Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Blogger Victory Party, Friday, Watertown

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Hi folks, sorry I haven’t got my sh*t together til today, but we’ve got a place and time for our blogger party!

It will be tomorrow TONIGHT (Friday) at 8pm, at a place called Donahue’s, 87 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown Mass.

If you live in the Boston area, metronorthwest, or Worcester, and you need (or can give) a ride to people, please post here or email me at lynne [at] leftinlowell.com and I will try to hook people up with rides.

I know we like to generally be near the T but we can’t always always do that, and it’s time we visit Steve in his town (we’ve done Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Worcester…) but I know people are determined to give a ride those who need it.

K, have at it!

***UPDATE*** – we have an offer for anyone who needs a ride to Watertown from the Westborough/Southborough/Marlboro/Framingham area or anyone in between there and Watertown, so if you need a ride from that area email me and I’ll give you his info.

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Comments

    • It runs pretty frequently on weekend evenings — every 20 minutes.  You wait for it indoors, in the Harvard Square bus tunnel.  It’s also a MUCH shorter walk to the bar than the #70 bus on Arsenal Street.

      • and all I can offer are mediocre naviational skills.

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        For me to take public transit will take
        3 mins  wait for green line
        25 mins travel to Park St
        2 mins  wait for red line
        20 mins travel to Harvard Sq
        10 mins wait for 71 bus
        17 mins bus ride

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        75 minutes travel, each way, at a cost of $2.15 each way — not a chance.

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        Anybody driving near Kenmore Square (or better yet, the BU bridge) on their way, and on their way home?

    • If we think there’s going to be big turnout, I can call and see if the function room is available.  Might save us if it’s crowded.

  3. I do appreciate Lynne’s efforts, and agree that a party for some is better than a party for none, but…

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    I know we like to generally be near the T but we can’t always always do that

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    is crap.  We could always always do that, but we don’t always choose to do that.  Furthermore, by holding an event on the outskirts, you’re necessarily making it much farther for folks on mass transit, who have to go to the middle of the city and then back out to get there.  Hell, even a bar at Watertown Yard/Square would have been better due to its bus hub.  I live 4.3 miles away from Donahues; It’d be a nice daytime walk/bike ride, but Friday nights in November are tough on footpower, especially when one goes out drinking.

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    So, there’s my whine/rant.

    • Every event is very inconvenient for someone. Frankly, for me, coming to the Boston area for events, figuring out whether to drive or take a train, figuring out how to deal with having only one car with two people needing transport two different ways, is a pain in the butt. I would love to have every event in Lowell! But it ain’t gonna happen.

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      You’d have far more time in your commute if we had it in, say, Worcester. Or Lowell! Every event cannot be in the immediate Boston area…but many of our events are. I am not complaining about all the driving/training-riding I’ve had to do, so I hope that you can make allowances for those of us who make a trek into a city which is terrible for driving and parking by coming to the event in Watertown by hook or by crook.

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      As I said, we will make sure that everyone who needs a ride gets one. There are several people coming from the Boston area who are driving. I’ve even talked with people willing to go far out of their way to pick people up.

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      If someone can give stormv a ride who is coming from the Boston area, please let him know. If not, we have secondary options, including my little car, which will be picking up my hubby at Alewife and going to Watertown for dinner at Donahues a little early. (I just have to clean the crap outta it, but I should anyway! My husband will thank you…)

      • The point is that, for someone driving from, say, Lowell, getting to Harvard Square isn’t much harder than getting to Donahues.  It’s about the same mileage, and while Harvard Square can be a little harder to park, begin near (but not in) Harvard Square it isn’t tough at all to park.  So, it’s virtually no increased cost for drivers, but a tremendous savings for folks taking mass transit.

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        That’s Harvard Square.  We’re not talking about Copley or Park here.

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        The point is: there are plenty of choices which were just as easy/difficult to get to by car as Donahue’s, but much easier by public transit.  In short, the choice of Donahue’s was ignoring the oportunity to find a Pareto optimum.  That’s my point.

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        (This, of course, ignores the population density argument.  Should events be located like the Senate (two in each region) or like the House (many more in Boston due to population density)?)

        • It came down to “shit the event is soon we have to make a choice” and “we’ve never been to Watertown yet”.

