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Boston Globe highlights intriguing destination for its readers who like to travel

The Globe travel section yesterday ran an introduction to an exotic locale where both the shopping and the dining offer a break from the humdrum - and where the locals are friendly and, in many cases, able to converse with you in English.

There’s nothing ordinary about Jamaica Plain, or "JP" as it’s called, a dynamic Boston neighborhood located southwest of downtown.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't state which airlines fly there or what shots are required.

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Sometimes I wish this were a Facebook page so I could just "like" your witty and sarcastic posts like this one! Good to know the Globe realizes JP is a Boston neighborhood; I'm sure their counterparts at Boston Magazine will still give a Best of Boston award to some restaurant in Somerville, and grant a restaurant in JP with a Best South Shore award since anything past the South End is terra incognita for those folks (but Cambridge and Somerville are somehow an extension of Downtown Crossing).

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ditto

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any of the quaint colloquialisms employed by the residents. For instance, saying "JP" (with emphatic air-quotes) is a tourist usage that makes locals cringe, like referring to San Francisco as "Frisco". Everyone who's lived there for longer than two weeks knows it's Tha Jape. Also, no mention of the Jamaica Plain Games, like the daily Demolition Derby on the Raceway, or Trolley Dodge 'Em on South Huntington? Completely ignoring craft cocktail destination The Drinking Fountain? Pffft. Carpetbagger.

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US dollars are accepted everywhere!

Maybe they left the Drinking Fountain out because it is, after all, a bit off the beaten path. Fortunately, though, motorists who run low on fuel getting there can find welcome respite at Hatoff's, where, as the locals will reassure you, gas is gas.

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to Salmagundi, which is listed as a destination for "hat aficionados". What if I'm not a hat aficionado, but just like wearing hats every so often? A glossary of hat aficionado jargon would have been appreciated. What's that edge part that goes around at the bottom? The "brim", you say? Aha.

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I like to wear hats, but I just don't ever want to be referred to as a hat enthusiast. I hope they just call me a guy who likes to wear hats.

Slightly paraphrased from Mitch.

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We don't take kindly to hat dabblers here in the Jape.

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but never visited Salmagundi because I don't want to feel "not worthy." My bias, I know, but I am just not in the "aficionado" category.

Also, what year did "JP" become "The Jape?" Yikes.

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It's "Tha Jape" (rhymes with Tha Cape), and when you say it, you're supposed to fold your arms across your chest, tilt your head slightly to one side, and nod firmly downward on the second syllable. Everybody knows this.

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Hipstery but also genuinely nice young people who are super, super into what they're doing. And they have a pretty good price mix, IMO.

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carries quality, beautifully-made men's hats that are properly sized, none of this M / L / XL / one-size crap. If you're going to own one, it should be something your great-grandfather wouldn't have looked at and thought, "Peasant".

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I lived up the hill from there on Forest Hills Street. I'd do my laundry at the Rossmore because the laundry room in my building was a disaster. As an incentive to do the chore, I'd go into The Drinking Fountain during the dry cycle, or occasionally to the Midway. They were always very friendly to me.

I've lived in Lynn since 2007, but I'm looking forward to returning to that stretch of Washington to support friends at the Midway Sunday night.

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I lived in JP for five years, and in that time I never heard anyone refer to it as "The Jape."

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You probably never played Trolley Dodg'em either or went to the Drinking Fountain for a Rob Roy. Methinks he was joking.

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Thank you, Sally! Actually, JP being known as "The Jape" is not too far fetched, come to think of it...

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if "Jape" just typed wrong and is suppose to be "JayPee" or "Ja-P" not "Jape"

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It is pronounced "yah-pay."

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So commonly that when I'm in another part of the country I accidentally say "JP" and people think I'm referring to Japan.

Anyone who has been in Camberville about a year knows what "JP" means; folks in Brookline/Allston know about JP within a month or two, etc.

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... I'll know exactly who to blame.

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Hell as the people who coined SoWa, E-Bo, and SoBo. Tha Jape: it could happen.

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JP is served by discount carrier Orange Airlines, known as one of the more unreliable carriers in the local air travel network. All of its planes are more than 30 years old, and show considerable rust. The airline is prone to delays, although it is seen as somewhat more reliable than other local carriers including GreenAir, Blue Airways, FlyRed and United.

