[VAR]iable expression » camberville

Update from a busy July: Hogwarts Square, ArtBea(s)t, and a tourist trip to Nantucket and Old Ironsides

Maria Varmazis — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:16:10 +0000

Twice in a row, I’m apologizing for infrequent posts. For better or worse, things have been pretty busy since I got back from vacation. So I don’t bore you all to tears with minute details of my goings-on, I’ll summarize with the aid of four pictures:

When Harvard Square became Hogwarts Square
7/20/07 — a momentous day for Harry Potter fans worldwide. Alas, I’m not one of them. It’s simply not my kind of book, though many of my friends are ardent fans of the series.
Since I knew this was going to be a big event for lots of folks of my generation (the “millenials” I think we’re called), I figured it’d be neat to be a part of the final event. Harvard Square transformed itself into “Hogwarts Square” for the night of the final Harry Potter book, with lots of the local businesses staying open until the midnight book release, selling Harry Potter-themed items (my favorite was Tealuxe’s “butter beer,” an ice tea with strong chai and caramel overtones, delicious).There were also free concerts on Harvard Yard with hundreds of people of all ages dressed as their favorite HP characters. The weather was clear and warm, the crowds were energized and happy, it was very refreshing being a part of an event that big — one that wasn’t sports-related and/or overflowing with alcohol!

And, despite the best efforts of many griefers-armed-with-megaphones, nobody managed to spoil the HP7 ending to the crowd, so many thousands of kids went home happy to voraciously read. How cool is that?

The crowd at ArtBeast
My new hometown, Somerville, is host to a pretty healthy cadre of artists—according to the City of Somerville website: “Somerville is Arts Central: only New York has more artists per capita than the City of Somerville; the local artists make the City one of the most vibrant and exciting arts centers in the country.”Nice!So when Somerville throws an arts festival, it throws a freakin’ arts festival. The annual Somerville festival, held (on 7/21) by the Somerville Arts Council, is called ArtBeat. This year’s festival theme was the animal kingdom, so the festival was sort-of-renamed “ArtBeast.” (very cute!) Best of all, it took place right down the street from me in lovely Davis Square. All the streets leading into the square were shut down for pedestrian traffic, and several stages were set up throughout for musicians, while the streets were lined with artists’ booths in all directions. The foot traffic never waned — it was packed for the whole afternoon, full of people making new discoveries, oohing and aahing at the wares and crafts for sale.

I volunteered at this year’s festival, basically selling items like t-shirts and dogtags to benefit the Arts Council, as admission to the festival is free. On top of meeting notables like our Mayor Joe, it was a beautiful experience to see such a huge variety of people walking by, taking in the crafts and music and having a wonderful time being out and about. Folks from all walks of life, all races, all ethnicities, all socio-economic statuses. I got to meet and talk with many of them, from other new residents (like myself) to old townies who’ve been in this town for ages, back when the nickname “Slumerville” was pretty apt. It was fascinating to hear their stories, and very heartwarming when they wished me welcome to their town.

Moored boats right outside of Nantucket town &
Old Ironsides’ bell and the Boston skyline This past weekend I had a friend visit me from Houston. As she’d never been to Boston (or Massachusetts) before, I took the opportunity to show her around to places even I’d never visited. Weird as it may seem, since I grew up in Massachusetts, I’d never been Nantucket! (Still haven’t been to Martha’s Vineyard, either, though that may change next month.) My visiting friend is a big fan of whaling mythos of all things, as she loves Melville’s Moby Dick, so she jumped at a chance to see the island so famous for its whaling exploits. We only spent a day on Nantucket and were confined to the space of the town, but I was still really impressed by the island. It’s no wonder the locals are so proud of their island—it’s stunning. Perhaps next time I visit I’ll get to explore the beaches.I also took my friend to the Charlestown Navy Shipyard (this is just a stone’s throw north of Boston proper), which, also strangely, I’d never been to—not even as a kid on a school field trip! Both my friend and I were mesmerized by the ships there. Old Ironsides is loaded with historical significance and patriotic symbolisms, so I won’t recount them here. But even at the most basic level, it’s an intriguing lesson in human ingenuity and resilience to see the ship up close and inspect the intricate rope networks or the tiny spaces the sailors had to navigate. On a visceral level, the ship is beautiful. Not to lay it on thick, but seeing the masts of the USS Constitution set against the modern Boston summer skyline on one side and Bunker Hill monument on the other, you do feel a profound sense of place and history.

