Hub is Amazon’s best option
Dear Mr. Bezos:
I’ve been an Amazon Prime customer for years. Being able to find exactly what I want, on my phone, with free delivery, is fantastic. The Kindle, for book devouring geeks like me, is even better. I admit I’m a homer, born and bred in Boston. In fact, my grandfather was a teller at Suffolk Downs, the site you’re considering for a second headquarters, and I own a home nearby. However, I do want to try and convince you that Boston is, far and away, your best choice.
First, location, location, location. The site is 300-plus acres so you’ve got plenty of space for what I’m sure will be a massive, gorgeous facility. It’s right on public transportation. Your employees could walk to the beach on their lunch hour or take the train to downtown Boston in 10 minutes. Logan Airport is just down the road. A genius like you knows that finding 50,000 educated employees isn’t easy. Well, sir, we have MIT, Harvard, 250,0000 students, perhaps more smart college kids in a 10-mile radius than anywhere in the world.
Mayor Marty Walsh is a Democrat who wants construction jobs, so permitting should be easy. Look how fast the Seaport District is rising! Charlie Baker, although he’s a Republican in a very blue state, is the most popular governor in the nation. I know them both, good guys who get along and cooperate on things like bringing GE to Boston.
Yes, we have an income tax, but it’s certainly better than California, New York and New Jersey. Our business climate isn’t always ranked very high, but things like a high minimum wage don’t impact your company anyway. We don’t allow happy hour and bars close early, but do you really want your employees partying all night? We have so much to do, from beaches to mountains, pro sports teams to museums and theater. Boston is one of the top places people want to live and work and visit. Red Sox owner John Henry also owns a newspaper, so you’ll have a perfect colleague to discuss relevant issues. Fenway Park is a $20 Uber ride away.
Come to Boston, Mr. Bezos. For many of us, it would be more exciting than one of our teams winning a world title. We do it nearly as often here as I get Amazon deliveries.
On behalf of our great city, A customer and a fan, Dave Andelman