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Oh wait, no matter how u cut it it's a BUS!

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all bags fly free.

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I tried to take the local transportation there, I waited for the green line for over an hour, til a local told me it was temp. Suspended. I never got to try the desert specialty boutique "JP Links."

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1993 - freshman at Emerson, they told me never to take the Orange line out "that way."

1996(I think it was) - A few parties and a rockabilly show at the Midway later, I learned never to listen to anyone "born and raised" in greater Boston about greater Boston. Too many prejudices - though it's prejudiced of me to assume that.

1998 - 2007, I lived in Jamaica Plain. When I could no longer afford it, I had no qualms about moving to downtown Lynn, which is actually safer than living on my old street in JP. Just don't listen to what the "born and raised" have to say about it. It's actually a cool place to live.

I'm glad the Globe is finally reporting on what everyone else figured out 12 years ago.

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Twelve years ago? Umm...! You mean when you turned 15 and your parents finally allowed you to take public transportation into the big bad city? Hipster, please.

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I think I was 14 when I was first allowed to take public transportation into the City (or when I first did, anyway). Only, it wasn't Boston. It was NYC. That'll probably make you more critical. ;)

But you should also know that I'm too old to be a hipster...accuse me of whatever it was called before, I suppose, but I'm not sure I'd join any club that would have me as a member.

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NIce Groucho Marx quote...

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You just made me spit my water out....thank you!

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... by even one day, Lynn was next on my list of places I planned to visit (for free using my already-acquired Charlie Card). What are the must-see sights?

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High Rock Tower in the Highlands, Lynn Woods (mountain biking, hiking - 2600 acres I think), Diamond District victorians, downtown restaurants/cafes, LynnArts, Raw Art Works, Lynn Museum, if there's an art show up, Visionspace gallery, a concert at the Lynn Auditorium, a live band in any number of small bars, dive bars that aren't overrun by hipsters completely yet, A theatre production by Arts After Hours (next one is Ave Q), golfing at Gannon, or get to know some locals for good loft parties and other spaces..

I maintain an events calendar at lynnhappens.com (plug)

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I've been planning on visiting Lynn for about 16 years -- one of these years I will actually do it.

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Zimman's for fabrics and decor--such an amazing place.

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And R&B Consignments on the Lynnway has expanded and beats the pants off of Oldies in Newburyport. There's also the smaller but friendly Ocean St Treasures if you're into antiques.

For high end lighting, there's Lucia's on Western Ave. For high end closets/movable walls, there's Noteborn (upstairs showroom on Market St. near Zimmans), but sadly, we lost Lynnway Lumber. There were good for restoration projects.

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Noting all of these to add to my next Zimman's outing...

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home of Fauci's Pizza and....uh...a church and a baseball diamond.

The real purpose of this post is not the above , but to ask what are your favorite Latin-American restaurants in Lynn? I hear there are some great ones. Anything Cuban/Dominican/PuertoRican/Nicaraguan etc?

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Forced to give up gluten (not on a fad diet), Fauci's is the only pizza shop in Lynn that has a gluten free option. Otherwise, I'd recommend Enzo's downtown.

I'm partial to Tacos Lupita because I can eat safely there (see above situation), and therefore I'm not a good person to seek restaurant advice from.

For most diverse menu in a single establishment, I'd have to nominate my local haunt, Tatiana's.

We also have more breakfast/brunch places than any city our size I know. My favs are Mildred's, Christopher's, Tatiana's, 47 Central, D'Amici's (downtown location), Capital Diner - and that's narrowing it down and in no particular order.

We have Cambodian, Vietnamese, Russian/Eastern European markets, Iraqi markets (though no actual Iraqi restaurant, yet)...

Pretty much anything. Even high end dining with Rosetti's, The Blue Ox, and Antique Table.

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Much appreciated...I guess i need to try them all!

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Born and raised there and it was a great place to live in the 70's, 80's, 90's, etc. It was safe even before the hispters and young money makers thought it was safe to walk though and live.

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That's more than 10 years too late to demark JP becoming a thing. 12 years ago was already 5 years in to Roslindale starting to be a thing.