In addition to the USS Constitution, we also explored the WWII Destroyer the USS Cassin Young, which has taken the place of the now-decommissioned aircraft carrier, the USS JFK. I’m a bit of a nerd for computer war strategy games, so I felt like I was walking around in one of my chess pieces, so to speak.

That’s the “brief” version of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks. I’m not sure what I’ll be up to this weekend other than getting some errands done, which isn’t very exciting or blog-able.

… I did just find out that there are actual Greek frappes in the area (it’s pronounced “fra-PAY,” not “frap” in the New England tradition). These drinks are the staple of Greek summers. Very simple to make, very effective in keeping you cool. I’m not sure how or why they’re so delicious as they’re made with simple freeze-dried Nescafe crystals, which are normally disgusting, and a very tiny amount of sugar. They’re supposed to be pretty bitter, from my experience. But still, on hot summer afternoons, I miss them. Hopefully before summer’s end I’ll finally drink one!

As promised, a photo of Faces

Maria Varmazis — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:49:51 +0000

I took this very quickly with my cell phone… while driving. Yea, I’m one of those people.
Anyway, I hit the shutter and put the phone down, didn’t even look at the picture, and figured it came out horribly.

To my surprise, it isn’t half-bad. It isn’t great, either, but Faces doesn’t really merit too much effort on my part, I think.

Goodbye, Faces (hello, Davis Square crime)

Maria Varmazis — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 16:20:02 +0000

Just a few days ago, while idling in evening rush-hour traffic around the Alewife Brook Parkway, I stared at bit at Faces.

That creepy, dilapadated building right on the tail end of route two east has been slowly decomposing since I was in elementary school. (Sorry if this makes you feel old — if it’s any consolation, it make me feel like a kid.) I’m now a post-undergraduate working a salaried, professional job and that old nightclub is still abandoned, boarded-up, and a complete eyesore for anyone entering the Camberville area. What better greeting to visiting students, parents, tourists and business investors than a long-abandoned nightclub?

A little while ago on the Davis Square community on livejournal, I asked if anyone knew why this building has remained in its forgotten state for so long. It’s hard to ignore, and surely that’s prime real estate (even if it is next to a busy highway). A few people pitched in answers but no one could authoritatively say why Faces was still around.

Well, the Boston Herald‘s Scott Van Voorhis reported a few days ago that Faces is finally getting its funeral. Hallelujah! That answers the question about Faces’ future. It doesn’t tell me what the heck took so long for someone to decide to tear this place down. Despite my best google-fu I really can’t find any definitive information on this place. Is it owned by the city of Cambridge? Perhaps the Commonwealth? Maybe even the Cambridge Gateway Inn (which lives in Faces’ ugly shadow)?

Tonight I’ll try to bike here and take a few photos of my own (or at least snap a few on my cell phone as I’m sitting in traffic). Until I see bulldozers on that site I’m not going to bust out the champagne for Faces’ demise-party.

If the Faces site is turned into rental property, I do wonder how that will affect the Alewife Brook parkway traffic. That entire area needs an overhaul. The backups are one thing, but have you ever tried to explain that area to someone who’s never been there before?

“Get into the leftish lane, but not all the way, be like in the right lane of the left lane, then after the traffic light be careful of traffic merging on the right and then cross over to the right two more lanes.

…Aw, screw it, just follow the signs for Tufts and try not to hit anybody.”

And just a PSA for any of my Davis Square neighbors: there have been a rash of break-ins in the area over the past few weeks, and it seems they are only getting worse.

Read the discussion on the Davis Square LJ community for specifics on locations, etc. My housemate, who has been living in this area for a few good years now, says these rashes of break-ins tend to come and go, but it’s still good to be aware in this open-window season.

Perhaps worst of all, it seems even potted plants aren’t safe. Flower theft is not a victimless crime, people!