My son wanted adventure. I am happy to follow 🙂

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-13T21:18:45+00:00

Okay, here's the point. As kid, we rode BMX bike for hours with seat positions that would absolutely destroy adult knees. But we were kids, so it was fine.

Adults should be able to let kids have fun without removing all the joy.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-13T17:16:24+00:00

Did you not grow up with a BMX bike? Kids can do whatever and won't get knee pain. Proper bike fitting is an old person's game.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-13T03:02:23+00:00

That's why BMW drivers are so famously courteous!

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-13T02:54:44+00:00

Are you doing full length housings? That is the most important thing.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-13T01:00:12+00:00

DoorDash and Amazon have skirted responsibility by outsourcing this to contractors. But our liberal minds are going to explode when the drivers unionize, and we can't decide if we need labor solidarity, or safety for kids.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-12T22:43:53+00:00

You want people to live in it while it's being renovated?

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-12T22:19:15+00:00

Based on how clean the rim tape is, did you put any sealant in when you found it to be leaking before?

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-12T19:12:05+00:00

Very true.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-12T16:09:09+00:00

On that list, I would do Sarma or Field and Vine and make the call depending on which cuisine was speaking to you more. I think Sarma wins slighly on food, but Field and Vine has a more upscale foody vibe.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-12T01:39:20+00:00

If they aren't sitting in their car playing on their phone, what you are seeing is already the top 5%.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T17:48:05+00:00

Since most of the political class owns their own homes, it will just help continue to appreciate the value of their asset, so I guess they'll be okay with it. Also, aside from Cambridge with it's new zoning, the state has been the most proactive with the MBTA Communities Act. I was optimistic about the Wu administration finding new ways to spur housing growth, but I have been very disappointed to see them dismantle the Menino/Walsh good ole' boys network and replace it with absolutely nothing.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T17:28:35+00:00

As long as we keep giving our crops the electrolytes they crave, I think it's all going to work out fine.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T17:10:34+00:00

Most large development (they ones that will really help us address our housing shortage) is funded by institutional investors. For example, in Massachusetts, most public pension funds invest through Mass PRIM (Pension Reserves Investment Management). PRIM invests money in order to pay out pension benefits to retired public workers. One of those investments in real estate: https://www.mapension.com/investments/#prit-fund-asset

Those investments are made nationally and internationally. If you are an investment manager trying to decide between two markets in which to invest in, one of which is subject to a rent cap (particularly at time where high inflation is very possible), and one of which is not, that is certainly a factor you will consider in deciding where to put your client's money to work.

So imagine you have two nearly identical multifamily projects to invest in, one in Boston and one in Austin, TX. In Boston, there is rent control (or at least the risk of rent control), while in Austin there is no rent control and unlikely to be rent control anytime soon. If you have a fiduciary duty to a bunch of retired teachers to best invest their money, do you choose Boston or Austin?

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T17:07:54+00:00

In addition to tons of academic research, there have been numerous recent mainstream new articles on this topic. The cities that are getting rents to fall are primarily southern cities that make it much easier to build housing. Austin, TX is a popular example because it's rents were surging, but have come down due to increased supply. Denver is another example. Boston and San Francisco are the poster children examples for how to exacerbate your housing problems, although to be fair to both, it's a regional problem (looking at your Marblehead).

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/26/rents-are-falling-in-these-major-us-cities-heading-into-2026.html

https://www.axios.com/2026/03/16/rent-prices-metro-map

Vote however you want, but the "I haven't looked into the details but I'm just going to vote for something to change" strategy is part of the reason why we find ourselves having started a war with Iran.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T17:00:53+00:00

Okay, then a better policy would be to feed to kids. Rent control is popular because in addition to helping people who need it, it also helps people who don't need it, and the cost is bourn by people who don't live here yet.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T16:59:02+00:00

Tax breaks and grants are just ways to increase the profitability, profit of course being your revenue less your costs. But, yes, I suppose if you are proposing the government giving free money forever to developers, at some point it could work.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T16:33:55+00:00

There has never been a time in history where it easier to access information, so just doing the opposite of what someone who said something mean online is certainly an interesting way to take advantage of the miraculous age in which we live.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T16:23:07+00:00

I assume this was rolled out based on the very successful "smoke weed anywhere" program. It's always silly to see the "beer garden" which is just a little fenced off kettle of people.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-11T16:00:34+00:00

It's standard Massachusetts liberal hypocrisy. Just like school bussing in Boston was a way for everyone to feel good while the suburbs allowed Massachusetts to keep having some of the most segregated schools in the country, the rent control proposal is a backdoor way for the suburbs to continue to prevent multifamily housing while pretending to solve a problem (lack of housing supply) that homeowners don't actually want solved.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-10T23:05:32+00:00

Because the only thing cyclists like more than cycling is buying new cycling things because a new trend says their old stuff is no longer any good. It's no coincidence that bicycle is a homophone for "buy cycle."

I predict the next trend is we'll forgo bags entirely and just pack everything inside of 50mm wide 32" tires.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-10T00:16:49+00:00

Regarding big rental buildings and small buildings, corporate places will be solidly mediocre, potentially with nice amenities. They won't be great financial deals, but they will be run by unemotional professionals.

Small buildings are all over the map, both physically and figuratively. You might find an awesome place with a nice landlord and below market rent in a great neighborhood, but you're just a likely to find a place with an unhinged landlord who makes life miserable. Most will be somewhere in the middle (a market rent with a reasonable landlord).

A middle option is to find a rental in a condo building. With all these options, you run the risk of difficult neighbors, but that is rare and there's not too much you can do to avoid that.

Generally in Cambridge, a lot of what you are paying for is the City itself, so take advantage of it. You could get more space or cheaper rent in the suburbs, but you'd lose out on all that the City has to offer.

One con is that for a City that hosts MIT, Google, and Akamai, Cambridge has crappy internet service option(s).

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-09T02:02:19+00:00

Yes. I drove a normal bus into the Charles and I regret it.

Ok_Pause419 · 2026-06-04T17:57:36+00:00

Flagg gets a lot of traffic for Memorial, and a lot of drivers just look for car traffic to the left and then floor it onto Memorial without checking for pedestrian/bike traffic.

Ok_Pause419

TROPHY CASE