Bostonostalgia...
By oddjob60 - Sun, 11/04/2007 - 12:39pm.
I've been on a run of "gee I miss..." lately. For example:
Gee I miss Newbury Pizza.
Gee I miss Conran's on Exeter St.
Gee I miss the Hancock observatory.
Gee I miss "Where's Boston."
Then there's the Harvard Square version, which is somewhat longer... And includes some things that are nominally still there.
Gee I miss The Coop.
Gee I miss The Harvard Square Cinema.
Gee I miss The Wursthaus.
Gee I miss Discount Records.
Gee I miss The Spa.
Gee I miss Ruggles Pizza.
Gee I miss 10 Arrow,
What spots do you miss? What's new that makes up for it?
And, for those seeking more thorough lost Harvard Square reminders, there's this.
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I miss the Littlest, and
I miss the Littlest, and I've found nothing that made up for it.
I miss Pete's Pub.
I guess nights with my wife make up for both.... I don't go out anymore really.
I miss shopping at Lechmere
Nothing has taken it's place, and now I'm sad just thinking about it.
===========================
From the brains behind http://www.bigdumptruck.com
The pub that replaced
The pub that replaced Pete's, Dirty Nelly, isn't that bad. It's basically Pete's with a fresh coat of paint, and you can still get a good slice at Adam's for the walk home!
Re: Bostonostalgia...
You don't miss the Exeter Street Theatre? That's what the building was before it was Conran's.
Nemos in Kenmore
Underground, not overpriced, and downstairs, not upscale.
I'm in eternal mourning for the Someday, but I really think it died with first owner, who I'd been acquainted with since high school. Gawd did I love that place in the first days - it was like taking a trip back to Portland without the airfare, trailblazers stickers, good coffee, excellent music and all. Before they expanded into the next door space, before they flipped the place around the corner in the theater renovation, back when you had to shout upstairs to the basketball space to get a mid-day unemployment coffee - that was the real time of love.
Nemos!
Nemos is still around, but is on Centre Street between Hyde and Jackson Squares. It's the exact same place, same red sign, same nautical themed interior, same folks asking over and over whether you really want hot peppers on your salami sub. I go every now and then because it is the only piece of the Kenmore I knew and loved that still exists at all, so far as I can tell. Back when it was still in Kenmore, I could show up after not stepping in for a year or two, and everybody would still remember me and be excited to talk old times.
Other old Kenmore items I miss dearly:
The Rathskellar
The smaller, funkier India Quality
Father's Too
The Cask n Flaggon (not the yuppie sports bar but the neighborhood dive it was in the 80s)
Charlie's
Mr. Butch :(
Yes, Nemo's!
I loved Nemo's! Great place for subs and such, and a decent spot to hang at while waiting for friends to meet you. Great people watching.
I also miss The Rat, for personal reasons. I played there, back in the early 80's, with a forgettable band called P.S. Wild. It was probably the most high-profile gig of my less-than-stellar career as a musician.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
The Delihaus. Liberty
The Delihaus.
Liberty Cafe.
The elevated North Station platform.
The (real) Gaaaaahden.
The Rat.
the Kenmore IHOP.
... and not to be too obvious, Filene's Basement.
I miss the silhouettes
On the side of the old North Station elevated tracks.
Hmm, I also miss the silhouettes on the side of the Cambridge-Lee plant in Allston.
I Miss The Elevated
I miss the elevated itself. That's probably a minority position, but I really do. I have some wonderful memories of taking it out to Everett and/or Sullivan Square to hang with friends from Malden, and also of taking it to Forest Hills when I was a kid, to visit with my grandparents in Roslindale.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Mug and Muffin
When I was a teenager, that's where I hung out when I was in town. On Pancake Special day (was it Thursdays?), all you can eat pancakes were 1.99, and the 50c coffee was bottomless. So for less than three bucks, you got full.
Harvard Square was never the same once they filled the hole in.
So I'm not the only one to remember
"Where's Boston?" Wow. I also loved Newbury Pizza. I also miss:
The English Room
Bailey's, esp. the one on Boylston Street
The Steak Pit in Harvard Square
The Tasty in Harvard Square
and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Missing the cafes
The Liberty.
The Phoenix.
The Iron Lung.
where was the Iron Lung?
Near BU
It was near the corner of Beacon and Park Drive, next to Christie's. It was a short lived but very awesome place - it went out of business around the time of the smoking ban implementation.
Also...
