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The city that always sleeps: Downtown business group opposes warm cookies at 2:45 a.m.

The Boston Licensing Board decides tomorrow whether to let Insomnia Cookies open a storefront on Bromfield Street from which it would deliver warm cookies to downtown residents and students up to 3 a.m.

A representative from the mayor's office agreed to support the proposal after the chain, which has similar outlets in Kenmore and Harvard squares, agreed to add cameras and lighting to try to ward off and catch the sort of ne'er-do-wells one might expect to congregate on a downtown side street so deep into the night. At a licensing hearing this morning, chain officials added they would be agreeable to nighttime removal of the four to six high-top seats it plans to have at a window counter during the day.

But Doug Meyer of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, which represents downtown businesses - and runs litter-removal and "ambasssador" programs - said "we just don't feel particularly comfortable" with a 3 a.m. closing time and urged the board to step it back to 2 a.m.

Under its proposal, Insomnia would take its last orders at 2:45 a.m., to allow for a buffer to get all those last-minute cookies delivered by 3.

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Comments

So downtown streets are unsafe at night because there are not many people out on the street but having a business open at 3AM is not a good idea because it may create some foot traffic?

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they know what they're doing.

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Just down Washington St a couple of blocks is Walgreens which started out with a 24 hour schedule. The sign on the door says they are now 6 to midnight, but last I was there around 10 they were making announcements that the store would close soon for the night.

I suppose a delivery service would have different requirements. Home much call is there for a cookie deliver service?

In general Downtown Crossing has had a step up in violence over the last year.

On the other hand it is good to see something going in on Bromfield as it doesn't have much retail after 5.

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They're counting on heavy demand from all those Emerson and Suffolk students who don't want to make the trek down to that one pizza place at 2 a.m.

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There doesn't appear to be much student traffic at Walgreens and they have a good amount of ready made food. But I suppose they don't deliver.

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I once went to that Walgreens. It was a bizarre scene. There was a noisy crowd of homeless people at the Western Union desk cashing benefit checks or something.

Unlike a cookie place, I could see them having problems if they stayed open all night.

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City that always sleeps accept for Wynn Casino serving alcohol till 4am... I call BS! No cookies for night-owls, but cheap free alcohol after 2am is not a problem at the sexual assault casino!

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Hey, don't blame Boston for Everett.

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Is gonna be a cross between Death Race 2000 & Wacky Races.

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Death Race 2000 and Wacky Races pretty much any time of day.

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Can't wait to spend big cash on LUXURY bottles of booze in VIP lounges at Wynn Casino.

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If you don't want to spend money on LUXURY bottles, you don't have to. If you do, you have that option. Amazing how that works.

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A different slice of NIMBYism, yet still obnoxious.

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"we just don't feel particularly comfortable" with a 3 a.m. closing time and urged the board to step it back to 2 a.m.

I don't feel comfortable walking in DTX at 3am with nothing open around me. So there.

I also don't feel comfortable wearing clothes, but sometimes you have to do things out of your comfort range for the good of the public to keep cities clean and beautiful.

Seriously where do they get this crap from? "Comfort" is an excuse?!?

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A representative for downtown businesses "doesn't feel comfortable" about a business being open late downtown for what reason exactly?

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He said there were several reasons, but didn't specify them out loud, and I didn't talk to him after the hearing because I wanted to make sure not to miss the Bukhara one. But they did file a letter outlining their issues, so I'll try to get a copy.

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I don't get this at all.

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First you let in cookie-delivery...

...then you got people wanting to empty trash dumpsters.

(patrickstewartvoice)The line must be drawn HERE!(/patrickstewartvoice)

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If you give a mouse late-night cookie delivery, he's going to want a late-night glass of milk.

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Half of the businesses on Bromfield have collapsed in the past 2 years. I'm delighted that *anyone* wants to open up on Bromfield, which used to be the most idiosyncratic commercial street in Boston. This is some stupid NIMBY nonsense.

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