Boston’s nightlife culture continues to evolve quickly. A few weeks after announcing the MBTA would extend public transportation service to 3 a.m. on the weekends as soon as this month, the Herald is reporting that new Mayor Marty Walsh will today approach the idea of pushing last call in Boston’s bars and restaurants to 3:30 a.m.
Walsh is looking to establish a “late night task force” that will investigate a plan to keep bars open 90 minutes later across the city, with alcohol sales prohibited at 2:30 a.m. The new mayor will outline the plan in a speech today at the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s annual meeting in the Seaport.
From the Herald:
“The entire speech will be about making Boston an international center of business, and making it the most attractive city it can be to foster that,” said Chief of Staff Daniel Arrigg Koh, noting the city needs to develop a more “vibrant” and “cosmopolitan” nightlife to retain talented bio and hi-tech workers, as well as attract globe-trotting travelers who may want to grab a late steak or a glass of wine.
“For puritan Boston, this is a huge step forward. I give the mayor a ton of credit. He is definitely living up to what he said in his campaign,” said Greg Selkoe, 38, founder of the web retailer Karmaloop and creator of the Future Boston Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to make Boston a better place for young people.
Selkoe met with the mayor and his chief of staff Tuesday to push an issue he has long championed: a later last call. “I don’t even drink. To me it’s not just about being out partying and drinking. I think the world has changed,” Selkoe said, noting that many of his 200 employess work late hours and have few early morning dining options other than Dunkin’ Donuts. “It’s an economic development issue. If Boston wants to keep up with the rest of the world, it needs to loosen up a bit.”
The task force will be made up of up to 15 members, which the Herald says will comprise of “tavern and restaurant owners to community leaders, young professionals and college students.” The pilot program could begin in the Seaport, with the residential density is less than other areas around the city, then extend elsewhere.
And it could help avoid the current issue of Boston’s streets flooded with people after the bars close at 2 a.m., an issue especially in neighborhoods like Allston.
The staggered shutdown would help avoid the chaos that ensues now when bars close their doors at 2 a.m., sending revelers en masse out onto the streets to compete for cabs because the T shuts down at 1 a.m. The MBTA, however, will launch a pilot soon to push weekend service back to 3 a.m. on its subway and trolley lines, and 15 bus routes.