The Greenhouse
Sparr's
ska shows at local 186 in
ska shows at local 186 in allston.
pizza
I too miss Newbury Pizza, but Bostone Pizza, in the same location, makes up for the loss really well.
The original Steve's Ice Cream
Back when there was just one and it was something exotic and people went there on a Saturday night as an adventure.
More Harvard Square
I miss the Pizzeria Regina. I think it's Sandrine's now. The bar & the ovens were on the first floor but the main dining room was in the basement, with huge wooden booths. We used to sit in the smoking section with a blue cloud of clove cigarette smoke hanging over us.
And yeah, I second the Mug & Muffin.
The real Filene's Basement
Nowhere else can I get advice from strangers in the fitting room. "You are rocking that dress, honey!" etc. I know it's not going to be the same when it comes back.
I miss Newbury C O M I C
I miss Newbury C O M I C S
and that big eatery right next to the Boston Garden
Whch Newbury Comics do you miss?
They still exist, they're all over, and I think they even still sell some comic books.
I now call 'em
I now call 'em Newbury-so-called-Comics, now that the ratio of comics to other products is about 1 to a gazillion. Still an interesting place to wander thru..
I miss The Tasty in Havard sq and..
Sage's. I useed to get home made stew/soup for lunch. What is it now? Cinguler or something? ahg....
Not even
The former Sage's stands vacant, though papered-over windows indicate that something new might possibly open there. I hope for the return of Sage's but I know it's very unlikely.
new grocer coming to Harvard Square?
I read some story a few weeks ago about Harvard renting out that storefront and subleasing it to a new grocer who should be opening soon.
Filene's Basement. Tower
Filene's Basement.
Tower Records.
Wordsworth.
Avenue Victor Hugo books.
Kenmore Square.
Harvard Square.
Downtown Crossing.
The excellent army/navy
The excellent army/navy stores in Harvard Square and Kenmore Square.
Stairway to Heaven in downtown crossing
Jordan Marsh and their muffins
The Mug and Muffin
Oh well...
My Necrology of Boston Area Businesses
This is a list I posted on my blog back in January. You can add Filene's Basement to the list, and probably a few others but I don't really want to think on it now.
Denise’s Ice Cream - Davis Square
Disc Diggers - Davis Square
Union Square Bistro - Union Square
Eat - Union Square
Tir Na nOg - Union Square
hardware store - Magoun Square (just because I can’t remember its name doesn’t mean I don’t miss it)
WordsWorth Books - Harvard Square
Billings & Stover Apothecary - Harvard Square
Sage’s grocery store - Harvard Square
Johnny’s Luncheonette - Central Square
Kendall Cafe - Kendall Square
Curious Liquids - Beacon Hill
Cafe Marliave - Downtown
The Littlest Bar - Downtown
Irish Embassy Pub - West End
Mike’s Doughnuts - Everett
Juicy Lucy’s - Watertown
Roslindale edition
Ashmont
Ali's Roti Wrap
That Albanian place
Which is now a sports bar, apparently.
Mike's Doughnuts in Everett
This was on Route 99 in the 'wasteland' part of Everett, right? I did not know this had closed. What is there now?
Exactly what you'd expect
Last time I went by there it was a Dunkin' Donuts.
Other Joints, Little Lamented
These places may only be remembered by those my age; that is, ancient and crumbling to dust any day now.
I miss New England Music City in Kenmore Square. I bought half my record collection there, back in the 70's.
I miss the Waldorf's and Bickford's that used to be so numerous. Good greasy breakfasts at a cheap price.
I miss the following downtown stores: Kresge's, Kennedy's, Grant's, Raymond's ("Where U Bot The Hat", it said on a sign, although I never knew why), Mickey Finn's, and, of course, Jordan Marsh.
I miss Dini's Restaurant on Tremont. For that matter, I miss Chez Freddie's, the bar just off of Tremont.
I also miss The Combat Zone, but maybe we'd better not go there.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Cafe Marliave
Now I just have to drown my sorrows at the Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale, but it's not the same :-).
It May Not Be The Same
... but The Pleasant sure is :-)
That joint has barely changed in 40 years. I guess that's why I love it.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
NE Music City
I remember that store. It was a block from where I lived as an MIT student. It's now a Campus Convenience store.
Jeez - the other day I was
Jeez - the other day I was just telling my daughter about The Spa: the first place I ever had soft serve frozen yogurt.
I miss Rowinsky's, too. That was some good cheesecake.