal across the downtown. I just think this would be a unique sales pitch to draw visitors and workers to restaurants, coffee shops and park benches. I don't know if this is something to come from City Hall. It might be more of a chamber thing, but you could definitely see one or two companies splitting costs and getting some unique sponsorship opportunities. The one downside is I do wonder if Internet cards will make this signal obsolete.

Landfill

Gillian Swart has an interesting update.

Mary Janes

For a place that's closing, Mary Janes certainly appears to have lots of fans. We may have hit an all-time, one-day regular season high in visitor counts yesterday. (I don't count last year's election cycle when we had double the visitors.)

The post also generated a great contribution of comments from thoughtful folks. I actually enjoy this blog most when it gets a conversation started, so thanks to everyone who chimed in.

All the talk got me thinking about this week's poll questions. It's not perfect, but perhaps it will illuminate just a bit.

Might Make a Nice (Temporary) Senior Center

Or a B-grade Horror Flick with some editing.

It's 72-74 State Street. Nice joint.

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Or maybe the closed Rosie O'Shea's would make a better Senior Center. Hell, I'd consider joining if they kept the Guinness taps.

Less than Pleasant Street

Now Mary Jane is closing its doors after the summer season, according to an announcement on its Web site. (Update: I added the summer season part to avoid any confusion.)

The reason for this decision is a complicated mess of personal and business issues, but here’s the short version: It’s not working. Despite a lot of hard work from many dedicated people, it just seems impossible to make the business successful given the rising rents, increased competition, and decreased sales of the past couple of years. The current rents in Newburyport are simply out of line with the foot traffic in the city. In addition, the arrival of another store in town that carries every single one of our top selling footwear brands has led to decreased sales. The economy hasn’t helped either! We have reinvented Mary Jane a couple of times already but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do what would need to be done to make it worth all the work.

The posting and decision follows the news that Ashley & Barnes is hightailing to Amesbury (or consolidating at its Elm Street location. I'm still not sure which.) But this isn't good news for Pleasant Street.

It will be interesting to see if and when Mary Jane's prime space is filled. The State Street properties are filling up fast, but Pleasant Street isn't State Street.

But it's clear that Oregano's came in just in time to avoid the appearance of an unpleasant strip of emptiness.

The irony is that the store's owner Lisa Carrigg wrote an impassioned plea in a letter to the Daily News last year, asking for some progress in building a parking garage and hotel downtown.

She still believes they'll help, according to her recent announcement.

I still believe that what Newburyport needs is a hotel and a parking garage. If we could get more people here to fill our shops and restaurants, we could all afford the rent. As it is now, the cart is pulling the horse; the rents are already set for a bustling destination but that is not yet the reality.

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Provincetown Plans

The Cape Cod Times profiled the Karp/Lagasse plan for Provincetown. They talked just a wee bit about Newburport.

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Trash Fees

Just working on a hunch here, but is anyone out there willing to bet against the notion that we'll have trash fees in the city by this time next year.

This has been knocking around my head for a while, but this video from Shrewsburied bumped it to the front.

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This isn't a piece of blog fiction. Trash fees came up as one possible revenue-generating device in the sn't my own creation. The possiblity of tacking on trash fees came up in the Revenue Task Force's report.

Among other suggestions, though not prioritized, were an evaluation of annual contracts vs. multiyear contracts, fees and charges for services such as trash collection and the creation of a permanent, voluntary grants committee.

How do I feel about it. I don't really mind the concept, but buying those bags is a pain in the ass.

Here's how things likely will play out. If the debt exclusion doesn't pass, I'd say chances are pretty high we'll be going this route.

And we're technically not in a recession

From the man himself:

“I’ve been through four [recessions] and all are different, but this is the worse we’ve seen,” said Stephen R. Karp, chairman of Newton, MA-based New England Development. “You need more liquidity and the economy will have some trouble getting things built for the future.”

I'm not sure what "the economy will have trouble getting things built for the future" means, but I'm guessing that means Windward's boat yard--which is quickly becoming my favorite spot--is safe for a while.

BTW, there appear to be more boats in the yard this year than last year. Just a guess on my part, but this must be some kind of economic barometer.

Read the entire article here.


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Well, I'm a bit surprised.

For a city that professes to be greenier-than-most, I expected to see a little more "sometimes" and maybe even an "always" in the poll.

By the way, I'd like to make the poll a regular weekly feature. Please send along any suggested questions.

If we use them you win the satisfaction of knowing you contributed to an entirely fruitless endeavor.




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And we can't afford a fire truck

Anti-Terrorism police training in China, according to China Daily. I'm guessing the roads and sidewalks in Beijing are in better condition than those in Newburyport.

