 LaMandre says he immediately fell in love with New Bedford and its pretty streets, sloping down to one of New England's last real fishing ports. I said, this place is unbelievable. Why don't people know about this? This is like Nantucket on the water, you know, the cobblestone streets, the landscaping, the architecture. The group that hired LaMandre to come to New Bedford wanted him to start a business improvement district, also known as a BID.