The Good Time Emporium’s reign of infamy is at long last coming to an end–it’s closing its doors forever this Monday, the 30th. Okay, that’s a bit melodramatic. There were many good times to be had at Good Time’s, but most Somerville-area residents were pretty torn on this establishment. People loved it for its seediness. Others hated it for just that reason. Even if you’d never been to the Good Time Emporium, chances are if you’re from around here you’ve heard of it.

It’s an arcade, a pool hall and a sports bar all in one, with some laser tag, batting cages and oodles of Keno thrown in for good measure. You’d expect it to reek of cigarettes (except indoor smoking is banned in Massachusetts), especially near the compulsive gamblers camped out in the Keno areas. Combine the gaudiness of Vegas with the grit of a dive pub and you get a pretty good idea of what it’s like there. And that’s why some friends and I decided to pay it a last visit before this long-time cultural institution in Somerville is gone forever… and replaced by an IKEA.

Towards the end of our visit, some of the guys found the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sidescroller arcade game from when we all were kids. They all pooled their coins together and four of them started button mashing through a pretty decent number of levels.

Got a video of them playing too. These arcade games were always so horribly unbalanced to make you lose your money as quickly as possible, it’s pretty funny hearing everyone trying to their best to not get killed.

Very happily I got to jump in and take over as Donatello when one of the other players backed out. (Michaelangelo was my favorite as a kid — he was the party dude, of course!) So yes, I was a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan when I was a kid, and it was really funny seeing that vestige of my childhood again. What a shock to see how dated April has become!

Speaking of childhood vestiges, look what was just a few feet away from the TMNT game:

It’s been ages since I’d seen a real Pac-Man too.

Supposedly the IKEA will help vitalize Assembly Square and bring more jobs to the area. Supposedly the Good Time Emporium will be able to relocate somewhere else in the Boston area. Can’t really say. But as we all wait to find out what happens, I thank you, Good Time Emporium, for that lovely nostalgia trip this evening. It was wonderful to play these games I remember from when I was a kid. They still have a lot of charm.

In a few years, if I find myself in Assembly Square buying some umlauted goods, it’ll be weird to think that I once played skee-ball where there’s now a Björkudden table.

(In the end I’ll only be a 15 minute walk from Davis Square, so it’s not as though I’m going very far!)

At the same time though, Arlington is definitely on the up-and-up. There are so many new restaurants in Arlington Center along Mass Ave, I imagine it’d take me at least a year to try them all. Growing up in Massachusetts I always thought of Arlington as a retiree town–to some extent it’s still true, but I’m seeing more and more young people in the area, as the rental prices are really affordable and it’s still close enough to Boston and mass transit to be an attractive option for people trying to get into Boston itself.

I’m really excited to join my new community. Next time you hear from me, I’ll be all moved in!

If you go into back entries all that far, they might not work perfectly with the new format. Sorry about that.

One last note: After a lovely year and a half in Davis Square, I’m moving out. Thankfully it won’t be a big move—I’m going to be about 5 minutes away by car, just across the border in Arlington. It’s bittersweet: I love living in Davis Square, but quite frankly, my rent’s awfully high. This definitely is a hot neighborhood and it’s been a blast living in the heart of it.

Go figure, when I put my apartment up on Craigslist, we got responses within a day, and barely two days after the listing went up, a new tenant already signed a lease! Amazing.

Somehow, very luckily, it only took me an hour to get home from work yesterday. Like most people I left work (in Waltham) right after lunch, just as the snow started coming down hard.

So I took some photos!

Top photo — The view down Cottage Ave in Somerville mid-afternoon yesterday.
(This was picked up by Bostonist.)

An abandoned umbrella in Davis square.
(This photo was picked up by UniversalHub.)

The view down Chester Street.

And a few hours later…

Some serious snowcover.

Since cars were all but useless with this much snow on the roads, some folks got creative.
Good idea:

Cross-country skiing your way into Davis Square.

A not-so-good idea:

Biking your way onto Massachusetts Avenue. EEK!

If you live in the area, make sure you keep Adam’s French Toast Alert system bookmarked! We’re due for another storm Saturday night into Sunday, and there’s no guarantee your local supermarket’s will have the bread, milk and eggs you need to get you through the weekend, so stock up now :)

Sorry guys, for real this time. Redux. Again. I guess this blog is a lost cause, yet I just can’t give up on it. All things considered I really should concentrate on keeping this blog nice and local, as I live in one of the best places in world^*, Davis Square.

^*It may or may not be the best place in the world.

Thanksgiving came and went in Boston. This year was one of the mildest Thanksgivings I can remember. I’m sure I can speak for many a Massachusetts native when I say this is a mixed blessing. Sure the cold isn’t pleasant, but it doesn’t feel right to wear only two layers and a light hat this time of year!Now that the annual turkey feast is over, the Christmas holiday season is upon us. In Davis Square, Somerville at large, and heck, all of New England, that means crazy light displays. Here’s a small one just a street away from me:

Honestly, I’ve never been able to get a seat at Diesel, let alone a table or (gasp) a booth. And I feel bad hogging a big space as I’m usually only accompanied by one other person when I’m not writing entirely alone.

Mr. Crepe is usually also too busy for me to find a seat, and it still doesn’t have that sit-and-write vibe of the coffeeshops down the street… probably because Mr. Crepe isn’t a coffee shop! (Duh!) Though I have seen some folks biding their time with laptops near the windows, that’s not a common sight there.

Normally I can find a seat at Starbucks, even in the busy hours between 6pm and closing at 10:30pm. And the small tables by the window let me take a seat with an outlet without hogging tons of space. I’ve been able to write for hours uninterrupted there without other patrons glaring at me for being a space-hog. I don’t get the same feeling at Diesel — mainly because I’ve given out a few glares-of-death myself. But I do feel bad that I’m not supporting a local business, so I’d like to try alternatives if I can.

Are there any other spots I’m missing? Where do you go to write in the Davis area?

I live a stone’s throw from Redbones so all these Davis locations are a minute or two walking distance, ideal for me to just pick up my laptop and keys and bop on out of the house for a few hours. (And lack of free WiFi is actually a plus! I don’t have the discipline to abstain from surfing if access is free…)

[[Once Sacco's Bowl Haven is converted into a Community Center -- which is thus far named the unfortunate and cringe-tastic "Connections Center," eww -- I might not have this dilemma anymore.]]

When Harvard Square became Hogwarts Square

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

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

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!

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!

2) I’m about 1 minute from the Minuteman Bikeway.

3) The smell of sweet BBQ sauce wafts through my windows early mornings and late afternoons from Redbones. Torture? No, pure bliss, I assure you.

4) Want coffee? Want a crepe? Want to play Guitar Hero at night? Want Tibetan food? Want your sewing machine repaired? Want to browse a farmer’s market? Want to see an indie movie? Not a problem. (You get the point.) This place has A LOT to offer.

Living in Davis Square—the cons:

1) I am entirely too close to Redbones and the Greek Corner for my own good.
… OK, that’s not really a con, is it? (Unless we’re talking about my waistline.)

This marks my official 6-month anniversary of living in Davis Square, with no intentions of moving. Quite simply, this neighborhood is perfect for me. I can’t imagine being anywhere else right now.

Even though Davis is changing a lot—in some negative ways as well as positive—I’m glad to be a part of it.

[edit] And then, as if on queue: THE ICE CREAM TRUCK passes by my house. Right after I hit “post” on this thing. Geez, I thought those things were long-extinct! (See above for my uber-quick picture of that rare species from my window! Does anyone else have fond memories of their neighborhood ice cream truck?)