Maybe everybody should just stop driving in Boston. Or at least plan to drive right on through every trip. Not only is it a titanic struggle to park in this town (and, for some people, a lucrative one), it's becoming increasingly difficult to gas up. If Grampy's on Cambridge Street across from Mass. General closes—and it could soon as its landlord has plans for a five-story office building there—that will leave a gas station-less swath of Boston, according to The Globe's Andrew Ryan, "from the North End to Chinatown, Back Bay to Beacon Hill, and the Financial District to the West End."
The land is increasingly too valuable for Kwik-E-Marts instead of condos or commercial towers (damn you, smart urban planning!). Besides, as Grampy's landlord, Charles M. Talanian, puts it, who willing drives in to the city for their gallons? “I tank up when I’m down the Cape or out and about," Talanian, who lives in central Boston, told The Globe. “I hit that Mobil on Berkeley Street [in the South End]. I can’t be bothered to go to the Fenway—it’s too much of a bottleneck."
· Central Boston a Gas Station Desert [Globe]
· Where Not to Park in Allston, Brighton, South End, North End [Curbed Boston]
· The Price of Parking in Luxury Boston: $100K [Curbed Boston]