Letters

Pieces about college drinking, Hawaiian shirts, party etiquette, and Boston Harbor got readers thinking –- and writing. While one reader quarreled with statements by waterfront mover and shaker Vivien Li, others praised her for her energy and accomplishments.

Alcohol Awareness

It is ironic, but certainly not coincidental, that the problem of college drinking reared its ugly head during and after the Super Bowl ("Drinking Games," March 14). The alcohol industry spends billions to market its products and unveils the latest and greatest fun-loving commercial efforts during the Super Bowl. The discussion should proceed toward the balance of free-speech rights and the patently false message of alcohol advertising.

When we wring our hands about the college-drinking epidemic, we sophisticates should look in the mirror on our way to the wine-tasting soiree.

Peter Noyes, Marshfield

Bereavement Fashions

Contrary to the statement by Gary Moss that Hawaiian shirts are inappropriate for funerals ("The Clothes We Wear," March 14), many funeral notices in the Honolulu and Hilo papers include the term "aloha attire." This means that Hawaiian shirts are the proper dress for men.

Robert Soli, Reading

Buttressing the Harbor

I was amazed to learn that all the beach cleanup and harbor planning in Boston was headed by a three-person group with a mere $300,000 annual budget ("On the Water Front," March 7). Vivien Li has definitely made the Boston waterfront a much more desirable place for visitors, residents, and businesses. Next time, when we have a Big Dig-type project, I would recommend having Li oversee it.

Christine Qian, Dover

Great article by John Sedgwick. Vivien Li has lots of enthusiasm. Now let's find a way to get this source of energy working on the woes of the unbooked convention center.

Jim Stabile, New York City

I strongly dispute the suggestion in John Sedgwick's article that I failed to keep my word regarding a permanent site for the FleetBoston (formerly Harborlights) Pavilion. The sole reason that the pavilion was allowed to remain in its present location beyond the initial five years –- with no objection from any of the parties to the original agreement (excepting Vivien Li) and strong support from the neighborhood and nearby marine industrial businesses -– was that my company met every one of the dozens of commitments made in the original siting decision. Yet Li continues to assert that I promised to move, and that is simply not true: I agreed to take the risk that there would be no home for the pavilion after an initial five years. I agreed to look at alternative sites. And I reserved the right to try –- without any certainty of success –- to remain at the same location only if (a) no other site was feasible, and (b) I met all of my commitments for the first five years.

I am disappointed that Li feels the need to attack me personally, simply because she disagrees with the location of the pavilion, which brings 150,000 residents and visitors to the water's edge every year. I have been successful in my business and this city precisely because I keep my word.

Don Law, Chairman, Clear Channel Music Division, Cambridge

Imaginative Living

At last, someone has addressed the question of how to live in a one-room apartment ("Four Rooms in One," March 7). One day, I hope the magazine will do an article on how to live in a studio apartment, a much smaller space than the one in the article and one that countless senior citizens live in. Studios present enormous problems of where to hang things and store things and how to entertain.

Lorraine Maloof, West Roxbury

Worst Foot Forward

Party hosts should not ask guests to remove their shoes ("Miss Behave," March 7). If they are that worried about their hardwood floors, they should put down area rugs. I would have left the party.

Michael Hatton, Maynard

Correction: The photographs accompanying the March 14 food article on brownies were taken by Jim Scherer.