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          Most of the events are inside of Boston Metro. A couple are held in Worcester or Lowell or even points west. I’d say that’s a good balance struck.

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          And frankly, you’d still be stuck in Worcester or Lowell trying to arrange things (and paying a crapload more money to take the train in the first place), as none of the good venues in our cities are walking distance from the terminals of the commuter rail anyway. We have a bus system, which I don’t recommend (not to mention, it shuts down after 6pm!).

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          Would you be complaining if it were in Worcester or Lowell?

          • I think all stomv is trying to get at is that IF it’s going to be in the Boston area, it should be in a place that’s convenient to Bostonians, since all Boston areas are (roughly) the same level of inconvenience to non-Bostonians. And I would tend to agree with this view.

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            Which is not to say that it shouldn’t be in Watertown. Not at all. Lots of Watertown is quite convenient to mass transport. I’m getting the impression, though, that this place is not-so-convenient. (I haven’t looked into it at all, so I’m not passing judgment just yet.)

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            And no, I would not complain in the least were it in Worcester or Lowell. Fair’s fair, after all.

    • It’s on a frequent, fast bus line from Harvard Square.  From BU, you can take the #57 to Watertown Square and then the #71 back towards Harvard.  With a bus transfer the total cost is 90 cents each way.

      • Wait for 57: 5 mins
        Ride on 57: 28 mins
        Walk from Yard to Square: 2 mins?
        Wait for 71: 10 mins
        Ride on 71: 8 mins

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        Total: 53 minutes, each way.

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        It also serves to emphasize that holding an event near a public transit hub (like Watertown Yard/Square) cuts time dramatically… in this case, it would be 33 minues instead of 53.

        • That leaves out Springfield, Lowell and Worcester, the next largest metro areas in the state…as I said, most of the good venues are rather not near the train station. 🙁

    • There is one place in Watertown Square that would be appropriate, but I was afraid that it would be too crowded on Friday night.

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      I picked this place because it’s closer to Cambridge, owned by a good Dem/Town Councilor/supporter of our state Rep, and it has a function room in case we get a big turnout.

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      Sorry if it’s inconvenient.  Lynne told me to pick some place in town and I thought this was the best one.

      • It sounds like there were lots of really solid reasons to pick this place in particular.  That really does make me feel a lot better about the choice, and also forces me to take back the Pareto reference.

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        Thank you.

        • I wanted to check in with you to see if you’d found something.

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          My husband and I are meeting at 6pm at Alewife (we’re going to do dinner at Donahues early) if you end up with no other options.

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          Let me know if you want to join us, email me your # and I’ll send you my cell #.

          • but my wife got an earlier flight home, so I stayed home so I could be here when she got home.

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            Thanks though — I appreciate your offer.

  4. I went to the party in Worcester at O’Connors, which is a very kick-ass bar/restaurant.  I even have a picture, but I’ve been too much of a slacker to get it online.

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    Dunno if I can make this shindig.  The kid has hockey practice and I think I used up all of my hall passes on the election. g

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    I’ll give it a try though. 

  5. My son, turns out, has a Cub Scout sleepover during which the little turks will dress in Medieval garb and pretend they’re Knights of the Round Table in that silliest of places, Camelot. 

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    I’ll see how it goes. 

  6. I live about five miles west, in south Waltham, and I’ll be happy to give anyone (well, up to three people, I drive a small car) a ride who’s closer to me than to Donahue’s.

  9. I’m returning from Colorado and may get in too late to join the festivities.  Certainly T-access didn’t look to practical.  If the plane arrives on time, any idea of the time and cost of a cab ride?

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    Thanks!

    • will probably run you at least $30-$35.  If you want to save a few bucks, you might try taking the T to Harvard Sq. and grabbing a cab at the cab stand across from the T entrance — that ride will probably cost you only $10-$15 or so.

    • At least until 11pm, I expect, some of us. We don’t get there until 8pm after all. Kate, do you want me to send you my cell# in case you want to check in with us before you come?

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      Hubby and I MIGHT bug out slightly early, as in, no 3am call time (haha) because we have a lot to do tomorrow. I don’t see that 10 or 11pm isn’t unreasonable though…

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