Let's take the long way because there's nothing to do there

I sat on the Surface Artery of the State Legislature from 1998 to 2000. Our assignment was to come up with a way to fund new development and public spaces on the Greenway. This article confirms something I knew when the committee disbanded accomplishing nothing.

There is a simple reason that the Greenway is the Deadway. And I do appreciate the Globe for clipping that phrase from me.

The reason is money. Not public money. Not donations. Not fundraisers.

The Greenway, as the young insurance executive pointed out is NOT a destination for anything. It isn't even a "thruway" to use the young man's phrase. Take an example. You get out of work on Federal Street and want to head to Faneuil Hall to meet a friend for a cocktail. Its about 5:30 in January. Tell me your path. I know what it isn't--walking two blocks east, crossing the traffic looniness that is Dewey Square, and then taking a long, boring, lonely, even scary loop around the Financial District, stopping every 2 minutes to cross to another boring, empty lot until after 45 minutes of tension, you risk your life to get back across the line of civilization and into Faneuil Hall.
No the route you will take is Federal to Milk to Congress, with a nice walk through Post Office Square Park, and right into Faneuil Hall.

Back to money. When I served on the aforementioned commission, the ratio of businessmen to public agencies and environmental groups was 1 to 15. I know. I was the "1." On behalf of the committee, I flew to Yerba Buena Park in San Francisco to see why it ticked. While on a visit to Australia, I spent time with the developers of the beautiful urban park along the river in Sydney. And guess what they and the other U.S. parks mentioned all had in common? Buildings housing fun things to do. Buildings owned by profit-making entities or ticket-selling cultural organizations. Not history museums or horticultural halls. Sony had its Exploraton right in Yerba Buena--free admission, free interactive gadgets, but also gift shops, restaurants, and FREE ADVERTISING FOR SONY. Sydney had one part of the artificial beach (yes they built the beach) lined with cabanas served by, yes--people selling beer (oh what will Longfellow think in his grave? He'd think he wants a beer, that's what.)

Why are we afraid to allow people to have fun and pay for it directly or indirectly on the Deadway? Why are we afraid to let anybody build anything near the Deadway? It is becoming a joke. "Hey kids, let's head into Boston today and see what's happening on the "Green"way. I heard they have some really neat neon lights, fountains that come on every 4 hours, and, if we're lucky, some really bad mimes and a guy who plays every Jimi Hendrix song backwards on the harmonica.

Build--build an opera house because we need one. Elevate a restaurant off the ground in front of Rowes Wharf so we can flow under it or choose to go up and enjoy some clam chowder and a beer inside of it. Have a competition to construct Venetian--like decorative bridges connecting parcel to parcel so we can actually describe the Greenway as a continous path and not the series of stop-and-go blocks that it is.

Let us keep moving and let us stop to do something. Anything. Yes, Mayor Menino, that does include U2. With activity on the Greenway, guess what would happen Mr. Mayor? New construction. Housing that doesn't sell at auction. Tax revenue. More tourists. More visitors from Stoneham for starters.

The so-called Greenway has become a bigger barrier than the Central Artery ever was. I am actually waxing nostalgic. I can see that rusting green paint but I can see people flowing under and around it. It's noisy, some of the lights don't work, but it's alive.