Boston neighborhoods for the kids

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:34am

A couple of days ago, the Boston Department of Innovation and Technology released a series of Snapchat "filters," because those are all the rage with the kids these days. The idea isn't to make your nose look like the Bunker Hill Monument (although that would be kind of cool), but to let Snapchat users sort of watermark their photos with an icon representing their 'hood.

East Boston residents must love having their existence summed up as the Logan control tower. And Roslindale residents must love that their neighborhood is represented by the entrance to Forest Hills Cemetery, which is in Jamaica Plain.

H/t Kevin Levin for IDing the Roslindale symbol that didn't look like anything in Roslindale.

Neighborhoods:

Boston

East Boston

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Comments

Fenway

By BostonDog on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:41am.

So is Fenway no longer a neighborhood?

No Fenway? Or Chinatown? Or

By anon on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:42am.

No Fenway? Or Chinatown? Or South Boston? Or Roxbury? Or......

City really should have made them for ALL neighborhoods before releasing them.

Roxbury's in there

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:51am.

With the Fort Hill standpipe.

What was that loud thud?

By Waquiot on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:50am.

Oh, it was this idea falling flat.

To be fair, some of the images are good (Roxbury, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, and part of Charlestown) but what the heck is the Hyde Park image? Did the creator ask what Hyde Park is known for and was told "people live in houses?"

But hey, now Roslindale gets to claim Forest Hills Cemetery, so something good came out of this. Same JP didn't get that one, since it is more iconic than Blessed Sacrament if you ask me.

Now if I were in charge ...

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 10:53am.

I would've gone with the neon Simco hot dog that looks like it has an elephant's head on American Legion. But maybe that's why it's a good thing I'm not in charge.

Simco

By Ron Newman on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 9:39pm.

Isn't that Mattapan, not Roslindale? It is probably the most famous thing in Mattapan.

The original Simco, yes

By adamg on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 4:06pm.

But they have a branch outlet in Roslindale, with the weird neon hot dog.

What is Hyde Park known for?

By SwirlyGrrl on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:53am.

Other than "gateway to West Roxbury"?

Google Image search gives me several views of an interesting big stone church, a street scene with a clock that could be in Newton or Milton or Dedham, and one of the "welcome to" signs as top hits.

The Fontaine's Chicken would have been excellent for West Roxbury, but the place is sadly long gone: http://www.boston-online.com/neon/000050.html

Home of the 54th

By chaosjake on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:08pm.

Home of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Camp Meigs where many Mass Units trained and shipped out to the Civil War, and a Civil War memorial.
Early mills and industrial sites
Harness and stock car racing
...And, of course, Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream and Bowling

And let's not forget ...

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:16pm.

Stony Brook Reservation (granted, shared with West Roxbury), the Readville train yard/station/tracks, Tom Menino (as memorialized in roughly 2,000 separate buildings named after him), the Dell Avenue Rock (that is some rock!) and, of course, that house on Hyde Park Avenue whose occupants always go gloriously overboard with giant inflatables and lights for every major holiday.

Motion to put Adam in charge

By erik g on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:43pm.

of any future neighborhood iconography projects. (I don't use the Snapchat like the kids these days, but I would abuse the hell out of any photo enhancement tool that let me put that house on as a border)

Ooh, you got my Hyde Park up, and I don't even live there!

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:24pm.

Let's not forget the Giant Tire down towards Readville, the community center with the ox-skull friezes, the Martini Shell, My Grandma's Coffee Cakes and, of course, deer-crossing signs.

Gateway to West Roxbury? That

By anon on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:58pm.

Gateway to West Roxbury? That would be Roslindale, not Hyde Park. Hyde Park is Mattapan West.

She's not wrong, you know

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 1:02pm.

Depending on where you are in Hyde Park, it is, indeed the gateway to West Roxbury, via the forest. And given the backups at the four-way stop during rush hour (even when the MWRA isn't busy laying pipe in the forest), I'm going to bet a lot of people use it just that way.

lots of people start in HP or Rosi

By anon on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 1:19pm.

Then they save up their money to buy a single family in WRox.

Maybe 20 years ago

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 1:26pm.

But with median prices in Roslindale exceeding those in West Roxbury these days, not so much now.

What Chaosjake said

By Waquiot on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 3:36pm.

Imagewise, I would go with Logan Square. I can't find a good photo with a quick search, but I would go with either the clock, the community center, the perpetual Christmas Tree, or a combination of the 3 for an image. Well, honestly I'd go with an image of one of the old industrial buildings like in the Westinghouse center, but I cannot say that's a good image for everyone, so Logan Square it is.

that price rite is a really good grocery store

By Nick L on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 6:25pm.

Or maybe just a cartoon picture of Menino - less insulting than Logan Airport.

That's a side-by-side

By hundel on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 3:54pm.

Hyde Park duplex, on-par with the Dorchester three-decker they drew. Both neighborhoods have lots of recognizable landmarks but I'm not sure they'd make better low-resolution neighborhood "watermarks".

Dorchester

By adamg on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 4:07pm.

It already has a symbol that is widely recognized and could easily be iconified - the gas tank.

Mattapan

By Suldog on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:05am.

Is it considered part of Dorchester or something? As a former resident of 02126 (although I considered where I lived actually part of Lower Mills) I think Mattapan should get Simco's.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

Yeah, that would be an issue

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:07am.

But the Mattapan Simco's would be represented by that ice-cream cone that hasn't been repainted since, what, 1961? The elephant-head hot dog is at the Roslindale outlet.

Your tax dollars

By Snuggles on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:06am.

promoting some company's service rather than open standards.

Wait, there are open-source Boston neighborhood icons?

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:07am.

Lemme at 'em!

Missed PR opportunity

By Irma la Douce on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:13am.

Too bad they didn't reach out to residents for suggestions.

Woah, boy.

By TommyJeff on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:19am.

This idea is SCREAMING for a parody.

My graphic design experience ended with a KoalaPad so have at it, kiddos.

I think it's funny ...

By Lynn Hutchinski on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:36am.

That Allston got the Harvard stadium, given that Harvard is pushing out the older residents so they can buy up the real estate.

To be fair

By BostonDog on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 4:51pm.

The alternative was a icon of a couch on the sidewalk and/or a pile of highlife cans. /s

Would you prefer a red solo

By anon on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 9:15pm.

Would you prefer a red solo cup?

Swing and a miss

By Kerplunk on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:52am.

For historical accuracy the West End should actually be a bulldozer and wrecking ball...

Southie would've been so easy; Castle Island, the Heights monument, overpriced pub food, Bud light, take your pick.

Govt Center is a neighborhood?

By Felicity on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 12:15pm.

Govt Center is a neighborhood?

Was thinking the same thing

By M on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 2:07pm.

At least there aren't any residents there to get upset by it...:p

"Work" neighborhood?

By Irma la Douce on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 2:28pm.

...and shoutout to the city officials who okayed the project?

It was a neighborhood

By anon on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 7:35am.

until the BRA destroyed it like they are doing to South Boston. With Mahty's approval I may add.

Thanks City of Boston

By anon on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 1:02pm.

for wasting taxpayer dollars on this useless idea.

Not a useless idea at all

By adamg on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 1:31pm.

Why shouldn't the city be trying to reach residents where they congregate? They've got that converted food truck that brings city services to neighborhood events. This is just a different type of outreach, to people who "live" in a particular online community. As somebody mentioned above, yes, it would've been good for them to talk to actual residents first, but give 'em points for trying, at least.