Talk:Boston/Archive 1

message: Can anybody locate some better images of the Boston skyline? The ones in the article at the moment really do not do the city justice.--AaronS 12:39, 25 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Better Skylines Images 

message: I live near Boston (and went to college there in the sixties). I grew up near New York and my brother lives there. 
I think the whole thing about the "rivalry" should be taken out. It's cutesy-poo but it's a point of view and, IMHO, it's probably inaccurate.  
I certainly agree with the "one-sided" characterization. But it goes beyond that: I don't believe New Yorkers are aware of any rivalry with Boston (despite the parallel assertion in the New York, New York article). 
Even if one could demonstrate that a rivalry exists, how could anyone document the statement that the rivalry "is considered to be the most infamous in the United States?"
It's likely that there was once such a rivalry, as the two cities were near each other and were both important ports, financial centers, and centers of "society." It's probably been a century since there was any real rivalry, other than possibly in baseball. 
Boston's importance as (one of the cities that has claimed to be the) "Athens of America" is fading. Broadway shows no longer try out here. We get them on tour just as Phoenix and Milwaukee and San Jose. 
The alleged rivalry with New York may be a reference to society, and the relative ranking of the New York families that summered in Newport and the Boston families that summered in Bar Harbor. I'm afraid I don't move in those circles. (I once knew someone who was in the Social Register—I've actually seen a copy of the Social Register (and Dilatory Domiciles)—is there still a Social Register?—so I don't know whether such a rivalry still exists, but I think it belongs to the days of the of John P. Marquand novels.
Within the last couple of decades, many of Boston's claims to a unique identity have been eroded. In several cases, Boston institutions have been acquired by New York. Jordan Marsh, our premier department store for over a century, is now Macy's. The Boston Globe is now owned by The New York Times. All of our regional banks have now been acquired by outside chains (but, at least, not by New York); the last big regional bank, Bank of Boston, was acquired by Fleet, which, in turn, has just been acquired by Bank of America. 
My guess is that New York overtook Boston in the Gilded Age, that by the middle of the last century Boston's importance as a rival existed mostly in its own memories, and that today, to all intents and purposes Boston is just an average city (with nationally recognized universities, hospitals, and a first-rank symphony orchestry). Dpbsmith 13:11, 19 Jan 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: * Really?  What about Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington?  And, if "rival city" is not limited to cities in the same country, how about London, Paris, and Tokyo? -- SwissCelt 17:22, 27 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  About the "rivalry" with New York 

message: I'm researching the cost of living in Maynard/Boston, Massachusetts, for there exists a possibility I may relocate to Maynard.
For those whom live (and rent/own) in Maynard or within the immediate vicinity (as far as Boston), how much salary is appropriate for comfortable living? Thank you. Adraeus 21:29, 12 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comfortable salary? 

message: Will someone with time on their hands please add a section on culture? Thanks.
--AaronS 02:12, 15 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Culture 

message: I did a Google search on this and came up with nothing.--AaronS 22:58, 5 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  The City of Higher Learning? 

message: I changed "Professional sports franchises" to "Sports" to include all teams and events in Boston. I know that Boston is a major sports town and would appreciate someone adding more to that section. Pentawing 19:58, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Boston Sports 

message: *March 6, 1804: annexed South Boston
*January 6, 1868: annexed Roxbury
*January 3, 1870: annexed Dorchester
*January 5, 1872: annexed West Roxbury
*January 3, 1874: annexed Charlestown
*January 5, 1874: annexed Brighton
*January 1, 1912: annexed Hyde Park
I'm not sure exactly where in the article to put this. --SPUI (talk) 15:32, 30 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: This is a tough call. Though it might appear to be geography, I am strongly leaning towards history (you could mention how Boston started on the original peninsula and expanded through land reclamation and annexation). Pentawing 03:29, 7 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Figuring out the expansion of Boston

message: --The list called Largest metropolitan areas in the Americas is wrong, as is made obvious by the fact that it contains huge discrepancies with the numbers for the U.S. metro areas. Furthermore, the link given for its source is now dead. I won't start a revert war over something like this, but it really should be removed. --Jleon 18:23, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Metro areas in the Americas 

message: 68.239.10.72's edit claiming that the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy is the oldest institution of higher education in Boston is supported by the college's own claims. MCP’s website states that the college was "founded" in 1823 (http://www.mcphs.edu/MCPHSWeb/about/about.html). However this claim is flawed: Dec 8, 1823 represents the date on which the Boston apothecaries first met to organize their guild. Their reason for meeting was not to specifically to found the college. The college officers were only organized in 1830, and their charter granted in 1852. More importantly, MCP's first lectures were only held in 1867 and its first actual class graduated in 1869. Given that Boston College was holding classes as early as 1827 (albeit without a charter from the Commonwealth), this would still make BC the first institution of higher education established in the city of Boston.140.247.125.10 23:19, 9 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It is not lying per se, but PR-copy often involves tweaking the facts. Without the meeting of the Boston apothecaries in 1823, it is likely MCPHS would never have come into existence. By the same token, Boston College could point to the meeting of the first Jesuits in 1534 as the root of its existence. However, neither can be considered a founding date. For a detailed account of the history of MCPHS, see Ernest C. Marshall's Early History of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. 140.247.125.194 17:16, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Oldest university in Boston