Update on the Devil's Triangle

So, where exactly is this, anyway?

A couple things (based on the comments received): Yeah, I screwed up. I do know my way around town, but for some reason I confused New England Medical Center (which is in the Chinatown/South End/Theater District area) and Boston City Hospital (which is lower South End/Roxbury area, where the methadone clinic is).

And, yes, Skipton Kennels does rock! I used to take my dog there all the time for grooming. (Now he is too old to make the walk, so Simone, who is awesome and who my dog adores, picks him up.) And, no, I never did get lost and head over to Chinatown on my way there.

Regarding the liquor store, I don't know about a Liquormart, but maybe he meant Liquor Land. They used to be on Harrison Ave, but are now around the corner at 1033 Mass. Ave. (I called them just to make sure.) So, technically, these three places--Rosie's, the methadone clinic, and the liquor store--still define a specific area that can be described (as the residents apparently do) as a triangle that keeps away developers and multimillion-dollar homeowners who don't want these kinds of institutions in their backyards. Which is perfectly fine for those who just want a place to live.

Affordable rents in Boston

They do still exist, if you know where to look. And if you aren't that fussy about who your neighbors are.

This guy at a cafe I frequent in the South End (where the best descriptor for the few low-rent apartments I've heard is: You get what you pay for, but you don't pay much) was talking about his apartment. He lives closer to downtown, in a neighborhood that is a crossroads for the South End, Chinatown, and the Theater District.

He was saying that, even though there were million-dollar condos nearby, his block was pretty safe: "Within walking distance there's Rosie's Place, the methadone clinic, and Liquormart. The Devil's Triangle. My rent will never go up."