0 Back Bay-to-Logan Shuttle Launched for Boston Commuters

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Logan to Back Bay Shuttle launched to ease traffic at airport

Credit: Boston.com

Looking for new ways to get to Back Bay? Massport believes that their new shuttle from Logan to Back Bay will provide an alternative to the T or Taxi service.

Details on the shuttle from Baker & Tradesman:

“The Back Bay Logan Express service started Monday and will run every 20 minutes from the airport to Hynes Convention Center and Copley station on the MBTA’s Green Line, Massport announced today. The 42-foot bus will stop at all Logan terminals on the departure level and pick up passengers on the arrival levels…The service will run from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Back Bay and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Logan, and cost $5, payable with a debit or credit card, or free for riders with an MBTA pass. Massport estimates ridership at 1,400 passengers a day.”

The full article is available on the B&T website.

0 Mobile App Brings Real-Time Ride Options to Boston

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

What’s the fastest way to get there? I was leaving my office on Boylston Street Last week headed to the corner of High and Federal. My route was my standard one: hop on the T at Back Bay and head to Park Street then walk through Downtown Crossing down Summer to High.

As I walked across Exeter Street at Boylston Street, I noticed a motorcycle rider on a Ducati, felt the warm day air, and thought, Spring is burgeoning. As my trip progressed, I walked in front of 100 Summer Street and noticed the same rider on the same bike. Was my way quicker or did the rider stop for a coffee at Flat Black? Not sure, but I was rather impressed that the T scored the same speed as a motorcycle.

If you’re unsure of the best route or means for a particular trip, check out RideScout, and see what’s your quickest path to your Boston destination.

The BBJ describes RideScout’s functionality, which is now available in Boston and Cambridge:

“The app aggregates ground transportation services including public transit, private options and social ride-share that allows users to search and compare options in real-time..,Users of the app can find and connect with Zipcars, Hailo taxis, Hubway bike share, MBTA bus and rail services.”

Additional details are available on the Boson Business Journal.

0 Burnham Building in Millennium Tower Lands Fashion Retailer

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Burnham office Building at the Millennium Towers Complex

Credit: Banker & Tradesman

Another new lease for the Downtown Crossing, this time its retail. Headquartered in Dublin Ireland, www.primark.com was founded in 1969 and today operates 250 store in eight countries.

From Banker & Tradesman: “Fashion retailer Primark has signed a long-term lease for 112,000 square feet at the Burnham Building in the Millennium Tower complex at Boston’s Downtown Crossing…Dublin-based Primark’s first U.S. store will occupy four floors in the eight-story Burnham Building, including 70,000 square feet of retail floor space.

View Listings: Downtown Crossing Office Space

0 Boston Harbor: today, as it was meant to be

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow.com

One of our city’s most valued resources wasn’t always treated as such. Yes, our waterfront. Not only has this become a destination location for visitors, but now we have new residential communities and office buildings that are the new gateway to the water.

Bisnow offers a perspective on how the harbor used to be, and what it’s evolved into.

“[today], many of the region’s major developers and corporations…now see how valuable a beautiful waterfront can be. Rents are rising for offices and multifamily residences and commercial property sale values are hitting all-time highs.”

The full article, including a comparison of ‘old’ Boston Harbor to a “men’s locker room”, is available here.

0 What Does Cool, Funky Office Space in Back Bay Look Like?

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Workbar

What does cool funky space look like, or better yet how does it feel? The virtue of my business is to walk in and out of company offices daily and I must say that this one grabbed my attention as cool and funky. It isn’t so much as to the building or layout, but the culture that the company extends to its employees and customers.

Bostinno.streetwise.co articulates this quality in its assessment of Karmaloop’s ‘swagged out’ Back Bay office space:

“Karmaloop stickers bearing the company’s classic chunky logo in all prints and colors sit in neat piles atop a coffee table. A giant-sized, glittering mannequin sits with plastic legs crossed coquettishly on one of the entryway’s couches, while another figure, a frightening yet sort of high fashion clown marionette, looms over the space. Both were crafted by ecommerce company’s outspoken founder and CEO, and proud Bostonian Greg Selkoe.”

