Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown

The faneuil hall area is a tourist ghetto, and a necessary and fabulous one at that. It's not for residents, but it saves us. And the diversity and color at this end, with clowns and breakdancers and magicians and whatnot is the most interesting thing about it from my standpoint of passing through.

We really need a mayor that understands and enjoys city life, not some undertalented bureaucrat from suburban Readville.

The idea of a single, 15' x 15' area for performers is outrageous. I'm ready to go down and make much more noise than any bucket drummers. Anyone with me?

Does this mean I cant be entertained by the guy who does his crazy magic act between Quincy Market and Fanuel Hall? Ive seen him a couple times, he is great. Well its not magic as much as it is picking up a block, then two blocks (at the same time) and proceeds until he is picking up 15 little blocks and doing tricks with them. Then he drops the whole thing, runs across the "stage" (he sets up an area that is for the act) and does a flip thing while putting on a sport coat. Ive actually thought of going to Quincy Market just to see him, and believe me a little square is not gonna suffice for his act.

Maybe thats why he wants to move City Hall to the waterfront! He can set up a nice quiet noise free zone a mile around his office so he can take a nap in the afternoons.

There are a couple of guys who will bang anything ... like a drum, of course. They do it very very well, and I adore hearing them from a distance as well as up close. Like the pulse of the market.

Too tribal for Tom or something? What is it with that generation and their elders and their freak outs over all things drumness - or saying that things they don't like or culturally fear are "too noisy" when they most certainly are not? I remember giving my nephew a quiet drum to play with and the inlaws freaking out about it being "loud" until I whipped out a dB meter and compared it to other toys ... which is why I really sincerly doubt that this has any last thing to do with any real measured "noise" (drum or otherwise) and much to do with "stuff Tom doesn't get". The packs of schoolkids are much, much noisier and shreikier than the junk bangers - can Menino require them to be muzzled? Abecrombe and Fitch probably sells muzzles.

Do Faux Franklins count as "street performers", or sacred cows?

If there ever was a stupid use for guards and barriers, this is it.

The Breeze Team founder, James Geddie, said the guards, armed with sound-level measuring devices, told them to turn down their music, and eventually told them to stop performing.

"They told us to stop because the audience was clapping too loud," Geddie said.

Hey, that's a great idea! Let's make sure the only performers allowed are the ones who suck and people hate! Hey, where's Gallagher when you need him? He'd make people not clap. Because clapping is bad. It makes noise!

A family from Virginia leaned on the metal barricade, looking at a guide and deciding what to visit next. They said they had just come from Quebec.

"They had tons of street performers," said Sarah Moore, who was visiting Boston for two days with her husband and two teenaged children. "It was awesome."

Yeah, that's a great result. We want people to think "Hmm, which is more fun, Boston or Quebec? Alors! Je me souviens! C'est Quebec!" Because Boston is no place for tourists to have fun and be entertained. Those damn tourists should just get in line, pay their money, and get out.

And besides Menino, whose heart is two sizes too small? Well, it's the drones at some crappy corporate chain restaurant called Houston's.

"When it's nice, we like to open the doors," said Jennifer Achevarria, who has managed the Faneuil Hall Houston's location for three months. "Our biggest concern is the noise level, which directly affects our paying guests and disturbs the ambience."

I say it's the creeps at Houston's who are messing up Boston's ambience. They should pack up their bags and go back to Texas if they want not to be disturbed by the natives. We've got our own crappy corporate chain restaurants, and we don't need them. I'd threaten to boycott, but it's not like I'd ever have eaten there in the first place. Who would, when Kingfish Hall is right there and is both local and excellent.

I perform ON City Hall Plaza all the time, and nobody's ever said boo to me. I haven't been out there recently, but perhaps today would be a good day to see what happens...it's public property, after all, and there's no ordinance against it.

I'm sure it will all blow over when the Mayuh's small heart grows three sizes and he, he himself, the Tom carves the Roast Beast.

That should be "noise, noise, noise, noise."

If you don't like what the city has done, this is a good place to register your complaint. Select "Arts, Tourism & Special Events" from the "Department" menu. When I called that office earlier today, the people there were not at all happy with the new policy, and blamed the Property Management office for this fiasco.

... for a boycott?

Though, I'd be effing shocked if "Houston's" lasted any longer than the Austin Grille did in Cambridge. The only customers they're ever going to have are tourists from Texas, and those are likely to get thin on the ground come September.

Bashing a restaurant that has been in that spot for a few years is pretty lame. Let's stop making this into some evil corporation fighting against the poor innocent street performers and demanding the restaurant move. I don't even like Houstons personally but this talk is over the top.

Obviously, there is overreaction here on all fronts. It is unnecessary to set up barrier around the area and make it look like it's on lockdown. By the same token, some of these performers, specifically the dancers with the loud stereo equipment are a distraction, especially for people working in the area. I know that first hand. You should not be able to put on that kind of performance without a permit, an average citizen has to get a permit so they should too.

The Globe has stoked the flames here with an obviously biased story. Regardless, I'm sure it'll cool down in the next few days and all will be right in the world once again,

This article was great to read, but the news was sad to hear. But it was best summed up with:

"They [Quebec] had tons of street performers," said Sarah Moore, who was visiting Boston for two days with her husband and two teenaged children. "It was awesome."

Yeah.

Instead of harassing buskers, why doesn't the City put its energy into enforcing actual nuisances like obnoxiously loud car radios with bass that can be heard for blocks and penetrates walls and is audible in interior rooms.