SHAME ON BOSTON

Well shame on America which is becoming increasingly and shamelessly elitist.  I just came from a solo winter vacation to Washington, Boston, and New York and am very bothered by the gulf between the rich and the poor. While Washington certainly had far more homeless and panhandlers (sorry, I can't think of a PC word right now), each of these cities had their share of indigents. But I found Boston to be the most smugly privileged. Rents are insane, everything is costly, and the middle class must, for the most part, have their noses pressed against the window of luxury or be in credit card debt. But the most shameful example of greed and privilege was the Prudential Center . The Prudential Center is an enclave of restaurants and shops in the middle of Back Bay. For a long time it featured a wonderful food court. This food court featured a wide choice of affordable outlets of popular favorites in a spacious and attractive setting with a wide choice of comfortable and private seating areas. It was an ideal place to have breakfast, meet friends for lunch, have an early dinner, or just sit and relax. In the winter, it was a warm retreat from the cold where, on stormy days, you could watch the snow falling on Boylston Street through huge picture windows. In short, it was a friendly, affordable retreat where everyone was welcome. But it is now gone, replaced by a claustrophobic collection of costly retailers—no, purveyors— of pastries, wines, cheeses, and other gourmet-only items as well as a central Italian restaurant where you can see and be seen by all other diners who can afford this pretentious center with the ridiculous name Eataly. So now, instead of boasting a wildly democratic eatery where those of every race and social condition could experience the beauty and comfort of a truly open and spacious food court, you can now snake your way through this windowless enclave of parvenus praising the exquisite wines, imported cheeses, high priced gift items and, of course, the gelato (ice cream is for peasants).