Let us know your definition of cool, funky office space in the comments below, or on twitter @bradviors

To read the full bostinno article, follow this link.

0 Boston Residents: Text In Your Choice to Fill Storefront Vacancies

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

This is a very interesting idea. I would love to see the results and read the texters’ suggestions; I imagine they would likely differ from the residents of the community. Either way, a great reach out program.

Credit: Boston.com

According to Boston.com, city officials are looking to use crowdsourcing to “help reduce the number and duration of business vacancies, increase community involvement, and promote innovation, according to municipal workers spearheading the pilot program.”

Back bay commercial space at 360 Newbury St. in Boston

360 Newbury Street

We’re using our Twitter feed (@bradviors) to garner opinions on what you’d like to see occupy 360 Newbury Street.

Tweet your suggestions using #360Newbury in your message.

You can see the responses here: 360 Newbury Street

0 Rosenthal Tax break at Fenway Center Gets Support from Mayor Walsh

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Mayor Walsh is looking to offer some reprieve to the Fenway Center Project. Will this stimulus be enough for the $550 million project to get off the ground? The residential and commercial market are both very strong and seem to be poised to continue upward; the real concern is the cost of construction.

The BBJ offered some underlying details on the tax agreement:

“The proposed 121A tax agreement, first reported by the Boston Globe Monday, is intended to provide property tax relief in a designated “blighted” areas. The Rosenthal tax plan is expected to be on the Boston Redevelopment Authority agenda at its board meeting on Thursday. The state would also have to approve the arrangement.”

The full article is available on the Boston Business Journal’s website.

0 Mass. Pike Project to Alter Allston/Brighton Neighborhood

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Birds-eye view of the Mass Pike curves near Allston and Brighton

Credit: The Boston Globe

If you commute from West of the city using the Pike, it seems that your drive to Boston could get shorter, well kind of. The now-shuttered rail yards at the Allston/Brighton exit is the focus of an undertaking that aims to straighten the Mass. Pike roadway in that area.

According to coverage from The Boston Globe, “the state Department of Transportation project is simple: Rebuild Allston’s section of the Massachusetts Turnpike to make it less curvy, allowing for cars to travel through new, all-electronic toll plazas without slowing.,,But the $260 million construction project, scheduled to begin in 2017, has attracted the hopes and dreams of transit activists, business bigwigs, and leaders from around the region, all of whom believe the project, and the 60 acres of land to be opened up by the highway straightening, has the potential to dramatically redefine Allston-Brighton.”

Details on the proposed highway project are available on the Boston Globe’s website.

0 Public Food Market Approved for Greenway

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: The Boston Globe

This will be a great addition to community and Greenway. Looking forward to visiting when it goes live; the concept reminds me of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco.

The Boston Globe reports:

“Plans for the year-round market along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway were approved Thursday night by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The project, expected to cost $14 million, will include up to 45 vendors as well as a bakery, seafood raw bar, and demonstration kitchen staffed by local chefs….’For people who live close to the market looking for fresh produce, this is going to be a godsend,’ said Liz Morningstar, executive director of the nonprofit Boston Public Food Market, which will develop and manage the facility.”

0 Cambridge Co-working Office Space Sends Five Entrepreneurs to Shark Tank

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Workbar, coworking space in Cambridge MA

Credit: BBJ

Co-working office spaces continue to create a platform where innovative ideas can turn into companies. Yes, I’m a fan of Shark Tank and I love how the show boils a product pitch down to five minutes from pitch to investment.

Reporting on the local angle on the show, the BBJ notes that “entrepreneurs drove from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to pitch their business ideas at Cambridge co-working space Workbar on Thursday in hopes of getting national exposure on ABC’s Shark Tank…About 100 people were standing in line an hour before pitches started.

The growing interest and relevance of co-working office space in Cambridge is beneficial to both the entrepreneurs, who will spur future growth, as well as the environment and infrastructure that surrounds it.

For details on the five selected entrepreneurs, read the full article on the Boston Business Journal.