All Things Travel: Boston Public Market Opens In Prime Location
BOSTON (CBS) – Boston 2015 is doing very well this summer, attracting a record number of visitors as Boston 2024 goes away.
The end of the Summer Olympics bid marks a new beginning for the city.
No place was this shown to be the case more than the opening last week of the Boston Public Market, located in a state-owned building at the Haymarket MBTA station.
The transit authority might consider changing the name of the station to just "Market Station." Hay is long gone from the scene, but the location is right next to the new greenway.
The market opening Thursday morning was the best example yet of the city, state, and private businesses working together.
Within a year, the market will be a major stop for locals and out-of-towners visiting the city.
Talk about an ideal location. It is a couple of blocks from the popular Quincy Market and the Freedom Trail.
It took 10 years to make it happen, but there were a lot of happy people at the official opening, including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker.
Both of them attending the opening was itself a major step forward.
It could be best seen in the informal media scrum that took place after the formal speeches.
First, Walsh met with the media and answered questions, while Baker worked the crowd. Then, the roles were reversed.
The location of the market is perfect from a transportation standpoint.
Haymarket station is served by both the Green and Orange lines.
It is also a hub for North Shore MBTA bus routes.
Walking traffic will be heavy in the afternoon, as people make their way to North Station Purple Line MBTA trains.
More than 90 percent of the vendors in the market are from Massachusetts.
They represent more than 7,000 acres of farming.
The market has a large food preparation area where classes on healthier foods will be taught.
Tucked away in a corner is a children's play area complete with copies of the book "The Ugly Vegetables."
The most unusual item in the whole place is the Lobster Trap Rockers, where weary travelers can rest.
The rockers are made from materials similar to real fishing traps and come from Maine.
Talk about thinking of everything, the market is located in the same building of the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Getting back to the Olympics demise, politics is a kind of sport in Boston.
The next big faceoff is Walsh vs. Steve Wynn and the Everett Casino.
Bob Weiss reports on business travel on Mondays at 5:55 a.m. on WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
