Lol worcester is not nearly gentrified enough

I should say Elm Park might be a good fit for you, especially working downtown. Just be aware that it can go from nice to less-nice pretty quickly depending on the block.

Hard to think of neighborhoods in Worcester that combine "decent" and "fun". Others have mentioned West Side/Tatnuck as a nice area, but it's suuuuuper boring over here. We do have nice access to trails, lots of dogs in the area, and it's easy to hop on the road out of town towards Western Mass. But on the West Side you'll be leaning heavily on the "relatively" part of "relatively fun".

Beer scene has really blown up here, so you'll see a lot of places with craft taps for $7-10 or above. But a regular lager will be $3-6 depending on the place (check out Hotel Vernon for the cheaper end). Cocktail scene here is sad and not worth mentioning.

Pretty sure you can do this in most Walmart parking lots. Not the most scenic, but free. There's one in West Boylston; I suggest calling to see if they allow it and where in the lot to park.

Ernies has a bunch

Birchtree is pretty solid.

Hard disagree. OP is responding to the trans post from earlier. It's a disingenuous coded message expressing their sense of victimhood. OP knows they can crack whatever jokes they want almost anywhere in town and receive nothing worse than an eye roll. They're trolling and do not deserve "understanding."

Oof. This is embarrassing.

This comparison is not going to help

Make an appointment for early in the AM. Even with an appointment you have to wait in line to check in, and in the middle of the day the line builds up. I made an early appointment and was in and out in like 20 min.

Mint is open til 11 Mon and Tue, and 12 on Thur

So many things. Public transit that extends into the evening. Investment in Downtown with diverse businesses and better walkability. More independent grocery stores that are walkable from residential areas. In Tatnuck I can walk to like 13 different places to get a mediocre haircut but I can't walk to buy some fruit.

Do those buybacks have a positive effect on gun crime though? If I were a gun-owning criminal I would just get some sweet government money for my defective guns and keep my working guns for crimes.

I feel very safe in Worcester. Like any city, you have to avoid certain places at certain times. There are exceptions, like that guy who got shot in a road rage incident during morning rush outside Honey Farms. But overall Worcester is a relatively safe.

When I had longer hair I went to Tu Moda Salon. You don't have to be a woman to go to a salon. They'll let anyone in. I don't remember the name of the woman who did my hair, but I showed her a picture and she followed direction well enough.

For real. We hear mice in our walls and attic, but they never enter our living space; they can smell our cats.

I'm on the west end so it's easy to get out to Paxton House of Pizza.

Macy's always has stuff on sale. I'd also check Banana Republic Factory.

The Antiquarian Society does tours and events.

https://www.americanantiquarian.org/programs-events

And I went to a Cinema Worcester screening once and there were quite a few old-timers there. Mostly couples, but who knows what you'll find.

https://www.cinema-worcester.com/

Could also just hang out at a Dunks in the middle of the day.

Cafe Reyes

Armsby Abbey, Chashu Ramen, Redemption Rock Brewing.

There's a commercial complex in the Canal District that houses Bedlam Books, Birch Tree Bread Co, a bougie plant store, an art gallery/bar, and a large antique store. Next door to that is Worcester Public Market with a number of good food options and a brewery. I wouldn't spend all your time in the Canal District if you want to get to know the wider city, but there is good stuff there.

For places with a local feel, I recommend Vincent's, Hotel Vernon, Steel & Wire, Miss Worcester Diner, Theatre Cafe.

For culture stuff, Worcester Art Museum, ArtsWorcester, The White Room (the art gallery/bar I mentioned above).

FYI, check websites/socials for anywhere you plan to go, because small businesses around here tend to close for a week or two during this time of year so they can spend time with family.

Enjoy! Drive safe!

Walkable? No. And the bar/restaurant scene here is mediocre as hell. Same for the local music. Quantity does not mean quality. That said, Worcester is fine for what it is: a former mill town and current college town that's not too far from better cities and nature. But I wouldn't go talking about love. Worcester is tolerable.

Root and Press, New Tradition, Birch Tree

This sounds like a human trafficking scheme.