Flea at MIT.

Parking gets progressively tighter every year. The lot next to the garage, where a lot of vendors used to set up has been gone and the parking lot across the street is now a construction site.

The biggest change is the growth in big pharma buildings/campuses a couple blocks away. Besides all the free space being built out that area is now teeming with people on Sundays where it used to be a ghost town. So that changed the dynamic with the garage owner and the Flea. They want to sell those spaces on Sunday which is why inside the garage there were fewer floors in use by the Flea in 2019. Was the whole garage being used at the last one or only a few floors at the top? That's how it was the last couple in 2019, only the top 3 floors used, the rest for parking.

End of 2019 it looked like it was not going to continue on at all. Steve was in tough shape healthwise and the school had gotten somewhat indifferent to the whole thing. Steve no longer had any association with MIT but kept doing the show as a volunteer. One thing I heard was that it kept going on momentum because so many MIT alums & donors were vocal about it continuing and liked Steve's effort to do it. Now that the club is under control of the students it seems a good development Especially after it not happening for 2 years. That should have killed it off completely but the students have run 2 now and comments here as well as from friends who set up, it's as good as it ever was. But back to parking...

I asked one of the kids in the club why they weren't looking for a better venue with easier access & parking? Makes sense right? The answer simple, the Flea is meant for MIT students and easy for them to get to. So that means it will probably stay where it is with tight parking or much longer walks to/from where there is parking.
 
I forgot about the two floor walk up pre panicdemic. No, it started at ground level just like it used to. MIT doesn't own that garage?

I hope to make June. It's Father's Day and since my kids are grown and live in other states I can engage in my favorite Father's Day activity. Being left the EFF alone to do what I want.

The biggest change is the growth in big pharma buildings/campuses a couple blocks away. Besides all the free space being built out that area is now teeming with people on Sundays where it used to be a ghost town. So that changed the dynamic with the garage owner and the Flea. They want to sell those spaces on Sunday which is why inside the garage there were fewer floors in use by the Flea in 2019. Was the whole garage being used at the last one or only a few floors at the top? That's how it was the last couple in 2019, only the top 3 floors used, the rest for parking.

End of 2019 it looked like it was not going to continue on at all. Steve was in tough shape healthwise and the school had gotten somewhat indifferent to the whole thing. Steve no longer had any association with MIT but kept doing the show as a volunteer. One thing I heard was that it kept going on momentum because so many MIT alums & donors were vocal about it continuing and liked Steve's effort to do it. Now that the club is under control of the students it seems a good development Especially after it not happening for 2 years. That should have killed it off completely but the students have run 2 now and comments here as well as from friends who set up, it's as good as it ever was. But back to parking...

I asked one of the kids in the club why they weren't looking for a better venue with easier access & parking? Makes sense right? The answer simple, the Flea is meant for MIT students and easy for them to get to. So that means it will probably stay where it is with tight parking or much longer walks to/from where there is parking.
 
MIT doesn't own that garage?

I honestly don't know. Probably wouldn't matter though if they could sell more spaces vs flat rental fee, they'd take the coin. But that it was the way it used to be is likely because the event is now run by students rather than a benevolent "outsider". That's a good thing. Who knows, I might even set up a table next month and flog some of my shxt away.
 
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