Woonsocketier

http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-busway-1004-20121003,0,7615952.story And the busway construction begins in earnest. I get that the cost is high, but surely there are some benefits to this project. I would have rather seen commuter rail but this will help relieve congestion. Look at the Courant comments though. Why do people hate st so much??? Is it truly the cost? If so, I understand. But is it also an inability to see the forest through the trees for the need of a robust public transit system. Or, is the negative opinion due to something else?

It's true that it's never going happen, but I don't think the Red Sox would have so much of a problem as the Yanks and Mets would. How long has Fenway Park been sold out?? Boston draws plenty of fans and has five states worth of TV coverage, endorsements, and memorabilia. I also think (I don't know for sure) that 95% of attendance is MA, RI, NH (and to a lesser extent) ME and VT at games. On the other hand the two New York teams rely on Southern Connecticut for much of their business relationships. How much revenue do the Yankees lose when the hedge funds and financial companies in Greenwich/Stamford take their clients to the Connecticut (fill in team name blank here) games? I don't think attendance would be so much of an issue. You're guaranteed 38 of the 82 home games are sold out because the Sox and Yanks are in town and tickets would be cheaper than Fenway and Yankee Stadium.

If only this was more realistic than simply unfettered optimism: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/op_ed/...0,5397218.story There was a map in the Sunday CTOpinion section of the Courant. In addition to the commuter rail it had three light rail lines; one to Manchester, one to Middletown, and one to Bradley passing by U of Hartford and Bloomfield. The New Britain busway was there as well.

I'm actually attending college in Philadelphia and said the same thing as you before I left. However it just has that homegrown quality for me and it certainly doesn't hurt that the city, and all of the Blackstone Valley, is beginning to improve.

Haha, Cotuit. You nailed it right on the head. I'm one of the 40,000 French Canadians living in Woonsocket. Speaking of condos and Woonsocket, there have been A TON of new condo developments going up around the Blackstone River up here. They're a little cheaper than Providence and the restaurant scene is getting increasingly better. If you don't mind commuting its actually a pretty good deal.

There are numerous triple deckers on the East Side that offer affordable condo units similar to those in Jamaica Plain up in Boston. Prices are getting higher on the East Side though, and I think the area around Providence College and south of Downcity will become very gentrified in the coming years.