Samuel Frum

Samuel Frum

These two spaces are vastly different. I take much more enjoyment of shopping on Newbury St than in the Prudential or Copley place shops. On Newbury there are trees lining the brick sidewalks, and there is a level of homogenous architecture of the shops. The building code seems to have been strictly enforced, resulting in a very pleasant aesthetic. There is a great mix of restaurants, fast food, and shops so that you can spend an entire day on the street and never have to leave. Though to live in one of the residential units on the street would be something of a tough environment. The one way streets in the area contribute to a rather difficult environment to flag down a taxi, and the accessibility from the Red Line is not great, you have to walk through Boston Common.

Spending time in the mall is a much less pleasant experience. As a shopper you are stuck inside, where it can be noisy and hectic. There is ample signage to instruct your walking but unless you know where to look it is always confusing. There are so many different directions to go in that it can be disorienting. Especially in Copley Place, with it multi level facility. Everything is more forced. The population that is roaming the mall is there for a reason, they are there to shop. While on Newbury street you may have some locals coming by for a stroll, some dogs out on the street, some homeless population, you can find none of the diversity or ‘character’ in the overpasses of the mall. There is no one but driven shoppers looking for a deal. To make matters worse the mall contains more department stores which provide a larger less personal feel than the more boutique style shops of Newbury St.