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Isn't there a canned story about Boston's Best Beloved Burgers. or eight photos of Linda Pizzutti that have gone begging, because of this editorial decision? Can't we get back to the kind of relevant, hard-hitting local journalism that makes you the go-to site for stories about Resumes that Get You Noticed, or Your Photos of Pets in Red Sox Gear?

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sounds quite charming and quaint! Finally, something else to do on a weekend other than the Vermont chalet. And one does get so tired of shopping on Newbury St ! So lovely that the locals are service oriented and outgoing! One does get so tired of the typical huffy attitude in Boston!

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from the NYT or New York Magazine with "Williamsburg" being replaced with the words "Jamaica Plain" and "JP" and the charming attractions changed? Sounds like hipster paradise to me.

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A little web search, a few details from Google Maps and POOF - instant travel guide!

I'm sure this same article could be recycled for any number of bigcityhipneighborhood destinations.

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that it just seems to miss so many of the places that would actually bring me to JP if I didn't live here--our awesome bakery-cafes (Ula, Canto 6, Bartlett Square, Blue Frog), Cityfeed which is fun hipster-central groceries and sandwiches and perfect people-watching for non-JP folk, and the great little galleries on Centre and South). Just seems kind of spotty, though I suppose that's to be expected.

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Cityfeed = fun hipster-central.

I'm a more Doyle's sort of aficionado :)

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I like Cityfeed though--it is pricey and hipstery but also a good-hearted place and they do great events with their local purveyors and First Thursdays and so on. I was thinking more as a spot for visitors to get the JP vibe and watch the world go by.

I love Doyle's but it's definitely been impacted by the Sam Adams brewery tour crowd, which is a bummer.

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The Jape is a fabulous place, but that article reads like it was written by a high school student from somewhere outside Boston who happened to spend an afternoon walking down Centre St for a class assignment and then went home and did some quick wikipedia research for filler.

"It’s a neighborhood made to return to again and again."

Really?

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I like that the Glove travel guide lists exactly one place east of the Orange Line in its list of attractions. Intrepid travel reporter or not, Ms. Regis is apparently too frightened of Parkside Jape to venture into its crime-besotted streets. (Note to brave visitors to our fair town: Star Fish Market in Egleston Square has the city's best fried fish, Canto 6 makes a bangin' ham-and-fennel-slaw sandwich, and the Sam Adams Brewery is a great place to get drunk for free at 10AM on Saturday)

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at El Embajador, Parkside's finest Dominican restaurant.

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What's your pick for bedt city-wide? (And have you ever checked out the place in Rolsindale -- Delicias Dominicanas)?

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but I'd hardly call myself qualified to anoint a "best". The Jape's own Alex's Chimis does great rotisserie chicken, and I don't see chimis (which I also love) at many other places around Boston. Roxbury's Merengue probably has the nicest atmosphere I've seen, and live music is a plus along with its excellent food. I have fond memories of Madego's, the pastelito cart that used to appear near the Mozart Street Playground, but haven't seen it lately. Been meaning to get to Latino Restaurant for years. Just added Delicias to my list, thanks!

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Not to mention Ula, Egleston Square Farmers Market, freakin' Cocos, Bella Luna, and the new Bartlett Square place near Green St.

And never, ever forget Ruggiero's.

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Don't tell everybody!

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If the article was written with a mind to suggesting it is a good place to live then I would add that the area has a village in the city feel. I can easily spend several days not going anywhere else in the city. All the basics are covered: grocery store, gas station, library, an endless region of parks and open spaces, buildings which by and large are human scale. Need to garden? Reserve a plot. Just need to find a quiet place at night for some star gazing (light pollution notwithstanding)? Get some binoculars and go to any of the open spaces.

On the other hand it still is the city, zombie-thugs still wonder around looking for people to rob or eat.

Being used to living in even denser neighborhoods, where the ratio of concrete and asphalt to nature favors the former by a huge amount, for me JP is a verdant paradise.

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A smart, thoughtful comment written by...Anon? Can it be?

Anyway, well said. I agree completely. If we had a few more good restaurants--Asian (c'mon, MeiMei!!), a good BBQ joint, and a movie theater, I'd probably never leave.

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the only good thing about jamaica plain nowadays is west cork auto. seriously, that guy is a miracle worker.

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also, this article is so obnoxious it sounds like it's making fun of white people in Jamaica Plain. But it isn't. This lady is serious.

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