These wheeled warriors wouldn't last five minutes.

Thanks much to N-Post Fave, Knife Tricks.

There Will Be Blood

In Newburyport.

There's a huge drilling machine (or drill as we call it in the biz) in front of the Book Rack, tearing a new hole in the sidewalk.

Anyone have any idea what's going on?

Also, they've ripped up the hedges next to Oregano's so the seating shouldn't be far behind. (Labor Day?)

And that's your Eyewitness Downtown Report brought to you by [sponsorship for sale here.]

New Blog Roll

I lifted the idea from Gillian.


It only allows you to sort by recent post or alphabet, so I went with the former.


I like it.


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E-Yikes

Ashley & Barnes apparently is moving to Amesbury or so says the sign outside the store.

I've honestly never been inside so I can't say I'll miss it. (Nice window though.) But this will create a huge hole on Pleasant Street. (Before anyone says anything about Karp, this isn't a Newburyport Development property, according to the online database.)

Interesting, at the chain store ban hearing last fall, the owner, whose name I can't recall, said something about planning to open a chain of stores. I'm not sure how or if this closing affects those plans.

I know he already had a place on Elm Street. I didn't think it was retail, but perhaps it is. Or maybe he's moving into the Amesbury's increasingly chic downtown.

Now if I can only get the Barking Dog to move to our chic downtown.

Anyway, he's got a big sale going on.


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Cute Polar Bear Asks

Why can't you give up your cars just one day a week?

But don't let this sway your vote in the poll.

Another Overly Astute Observation

I noticed Newburyport Development Corp. has hung its shingle on Inn Street just over the sign for the Montessori School.

Even more interesting, there's a bulletin board hanging from the brick wall on Inn Street advertising available properties--one apartment, two retail sites.

Now that I've written this post I realize it's not really all that interesting, but I'm pushing the publish button anyway.

Sue me.
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Warning

Some genius decided to fix the buzzer at the Bank of America ATM in Market Square. Now you actually have to use the card to enter.

Sigh, we've lost our surest way of identifying tourists and visitors to the downtown.


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We're Number TWO!

You tourists haters are going to loooove this.

To Bike or Not To Bike

So, Andy Sidford issued a challenge a month or two ago asking people to give up their cars each Tuesday and opt for walking or biking instead.

I intended to follow along, but I admit I've dropped the ball. There are days the family car stays put, but Tuesdays have been tough. I don't think there was any allowance for swapping.

So I ask, how are you doing? I'm not seeing any more bike traffic on Tuesdays than I do on other days, so I'm guessing not to well.

Comment or take part in the poll.

Thoughts on the Liberator

I ran into Tom Ryan three times today downtown. Seeing him reminded me that I still hadn't posted on Jim Roy's new effort, The Liberator.

I liked it, but I have some concerns. (For the record Jim Roy has never given me the finger or collared me at a social event.)

But I do commend Jim for taking this on. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss The Undertoad. I do. Tom could flat out report and write. Not only did Tom put out an interesting, informative and, yes, often outrageous product. But he wrote about the city I've grown to love.

In a way, the demise of the Undertoad led me to start this blog. Poor Mary Eaton couldn't post fast enough for my taste. I needed more.

And I'll always need more so I welcome the Liberator. I'll gladly fork over the price of a small cup of coffee to read Jim's take.

I do wonder about two things:

1. Can the Liberator keep this up? The first issue covered all the significant issues: Karp, the Landfill and the Senior Center. I wonder what's left for the second issue since these issues develop slowly.

2. I commend Jim for steering away from making his a personal publication: As Mary noted in her blog today here and here, Tom Ryan masterfully wove personalities, agendas and anything else he could find into his discussion of the issues, not just the issues themselves. He'd cross the line occassionally--my line anyway--but damn if I didn't buy the next issue to see if he'd cross it again.

I fear that the apathetic folks Jim says he'd like to reach might not keep coming if plays it too straight. But one must be deft in doling out criticism of our public officials, newspaper editors and (gulp) perhaps even bloggers. Too much might turn off too many people to make the venture worthwhile.

But I hope like heck it sticks around.

Anyway, I await further Liberation--and libation if anyone's buying.

Good Starbucks Talk

at Ed Cameron's blog.


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Landfill

Mary Eaton has the scoop (no, not on the death of newspapers, that's Ari's thing) but on the landfill lawsuit.

I don't know anything more than this. Not a surprise really.

This issue belongs to all of us now.


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Can we have one? Can we? Huh?

Looks like New England Development might lose a key tenant for its Nashua lifestyle project--Whole Foods.

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