Boston’s disappearing neighborhood bars

Is Boston losing its dive bars (which I think of as neighborhood pubs)? Boston Globe writer, Beth Teitell, wrote an interesting article last week asking just that question. She writes, “Look around the city at the glossy new buildings and companies and it’s easy to see what’s knocking over the worn bar stools: rising rents, land values, and changing tastes and demographics.”

In the past I’ve written blog posts about needing to make sure Boston can be a home for everyone: the well-to-do retiree couple who sold their home in the suburbs; Millennials who are starting their career and life; as well as the wide-eyed college student who is moving from home for the first time in their life.

The question about Boston’s disappearing neighborhood bars is a good one and probably the result of many issues – not just rising rents – but the city’s economic boom is no doubt hastening the closure of many of these locations. I hesitate to think of a South End without an Anchovies, Delux Cafe, JJ Foley’s, Cathedral Station or Wally’s to name just a few and I hope whether you frequent these establishments or not, you appreciate the color and energy they bring to our neighborhood and city.