Boutiques, art and open space appear to be the latest trends in the upper blocks of South Street. The vibe of the neighborhood where I used to hang out, where Carolina Avenue meets South Street, has changed greatly over the past two years. Most notably there are a few new neighborhood congregating spots like The Hallway gallery, Dame vintage clothing, and the revamped tennis courts across from Fresh Hair. A couple years ago, the tennis courts were not a place where I saw many people hanging out at night, let alone the hipster crowd. The park benches were blocky and uncomfortable, and the …

The scope of businesses coming and going in Hyde Square in the last two years has reflected the ever-changing identity of Centre Street's diverse residents. I don't live in Hyde Square anymore, but I keep an eye on it. "It's a big mix of people that walk through this area," said Evonne Hyla Wetzner, owner of The Video Underground. As I casually browsed the rental section at Video Underground, Wetzner and one of her employees mentioned in converstation that they could not define a typical customer. I don't think I could either. In business for about seven years, the Video Underground is a …

My neighborhood is Forest Hills.  Roughly, it's bordered by Morton Street, Hyde Park Avenue, Walk Hill Street and the Forest Hills Cemetery.  To get there, take the Orange Line to Forest Hills Station, cross Hyde Park and turn left on any of those streets. Once you start climbing the hill, Hyde Park Avenue falls away and you find yourself in a friendly residential neighborhood of two- and three-family houses.  These streets are home to a truly diverse collection of everyday people.  Sixty years ago, this neighborhood was mostly Irish Catholic.  Some of those people are still here, living in …

Although the Arborway and the stretch of Centre St. that travels from the Arborway to West Roxbury and overlaps Route 1 are vital links for suburban travelers to access Boston, they perform a different function for Jamaica Plain.  They define Moss Hill as a uniquely separate neighborhood, creating a micro-suburb of JP, with characteristics more like Brookline, which it borders to the north and to the west. Moss Hill is a purely residential neighborhood and has no commercial area of its own. It has very few rental apartments (grandfathered exceptions to single family zoning) and is surrounded …